Hey, finally got to play your game. The controls were a bit unusual in a good way; the boost in addition to the absolute directional movement seem to give more flexibility in controlling the ship but also added a bit to the challenge.
I also appreciated the very clear and to-the-point tutorial that did a great job in easing me into the game and taught me the controls. Two _minor_ oddities were 1) the tutorial wanting me to press P to actually pause the game :)) But you also made the best of the pause screen by putting a list of controls there too. And 2), the fact that I collect the drops from the enemies but then have to go back to the shop to purchase them. But again, these are very minor things that didn't really detract from the game.
It's clear that you had a pragmatic mindset and a clear vision for this game which results in a wholesome experience for the player in general.
Overall, a very solid game with outstanding music & SFX.
Viewing post in Zero Waves Remains jam comments
Whoa, thanks! Great feedback ❤️
I've added pausing very early in development and by the end of the jam I realised that no player have used it. Because nobody knew it existed. So yeah, it's a bit odd, but now you 100% know about it 😁
As for the shop I felt this oddity myself too. Anyways the system works and my time is limited so it is what it is now.
Since you're the only person who noticed it do you have any idea on how to improve the items system? Maybe add something like vampire survivors upgrade system?
You're welcome :)
For the item system, I can think of two options:
- Have the enemies drop credits only. You could put everything in the shop from the get go and let the player anticipate, plan and hopefully salivate on the juicy upgrades , and motivate them to collect all the credits. Have the credits expire after a few seconds (like in Surwave) if you want to add some extra pressure & tension.
- No shop. You salvage the items that the enemies drop randomly. You'd probably want to tie the quality (e.g. weapon strength) and the quantity (e.g. ammo) to the tier of the enemy.
The first one gives the player more direct control and choice on how to spend their money and the second one adds an immediate reward and progression mechanism and randomness.