itch.io

Thanks a lot for playing!  Sorry about the tutorial chip, I'm not sure what could cause that...

>the heat vignette effect is kind of obnoxious
I'll tone it down some, I increased how much heat you get without taking this into account

>now i know a little bit about how craps works!
I'm super glad you could learn a bit, that's been a major problem in previous builds.  Glad all the stuff like the roll indicator numbers help!

Thanks again for trying the demo out, I really appreciate it!

Web version should be fixed, please let me know if you encounter any more issues!

Apologies, there seems to be an issue with the web version with the steam integration... I'm working on a fix now, the download should work.

Part two:

• You can get tons of big swords 

• I still can’t figure out how to sit on the bed. Is it a special control? I’ve walked all over it and pressed every combo with no result.
• I was able to sit on the chair no problem, just pressed “down”
• It’d be nice to have some way to “examine” or know what the items in my inventory are
• Starting a fire to escape is super funny
  • But it was a little hard to figure out, I just started throwing items together
  • But I do get that’s part of the “classic adventure game” feel, so it is what it is
• I took the mission right away, I feel like I should have explored the town more
  • Maybe this guy could show up after the player walks around a bit?
• Didn’t realize I could climb bedsheets, really cool
• In the Manor
  • I found the Ledger
  • Figured out who the prisoner was
  • Gave my future wife a rat
  • Hoofed it past the goblins to escape
• Goblin ending.  Based

In regards to the full stat combat, it feel fine, if a bit samey. The basic goblins are barely a threat, because your basic stab comes out so far.  The hobs are more dangerous, but still not a huge threat. Damage seems a bit inconsistent, sometimes it takes 5 stabs to kill sometimes it takes 2.

Overall, I can really see the improvements, and I’m looking forward to the full release.  I’m sure making content is really tough, but I hope you have enough building blocks and systems build to start putting more together. 

Great job!

I got through about  4 teleporters.  I see the risk of rain influence, but it needs a lot more time to bake before it can compare.  That said, I do think risk of rain is a good learning game to copy, as a project to learn an engine or making one.

A big thing is working on clarity for the player.  Like for the laser, it'd be good to have some feedback on the player that tings are firing.  Also different sprites for the laser impact, and the orbs that orbit you. Just stuff like that that makes it more clear about the action -> reaction that comes from players actions.

In game thoughts:

• Love the SFX and intro
• Combat is fun, if a bit samey.  I do wonder what lower STR feels like
• Gobos can attack while I’m talking
• The cursor staying on screen is a little distracting
• Chad is such a pussy lmao
• Can’t climb down ladder (Oh just chads)
• The wall jump feels cool, but clunky
• Wish there was a little bit of coyote time
• The big gobo’s attack hangs around a little long
• Big sword small attack hit bit is too small, animation looks like it hits but doesn’t
• DAYYYUMMM she thick
• Maiden’s key wasn’t really visible, I just kind of guessed it was there
• I’m trying to sit on the bed but nothing is happening.  Maybe because a hob goblin is there as well?

I love the art and vibe of this game, great job.  Is there any way to skip past the opening segment where I got softlocked? If not I'll come back to this one after I try some more games.

Death ring

In game thoughts:

• Opening menu buttons kind of blend in with the background
• Escape closes the game, wish it paused
• Shotgun projectiles get removed when you shoot a second time?
• The laser is the best weapon by far hollllyyy
• Enemies get stuck in corners a lot, which is annoying at later stages
• Bosses feel kind of samey

This is a really solid top down shooter. I do think you could make the characters about 50% bigger.  Enemies were fine, but could maybe take a bit more variety in how they move or attack.

The weapons could use some of the same. Things like the flamethrower feel VERY weak compared to the laser, or even the starting gun. 

I like the "death ring", but it does become a bit of a downward spiral at some point.  It'd be really cool to have a "single use" item to expand your ring, or maybe temporarily disable it so you can hunt down enemies/power ups before you continue?  IDK just throwing shit out.

Really fun game!

In game thoughts:

• The far wall dash is a little clunky to do
• I love the shotgun SFX, very meaty
• It’d be nice to have some way to restart levels, especially trying to hit a specific time
• I wish I had a sprint button, or some way to speed up on flat areas

This game is really solid, takes me back to classic SSMB break the targets.  I also really like the character animation when you jump. It could use some polish to make different moves easier to execute.  

Would love some new characters and levels!

In game notes

- Comfy music
- I feel like I move faster sometimes? 
- I wish I could take multiple orders at once
- Control scene is really wonky, wish it was just WASD
- The camera perspective makes me feel a bit sick
- End of shift animations are nice

I see the vision for this game.  With some better controls, and someway to buy upgrades or change up your cafe (Or course all magically themed) this could have some good legs.  

I'll be looking forward to this one!

In game thoughts

• 2.5gb is pretty hefty for an indie game. Should look into reducing this for space conscious players
• File and settings in the top right is distracting
• Y/N system should have it’s own window and controls. Just selecting Y or N.  Less button presses
• It does set a good creepy vibe at the end of the interrogation, although I do wonder if this game is spyware haha
• Main menu music is a Jammer, right until the screamo verses covered up the sick beat. But that is a personal preference (I highly dislike screamo)
• The text has a strange feel to it, and I think it’s at least partially because you are using Passive Voice instead of Active Voice in a lot of the text.  More info here: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/sentences/active-vs-passive-voice/
  • There’s also some mistranslations, “What did she said to you” and such
• Ok this is cool.  Why does the girl skip around though?
• I do not typically player text heavy games, but something that does help me is Bolding key terms or important dialogue so even if I’m spam clicking through I still get the gist of the topics being discussed.
• I can clip camera through the walls and see other levels
• If I click at just the right time I can skip multiple dialogues
• I’m really bummed I didn’t get to make my own choice in the prisoners dilemma.  It seems like the perfect chance to give the player some agency
• I did not get those minigames at all

Post game thoughts:

I’m really confused by this game.  There’s a lot of dialogue, but very little gameplay. My advice would be to take out like 90% of the dialogue and instead replace it with more clear player choice and dialogue. Think of the TellTale games, it was *very* clear when the player was taking an action and what the result would be.  In this game it’s hard for me to tell when I’m even making an impact.

Hey thanks for trying it out!  

The NPC's are meant to be a balancing factor on the player, but in your recording it seems you got a lot of difficult NPC's waayy before you had a chance to establish a build.  For instance, the Cowboy (meant to be a late game boss type) shouldn't have spawned at that heat level.  That's my bad and I'll look into addressing the bug.

You are correct in that they are supposed to be a negative for the player.  Craps has a very "fragile" balance, so once the player starts increasing a certain bets payout, or decreasing the chance of a 7, they can start feeling very safe, which is what the NPC's are meant to offset.  But I do see how re-rolling is frustrating, especially when you have nothing to combat it.  I think I'll add some stickers and special chips to give players control over that, which could help with that feeling.

Thanks for playing, and the recording + critique, it's very helpful!

when you say slow do you mean performance wise, or just the game speed?  There is a setting to speed up the latter, the top setting should be almost instant animations.

but thanks so much for trying the demo, I really appreciate it!  I’ve kind of accepted the title issue, much much I can do about it at this point.

In-Game thoughts:

• Cool concept already, this is really great
• I can slide buttons stuff in the shop, is that intended?  It feels annoying to accidentally click a dial when I'm trying to buy
• A bit hard to tell how much Gold I have, maybe highlight the text yellow?
• Kind of weird having to hide the shop before continuing, but I see why
• It’d be really cool to see the paths weapons will take as solid lines or some other representation
  • This would also help me determine where I should put my sliders to hit specific targets
• Music is nice and pleasant, all the sfx are functional. 
  

General Comments:

This game has huge GMI potential. The game is easy to learn, fun to just watch it go, but also has some "skill" to keep players engaged during the idle portion.  I could definitively see this being a big idler hit.  Great work!

In-game thoughts:

• UI is better, better organized and colored
• Shop is a little hard to tell what is and isn’t for sale
• Balancing feels good, and seems like it will scale well into later game
• I never had enough money to make rolling worth it

Bug:

• Could no longer select tiles, could only click and drag. In the beginning of the game I could, but after one word I no longer could
• If I spam click the “Draw pile” button it keeps expanding the list (Can see the scroll bar growing)

This demo keeps getting better!  It feels very complete, just a few rough edges left.  My main complaint was when I was one letter away from a big word, and just couldn’t draw it. But that is just part of these types of game. 

Great progress!

Another demo day is upon us...  This is 6 Ways to 7's last DD before it's NextFest debut! 

Wishlist it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4005440/6_Ways_To_7/

Changelog since last DD:

• Chip payout optimized to be faster at large amounts
• Heat scaling modified (Higher scaling with less chance of rolling a 7)
• Slightly reduced gold on win
• New enchantments added
• Add Dice Stickers!  10 Dice stickers added
• Scaling related Special Chips buffed overall
• Point related Special Chips buffed overall
• New "Press" related Special Chips
• New Come and Don't come focused Special Chips
• Hold down when placing a bet to rapidly place it
• Chip payout animation fixed
• Total win animation added
• Crapsless table added (Locked in demo)
• Steam Achievements added (Locked in demo)
• Rollepedia added (Compendium of chips/stickers/NPCs etc.)
• Large wins displayed in scientific notation
• Localization framework added (And shitty translations added)
• Removal separation of winnings and bankroll
• New NPCs added
• Tutorial improved
• Player analytics added
• Game opening screen added
• Take odds on Come and Don't come points
• Select chips with hotkeys
• Fix how chip denominations were shown
• 10 new achievements added
• Fixed various control bugs
• Dice bag and selectable dice removed

You can read a full devlog here:
https://axelstems.itch.io/6-ways-to-7/devlog/1277018/stickers-and-clickers

Happy demo day!

Sorry it was so confusing, hopefully I can clarify some.  Craps seems complicated, but it's not as bad once you get the basics.

>What is "on point"

When the game starts, the "Point" is off.  When a 4, 5, 6 or 8,9,10 are rolled, the point is now "on" that number.  It stays on that number until it is rolled again, or a 7 is rolled.

So here's a breakdown, going through some imaginary rolls to see what happens.

Scenario 1:

>First roll is a 4.  The point is now "On" 4.
>The second roll is a 5.  The point is already "On", so there is no change.
>The third roll is a 4.  The point was "On" 4, and 4 has rolled again.  This is a win!  Yay!

Now the point moves "Off", and the cycle restarts.

Scenario 2:

>First roll is a 11.  Because that is not a 4, 5, 6 or 8,9,10, the point stays "Off"
>Second roll is a 5.  The point is now "On" 5.
>Third roll is a 8.  The point is already "On" 5, so nothing happens.
>Fourth roll is a 9.  The point is already "On" 5, so nothing happens.
>Fifth roll is a 3.  The point is already "On" 5, so nothing happens.
>Sixth roll is a 7.  This is a loss.  Boooo!!

Now the point moves "Off", and the cycle restarts.

I hope that makes sense, here's a youtube video that also explains it: 

Really nice progress, crazy how much things have changed since last DD.  I still have failed to beat the final level, but I got close. The gameplay here is pretty solid, and I don't have much input other then it feels fun, and I enjoyed it.  My only comment is I feel like having +1 hand size would have made things a bit easier for my smooth brain.  All in all though, it all does what it should do.

I do have some small notes which I'll list here:

- I wish the "current" score (40x5) would move to the "total" score somehow.  Or the total score would tick up visually as it gets added in.  At the moment there is nothing that draws my eye from the current score to the total score, and it feels a little odd.

- Along with this, maybe a visual cue when a turn is used?  I could see people missing they have turns at all, and just being confused when they run out.

- I wish I could hover over color tiles and just see what the tile does

- Me when the game ends and I have to hear the record scratch sound All joking aside, it's a bit loud compared to the rest of the game

- I felt a bit low on cash throughout the game, and never really had a chance to build up a big interest base.  I think maybe bumping the gold per level to +5 or even +6 might have an interesting effect.  But maybe that is a modifier I just never saw.

 Keep up the great progress! 

Very cool and fun, as people have said.  Waiter Waiter!  More content please!

Notes:

- Died after getting the shotgun and respawned with the pistol

- I can shoot with the mouse, but can't activate the options menu with it

- I wish I could shoot straight up

- Transitions and endings are SUPA cute

I want 5 levels by next demo day STAT

Awesome, hyped for the update!

There should definitely be a variety of NPCs, although it is just random, so you could end up with a lot of the same.  

I’ll definitly work on the tutorial.  I need to find a good balance of letting the player play, and telling them how stuff works.

thanks for playing!

I’m glad you enjoyed it!  I’ll take any feedback, I’m trying to make it accessible for non-craps players, so please share anything you want!

I think this is a really cool proof of concept.  Could go far with the right systems.

Feedback:

- Transition from animations to gameplay is very fast, makes it hard to react

- all the players move the same speed so there's no ability to catch up

- Kind of related, there's not much play in the middle of the field, it's just running to the goal, then passing/shooting

- Animations could be a *bit* faster, or give players a skip option

- I'm sure it's planned, but stats and RPG abilities would go crazy in a game like this

You've made great progress so far and i see the vision, keep it up!

Ahhh, I didn't realize it was based on a real game!  I remember that from Kaiji.  That makes more sense.

As a fellow dice game creator I wanted to check this out.  It was a little confusing at first, but I think I understood it at the end.
Feedback:

- The point is confusing.  i would stick to easily identifiable scoring

- On the note, why not just total up the dice rolls, then add bonuses on top of them? That would soften the impact of getting nothing. 

- I would check out this game for some inspiration: https://miltage.itch.io/rollcadium

- Abilities are half baked, didn't quite get them.  But thought that rolling certain dice combos to unlock them would be cool

I think the main thing this needs is clarity.  Make dice pulse when they can be locked, take some seconds to show who is winning  and why.  This would also be good for tallying score and showing roll values.

I think there is some fun to be found here, it's just very rough ATM.

Thanks, those tutorials are a little old at this point, I need to go over each one and clean them up.

It's fun!  Kind of wish the other modes had some enemy modifiers, because some of them are kind of boring starting out.

Very fun game!

Apologies for the late reply, I've been away from my PC for the week! 

The next update will have a very simple and new player friendly tutorial, which I hope will help with this!

Thanks for playing!

Apologies for the late reply, I've been away from my PC for the week!

Thanks so much for playing and recording your game-play!  I am working on a simplified tutorial that will hopefully ease players in better, then they can use the full tutorial or help hover to figure out the other bets.  My hope is this will get people to the "fun" faster, then they can learn more about craps as they want.

>What's the payout of gold, I don't think this is explained anywhere, 100$ won = 1 gold?

It's just 10 + level # on win.  And every 5 gold held is +1 interest.  I might make it a little lower in the future.

>I think what's here is a decent execution of a craps roguelike.

This is a very fair review.  and has been my main challenge through development.  People who enjoy craps like the game, but people who have never played it don't seem to get it.  I'm hoping my new tutorial will help people out.

Thanks for playing!

I put the traces in another comment, can upload the entire log file if it helps.

>I'm about to crash out over this log uploader.

Kek, it seems super useful, just a pain in the ass to get working.  I had a really good stats plugin(dead now rip) and even it said on a game crash your data is basically screwed.

Oh yeah whoops, here are the crash logs

First crash

Running Depart From Planet Primary

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Condition "!is_inside_tree()" is true.

   at: _push_unhandled_input_internal (scene/main/viewport.cpp:3347)

Second Crash:

Running Depart From Planet Primary

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Attempting to update unknown bay -1

   at: push_error (core/variant/variant_utility.cpp:1098)

ERROR: Condition "!is_inside_tree()" is true.

   at: _push_unhandled_input_internal (scene/main/viewport.cpp:3347)

In game notes

- Make market scrollable

- Give the game an Icon!

- Had a crash after my first planet, hope it got uploaded!

- It'd be fun to be able to kick traders out if I know I can't complete their requests.   Just take the hit early

- Wish auSome exchange could select multiple in one go

- Gold rush never had the next button pop-up, soft-locking me

- Love the failed colony music

- A label on the line graph would be nice, or colors

- Be nice if I could hover resources on the planet screen

- Sadly another crash

After play thoughts:

I've played this before, so I know the gist of the game.  I felt like it was in a really good place balance wise.  I was never soooo rich I was just spamming mine -> sell, but I wasn't poor enough I couldn't do anything.  Also, this makes my modules feel more impactful, which was great.  I still really like the art and music, you should spruce up your itch page with some cool backgrounds or something.  Maybe  a collage of all the planet backgrouns?  IDK

Obviously main criticism is the crashes, which I know has been a problem.  Don't let it get you down, it happens.  I had a major softlock I never realized people hit it this DD.  Other then that, I have no major negative notes then the QOL stuff I mentioned in the game notes.

Keep up the good work!

Gameplay video:  

This is a really solid game already.  I like the tileset, the graphics, and the pacing.  There's also some really good subtle mechanic teaching here, which is super impressive.

I do think I ran into a softlock, see the ending of my recording.  Or maybe I'm a dumb ass.  But the level did not reset to its original state (block not pushed) so there was no way to try anything else.

I wish I could interact with "Z" instead of "enter"

It may be a concession to the modern gamer, but a hint/solution button per level might help with overall player numbers.

Gameplay footage: 

These are good notes, I'll look into them, especially the full screen.  I always play in windowed so I never noticed.

>I managed to beat the game by picking field bonuses and the highest denomination dice available to stack impossible number bonuses on top of that. Therefore, even a newbie like me can pick up the game right away.

Honestly, that's fine with me.  I want there to be broken combos that people *can* get, I just need to make the path there more difficult, and not quite as stable when you get to a super broken build.  I have some ideas, but it's tough to walk between being frustrating and challenging.

Thanks for playing!

In game notes

- Walking noise is a little loud, also could maybe use some pitch shifting?

- I've played before, so I know I need to lock on first, but it'd be great if it locks on to start

- The characters are really funny and cute.  Love the dialog

- Enemies sometimes attack but do no damage?  Are they missing, or maybe a bug?

- I did  use one healing spell, not sure if needed or note

- Would be cool if the Queen had special attacks

After play notes

I still love the atmosphere, characters and the lore that's getting hinted at here.  I see in the comments you're dealing with lots of issues in the tactics engine, which I hope gets better.  That's my main negative feedback is the enemies whiffing attacks.  With that fixed, I think the combat would be a lot more challenging and fun.

Good work, I can see the improvements!

Gameplay video: 

Thanks so much for playing and the in-depth feedback, this is a great list.  I'll respond to what I feel needs it, but this is so helpful!

-Confirmation on buying dice in shop is weird, other items don't have that

This is leftover from when there used to be confirmation, good note to remove it.

>I couldn't find what do my dice do after I bought them (if it's something iconic like 8-sides it's easy but if it's roll frequency not so much)

There *should* be a hover tooltip if you hover long enough.  This is because of legacy stuff where you could sell/buy individual dice.  Will be fixed.

>Consider doing odds as "1 to 1" instead of "1.0 to 1", I know it can be 1.1 or 1.5 and than it's fine but it looks off to me (unless that's some gambler notation I'm not aware of)

Odds should never really even get a decimal, and I could always just expand the fraction.  Great note.

>If it marks me being in + or in - from all bets total if a number rolls than it's fine.

This is a great idea, as well as the third color.  The color is much easier to implement, but a + / - payout is an interesting idea.  

>The Point - I couldn't figure out why does it move when it flips, can't it just flip?

The point is number specific.  So if I set the point on 10, I need to specifically roll another 10 before a 7 to win.  The other numbers still payout, but they don't make the point, and win the pass line.  

I wonder if players would have more fun with *just* betting on 2-12 all in the same style, no pass line or other complicated junk. (At casinos this is called crapless craps).  It makes the UI a pain in the ass though.

>Recycler chip - Does it give free re-roll on chips or dice or on something else?

Should make both be 0 Gold when you enter a new shop.  If not it's a bug.

I really can't say thanks enough, this is a goldmine of fixes and things to work on.  I really appreciate it, and thanks for playing!

Yeah I saw this, I'll get a fix for it shortly.

in game notes

- IDK why my mouse is disconnected from the window.  This is pretty awkward

- Experienced weird crash back to main menu

- Kek'd at the bot reciting navy seal's pasta

Post game notes

Yeah it's super fun smashing shit up.  My only big issue was the mouse disconnection, which would cause the game to pause when I clicked out of the window.  Other then that, it's great.  The controls were fun, and it's hilarious smashing shit and flinging yourself into shit.   

I can't wait to see what this turns into, combat and stuff like that will be really interesting!

Gameplay video: 

in-game Notes:

- Music slider mutes after like 10% of the slider

- It'd be cool if I could re-order tiles in my hand, to make the tiles I want to save easier to see

- Game over effect is very loud!

- I kind of wish I got a bit more money

Overall thoughts:

I think this game is very solid.  It's not exactly my cup of tea in the scrabble sense, but I do enjoy these kind of roguelike games.  I think this game hits a lot of those notes, but could push the envelope a bit more.  This is kind of what I mean by  I want more money, so I could build bigger combos and have a bit more space to enjoy my build.  Right now, the game is most fun right in the mid game, when you have space and ability to make big words.  In the late game, when you need the most points, you are kind of scrapping for the last bit of space.

A lot of this is critical, but it's because everything else just works perfectly.   Great job!

Video of gameplay: 

General

• Did you have fun? (Be honest!)

Yes!  It's scrabble which is already kind of fun, with some more on top.

• Was the game too easy or too hard?

A little on the harder side, another token or more money would help.

• How long did you play before stopping?

30-45 minutes.  Played 2 sessions.

Bounties & Perks

• Did you engage with the bounty system?

Only one bounty, but I liked the effect

• Were any bounties too easy or too hard for their tier?

UI / UX

• Was the arrow-and-direction letter placement system intuitive?

Yes

• Was navigating the tabbed shop smooth, or did you avoid checking certain tabs?

Missed the bounty tab at first.

• Were there too many, too few, or about the right number of shop items?

Perfect.  I wish I could buy more.

Music

• Did the music add to the experience?

A bit

• Were there moments when the music felt especially good or distracting?

Not really

• Did you notice the music changes (e.g., shop, last turn)? If so, how did they feel?

I did not notice this.

Thanks a lot for playing!

The tutorial has been a big sticking point for a while now.  I do like the idea of just showing the player the basics at the start, and saying they can get more in the tutorial menu if they want.  Because honestly as long as you can just throw chips down on bets, you can do decently ok, and figure out what you need.

I'm glad you liked the rest though, thanks again for playing!