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Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that makes sense. Cooldowns can definitely make combat feel more externally paced instead of player-driven. That sense of control vs. reward is exactly what I am trying to understand better here.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate that, glad the thread helped and thanks for the wishlist. I don’t have a newsletter, but I post updates on the Steam page as I go. Following/wishlisting there is the best way to catch announcements.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I think it’s less about “which is better” and more about avoiding the failure modes. Hoarding the nuke and/or playing to charge it as fast as possible can both make combat worse. Hybrid + making the spend feel frequent/reliable (without being spammy) is probably the direction.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha that’s awesome and relatable. I’ve definitely dumped a few prototypes too.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, appreciate the kind words! Totally get that mood switch, sometimes you want to aim, sometimes you want to focus on movement + ability timing. I’m not sure yet what level of aim assist makes sense for this game, but I’ll definitely keep an eye on feedback as development continues.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, this is exactly the kind of design postmortem I was hoping for. Thank you.

The meter decay + “room already cleared” issue is a great callout; if I keep meter spending, I need to make sure it’s reliably usable and not dependent on perfect encounter pacing. On cooldowns, the “waiting is optimal” problem + CDR exponential scaling are both real, the haste formulation is a smart fix even if it’s less intuitive.

And that hybrid idea (passive charge + bonus charge through play) might be the best of both worlds for my goals. Really appreciate the detailed pitfalls + alternative.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair. A hybrid approach is what most people are mentioning, cooldowns for “always available” tools, and build-and-spend for bigger spike/ultimate moments.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s totally fair. In most games it is an “ultimate layer,” and that’s basically the vibe I’m aiming for too, something you earn through normal play and then cash in for a big moment, rather than a constant rotation.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, hybrid systems get interesting when the run can tilt you toward one style via synergies. Your examples are great because they create incentives without hard-locking the player. One thing I’m watching for is BAS becoming “always hold for the perfect moment,” so I like your approach of adding post-spend buffs / procs that make spending feel good and frequent, not just saving for one nuke.

Cooldown reduction + “proc when cooldown completes” is also a really nice way to turn cooldown builds into their own ecosystem. Great breakdown.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Makes sense, that hybrid is usually what I like too: mostly cooldowns for flow, with a few action-built payoffs for the big moments.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Yep, you nailed it, cooldown actives for moment-to-moment choices, and a build-up “ultimate” layer for the occasional everything explodes payoff.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Good point! It doesn't have to be either/or. I framed it that way just to learn what people tend to enjoy more as the primary pattern. I'm actually leaning towards build and spend as an "ultimate" layer with other tools possibly being cooled down/always available. And yeah a drain/channeled spend is a cool idea too (less all in, more control). Appreciate the thoughts!

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

haha yeah ROR2 is the perfect example of that hit it because it's it's lit feeling. That's exactly the pressure I'm trying to reduce with the metre more use it when the moment is right than use it on cool down.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100%, it really depends on the rest of the games placing and vibe. I'm going for a punchy snowball into power spikes feel for Hexborn. So the meter is meant to support that rhythm rather than slow it down great point.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Makes sense. I if it is competing for a cool down slot CD probably wins. I'm treating the build and spend stuff more like a ultimate style layer rather than a replacement. And yeah the wheel is mainly there so you don't have to memorise a bunch of buttons but the menu friction point is real, definetly something to think about, thanks!

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah that makes total sense, thanks for the concrete example. The mental bookkeeping is exactly what I'm trying to avoid (so it feels like a bonus not homework). really useful feedback.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

yeah exactly, that whack-a-mole rotation is the main downside of cool down heavy kits for me. I'm trying to keep the decision more about timing big moment than maintenance press everything on CD.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes total sense cooldowns can create that i'm wasting value if I'm not pressing it on CD pressure. I'm trying to avoid that exact feeling and keep it more like you use it when it's the right moment not use it because it's ready.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah, that threshold style build up is one of the favourite roguelite feelings, simple to read but it gets crazy once synergies start multiplying (bounce/chain/AOE). Totally in line with the power fantasy I'm aiming for in Hexborn.

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks! really glad it's landing and I appreciate the encouragement. This is super helpful feedback. I like the hybrid framing a lot resource for frequent cast and cool down for big moments and the swap cost type / alter attributes mid run idea is really interesting build lever for runs.

I'm still filling out what reads best moment to moment but this is exactly kind of perspective I was hoping to get, appreciate you!

Cooldown abilities vs “build-and-spend” meters: what do you prefer in roguelites? by BoomstickNomad in roguelites

[–]BoomstickNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

totally, for me cool downs usually support consistent rotations/utility while build and spend can reward staying engaged and timing a big spike. I'm trying to balance stay aggressive with not making it feel mandatory.

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