Feedback Feedback Friday #174 - July 23-26, 2021

G'day folks!

Do you know what's the best way to spend your game dev time, money and effort with maximum efficiency?

Prototyping.

There's an incredible lot of progress you can make with simple primitive meshes, some code, and a nose for where the fun is at. When you nail the feel and mechanics of your game, all that's left is building the art and beauty on top of it.

Sometimes it's hard to find the right way to go, maybe you've been working on it too long and you can't see the forest for the trees. That's when you need someone else's opinion. Preferably more than one.

I always like to see prototypes from AAA games. Not just because it's a lot of fun to see the difference between the prototype and the final product, but because it shows that even the best game designers use prototypes and get feedback from eachother to improve it.

Here's an awesome video on God of War's development, showing how mechanics and levels were prototyped with simple geometry before committing precious resources to beautifying them.

AAA studios have large teams, different departments, QA teams and all kinds of different people sharing knowledge to improve every aspect of the game. Indies? We just have eachother

Do you think you could benefit from free design feedback for your work in progress project?

Then you've found the right thread! Feedback Friday runs from Friday to Monday every week.

What To Show

• Minimally Viable Product (MVP) - Core game play > everything else
• How To Scope Small (Unity tutorial)
• Post a link to a playable game, preferably WebGL. If you don't have a playable game, post something substantial, not just text.

How To Ask For Feedback

• Be concise.
• Specify what you want feedback on and what you don't.
• Resist the urge to write an immediate defense. Take the time to understand their points. Remember that your friends here are taking time out of their busy schedules to help you for free.

How To Give Feedback

• Be positive. There's something of value in every game.
• Focus on the design, not the designer.

Feedback Friday #173 is here.

 

Good evening!
So, recently I suddenly got an idea of a game about a planet and an alien station. Tried to prototype it, but somehow the prototype turned into a game about Earth and asteroids...
So I decided to give it a try and it went like this:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18P6BSV9wEwUIZj2Dn2sLCzxF49w7lVU7/view?usp=sharing
(controls: space for launching rockets)

Still hope to make the alien game and hope this prototype may become a first preparatory step

So, could anyone please provide some feedback and ideas?
Thanks in advance!

 

Can you make a WebGL build?

 

I´ve never done this, so don´t even know how to, to be honest

 

It's basically as easy as a Windows/Mac build. See Getting started with WebGL development. If you don't have a place to host it, you can put it on itch.io.

 

I think this is good constructive feedback, to start path for publishing and testing, which is more convenient for others. Also, it helps to learn one or two things as well.

 

Thanks. But for some reasons it says I don't have a WebGL module despite the fact that I've just installed one...

 

Did you install the WebGL module for another version of Unity, or in the wrong folder? (Also - wow, Unity 5.5. Consider updating to 5.7 if not something newer such as 2019.)

 

Wow

While certainly functional. But it is ancient now.
Any reason to stick to 5.x?
I don't know how webGL will be compatible. It also evolved since years.

 

Oh, ok, will update

 

Just a habit, and thought 5.5 UI was much more comfortable

 

Are you planning mobile release, or. PC only?
Fo PC doesnt really matter. And you don't need webGL. We didn't realise, you are using old. Version of unity. This is up to you. But WebGL would definatelly help reach to audience, during testing. Even if planning to sell later. Or maybe considering free to play, and opt. for donations.

But if you target mobile market, you have no really choice, but be up to date with latest LTS Unity versions.

 

Well, I don't really lilke mobile platforms, so either PC or Web, I think. Anyway, I'll update to the newest version and try to upload the game to itch.io

 

@DanielDemidov
Just make sure, you use version control, so in any case, you got access to working 5.x version.

 

So, I suppose here we go:
https://daniel1306.itch.io/observation-pre-alpha
Thanks for all the advice @Antypodish and @TonyLi !

Will have to adapt it to the web, though, but playable

 

The editor seems to be much slower somehow... Or maybe it's just my PC...

 

Will checkout later, I am not on PC right now.

This is not desired, but unfortunately expected behaviour. 5.x was much faster indeed. You are expected to have at least SSD. It is not ideal, but workable.

Assuming you have version controlling or backup, you stil can use 5.x to keep working on that version. Is up to you.

 

Now that's a good start to a game. It's easy to learn how to play, and the action onscreen is easy to read. The score counter makes it addictive -- Can I beat my last score? Can I get to 100 points?

It also seems like something that you could expand on incrementally. Maybe in later levels you could shoot 2 missiles 180-degrees from each other, or deploy a timed shield, or increase the rate that the red targeting line rotates around the planet.

You probably won't want to get distracted by adding "juice" (the tactile sensation produced by audiovisual feedback) too early, but this is the type of game that can really hit a different level with a bit of juice on top. For references, see the classic talks Juice it or lose it and The art of screenshake.

This game would also be fun to play on mobile.

 

@DanielDemidov ,

this is working for me.

I like that some asteroids are on a close collision path but not quite, which means you can watch and see which targets are actually worth shooting. That coupled with the recharging missiles makes for an addictive and simple design.

There is a little anticipation as you wait for the earth defense spinner thing to come around and you got an incoming asteroid, gives a little excitement.

I also think this is really good start to a game. A few powerups, a little polish, and this can be a great mobile game.

My only gripe is that the missile has like a millisecond delay so it doesn't appear to come out from the spinning laser. Would just feel better to me if it came out on the same precise path as the laser.

I don't know how invested you are in this idea but I think it's worth taking to publication. In five minutes I was hooked.

 

Thanks for all the replies! I really appreciate your support. Unfortunately, switching to Unity 2021 without making a proper backup (didn't expect the 2021 version to be so unfomfortable...) led to the situation when I can't open the project files via my favourite Unity 5.5...

But the experience I got from the prototype may allow me to use the same core mechanic to make a prototype about colonizing Mars. Already working on a prototype and, in a few days, I may post something playable here.

P.S. Since Unity 2021 is way too slow on my PC, I hope the audience will forgive me for using Unity 5.5, which makes it impossible to create WebGL versions...

 

The unity game I worked on and published was made in 5.6. I don't think the version matters that much?

 

Well, it takes about (or, since I failed to wait until the end, even more than ) 1.5 minutes to open MonoDevelop, and about 3-4 seconds to enter playmode

 

If you want to try to continue with Unity 2021, try this:

• Select Edit > Project Settings. In the Editor section, tick Enter Play Mode Options, and leave the Reload Domain and Reload Scene checkboxes unticked. You should find that entering playmode is almost instantaneous.
  
• Consider switching to Visual Studio Community to see if it opens scripts faster.

 

Thanks! Will try this

 

Here we go:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TDV2D9NZyfDsgTLmKgs5MMEir-qlOStr/view?usp=sharing

So, I switched to Unity 5.5. Used the same core mechanic, but added some things. Now in order to win, the player has to increase 'Colony development' to 100 by successfully launching rockets towards Mars.

Could anyone provide some feedback and thoughts, please?

 

simpler was better IMO.

It was already a good amount of challenge to track one orbit and multiple incoming targets. Now it's too complex and causes more waiting too.

the colonization of mars could be a separate minigame maybe? Like a bonus mission inbetween levels maybe.

 

Thanks! It works. Although, when I open VS, it has a bar about 'Opening Visual Studio'. And it fills forever
And even when VS itself opens, this thing never goes away
.

 

Thank you. So, do I understand correctly that overusing one mechanic is usually bad?

 

There is a certain amount of tracking and remembering my brain has to do when I'm playing the game.

In the first demo it was a pleasant amount, in the second it was too much.

 

I agree. Stick with one mechanic, and see how far you can take it with variations.

 

I tried both versions.
The game is very simplistic. And that is fine, if this is the goal.
I don't mind further version evolution, with two planets.

The problem with two versions is same.
I understand the only control is a space key.
If you miss fire, or you in wrong position / facing direction, when asteroid spawns, while approaching you, there is number of cases, where you can not prevent to get hit.
The game is about good (right) timing and good eye. Which may be potentially hard to play for many players.

 

Good evening!
Updated my previous prototype:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xqnqz_VZE4g5L6Dla19KFlrJcEbu2WUN/view?usp=sharing
(P.S. game can also be paused via esc)

Any feedback and thoughts will be really appreciated