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[Dropout]

Man. those are some cool words.

I've been working on a mobile game for the last year or so, and its finally entering the beta stage. Its a newer spin on a traditional matching game.

One of the bigger problems I'm having now is getting the balance right, If you could play the game for a while (I put google analytics in to feed back the relevant data). Of course other feedback is still greatly desired

In short, You have to try to earn freedom with your guy. You do this by doing runs through a dungeon with various objectives, and using the stuff you find there to upgrade your situation

It's designed for a 960x640 resolution, so you might have to zoom your browser out a little bit, and being mobile there is no keyboard input.

Please have a play, Let me know what you think [Or alternativley, if its not working at all]

http://www.eightyeightgames.com/SoleBeta1/WebPlayer.html

*** Update ***

Thanks so much guys, The game was live yesterday, I went out to the pub and it was picked up by TouchArcade and has become a hit overnight I'm blown away, I couldn't have done it without you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPlkZRqnxUQ&feature=plcp

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/10000000/id544385071?ls=1&mt=8


Cheers,


Luca

[TriStarch]

This is really fun, would be a great time killer on my phone!  I really like how fast paced it is compared to Puzzle Quest.  It's also really motivating to try and unlock the next level for weapons and stuff.

I have a few suggestions so far, though:
-Time shouldn't advance while blocks are being replaced since you can't do anything till that's done.
-The stone blocks don't stand out as much as the others (grey on grey background).
-Potions seem kind of useless so far (I only have the first 4), too much disadvantage to them.
-It seems really sensitive on detecting horizontal/vertical sliding, you get locked into one with a tiny movement.

Keep it up, this is great fun! 

[ryansworld10]

Would it be possible for you to make the project files available? I am trying to learn how to do 2d sprite based games in Unity, and this looks perfect!

(Awesome game btw)

[Josich]

Would it be possible for you to make the project files available? I am trying to learn how to do 2d sprite based games in Unity, and this looks perfect!

(Awesome game btw)

I have a similar question. What 2d framework have you used?

Good Game.

[ryansworld10]

Ok after playing for a while longer, I see one major issue with the game. There isn't enough time. Many times I couldn't make a sword match when I badly needed one, or there weren't any key matches to be made when I was stuck in front of a door.

Edit: I just realized another huge flaw. If come up to a door during your run, it negates all extra time you've built up. I was almost to the right edge of the screen, but the door put me almost all the way to the left.

[Moczan]

Ok after playing for a while longer, I see one major issue with the game. There isn't enough time. Many times I couldn't make a sword match when I badly needed one, or there weren't any key matches to be made when I was stuck in front of a door.

Yeah, I've found out that the game gets too random later (Dungeon Crawler rank and above) with too little time to make real decision instead of spamming everything hoping for as much resources as possible.

[kinglake]

Absolutely fantastic game.

As previously said before - game is very random causing annoying deaths sometimes, although i think this may actually be a good thing.

Has that 'just one more go' factor!

Also the replay button should be available straight away after a dungeon run.

[I_smell]

I just played this for about an hour and never got passed level 2. I couldn't beat the cow boss.

I upgraded the living shit out of the first door you unlock and trained a bunch of perks, but every time I got to the cow boss, I'd keep getting hit and run out of time imeadiately, no matter what items I had.

It was a really really good game for the first half hour until I got stuck there and got really fucking annoyed.

[Dropout]

Hey All,

Thanks for the comments, I've uploaded a new build with some changes based on your feedback


@Tristarch

I've made the refills a little faster, hopefully this will make waiting less painful and I'll experiment with stopping the time decrement.

The potions become more and more useful later on - they are situational.

I've decreased the sensitivity on the slide, good point.

The colours used to stand out a bit more but on a mobile screen they didn't. If i do a fully fledged pc/web release I'll have both and change them at runtime.

@Joisch/Ryansworld

I can't make the project files available, but im happy to answer any questions. I'm using tk2d - 2D Toolkit as the 2d framework and I think it is brilliant, and iTween for a lot of the movement.

@Ryansworld

This is problem I've really been wrestling with. An important part of the game is 'maintaining the board' that is to say, if you just deplete your operative tiles (swords,keys etc) you'll be left with a board full of resources, and then you'll be stuck. Its important in the game to take any downtime to clear the board.

I tried to put this in a tip, but I just don't think the game teaches you this well enough. To that end I've added a new perk "Resourceful - Matching wood and stone give you a small time bonus", this to encourage the player to take these tiles more.

And, In the case where there just isnt a match available, you can match Stone/Wood to at least break-even on time, and you'll probably get what you are searching for in the refill.

But I'm unsure about this, so have a play and let me know if this feel any different

@Kinglake

I think one problem with the 'randomness' is that, when you rank up, you'll be facing a new enemy who is actually pretty tough, thats fine.
But, if thats the first thing you encounter in the corridor, without any time to prepare, you might not even get any further.
I've changed it so the first few mobs you fight cannot be the strongest regular mob for that level. I think this could make it feel less random. Can you give a go and see if thats changed anything?

@I_Smell.

I think, if you got that far, you should have passed that level and progressed in the game. I think that is just a case of the points required to rank up being too high, I've got other feedback saying this to. I've reduced the requirements for the first few ranks. Give it a go? (the new perk should help too)

Cheers Guys,

Luca




(n.b; same link - http://www.eightyeightgames.com/SoleBeta1/WebPlayer.html )

[ryansworld10]

I've been checking out tk2D and it looks like an awesome tool!

Are you using the tk2D camera at all, or do you use a regular Unity camera? How did you learn how to work with tk2D?

[Pandara_RA!]

I played this for like 8 hours, it's a fantastic little game.

[heysami]

Hey! I never like a puzzle game before but yours is different! I want to do a write up but I am not sure what is this game is titled?
enlighten me?
thank you!

[cutandreil]

Good game!
It's not my kind of game, but I've enjoyed this one.

some feedback :
- we don't know what a building will be before constructing it.
- The upgrade button (in a construction) is not really visible, I've played 15 minutes before deeing it.

[James Rossi]

I got sucked into this more than I expected, I suppose the only thing I would like changed really is an option for a more casual experience. I'd have it off by default so people hopefully try to push through the difficulty which I don't find unfair, but at the same time I really just want to chill out and match some stuff while slowly upgrading things over time. Still with the time limit pressures, just being more lenient.

[Slushy_]

I like the whole idea , have only got to play it for a short time but it seems fun