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[Bob_STE]

PLAY HERE
DEV LOG

The following development is new in Alpha 0.1.4.0:

• Enabled movement with right click
• Enabled movement while viewing the map
• Fixed an issue that occurred when blasting blocks on mouse move
• Display the player under roofs in the minimap
• Tweaked the minimum cave depth

This update is largely based on feedback from ActionGamemaster.

I would appreciate any general comments you may have as well as feedback on the new update.

Coming up next, more content.

Many thanks,
Bob

[Quicksand-S]

I wasn't sure what my goal was. I can explore and destroy things, but I don't see why I'd purposely create obstacles for myself, so I just end up wandering and doing nothing. If I run out of fireballs, I can't really do anything to get them back, can I? If that's the case, then it's far too easy to get completely stuck in a location.

The atmospheric music is nice and pretty well-done, but also really relaxing in a "put me to sleep" sort of way which doesn't really benefit the game, in my opinion.

The menu is a bit weird. If I click on the map, then click on the gear, then close the gear window, closing on the map makes the gear window show up again. Maybe there's a reason it always goes back to the previous selection, but I'm not sure what that would be.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't really find it fun, interesting or nostalgic. I'll try to explain my thoughts about why that is.

It wasn't fun because exploration is only fun (for me, anyway) if there's something to discover: a cool land formation, an item/chest, a wandering traveler, a secret hideout, a town...really anything except more of the same. I imagine that's partially because it's in alpha, but you asked if it was fun so I'm answering.

I didn't find it interesting because there's so little to the world at this stage and I couldn't do anything except create or destroy the same few things. The world feels so lifeless. Obviously a part of that is because there's no other life (at least in singleplayer), so hopefully that will be remedied later.

I didn't find it nostalgic because nothing about it reminds me of games I've enjoyed. You mentioned Zelda, so hopefully that means you'll be adding more gameplay to it in the future (ex. more abilities and maybe some enemies). In the Zelda games I've played, just about every major area is visually unique, and I'd say your game is really lacking that sort of variety. Adding some pre-drawn shadows to objects could add some visual depth to the game, to break up the even lighting a bit. Different ground types might be nice too, like dirt and puddles.

What I personally enjoy most about Zelda is probably using items to navigate the world. What I enjoy most about Minecraft is that the areas almost always look interesting, and that I have different options (build, dig, travel, etc.) that allow me more gameplay freedom.

Anyway, I do like the color choices in the art. I also really like that ground texture for some reason. The movement feels pretty good and the character moves at a nice pace. Just about everything that's currently in the game seems to work well.

[Bob_STE]

Quicksand-S, thank you for so much great feedback.

If I run out of fireballs, I can't really do anything to get them back, can I?

You can eat the fruit by selecting it and clicking the player, this will give you a fireball.

The atmospheric music is nice and pretty well-done, but also really relaxing in a "put me to sleep" sort of way which doesn't really benefit the game, in my opinion.

As the player encounters different areas and situations, they will have corresponding music to enhance the mood.  The variety of music will feature more than atmospheric pieces.

The menu is a bit weird. If I click on the map, then click on the gear, then close the gear window, closing on the map makes the gear window show up again. Maybe there's a reason it always goes back to the previous selection, but I'm not sure what that would be.

The intent was to save the player a click when closing the menu, by selecting the previous item.  It might be better to just close the menu.

I wasn't sure what my goal was.

It wasn't fun because exploration is only fun (for me, anyway) if there's something to discover: a cool land formation, an item/chest, a wandering traveler, a secret hideout, a town...really anything except more of the same. I imagine that's partially because it's in alpha, but you asked if it was fun so I'm answering.

You're absolutely right, most people have this response when playing the game.  I consider this the highest priority in making the game better.

I didn't find it nostalgic because nothing about it reminds me of games I've enjoyed. You mentioned Zelda, so hopefully that means you'll be adding more gameplay to it in the future (ex. more abilities and maybe some enemies). In the Zelda games I've played, just about every major area is visually unique, and I'd say your game is really lacking that sort of variety.

There is a lot of gameplay and variety to come.  The map generator needs some tweaking; far more interesting maps could be made, even with the content that already exists.  Gradually, I plan to add features like the ones below and many more. 

• Locked doors and chests
• Water, with diving
• Dig spots
• Enemies
• NPCs
• Dungeons
• Towns
• Shops
• Currency

Over time, the sandbox nature of the game will emerge as the player will have a lot of creative freedom with these elements.


Thank you for the compliments, and all of the great feedback.
I will update the dev log as soon as I have more content.

Thanks,
Bob

[Vallar]

I played your game. Here is my feedback, but please take it with a grain of salt, it is honest feedback. That said, I am not trying to bash your game. Far from it!

Game design
I actually didn't know what I am supposed to do in the game or what is the game. I understand it is a sandbox game (from the devlog) but I didn't know what is the point of existing in this world. In Minecraft, I can build shelters for when night comes or discover new areas or manipulate the environment to come up with a house or a cave, etc...
In here... all I was able to do is pickup tomatoes?, put some kind of landfill in and destroy stuff withe the fire ball but there is no purpose.
Questions like what do the tomatoes do? Why would I do anything in here? Were never answered to mention a few.

Interaction design
If you mean the controls, it was nice. Specially when I can move with WASD and point and click as well. I didn't like the menu though. I opened the settings menu to find a link to your website and credits. Which isn't anything related to settings. I'd make either another menu for that or a sub menu (or just add them to the website below the game window).

Feature suggestions
I'd say make the world alive. I can pick up tomatoes and put it back but what the point of their existence? What can I do with them? What can I do with the land fill? Give me some goal to work from (Minecraft had the "survive the night thing").

The multiplayer experience
I didn't try that as I don't have anyone to play with.

The exploration experience
I kept walking around till I discovered a big portion of the map but out of obligation that I wanted to give honest feedback not out of curiosity (well I was curious the first 2 minutes of exploration only). Primarily this because I didn't find anything to explore or at least a point in doing so. What is the point of finding another area with some boulders, sand and tomatoes?

The creative experience
I generally don't like sandbox games and I tend to grow bored quickly when playing them when they don't have a clear goal or some kind of story. So when I found that I can build sand and tomatoes only + the previous points, it wasn't enough to keep me going or be interested in it. Though if the player traps themselves and has used all their fireballs they can't get out as I couldn't discover a destruct button to the tiles.

Issues and bugs
I didn't come across bugs no. But it wasn't clear why there is a percentage on the map? Is that the amount I explored?

Is it fun?
I am sorry to say this, but please don't take it personal... it was only fun for the first 10 seconds when I didn't know what is going on. Apart from that... no.

I think this is a really EARLY alpha because there isn't much there. Though you did a great job creating the logic behind the building and destroying features it isn't buggy as far as I saw. But the game needs a lot of work to make it more like a game and less like a test of some mechanics made.
You have an interesting concept that sounds fun but there is no "hook" to grab the attention of players yet.

Hope that was helpful in anyway and again I don't mean to be harsh/bash your game.

[protophant]

I had much the same experience as Vallar and Quicksand-S, the game functions well, but the absence of a goal that all the abilities work towards makes it hard to stay interested. I can shape the whole level with dirt and fruit plants, but why were these features implemented first? Is it the core of the gameplay? You mention a lot of other features that seem to indicate it might be Exploration? (locked doors, chests, water, diving, dig spots, dungeons, towns, etc.)

[Bob_STE]

I played your game. Here is my feedback, but please take it with a grain of salt, it is honest feedback. That said, I am not trying to bash your game. Far from it!

No worries, I didn't take it that way.  I know the game has a long way to go, your solid feedback will help it get there.

In here... all I was able to do is pickup tomatoes?, put some kind of landfill in and destroy stuff withe the fire ball but there is no purpose.

It's not obvious, but you can eat the fruit by selecting it and clicking the player.  This will give you a fireball.  I'm striving to create a core loop of consuming resources to fuel exploration.  The next update will likely attempt to balance the flow of resources and the structure of the environment.  Right now it's just too easy to plow through the map with a massive supply of fruit or fill it up with a bunch of rocks.

I didn't like the menu though. I opened the settings menu to find a link to your website and credits. Which isn't anything related to settings. I'd make either another menu for that or a sub menu (or just add them to the website below the game window).

I will likely have submenus for settings, item inventory, more information, credits, and an exit to the title screen.

Give me some goal to work from

I am giving this a lot of thought now.  I'll post an update when I have something to look at.

But it wasn't clear why there is a percentage on the map? Is that the amount I explored?

Yes, it is the percentage of the map explored.

But the game needs a lot of work to make it more like a game and less like a test of some mechanics made.  You have an interesting concept that sounds fun but there is no "hook" to grab the attention of players yet.

A very astute observation.  I have been very focused on the mechanics; I really want to get this part right so that I have a solid foundation to build from.  The "hook" will get similar attention.


Thanks for the excellent feedback,
Bob

[Bob_STE]

I would appreciate feedback for the new Alpha 0.1.1.0 update, described in the topic post.

Thanks,
Bob

[Quicksand-S]

Well, the generated map was pretty boring, with big grassy areas that contained no objects at all, but exploring "caves" was nice and blasting through the walls into other rooms was good too. The way the game felt to play was a lot better than I remembered. Making buildings/caves works well and I really like how rooftops are made. When I first saw how small the rooftop blocks were, I was concerned, but the fact that you can just click to fill in outlines is great.

The way the view works in caves is a bit weird. I almost feel like it would be better if all the walls and exterior became black when in a cave, because the way visual range is implemented is more like how old games handled darkness. Ideally, line-of-sight checks would make anything you should be able to see from where you are visible. The way it is now works fine, though. It just felt a bit strange. It might even be best if the entire roof disappeared when you enter a cave, rather than changing as you move.

The only major issue I had was that I couldn't build walls under an existing roof unless I stood under the roof first to make it disappear. Wall creation probably shouldn't ever be blocked by the rooftops.

[Bob_STE]

Quicksand-S, thanks again for the feedback.

Well, the generated map was pretty boring, with big grassy areas that contained no objects at all,

I'll come back to the map generator later, because I really need to add more content too.  The new version, while still very primitive, is much more algorithmic than the previous one.  It knows where the deepest caves are, how deep they are, how the grassy areas are connected, how to get from one place to another, and so on.  Eventually, the map generator will be a strong aspect of the game.

Making buildings/caves works well and I really like how rooftops are made. When I first saw how small the rooftop blocks were, I was concerned, but the fact that you can just click to fill in outlines is great.

I've often wondered, when you're building a structure, are you clicking every tile, or dragging the mouse?  It works either way, and should feel like a brush in a graphics program.  It works like this on phones and tablets too, but I'm not ready to release an app yet.

It might even be best if the entire roof disappeared when you enter a cave, rather than changing as you move.

This is how it worked initially.  But because the game client only has information for immediate surroundings, you could take one step and suddenly large areas on the screen are revealed.  This felt very weird too.  I might try fading roof tiles in and out as the player moves to make it feel more smooth.

The only major issue I had was that I couldn't build walls under an existing roof unless I stood under the roof first to make it disappear. Wall creation probably shouldn't ever be blocked by the rooftops.

The reason I did this is to prevent players from modifying areas they can't see.  But I can probably make an exception for placing blocks under outer edges.

Thanks,
Bob

[Liens]

Hey Bob, sorry if my post is a little bit disjointed I'm just gonna post my unstructured thoughts as I played:

I loved the disappearing ceiling for caves.  Love it when games do that.

I like the art style, it's nice and clean feeling.

The world generation may be 'boring' like that last guy said, but that's not what's important in such an early build.  Your shape generation of caves and grasslands is spiffy and I'm guessing that's what you were focusing on at this point in development.  So, that's cool and stuff.

I enjoyed the ease of building stuff, it had some nice flashy particle-ey stuff going on there too.

Last of all, it definitely does need some kind of tutorial.  But I wouldn't worry about a full tutorial until the game is almost complete.  But for now maybe just some text at the beginning, maybe make them sign posts you can read or something?

Oh and uh...  why am I a cave building dinosaur again?  Haha, good luck my friend!

[Bob_STE]

Liens, thank you so much for the really positive feedback!

I loved the disappearing ceiling for caves.  Love it when games do that.

Great!  I am definitely adding water to the game, and I will probably have a similar experience for diving.

The world generation may be 'boring' like that last guy said, but that's not what's important in such an early build.

Yeah, later versions of the map generator will be more interesting when I have more content to build around.

Also, the worlds can be described in JSON or XML.  So at some point, players will probably be able to hack on their own map generator code if they are so inclined.

For now maybe just some text at the beginning, maybe make them sign posts you can read or something?

Yes!  Expect to see this soon, sign posts you can read AND write.

Oh and uh...  why am I a cave building dinosaur again?

Copied from the dev log:
Initially I planned for the player to be a creature, living among creatures of various species.  Now I am leaning towards the player being a human, doing things humans do, especially manipulating the environment.  There is still the possibility of the player changing into a creature or summoning creatures.

Thanks,
Bob

[Bob_STE]

I would appreciate feedback for the new Alpha 0.1.2.0 update, described in the topic post.

Thanks,
Bob

[Bob_STE]

I would appreciate feedback for the new Alpha 0.1.3.0 update, described in the topic post.

Thanks,
Bob

[ActionGamemaster]

I played this. I'd say it's good, as a technical demo. As you mentioned, you need to add a lot of content to make this actually a game, so, have fun with that,
The field of view/lighting mechanic is broken. Here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W0MyA34wlw&feature=youtu.be

As you can see,not only is the dinosaur outside, but he can also make the blocks disappear and go through them. Never invite this dinosaur to Smash Bros.
Holding down left click to place blocks works, however, it doesn't work with moving. I have to spam left click instead of just holding it in the direction I want to go.

Why does it show "100%" near the map? Also, I never understand where I am, since there's no "player" point(or it's really small). I only understand where I am when I mine the shit out of some cave. It would be nice if I could move while seeing the map. After I found out that the map is draggable, I thought it was draggable for just that purpose.

Wouldn't it be better if I could place down blocks with left click, and move with right click? On touch devices, there's no right click, however, I can instantly press a button in the corner and start moving and switching blocks, while using a mouse on a computer doesn't give you that opportunity. I'd make the current control scheme the controls for touch devices, and right click to move for computers.

I got away from the boundaries of the game. No, wait- there's no boundaries. The game just goes on forever. And where I am now isn't shown on the map. Therefore, the map should just center on the player, which also kinda solves the issue with not seeing where the player is.

[Bob_STE]

Thanks for the feedback ActionGamemaster.  To my knowledge, you are the first person to record a video of my game.  Very Cool.

As you can see,not only is the dinosaur outside, but he can also make the blocks disappear and go through them.

You placed several roof blocks, so far these only exist to hide the content underneath.  That is why they disappear when you walk under them.  Did you see how this works with a cave that already exists?  I do agree that roof visibility could use some more work, there are some awkward situations that could be handled better.

Holding down left click to place blocks works, however, it doesn't work with moving. I have to spam left click instead of just holding it in the direction I want to go.

If you move the mouse even slightly while walking it should continue to place blocks.  Later on I will make it so that you don't have to move the mouse at all.

Why does it show "100%" near the map?

This is the percentage of the map that has been discovered.  It should make more sense in game modes other than creative, where you don't start with a complete map.

Also, I never understand where I am, since there's no "player" point(or it's really small). I only understand where I am when I mine the shit out of some cave.

For now, players are displayed as four black pixels.  In the future I might animate this point to make it stand out more.

If you are in a cave, the player is not displayed.  I will improve this in the next version.

It would be nice if I could move while seeing the map. After I found out that the map is draggable, I thought it was draggable for just that purpose.

I agree, this will be improved in the next version.

Wouldn't it be better if I could place down blocks with left click, and move with right click? On touch devices, there's no right click, however, I can instantly press a button in the corner and start moving and switching blocks, while using a mouse on a computer doesn't give you that opportunity. I'd make the current control scheme the controls for touch devices, and right click to move for computers.

Yes, I think it would be better.  Expect to see this in the next version.

I got away from the boundaries of the game. No, wait- there's no boundaries.

*deep voice* - "Excursion, a game with no boundaries."

The game just goes on forever. And where I am now isn't shown on the map.

Actually, you wrap around to the other side, like Pac-Man.  Or maybe, the other side of the world shifts in front of you so that you don't fall off. 

Thanks,
Bob

[Bob_STE]

I would appreciate feedback for the new Alpha 0.1.4.0 update, described in the topic post.

Thanks,
Bob