Thanks! It was about a year and a half of work. I've been working on different games for so long that I don't really use tutorials any more. I've streamed most of the game's development though, so maybe that could help: https://www.youtube.com/@needleful-streams
I've never seen a puzzle game about the Game of Life, this is neat! It's not too hard either, which I was worried about. I managed to get par on every level. The story is very short, but I think it frames the game in an interesting way.
Awesome, thanks for playing! You might be the first person to get all 4 guns (or the first to mention it here). There are some bugs I'll have to work out, like shooting during menus like you said, but I'm glad to see you had fun!
Wait, OK, I realized my problem. I didn't understand you could hold the click button, but I also didn't understand bosses can damage you by hitting the reticle. I couldn't figure out how they did so much damage, but now I get it
You can actually get up to it from the ground by firing two shots, so maybe that's the confusion. Now that I think about it, in a video someone made, the puzzle only clicked when they realized there was another ammo machine higher up the tower, so they could afford to use both shells at the bottom. That's another thing I could make more clear to the player.
Thanks for playing, and for the feedback! You actually solved the ladder puzzle correctly lol. Multiple people have gotten stuck there, I think because players expect it to be just shooting, since it's the first time the switches are used. I should probably introduce the switches in isolation and then have that puzzle, so people know it's more complex.
Thanks for playing, I appreciate it! The original inspiration for the gameplay was platforming with limited jumps, so I'm glad that came through. The controls are almost a universal sticking point, so I'm going to experiment and refine them for the next demo.
I appreciate this, it was super informative! It shows there are problems I've started overlooking because I'm so used to playing the game, like the camera controls, and some things that weren't tutorialized at the right time.
I think there's a good start here! One thing I'd add is some more levels to ramp up the difficulty. The fact all the enemies are faster than you, tend to swarm, and do so much damage makes the first arena brutally hard until it all clicks, especially since I only saw the upgrades after beating it.
Thanks! Yeah, I agree with your suggestions. PC controls were a recent addition and could be improved in most areas, like menus. I do like the idea of having two guns, but I'm worried about the balance, since there are puzzles based around getting from point A to point B with limited jumps, and with two guns it may get quite complicated for me to design and the player to figure out the right combo. But maybe it'd work as a mid-game unlockable, where you'd then be able to breeze through old areas and have new, more complex areas that take two guns into account. That's something I think would be pretty good, actually.
Thanks for playing! I'm thinking of ways to make the controls more intuitive, since I think I can preserve what I like about them while making it easier to just look around and stuff.
Some of the issues are also just incomplete content. The level's meant to be a densely-packed concrete jungle, but right now it's mostly empty. And the pistols are for combat and actually don't give any air at all, but the only combat's completely optional right now. I do like the idea of more movement options. Perhaps something more limited, like a dive or a wall kick.
Thanks for the feedback! You have a good point about the game not being a third person shooter. You aren't shooting at targets most of the time, so there's little benefit to the gun always being aimed at the center of the screen. I think I'll experiment with it some more.
Thanks for playing! Good to know some people don't mind the controls. I think there are still improvements to be made, but it'll be largely like it is now.
For the ladder puzzle, I bet the problem is that the game never tells you that you can shoot the target again to deactivate it, and at one point you need one active and the other inactive. I should probably explain the buttons over multiple puzzles so players know they can do that.
As for that ladder, I'll push it more upright, and I should probably put collision on them anyway, since the only reason there wasn't was because it was causing problems if the player was on the wrong side of the ladder.
Cool, the keyboard controls work. This is neat so far! I've never seen a turn-based stealth game before, and I think this does a pretty good job with it
Thanks for playing, I'm glad you liked it! The gun disappearing is actually because B also holsters the gun, and there's a bug where it still happens when exiting menus. Multiple people have been thrown for a loop by that, so I'll need to fix it, and probably have a prompt to pull it back out. I'll also take a look at the other bugs, there's some refinement I need for ladders and movement in general.
It's neat you noticed the skipping! Yep, it's 10-20% faster to jump.
This is cool! It's a challenging game with how far in advance you have to plan your moves, and I enjoy it.
My recommendation is to make the UI more user-friendly. I couldn't figure out how to exit the tutorial or training room without closing the game, for example. And selecting the CPU character with the arrow keys sometimes didn't work, and I think it'd be better to select them with the same controls as the player.
I think with some refinement this'll be a fun and unique game
I had a lot of fun playing! I quite like the enemy designs, and the voice of the larger enemies is a very charming choice. I think this is a good first impression and look forward to seeing more!
