|
mtarini
|
 |
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2015, 01:22:16 PM » |
|
*VERY* interesting experiment. I think you are getting somewhere.
Love the potential you have at strategies. I'm also fascinated by the concept of cover-based combat (pinning down, maneuvering to get enemies in cross fires, suppression fire, etc). This games captures it in an unprecedented way. Keep the good work up!
AI feels surprisingly alive. I loved the concept of auto-aiming from cover, it reflects beautifully how more accurate you are when firing from cover.
My first impressions on a few issues:
gameplay: I felt bullets are way too slow: I don't need cover if I can dodge bullets them so easily by just getting out of the way. This is especially true as the auto-aim (and the AI) targets the position where the target is, not where it will be assuming it will keep the same speed (i.e. it doesn't "walk" the target). I wonder how it plays with significantly faster bullets.
Note: if this is done, firerate should probably go down.
Controls: I felt like I had to push far too many keys at once, like when I have to: hold down [Cover] and two directions (to shoot diagonally), and then tap [Fire]. It felt like being an octopus pianist. I continuously pressed/depressed/tapped the wrong keys. Maybe it would have been better if the [Cover] button acted as a switch between Cover and FreeMove statuses. If so, you probably need to represent that graphically. E.g. In your temporary block style, I would just squeeze the block-guy over the wall whenever they are in cover mode.
Hum, yes, I think that would be definitely better, at least for me, because my left hand (WASD-ing) would have to keep keys pressed, while my right hand (firing and covering) would have to tap keys, so by brain would have an easier job.
Strategy: overall, the shooting feels a bit too continuous. I think a cool off time, like a short reload time every six bullets or something, might add to the strategy, possibly leading to, for example: making opponents take turns while firing at each other from cover; making it convenient to time the escape to the next cover; making combined suppression fire (from multiple friends) more effective than single ones, etc
Aiming: it got a bit weird when you, for example, you need to get out of cover by moving on the left, and fire downward. You need to: press the left key, then the press the down key, then release the left key, then fire. A bit difficult to grasp at first, and exacerbates the octopus effect. But I cannot suggest any solution here.
Unimportant details:
Graphics: I know, it is just a placeholder, but still I would have tested your concept better if graphics didn't get in the way. To me, the colors are not nearly distinguishable enough, especially red and green. I'm just a bit colorblind, and it took me the occasional second look to be sure to tell enemies and friends apart, which is a pain in this kind of game.
Level mechanics: also just a placeholder, but I don't get it: after a level, am I supposed to just wait until I get enough money to buy things, trading player's boredom for character's power?
|
Developer
