Mechanical character progression matters to me and most players simply because the game accepts it. Higher levels, stats and more upgrades make the game easier and thus making achieving goal easier also. Then in higher level/stage/map/world, there are more stuffs, more XP etc which is easier to gain with higher stats which creates the basic game loop.
So yeah, this simple loop gives motivation for players to keep playing.
As for satisfying game without levels/stats/whatever, well it depends on the focus of the game. If the game focuses uncovering more areas and it could be done without levels/stats/etc, exploration could be satisfying.
Is there a advice you would give to a complete beginner?
You know, you have mentioned 2 different goals you want to achieve. Each has requirements.
If you want to become a game dev, you need to have patience and tenacity. You can't stop just because you're bored or progress is slow. You have to deal with that.
If you want to become a freelancer, you need to show people what you can do and offer.
I imagine the pangolin wearing karate gi while wielding rapier and musket. Maybe it would be funny to some people but for me, the pangolin needs more than that.
But my biggest concern is the dual HP + soul mechanic which sounds complex and not small team friendly. Especially if enemies could have alternate attack mode. I think you need to choose either this idea is going to be simple and small team friendly or big but for experienced dev team only.
I've read the concept and the premise looks good. I hope there would be enough time for player to get connected to each passenger so when one is missing the feeling would be real.
However, the key in any good mystery lies in what the actual mystery is, how it is investigated and how it is solved.
I had severe anxiety when uploading my submission for a game jam. So anxious that I reuploaded the game after made small fixes and did it again for couple times.
It was bad experience so now everytime I want to upload my game, I make sure everything is good and all files are complete before uploading.
Do you like games with voice acting or do you prefer games without voice performances (where you either read what the characters say or they say nothing at all.)
Any will do for me. However I want it to be consistent, that is: if a character has voice acting during intro and cutscenes, that character must have voice acting in other events such as in game actions and attacks. That includes simple chat with NPCs and comments.
