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[shoulddev]

Hi guys! I've released my first complete prototype, made in Godot in just two weeks. I'm trying to create some addictive fast-paced gameplay that is easy to pick up but hard to master. The main draw of my game is the grappling hook, mixed with some 90s FPS inspired movement (complete with bunny hopping) and I've added some rocket jumping for good measure.

I'm trying to make this game speedrun friendly, meaning levels should be short, load times shorter still or inexistant and visuals should be about clarity first, spectacle second.

I'm avidly looking for some pointers and feedback on how to improve it.

Here's the release trailer I put up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fNg0eb9qfk&feature=youtu.be

Here's the dowload link (itch.io): https://shoulddev.itch.io/left-hook-liam-v02-alpha


Thanks a lot! I'm new here, this place looks nice, I'll try and be active a give some feedback to other posters as well.

[DarkGran]

I like the hook idea, not so much the "rocket jump".
I would work on the players movement though, things like friction and such.
The boss was bit weird but the hooking around in more difficult levels was fun.
Good luck with your projects!

[Whales]

Lots of fun  

In-level pacing

Glad that many of the levels let you softly recover (ie if you fall: you don't have to hard restart, instead you can work your way back up).  EDIT: spiral tree level my favourite.

Going through hoops is a little bit confusing.  The audio cue says you have completed the hoop, but visually it's still there after you have gone through it.  It does gently disappear, but you have to turn around to confirm this.  Would a quicker visual cue (eg colour change) help here, or would it be distracting?  Not sure.

Nice small detail that you don't start the timer until a particular position in some levels, but I'm not the type to play for tiny times (unless the game straight-out makes it part of the gameplay, eg gives useful rewards/progress/etc).  I like to peregrinate & explore at my own pace.

Inter-level pacing

Oh my god the first lava level.  Still stuck on it.  I thought the first section was hard enough, but now I'm getting nuked on the second section too.  Hook cooldown timer is really biting me (mentioned in next section).

Movement/weapons

It's interesting how contrasting the methods of using the hook & RL are from a visual-cognitive perspective:

• Hook: auto-aims in a region slightly above your crosshair, you don't have to look away from where you are going.
• Rocket launcher: requires you to look away from where you are going (ie go blind), shoot the ground, and then return your view angle back.

This contrast/conflict probably only works in this particular configuration.  If you had to look away from things to hook them: that would suck (not enough precision).  If you could rocket-jump whilst looking any direction: it would be too simple & boring.

Hook auto-aim:  I'm split 50/50 between whether directly aiming it (crosshairs) would be better than indirectly aiming it.  You probably put a lot of effort into the auto-aim and I'm biased because I'm simply not used to it.

Hook cooldown timer: really annoying.  I have to wait for it to retract before re-using it.  Leads to me madly clicking as I descend to my fried-chip death.

Tutorial

Problem: you can't scale the first wall using the rocket launcher if you follow the instructions given.  

I know that I have to jump before shooting the ground to get the height, but that's because I've played other games with this mechanic before.  New players that have never RJ'd might get stuck simply rocketing the ground beneath them (without jumping first) which doesn't give enough height, softlocking progress and making them think the game is broken.

Technical

Big stutters occur the first time I use the hook & RL, I presume due to no preloading of some effects/resources.

Why is this half a gig?

Still playing

Not sure what to make of the potato enemies yet.  Am I also a potato?  Do I turn into fried chips when I hit the lava?  Why do I have the sudden urge to get a packet of salt-and-vinegar out of the cupboard?  Do you have shares in the potato industry?

EDIT: Finished

Last boss is too easy.  You can ignore the hoops OR him and do either one at a time.  My thoughts at the time were: "why don't you make the floor lava or move the obstacles, to force the player to use all game mechanics at once?  That would be much more interesting."

 

[jbarrios]

Hey shoulddev,

I played your game and recorded it.

[shoulddev]

Hey Whales, thanks for the detailed feedback! Lots of valuable remarks!

Removing the cooldown timer for the hook is probably a good idea.

Regarding the auto-aim: since things under the crosshair take precedence when selecting the hook target (as long as it's within range), I feel like it doesn't impact players who don't rely on the auto-aim.

Very good point regarding the tutorial message. I think in general the game is in needs a much improved learning curve.

Technical

Big stutters occur the first time I use the hook & RL, I presume due to no preloading of some effects/resources.

Why is this half a gig?

Some of the textures I used are too large for the game's needs and aren't preloaded. My bad.

Last boss is too easy.  You can ignore the hoops OR him and do either one at a time.  My thoughts at the time were: "why don't you make the floor lava or move the obstacles, to force the player to use all game mechanics at once?  That would be much more interesting."

Did you manually quit when the boss dies? It's a fakeout and there's actually a second phase where the floor breaks down to reveal lava. But even then he can be cheesed quite easily (check out jbarrios' playthrough, where he easily took down the second phase while barely moving.) The moving platforms are a good idea. Giving the boss additional behaviour other than being a stationary turret would also make it more interesting.

Thank you guys for taking the time to give me your thoughts, you really are too kind

[arvidinator]

what a creative and fun idea for a game, haven't had this much fun with movement in a long time. if polished, this could be really damn good.

[michaelplzno]

Here's a screenshot, just fyi: