Really cool concept, and fun loop to play. Cool game!
The beginning is rather grinding, I ended up just waiting for the 5,000 like to expand the gallery after hitting about 17 like/s and not seeing another good way to increase it.
The synergy options are rather overwhelming. Maybe have these be unlocked a few at a time? I don't know.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing this project progress! Keep it up!
Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m really glad you’re enjoying the core loop.
Regarding progression: the intended path is to push through the "Likes per Second" upgrades, hunt for better films and rare photos and use the Rebrand (prestige) mechanic to scale faster. However, I hear you on the gallery costs. I'll definitely look into rebalancing those early-game milestones to reduce the grind.
Your point about synergies is spot on. I love the idea of unlocking them gradually via specific tags to prevent information overload. Maybe they could unlock only after you find your first photo with that specific tag? I'll definitely look into implementing that.
Thanks for playing and helping me improve the game! Stay tuned for updates!
Yeah, no problem! I think you have a cool concept here.
Perhaps its tied to the films? Like, the first roll of film only has 3 possible synergies it can create, but they're low value. So you can easily get the synergies going, without it breaking the game. And this helps the player get used to the mechanic and get rewarded for synergies.
And then as you unlock or use more expensive film, you get more synergies available and these synergies give increasing rewards. That way, your progression feels good and you need a few images per film roll to get those rewards.
I don't know if this is the best approach, but maybe it helps.
And balancing the game can be quite tricky. But I think it can help if you lock in the game flow a bit more. Maybe hide certain upgrades or more expensive film rolls for the player, so they can't access them. It removes some options but it can help you get a feel for the progression steps the player takes.
It’s exactly like that right now! The starter film only drops 'Street' and 'Urban' tags, which provide a 15% bonus. However, more expensive films can unlock synergies like 'Abstract' that gives 50% more likes but require more photos to complete. You can see which tags a film drops via the prestige upgrade. But I’ve decided to hide the synergy filters until you discover a photo with that tag to prevent information overload after your feedback:)
I'm also considering better progression systems, like hiding certain films initially. Balancing the economy is tough but I’ll keep refining it until the Steam demo!
Thanks for all the feedback!
