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[TeeGee]

I'm actually developing it on Mac. It's just that most people use Windows, so that's what I use for the test releases. Both versions will be available at the same time when it comes to actual launch.

[pluckyporcupine]

I'm actually developing it on Mac. It's just that most people use Windows, so that's what I use for the test releases. Both versions will be available at the same time when it comes to actual launch.

Any chance I can get a Mac build to keep testing? My hard drive died on my PC so I am on our Mac for now.

[TeeGee]

Sure . When the next test version is out, I'll send you a mac build.

[TeeGee]

Released an updated version and decided to make it public for the TIGers, as this is slowly getting close to the final version gameplay-wise and if there's anything really off with the game, I'd like to know it now before bigger changes become hard to implement.

Links:
No longer available

Have fun and let me know what you think .

[Udderdude]

Suggestions:

While the glowing circle around the current character is nice, I think their portrait should also be glowing to make it clearer who's currently selected.

During the first fight with the guys that heal eachother, there's no info given on how many times you should stack the mage's damage buff, or how much damage it will add to his attack.  Only stacking it once obviously wasn't enough ..

The dragon fight isn't very interesting tactically, he just spams damage everywhere.  Suggest making it more interesting.

Having to unlock starting item slots feels pretty bruital, after the first quest that's all you can afford.

Non-gameplay related crap:

The game doesn't show up in the Windows sound manager, so I can't adjust the game's volume from there.  You should probably fix that.

Could really use a way to skip the dialogue sequences, or hold down space to fast forward them instead of having to spam click.

Some enemy ability tooltips extend off the right side of the screen and can't be read.

[TeeGee]

Thanks. Fixing these should be easy. How's your overall impression? Liking the game?

During the first fight with the guys that heal eachother, there's no info given on how many times you should stack the mage's damage buff, or how much damage it will add to his attack.  Only stacking it once obviously wasn't enough

I think this is fine. It hints at the basics and then leaves the rest to player's experimentation, which is the best way to learn, especially as it's a hard game and you have to get used to figuring strategies out for yourself. As long as you didn't outright die in the tutorial, I think it's good.

[pluckyporcupine]

I just noticed that it mentions being able to upgrade character stats but I don't seem to actually be able to.

Also, I can't remember if the PC version also did it which is why I mention it but the Mac version seems to create a scanline sort of effect that goes up and down the sprites as they do the little idle "bounce" motion.

EDIT: And am I crazy or does the mage seem to get extra turns?

EDIT2: Yeah, using the Monk as a damage dealer instead of a healer is plain not working. I can't even make it halfway through the quest using that tactic.

[TeeGee]

What do you mean you can't upgrade their stats? Was it unclear that you have to click the character in the main menu to do so, or did it just not work?

The "scanline" effect only happens in Mac version. GM's quirk .

Mage kinda gets extra turns. His Charge up skill is a quick activity. Takes less time than other actions.

[pluckyporcupine]

What do you mean you can't upgrade their stats? Was it unclear that you have to click the character in the main menu to do so, or did it just not work?

Well, I just checked again and evidently it wasn't clear. When it said "click on the character in the main menu," I thought it meant the little circular portrait. That's what I think of as the "main menu." I wasn't aware I had to be at the "Begin" screen. I tried nearly everything else and, upon reading this post, I decided to try it just to see haha.

As far as the mage goes, cool, makes sense. I didn't realize that the turn order wasn't set in stone in the sense that the mage can get "extra turns."

EDIT: Oh, to follow up, are there other combos that seem to allow the monk to be more of a damage dealer than a healer? I did mention that it's not working out for me but I also have only the starting lineup unlocked.

[TeeGee]

Yeah, other people complained about that too, so you are not alone . I'll think of a better way, and make the heroes react to mouse in the bonfire screen to mark they can be clicked.

Turns work a bit like in those active-time battle jRPGs, only not in real time. There's a hidden value that gets updated with the character's speed. When it reaches some threshold, the character takes action. So a quick character can move several times per slow one's turn and so on.

EDIT: Monk works as a damager even with the initial setup. He's just more tricky to use as he's fragile and you want to sneak a heal every now and then. You can protect him with Knight's shield or his own Sanctuary ability and use him to attack armored targets (his attacks pierce armor). Buffing him with the Mage's ability can be fun too. Does wonders against the boss and other heavier enemies.

[pluckyporcupine]

He's just more tricky to use as he's fragile and you want to sneak a heal every now and then.

This is my primary problem.

Guess I need to experiment more. Too used to having the assassin right off the bat from the earlier alpha still, haha. His counterattack worked wonders.

EDIT:

Batling witch text - "unctrollable" should be "uncontrollable."

EDIT2:

I really don't remember the dragon being the way it is now - an all out war for DPS. Apparently, the dragon can nullify sanctuary and make the Knight's Protect ability useless? Bleh. That just doesn't sit well with me.

[TeeGee]

Yeah, I think you just have to experiment more . Let me know if there's anything specific you are having trouble with -- I may include it in the contextual tutorial tips.

I really don't remember the dragon being the way it is now - an all out war for DPS. Apparently, the dragon can nullify sanctuary and make the Knight's Protect ability useless? Bleh. That just doesn't sit well with me.

The Dragon didn't change. Other (upcoming at this point) bosses will be more complex, but I want the Dragon to essentially be a DPS battle that requires eschewing the defensive strategy that most players develop at first. It's a tutorial of sort. Makes sure that you can progress only after you learn how to effectively deal damage without relying on Knight's tanking or Mage's charges.
.

[pluckyporcupine]

The Dragon didn't change.

At all? Guess I just had a really bad few runs then. I remember the first alpha being a lot easier for me than this build has been (not sure about the last one because I didn't get to play much before my hard drive kicked the bucket).

And I'm confused. If the Knight can tank and the Mage can use charges, and you want them to be viable strategies, as well as other classes, like the Countess or the Diverter, then why push the player to go outside the strategies that they've developed that are effective in order to develop a more direct, reckless strategy that they may never use again?

It seems really counterintuitive from this perspective. You're telling people that their successful strategies aren't going to work all for the sake of a single battle. When they move on to the next quest, possibly even the next boss (I don't know yet...haven't seen any other bosses), they may use the same strategies they had been using the entire time. But that one battle is asking them to eschew that for what seems a lot like no reason.

Sure, some party builds are going to require you to out-DPS everything to survive. But not all of them. I didn't survive half the first quest with the starting lineup when attempting full-on DPS.

[TeeGee]

When the player defeats the boss, the game unlocks the full range of enemies, which just like the Dragon, may counter this or that strategy and require you to shift your tactics. There are many monsters that remove buffs, deal area damage ignoring Knight's protection, or do other nasty stuff. The game is largely about improvisation and finding a way to counter the current encounter setup with what you have, so it's crucial to learn to be flexible fast

The dragon is an important test here. It shows new players that the tank/healer/dps approach won't work in every case, and that heroes may also have less obvious applications. For example, most new players never use the Mage's buff ability. The Dragon may make them try it, as it's essentially easy mode against him, and that way they learn it's actually very powerful and should be used in further battles. Same for the Monk's ability to strike hard enemies for significant damage regardless of their high armor.

So what I'm aiming here is teaching the game's basics in three steps:
- How to play the game at all -- done through the tutorial.
- How to form basic strategies and combos. Done through relating to something players know from other games (tank/dps/healer) and making it work against the first enemies they encounter.
- Teaching that no strategy should be set in stone and that you should be able to improvise in Bonfire. Done through the Dragon.


I may need to add more pointers here and there, but I think the general approach makes sense.

[TeeGee]

A new location - Temple Ruins:




All in all, the development of the public Alpha is pretty much complete at this point. Still waiting for the music, so I'm using that time to polish and add a few elements, but it should be out soon regardless.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the tests. I've gathered tons of very useful feedback and pretty much everything ended up in the game in one way or another.

[TeeGee]

Kate (my girlfriend and the  artist for this game) made us some Bonfire tees for my birthday!



Got the first batch of the music too. At this point, only some minor polish and production of marketing materials remains, and we're good to go. So, like all 5 people who wait for this game can get excited .

[Quarry]

That's wonderful!

[Uykered]

Nice, you should become married!

[TeeGee]

Looks like the game will launch (through alpha funding) next week!

There's also going to be a playable free demo.

[pluckyporcupine]

Looks like the game will launch (through alpha funding) next week!

Awesome! How are the full version and the demo going to compare to the builds we've been getting on here?