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Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Monk Tower - a mobile friendly coffee break roguelike - feedback appreciated

« on: January 08, 2024, 06:12:52 PM »

Many, many thanks for taking your time to play and such a detailed feedback!
I think most of your points are definitely valid Obviously the first noticeable issue is the font on the end screen....and I've thought that it has been checked through the platforms :/

I agree that the spear and the axe abilities became not so useful in the end (less so with the hammers as I actually like to use them quite often myself . They probably should be changed / removed for a tighter gameplay. The spear hitting only a distant unit seems very useful, however it would need some extra UI handling. Simple directional UI was one of my main goals in the game, so not sure how to bring those two work together.
It is interesting what you say about the ranged units being the biggest challenge at some point. It makes me now think that there should be a specific type of weapon / action that would counter those attacks (like eg. the shield you mention later). That is actually something that could substantially improve the game.

As for the issues mentioned in the bullet points:

• The potion atlas - great idea, definitely something to add. (Have to figure menu layout accommodating extra positions.)
• I have to re-check the font sizes again. And I think last time I checked the kill list there were fewer enemy types
• I am not too much myself into the story / narrative in the games myself. That is probably why it is lacking here. For sure I wanted to add some more furnishings on the map (even without a defined gameplay function) to make it more lively, more monaster-ish and less empty I was also thinking about some special level to break the monotony - but that's not even started yet. The colour / material change when you go up is also a neat idea, maybe it could mimic tower being started as a romanesque structure, finished in gothic or smth
• As for the bestiary, do you think it should persist through the runs? The monsters are not randomized at all actually.
• Yes, definitely there should be something aimed at countering ranged units. I have no idea what at the moment, but I have to give it a serious thought
• Havn't actually tested this kind of running strategy myself either. I am afraid that the game is not too well balanced yet and the outcome might vary greatly between gameplays
• Enemy hitting each other is kind of a side of effect of how their logic is coded. It was not done on purpose and can be easily changed, but decided to keep it for now. If the npc has no free space to move, it will attack one of the surrounding units (regardless of who they are). I thought that might mean panicking of the crowded unit. But maybe it just adds too much confusion? (definitely does not add much to the gameplay exp.)
• I think the poison heal might be useful eg. against the ranged golden snake - if you get hit, but manage to get out of its sight. But yeah, the extra turn of protection might make more sense. Actually there is no potion protecting from poison (like 'shield' one, protecting from hits). Now I think there should be

So, a lot to think about now, which I am sure will push the game into a better direction Thanks again, it will be very helpful in further development. Have to update my Asana tasks 

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Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Monk Tower - a mobile friendly coffee break roguelike - feedback appreciated

« on: December 08, 2023, 08:36:59 PM »

Oh thank! So happy to hear that he found it enjoyable
If you do not like roguelikes because they involve lots of in depth stats analysis and require you to read encyclopedia on them - this one is not like that.
If you do not like dying often and starting over...that's another story
Hope you give it a try as well anyway

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Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Monk Tower - a mobile friendly coffee break roguelike - feedback appreciated

« on: December 08, 2023, 10:36:07 AM »

Hello good people of Exilian,

I have been currently developing a small scale roguelike game, that aims at short gameplays (I'd say around 15mins). It has been recently made available on Itch.io and just yesterday I have pushed a small update fixing some usability issues. So I though it might be a perfect time to share it
There is not too much story to the game. You simply climb the monastery tower avoiding dangers, in hope to retrieve the lost manuscript (internally in the game code it's called 'The second book of poetics'

The main challenge of the game is resource management, as every weapon has a durability parameter and can be quickly destroyed. So, the player has to decide whether it is beneficial to waste precious durability points or maybe it is better to take some damage
Some weapons are also meant to be used in a combination - eg. stun a strong npc for a couple of turns, so you can safely kill him with a weak sword

The game surely needs some more touches and development so any feedback is the most welcome.
It can be played on desktop via web build or downloaded for Windows and Linux. On mobile it works via web for now, Google Play is planned soon - after I develop it a bit more.

https://maciekglowka.itch.io/monk-tower

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The Welcome Hall - Start Here! / Re: Hello there!

« on: December 06, 2023, 12:26:20 PM »

Hi,

@Glaurung
cathedral construction management seems indeed super-interesting. Probably in a full scope might be a game too big for solo development, but surely it can be distilled into simpler ruleset. (I often try to do games that almost could be board games as well So thanks for this idea, it made me thinking
I actually once started a masonry game prototype, but it was more about load-bearing problems - so something completely different. (sorry for the Twitter links but I think those gifs exist only there nowadays, and downloading is blocked):
https://twitter.com/maciek_glowka/status/1311424289229475841
https://twitter.com/maciek_glowka/status/1309973538254839809
I used to be an architect - hence this kind of structural approach

@Jubal
Thanks, the event looks up my alley I will take a look at the details later!

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The Welcome Hall - Start Here! / Hello there!

« on: December 05, 2023, 09:17:21 PM »

Hi all,

I have been recently introduced to this community at Mastodon. I am a hobbyist game dev trying to build small and simple games at my free time. I've recently created a short roguelike game (that's how I learned about the forums - which I will probably introduce in a game dev section here soon :]

I am very pleased to see that the community also cares about history as I am bit geeky about ancient and medieval architecture. (One of my goals is to release one day a game based on that, but cannot find an interesting mechanics so far

Thanks for the invite!