When you click the wrong button and now there's a building you don't want permanently stuck to your mouse cursor, how do you undo it? Nevermind. After playing it more, I realized that it's not an issue. No matter what you're queued up to build, you can always just interact with an existing unit.
Looks like a fun concept, but maybe a bit buggy at the moment. By the second tutorial level, the balls can't even reach the next step after the splitter right at the start, meaning you have no way to actually do anything at first. At best, you can turn the angle of the repeater to fire directly at the gold blocks, but the splitter is useless due to crazy short range.
The lifetime of a ball gets "split" when it passes through a splitter, yes. If it's a truplicate, it may be as low as 1 square. There's a skill tree option to increase this tho
It's timing based, not distance based. So the lifetime is a float value that gets cut in half per splitter it passes through. There could certainly be an error, yes, I'm not sure
Hello! I really like the concept of this game, and it was quite fun(albeit grindy) to play through a few levels. I Like the gameplay and the graphics aren't bad. One suggestion, if I can, I would love it if you could add a "sandbox mode" where you can just play around with unlimited money and learn how to get good at the game. It won't be very hard to implement, considering those debug tools are already in the game. You can reuse a lot of things from the code of the debug tools for it.
Yeah, we can definitely do that. I think I would just add a toggle checkbox that says "Sandbox Mode" somewhere on the main menu. Because I would do this by creating a custom Balance Settings, and just setting the money high and the prices low. Then, you could select any level, toggle the sandbox mode on, and play.
First, i found out the mechanics. I found out a few stuff and also found out some really good workarounds, including this one:
I also like the game, but you could create new levels. One example is where you have to take down 5 voids but they all need a path to get to them, making them have more chance to grow before they can actually get damaged.
Its actually one of the best factorio/shapez.io styled games i have played. I hope you read this review :)
Thanks so much for the kind words and feedback. I like your level idea. It is a goal for me to have a level editor included in the final release of the game, so players can make their own. But that's a ways off!
Definitely jump in the Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5W3Q2 Feedback, bugs, and feature requests are being taken very seriously at this early stage of development.
At first glance the game gave me a factorio type of vibe, but the way it's set up makes it so resource management isn't really a problem (I was able to very easily beat every level with just repeaters, splitters, and side projectors) so it's pretty chill. I really loved the game's concept, and its sound effects and music do a very good job of really selling the execution. The soundtrack could use a bit more variation, but it's not really much of an issue since the current song is pretty good.
I found a few glitches: There's the shooting-through-blocks glitch that you already know about, though if I'm being honest that glitch isn't game-breaking so I'm not sure if you'd even need to remove it since it could be used to add a bit of strategy to things. (Imagine a level that bans the piercer and wants you to figure out a way to get through some walls. You could use the glitch, or you might rotate the edge blocks to form a tiiiny path way if the corners are missing.)
There's another glitch though: amplifiers and piercers don't seem to refund your money when you sell them. Or, at the very least, they don't refund all of the money you spent on them unless they're at the default price. Normally it's not a problem but... I'll come back to this later.
I also found the piercer to be too OP. It can pass through everything—walls, gold blocks, void, and I think even the wrong side of redirectors—with absolutely no limit to it other than how many redirectors you can place. I agree with LipeCarmel that you only really need one, but they only cost 300... the lack of sound effects when pierced objects fly through something also makes it feel worse to use than the fun bouncy balls that you start with. I kind of feel that it should have a max pierce limit, or maybe make it so the bullets don't keep their pierced property when they enter a redirector.
I really love the fact that you took the time to make so many variables in the game customizable, though! I personally am a fan of RTS-like strategy games so I managed to make a custom pre-set special challenge that puts you under a good deal of pressure, but is still 100% possible. I know LipeCarmel mentoined the game could use a more challenging aspect to it so... hopefully this helps!
It forces you to scout by buying and selling in the fog, plan ahead a bit, and figure out what you want to save for early on. Voids grow faster. Repeaters are less powerful but their low price makes them feel a lot more useful. They aren't enough on their own, though, and resources are somewhat limited... but there's still enough to work with. You also get rewarded for being fast because the faster you work, the less of the map gets destroyed. It's really interesting and fun to play!
This is also where the amplifier/piercer no-refund glitch is so detrimental, though. When you spend like 6k on a piercer or 8k on finally getting an amplifier and then sell them, you lose the HUGE amount that you invested in them for their power. (I'm also considering reducing the piercer to 5k.)
I also found out about another really fun concept: beating a game without a single repeater. I did it by starting a game with a void right next to my starting repeater and then didn't buy another. Instead of a repeater I used a redirector loop with a splitter, so it's more limited and you can't just sell and place it wherever you want—You have to work with where the first loop is. Really fun!
Sorry if my comment is too long. When I write comments/review for games, I tend to be wordy, and I'm even more wordy with the games that I like the most!
This game is amazing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Thank ye for all the work you've put into it!☺
This comment is incredible- I love how you analized that much!!! I really love the concept of not using repeaters, maybe just using the one you start is a good option too!!
Wow, yeah, like Aspark says, this is a great comment. I have some good notes: First, I'm really happy that you pointed out that refund bug. I wasn't aware of that, and it was quite an easy fix. So that will be in the next build. Thanks!
Second, I've also fixed the shooting through walls bug. I too had some hesitance on fixing it, as it was kinda fun. But it feels unnatural and that type of thing causes confusion in players. So I'm going to go with removing it for now. I'll be testing that while working on the next build.
I have a lot more to reply, but I want to say that your comment + Aspark's request have encouraged me in getting an official Discord going. I'd like to have this kind of discussion early and be as back-and-forth as possible. I will probably be doing that this weekend. I have so many exciting ideas (I think) and I'd like to have them in a centralized place that the community can view and input. So look for that soon and I hope to see you there.
The Piercer - One of the changes I'm contemplating is changing this to be The FOG Piercer. It will pierce Fog, but only Fog.
Amplifier - Looking at turning this into The Void Destroyer, and having it only gain a damage boost vs. the Voids.
Global Node Design Change - I'm looking at nerfing the overall flow of the nodes. I mean simply only allowing 1 effect to pass from node to node. This means that Piercing would overwrite Amplifier and Amplifiers wouldn't Amplify each other, etc. I also have other types of nodes planned that I think will be fun.
This is where the Discord discussion should probably start!
Lastly, I'm so happy you took advantage of the custom settings. I rolled that out for fun, hoping for this exact situation, that players show me their custom settings, and I can learn from them. I tried your settings! They are hardcore, and I might even upload them as part of the next build, labeling them as such. It's a unique and challenging way to play the game.
It won't be soon, but one goal is to have these shareable between players, along with custom maps.
Anyways, thanks again for the comments and bugs. I'll be getting back to it this weekend. Look out for the Discord soon.
Really fun game. I think I've found a bug, if you place any shooter block pointed at a wall it will shoot through it.
Feedback: Although I really the sandbox nature of the game, it would be nice to have a couple of more challenging puzzle levels, maybe with very limited space, or using a limited number of each block. For example, I find there is absolutely no reason to have more the one piercer and one amplifier, because once you have a fast amplified piercing bullet generator you can just split the beam and send it directly to wherever you need it, you can even repeat it back and forth across the void. I also agree with the previous comments about the wall block being mostly useless and the level selection being a little weird.
Thanks for the feedback and bug report. I am aware of that bug...but not quite sure how to fix it...yet. I'm on it though!
On the feedback, I am definitely doing some work to get those issues addressed. I'm not sure how well it will link, but here is some footage of some new changes coming soon:
And the new "Chaos Container" node will have other bad things happen, not just the gold thief. Of course, I'll also be adding a "good container", eventually.
Also, my goal is to eventually have a skill tree type system. The goal is to put more advanced nodes like Amplifier and Piercing far into a specific tree so that you can't get both without sacrificing some other cool options.
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When you click the wrong button and now there's a building you don't want permanently stuck to your mouse cursor, how do you undo it?Nevermind. After playing it more, I realized that it's not an issue. No matter what you're queued up to build, you can always just interact with an existing unit.Great music BTW.
No gamepad support?
Nope, no gamepad support. That would be one of the 1st things I'd work on if I got some type of funding
Looks like a fun concept, but maybe a bit buggy at the moment. By the second tutorial level, the balls can't even reach the next step after the splitter right at the start, meaning you have no way to actually do anything at first. At best, you can turn the angle of the repeater to fire directly at the gold blocks, but the splitter is useless due to crazy short range.
Fixed this issue, thanks for pointing it out
are balls that pass through splitters supposed to have a lifetime of less than one square...?
The lifetime of a ball gets "split" when it passes through a splitter, yes. If it's a truplicate, it may be as low as 1 square. There's a skill tree option to increase this tho
is there a chance it also gets inverted? Because it seems the shorter it flew, the less it lives.
It's timing based, not distance based. So the lifetime is a float value that gets cut in half per splitter it passes through. There could certainly be an error, yes, I'm not sure
Picasso, I like it.
Please bring back that old soundtrack you had few months ago :/
Whatever song you're looking for is still there, as I've only added new songs. Never removed any songs. Maybe switch levels?
found it :) Its not level based it just plays a random track everytime you start the game.
Great! Glad you found it. It is a really great track.
can you update the wins 32 version(like please)
Update it how? Is there something wrong with it?
GG, I just want to play more.
Hello! I really like the concept of this game, and it was quite fun(albeit grindy) to play through a few levels. I Like the gameplay and the graphics aren't bad. One suggestion, if I can, I would love it if you could add a "sandbox mode" where you can just play around with unlimited money and learn how to get good at the game. It won't be very hard to implement, considering those debug tools are already in the game. You can reuse a lot of things from the code of the debug tools for it.
Thanks!
Yeah, we can definitely do that. I think I would just add a toggle checkbox that says "Sandbox Mode" somewhere on the main menu. Because I would do this by creating a custom Balance Settings, and just setting the money high and the prices low. Then, you could select any level, toggle the sandbox mode on, and play.
Very cool, would just need some UI improvements as it looks a bit off, but the idea and gameplay are on point, congrats!
Thanks! Anything in particular with the UI? Resizing issues or just bad functionality? It's one of the areas I need the most help with!
I love this game, its so fun
Thanks! Glad you like it!
Love the idea, do you plan Linux support?
Not currently planned, sorry!
Apparently, all text disappears whenever I resize the window. Otherwise, nice game!
A very great thing!
First, i found out the mechanics. I found out a few stuff and also found out some really good workarounds, including this one:
I also like the game, but you could create new levels. One example is where you have to take down 5 voids but they all need a path to get to them, making them have more chance to grow before they can actually get damaged.
Its actually one of the best factorio/shapez.io styled games i have played. I hope you read this review :)
Thanks so much for the kind words and feedback. I like your level idea. It is a goal for me to have a level editor included in the final release of the game, so players can make their own. But that's a ways off!
Is there a way for people to help out with the project?
Definitely jump in the Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5W3Q2
Feedback, bugs, and feature requests are being taken very seriously at this early stage of development.
Alright.
Absolutely awesome!
At first glance the game gave me a factorio type of vibe, but the way it's set up makes it so resource management isn't really a problem (I was able to very easily beat every level with just repeaters, splitters, and side projectors) so it's pretty chill. I really loved the game's concept, and its sound effects and music do a very good job of really selling the execution. The soundtrack could use a bit more variation, but it's not really much of an issue since the current song is pretty good.
I found a few glitches: There's the shooting-through-blocks glitch that you already know about, though if I'm being honest that glitch isn't game-breaking so I'm not sure if you'd even need to remove it since it could be used to add a bit of strategy to things. (Imagine a level that bans the piercer and wants you to figure out a way to get through some walls. You could use the glitch, or you might rotate the edge blocks to form a tiiiny path way if the corners are missing.)
There's another glitch though: amplifiers and piercers don't seem to refund your money when you sell them. Or, at the very least, they don't refund all of the money you spent on them unless they're at the default price. Normally it's not a problem but... I'll come back to this later.
I also found the piercer to be too OP. It can pass through everything—walls, gold blocks, void, and I think even the wrong side of redirectors—with absolutely no limit to it other than how many redirectors you can place. I agree with LipeCarmel that you only really need one, but they only cost 300... the lack of sound effects when pierced objects fly through something also makes it feel worse to use than the fun bouncy balls that you start with. I kind of feel that it should have a max pierce limit, or maybe make it so the bullets don't keep their pierced property when they enter a redirector.
I really love the fact that you took the time to make so many variables in the game customizable, though! I personally am a fan of RTS-like strategy games so I managed to make a custom pre-set special challenge that puts you under a good deal of pressure, but is still 100% possible. I know LipeCarmel mentoined the game could use a more challenging aspect to it so... hopefully this helps!
This is also where the amplifier/piercer no-refund glitch is so detrimental, though. When you spend like 6k on a piercer or 8k on finally getting an amplifier and then sell them, you lose the HUGE amount that you invested in them for their power. (I'm also considering reducing the piercer to 5k.)
I also found out about another really fun concept: beating a game without a single repeater. I did it by starting a game with a void right next to my starting repeater and then didn't buy another. Instead of a repeater I used a redirector loop with a splitter, so it's more limited and you can't just sell and place it wherever you want—You have to work with where the first loop is. Really fun!
Sorry if my comment is too long. When I write comments/review for games, I tend to be wordy, and I'm even more wordy with the games that I like the most!
This game is amazing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Thank ye for all the work you've put into it!☺
This comment is incredible- I love how you analized that much!!! I really love the concept of not using repeaters, maybe just using the one you start is a good option too!!
Wow, yeah, like Aspark says, this is a great comment. I have some good notes:
First, I'm really happy that you pointed out that refund bug. I wasn't aware of that, and it was quite an easy fix. So that will be in the next build. Thanks!
Second, I've also fixed the shooting through walls bug. I too had some hesitance on fixing it, as it was kinda fun. But it feels unnatural and that type of thing causes confusion in players. So I'm going to go with removing it for now. I'll be testing that while working on the next build.
I have a lot more to reply, but I want to say that your comment + Aspark's request have encouraged me in getting an official Discord going. I'd like to have this kind of discussion early and be as back-and-forth as possible. I will probably be doing that this weekend. I have so many exciting ideas (I think) and I'd like to have them in a centralized place that the community can view and input. So look for that soon and I hope to see you there.
The Piercer - One of the changes I'm contemplating is changing this to be The FOG Piercer. It will pierce Fog, but only Fog.
Amplifier - Looking at turning this into The Void Destroyer, and having it only gain a damage boost vs. the Voids.
Global Node Design Change - I'm looking at nerfing the overall flow of the nodes. I mean simply only allowing 1 effect to pass from node to node. This means that Piercing would overwrite Amplifier and Amplifiers wouldn't Amplify each other, etc. I also have other types of nodes planned that I think will be fun.
This is where the Discord discussion should probably start!
Lastly, I'm so happy you took advantage of the custom settings. I rolled that out for fun, hoping for this exact situation, that players show me their custom settings, and I can learn from them. I tried your settings! They are hardcore, and I might even upload them as part of the next build, labeling them as such. It's a unique and challenging way to play the game.
It won't be soon, but one goal is to have these shareable between players, along with custom maps.
Anyways, thanks again for the comments and bugs. I'll be getting back to it this weekend. Look out for the Discord soon.
Really fun game.
I think I've found a bug, if you place any shooter block pointed at a wall it will shoot through it.
Feedback:
Although I really the sandbox nature of the game, it would be nice to have a couple of more challenging puzzle levels, maybe with very limited space, or using a limited number of each block. For example, I find there is absolutely no reason to have more the one piercer and one amplifier, because once you have a fast amplified piercing bullet generator you can just split the beam and send it directly to wherever you need it, you can even repeat it back and forth across the void.
I also agree with the previous comments about the wall block being mostly useless and the level selection being a little weird.
Thanks for the feedback and bug report. I am aware of that bug...but not quite sure how to fix it...yet. I'm on it though!
On the feedback, I am definitely doing some work to get those issues addressed. I'm not sure how well it will link, but here is some footage of some new changes coming soon:
https://twitter.com/snarge/status/1302602094038470657?s=20
https://twitter.com/snarge/status/1302217858869538816?s=20
And the new "Chaos Container" node will have other bad things happen, not just the gold thief. Of course, I'll also be adding a "good container", eventually.
Also, my goal is to eventually have a skill tree type system. The goal is to put more advanced nodes like Amplifier and Piercing far into a specific tree so that you can't get both without sacrificing some other cool options.