TIGSource Forums

Hi everyone,

I wrote the original version of this game for LD29.
This is my first game with unity.
The basic idea is to dig as deep as possible and get the maximum money.
The first version was limited to 200m depth and had only rocks as obstacle.
I always wanted the game to be hard but fair.
The current version has infinite digging and added bomb mines and drills.
Unfortunately, I'm not 100% happy with the game but I can't say exactly why.
Maybe it doesn't acheive the quality of gameplay I expected.

Do you have any idea how to make it better ?
I'm open to any suggestion/remarks.

P.S.: the play store version is ad-supported. I you have any issue with that, just tell me and I'll provide this forum with an ad-free version.

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jabberwockystudio.reggid (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jabberwockystudio.reggid)

(https://lh5.ggpht.com/MnDJUtMp9NKlKM6tzi345qZvqmipFF84MLmtg8yACDeUlrSO4hXL8FBjVbizPwzbgN4=h310-rw)

Hey I played your game and I like the concept. I also like the mix between thinking about your next move at one time and moving as fast as possible on the next (THEM DRILLS).


If I were to make changes according to my personal preference:

1. Because the sprites are too small, I would use 10 blocks width instead of 20 and scale the screen size by two for easier visibility.

2. The mines looked like background, 'just for design' rocks the first few times I played. I would change the sprite.

3. The controls seem a bit too unresponsive. I don't know what to do about this one because I'm not the programmer, but I'm sure you could do something about it.
   3.a. Maybe make the arrows bigger and add some more distance between the    left and right arrow.

4. Them drills are damned fast. But, if number 3 ^^(above) gets fixed, it wouldn't be a problem.

5. (Kinda optional) Make it so that the down key can be held instead of needing to tap it everytime you want to go down.

My only real problem is the controls. When they become more responsive, I'd be getting higher scores. :DD
I played on a Samsung Note 1 if it helps. :DD
Oh yeah, my highscore's like, 35m, 60$... if it helps too. :DD

I remember I used to play a game like this on my grandma's Nokia a decade ago. It was way less actiony though. Anyway, I'll be waiting for an update because it's a good game to help pass the time.

Thanks a lot for your comments.

I'll test the doubled size sprites to see how it look. It's a good idea.

I'll probably outline the rock and the other traps with a color that make them moke clearly out of the background.

The controls could feel better if I get rid of Unity rigidbody and implent it by myself.
I'll also probably allow to swipe from an arrow to the other.

Wow! so many great advice. Again thank a lot.  :)

No problem :DD I don't usually review games, but since I know what it feels like to not have your game reviewed, I just had to review your game.

downloading it right now to take a look at, will update this post/make a new post with more info once I played it a little.

FIRST OF ALL THOUGH:
- [design] Why the three scratch marks in the icon? it seems inconsistent with the general pixel style of the icon/game
- [release] You probably shouldn't have put it on the playstore as a proper "release" even though it is apparently unfinished, because ratings/etc..  Maybe let it test here/somewhere else first?
- [Thread OP] thread needs one or more example pictures to get people interested/so they don't need to click a link to get an idea : D

also SUDDEN ROCKET OF DEATH WHAT (yeah, testing it now : D)

alright, after testing it for a bit:
- [controls] maybe have the player character always move by one tile instead of freely?

- [interface/design] it would help if the arrows were transparent. they are pretty big and I often wondered if there's a rocket drill below it

- [interface] adhere to the android interface standards, like exiting via the [back] button. I haven't found a way to kill the program yet apart from the standard app manager.

- [gameplay] it somehow doesn't make me feel like I even WANT to dig down in the first place (neglectable), I don't feel much of a reward for getting to a certain depth (this is actually important, although I have no idea how to fix this), and it somehow also doesn't give me any long-term motivation. Absolutely love the scream, though.

That's all for now. I'm usually not interested in this kind of genre, so I'm somewhat indifferent towards anything content wise and can't make many recommendations on how to improve the actual gameplay, so I just nitpick on more overarching problems instead. :p

Thanks for your remarks Rainforce15.
I'll deeply analyse them for the next release.

I played for about 15 minutes. My best score was 36m and $66. Here are my thoughts...

Like everyone else, I'm not satisfied with the controls. Horizontal movement seems way too sensitive. Also, I'm not sure why the movement is pixel-based since the level is tile-based. I think each step should snap the player to the next tile, and it should be impossible to stand in between them.

The buttons conceal the locations of the rockets several lines down from you. This seems annoying, since spotting and avoiding the rockets is the core challenge of the game.

One time the game started and the screen was entirely black except for my character. I feel through many layers before the graphics loaded seconds later, but I was promptly killed by a rocket. I tried to duplicate the bug but I was unable.

I didn't really enjoy the mechanics of the game that much. Instead of being fast-paced and action-packed, a very methodical approach is required to win. You must look forward to spot all the upcoming rockets and then plot a path to the next safe spot. Planning is way more important than quick reflexes. Ideally, I feel that the game would be more fun if each were equally important. Perhaps the player and rockets could be slowed down, allowing people to be more daring and try dodging rockets more.

In any case, that's my two cents. Keep working!

Thanks for your very constructive comments Willy.
I'll test all this to see what works best.  :)