Cool platformer idea. It took a bit to understand the game loop, as there is no clear visual hierarchy between the overall map, the upgrade consoles, and the portals, but I eventually worked it out. Integrating the main UI into the lobby area seems a bit messy, especially since you can move the character and the UI simultaneously. Given the complexity of working with multiple consoles, integrating the main menu into a physical console in the lobby might work better, in my opinion. I would advise focusing on the core mechanics and UI before adding new ones. Using the vacuum rifle works ok but is not satisfying enough for a main mechanic, and I can't even tell what the riffle particles are doing, Check out "Slime rancher" as a reference, the frame rate is super low for some reason, If you get too close to the radiation particles it doesn't suck them up, try to avoid the camera from clipping through obstacles. Reaching the top of the purple pillar/mushroom seemed like a satisfying milestone, but there wasn't anything up there and I couldn't stand on it. I couldn't find a real use for the dash, but it might eventually be cool for something. The toxic pools are not visually represented as a danger sinkable zone. As with any game, including mine, getting the game to feel right is super tricky and requires a ton of work, but starting early saves you a lot of headaches later once the game begging to increase in complexity. So keep on grinding and congrats on the project so far! Love the concept and the style!
Viewing post in The Radiation Is Cosmic jam comments
Hi TryHardStudio,
Thanks for the feedback. It's all super helpful!
--Great callout on the visual hierarchy. This is something I've struggled with having chosen a limited color pallete with little shading. I will revisit this. I think I know how to solve it, just need some time to implement more detail on select objects. Thanks!
--Agreed on focusing on main mechanic and UI before moving on. This playtest was definitely all about that. I'm not creating any other levels before I get that part right.
--I'm going back and forth on how to use the suction tool. In early implementation the tool was lot more fun when it was just "point and single-click" vs "click and hold." I will check out Slime Rancher. I played a bit of the first one but will revisit it.
--Noted on camera clipping. This is something I haven't invested time into yet, but aware it needs to be cleaned up
--Noted on toxic pools. I'm getting a lot of feedback on this specific point, so I'll need to revisit these
--Noted around the portal/mushroom. It's mostly there for as a visual/set piece right now. But there will be more complexity around it in the future. But it's exciting to hear you got all the way up there! I myself haven't flown up there in a while, so I should probably put something special there in the meantime as I flesh out the game!
Thanks again for playing. I have a lot to think about!
Alan