Shapecast - 2D dungeon crawler

Hello everyone,

For the past few months our small team has been working on our first game, Shapecast. It is a 2D dungeon crawler-like game with an intriguing spell casting system that allows player to draw spells on screen.

Because it's our soon to be* first published game, we would like to get as much critique and feedback as possible before the final release. Feel free to comment or complain about the smallest detail or maybe suggest something that you would like to see added in future versions.

*We have moved our game from beta to released status. You can read why we did that in our [release update] post.

You can play the latest android and web version here shapecastgame.com.




We are glad to answer all of your questions regarding the development of Shapecast.

Thanks to everyone in advance,
The Shapecast team

 

[Update] You can now try Shapecast's latest beta web version here shapecastgame.com

One of the main missing features that was pointed out by the first testers was a lack of rotating UI. A lot of players started the game in horizontal position by holding their phone with two hands(as we thought everyone would play), but soon switched to vertical position and one hand controls, completely disregarding our initial design.

Lesson of the day:

Mother holds her child with most care and shouts at anyone who tries to do the same, "You are doing it wrong! Here, let Me show you...". Don't be that mother, let others play your game the way they want to.​

Good testing,
The Shapecast team

 

[Update]More maps - more balance

Reworked game balance by splitting bigger maps: now there are total of 5 levels. They are now more differentiated - by enemy types and strength, resource abundance and difficulty.

Lesson of the day:

"When eating an elephant take one bite at a time". We usually apply this quote when dealing with larger project, but same might be applied when introducing players to new challenges in your game.​

Beware of elephants,
The Shapecast team

 

[tips from testers] Add different environment for each level.

Initially, we did plan on having each level look differently, but as time went on and deadlines were knocking on our door louder with each day, we had to prioritize other things. Hopefully we will have some new map texture before the release day.

Lesson of the day:

The good thing about the old soviet apartment block is that it works. The bad thing is though, unless your favourite colour is grey, you will go insane. If it's not S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 that you are working on - add some colours.
​

Good testing,
The Shapecast team

 

[release update]Shapecast moved to production

Why we moved Shapecast from "beta testing" to "production" on google play?
We tried using google's beta testing system, but it just did not appeal to potential testers and they chose web version most of the time(99%). Don't get us wrong, we still got a lot of feedback from those who played web version, but Shapecast was planned for touch screen devices from the first day, and we were missing exactly that part of testing.

As we mentioned before, Shapecast is our first start-to-finish game, and we are going to use it to get as much experience as we can as developers, so that we can improve and deliver better games in the future.

Lesson of the day:

"If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain". Or in our case, if there's a mountain obstructing the path for your users, don't expect them to climb it for you. It's your job to remove those mountains. ​

The path is clear,
The Shapecast team

 

[Update]exit to main menu confirmation and hp/mana bars when choosing bonus

Apparently having a skull for an exit-to-menu button with no confirmation is a bad design choice. Who could have thought...

Also,HP and mana is now shown when choosing your bonus for the next level.

Lesson of the day:

"Yes. Yes I am sure. God damn it YES, just overwrite and exit!" - it's annoying until it actually saves your life.​

Don't rush on clicking,
The Shapecast team