next »

[ShuddaHaddaLottaFun]

Hey People!  We at ShuddaHaddaLottaFun are in the beginning stages of developing our game Shadow Fencer Theatre, a 2 player shadow puppet fencing game. We’ve got a Devlog all about it as well, so be sure to check that out!

bit.ly/fencerdev

But the reason that we have you gathered here today is that we recently posted a new build of our game, and would love for you to give us feedback/thoughts on the game. You can find the demo here:

www.shadowfencertheatre.com

This demo focuses on our 2 Player mode (there is a 1 Player mode, but the AI isn’t great yet). So, if you have a friend to play with, that would be awesome.  Also we are developing with a controller focus. Although there are keyboard controls, if you have a gamepad, Please use that!

Specifically, we are looking for your thoughts/feedback on:

Is the game fun?
Do you see replayability?
Is this something you’d want to play when you have friends over?
What would you like to see added to the game, or the core fighting mechanic?

And of course if you have feedback on anything else, we’d love to hear it! Thank you so much!

[Shigatosis]

I haven't had a chance to try 2 player yet, but here are my initial thoughts:

The game looks and sounds fantastic. The music and sound effects are very fitting, and I think the whole shadow puppet aesthetic is beautiful.

The problem I have with it so far is that the combat lacks variety, and the controls feel unresponsive (with both keyboard and gamepad). The way the weapon moves matches the way I would expect a shadow puppet to move, but it feels impossible to pull off interesting moves, so most rounds just boil down to sticking your weapon out in front of you or flailing wildly. As it stands, it basically plays like a slower, less precise version of Nidhogg.

Aside from that, more character variety would be nice. I feel like throwing projectiles and deflecting them with melee weapons could be a fun mechanic in this engine, but I'm not really sure if that's the kind of game you're going for.

[thomf00]

I only played 1P as well. I think visually it looks pretty dope, very fun idea!

I played single player three times and never really got the gist for the sword controls / tactics. It felt pretty random for who won.

So I'd say if you want to keep it a funny play once experiment kind of game then you're good, but otherwise spend some∑ time thinking of how you could change the fencing controls to feel more responsive and allow players to feel like a win is earned.

[ShuddaHaddaLottaFun]

Thank you two for playing! We are really glad people like the visuals and sound!

So, about the whole combat mechanic.... You are right... but it's a two-fold issue.

The first part is yes, the movement is really loose, and can be hard to get in control.  This isn't a great thing, and I'm working on tightening that up, while still leaving enough to "feel" like shadow puppets fighting. I will make it feel more responsive.

The Second part is my AI player SUUUUUUUUUUUCKS.  It's not good, it just does random actions.  This is because I didn't want to focus on spending a lot of time working on the AI until I felt like we had the core gameplay mechanic more or less locked in.  So this is why we are looking for people that can test the 2 Player mode.  I think it becomes more understandable gameplay wise with 2 people playing, because there is a lot more defense in the works (parrying, backing away to reset yourself, etc)

Speaking of which, the gist of the sword controls is the the tip of the sword will push back the opponents sword on contact.  so if your sword tip hits somewhere along their sword, their sword will be push back leaving them open to get a kill.  If they hit your sword and push yours back, well then you have to back up, and give space so you can try and pull your sword back in front of you. 


Again, thank you for your comments.  I will do my best to make it feel more responsive.  And if there is anyone out there looking for a 2 Player game to play, please please please check out our game!  I need to know if it's fun with 2 players! I hope it's not just us that thinks that   

[ldurniat]

I can't test your game I use Opera. Sorry.

It seems interesting.

[michaelplzno]

Not too much replay-ability imo, but I just played against bots. It needs more depth, right now it just feels random as to who wins. Look at fighting games people play over and over. They all have more to it than this. Even something like nidhogg which in some ways is simpler than your game has the whole level progression thing. Its a decent start but it needs a third heat for sure.