Hey guys! I recently released the alpha of an action RPG that I've been working on. This is my first time seriously designing a game, and I know that no matter how confident I feel in the product, there are things that can be improved and made better. I would love it if some of the people in this community could take a look at the game and offer their thoughts, good or bad.
Well, it's fairly clear this is a labor of love. The art style seems a bit rough, but is rather expressive with a number of animations. There's also fair bit of complexity here, along with enemies and interactions, the UI and control scheme seem's a bit cumbersome though and could use some refinement. Out of curiosity, is the game more or less "complete" in term's of levels? How many level's are there?
Few observations:
-Your control scheme needs work. Its X to talk to people, Z to advance text, A to run, D to attack, M for inventory, Enter for shop menu prompts, Z for casting spells, 1 for quick items, etc.
It would be much more efficient to have A be for both running and starting conversations, and A again for speeding up text while talking, this is referred to as "context sensitive controls", where a single button can do multiple things in different situations.
Store and inventory menu's should also follow the same paradigm, where you use A for selecting options, and either select an exit prompt or have something like D be to cancel out.
Alternatively, you could make it so by holding a button and pressing another can act as menu prompts. For example holding S and then pressing left/right for using quick items or casting spells, respectively, or up for the inventory, etc.
-T'would be nice to be able to reorganize your inventory.
-Stores should probably list how much gold you have while you shop (for reference).
-Wasn't sure how to save, until I eventually bumped into your save gem. Might be good to give the players a prompt to let them know.
As for Bugs, you can knock enemies through the electric field (such as the dark clerics), which could be an issue if you can't reach them. Also, pressing escape in the magic shop when buying things crashes out:
############################################################################################ ERROR in action number 1 of Key Press Event for <Escape> Key for object oLevel1Stores: Variable oLevel1MagicShopDialogue.sabrinadialoguecounter(100178, -2147483648) not set before reading it. at gml_Object_oLevel1Stores_KeyPress_27 ############################################################################################ gml_Object_oLevel1Stores_KeyPress_27 (line -1)
Thank you so much for playing the game and offering your feedback! The game is supposed to have five main levels plus some end-game content and an infinite mode. I'm designing all of the game's infrastructure now (minus the infinite mode) so that adding more content will be significantly easier going forward.
That's actually a really good point about having context-sensitive keys. I don't know why I didn't consider that before, even when I was thinking that the controls were a bit cumbersome. The other points are all valid too, and I'll be sure to consider them as I refine the game further.
The crash you reported was fixed in the 0.014 build, as somebody else had caught that as well. But good point about the electric barrier - I'll be sure to address that.
Alright, it's time to bump this because a LOT of updates have been made since the last post. I've added the following to the game, several of which address the above poster:
-The control scheme has been greatly simplified - one key now controls dialogue, selection, and attacking. Additionally, key mapping has been implemented, as well as volume sliders for the game's music and sound effects. I have also included a dialogue speed slider and a partially-implemented colorblind setting.
-I have finished composing the game's title theme, and it has been included in this build. Stick around to the end, and watch the title screen change alongside it.
-Attack animations have been greatly improved.
-Numerous other animation and sprite fixes.
-Small changes to enemies and combat addressing some complaints from earlier. More to follow in future updates.
-The inventory now adjusts so that there are no empty spaces whenever an item is consumed/sold/destroyed. I haven't implemented manual sorting since this is not a widely requested feature, but if it's something a lot of people want I'll put it in.
-Various bug fixes, including the ones mentioned in this thread.
-Lots of additional dialogues appear after level 1-6.
-Substantial internal refactoring - not visible to the player, but it makes adding more content to the game a lot easier in the future.
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This is just what I can remember. This is all included in the newly uploaded v0.030 Alpha build, which can be downloaded here: https://bynary-fission.itch.io/battle-tower-royale
v0.040 has been released! This update adds in the Character Creation screen, which makes it possible to create your own custom characters. You can modify the player's race, add various bonuses, change the starting stats, and pick a starting spell. This has quite an effect on the game's overall balance, so I'm keen on hearing what players have to say about how the game feels and plays with these changes.
The new game can be downloaded as an executable here: https://bynary-fission.itch.io/battle-tower-royale
v0.041 has been released! The elf has been added in a playable race, offering numerous bonuses and enhancements to your spellcasting power! Also included is a fullscreen mode, an option to show damage taken by the player, QoL improvements, bug and sprite fixes, and more! A full list can be found here, as well as an option to download the .exe of the newest build: https://bynary-fission.itch.io/battle-tower-royale/devlog/704022/v0041-released-...
I also made some balance changes throughout, so any feedback on how the game feels and plays would be greatly appreciated!
