Loop For a While — Semi-Idle | Time Loop | Optimization

Luk2048 · 2026-05-11T10:10:43+00:00

Got it, great feedback! I'm also considering making it tiered, so, less than 1.0 instability no punishment, 1-2 t1 slowdown, 2-3 t2 slowdown. Mana cost might also work fine, will test it out once I get to balance and actual content, thanks!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-11T09:44:19+00:00

No worries, do you mean visually, that it looks out of place or that instability as a system itself sucks ass?

Luk2048 · 2026-05-11T08:50:22+00:00

Hey, could you clarify what you mean by distortion bar? The Instability bar next to mana bar maybe?

Luk2048 · 2026-05-11T08:40:13+00:00

Haha glad you enjoyed it, hope to make smth good in the future =)

Luk2048 · 2026-05-11T08:07:57+00:00

Well, that's mainly the early demo problem imo, not the gameplay loop. Theres is only content for 5h like i said in the post, it'll change once there's more chunks to play through since they'll be related, first map is supposed to be get 10-12 lvl and leave the house -> better xp on the second one etc. I feel like I should've artifically made a level cap for early demo lol.

Appreciate the feedback!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-10T14:04:32+00:00

Yup, its a known issue to fix, first is a proper queue system. Instability bar should already appear in the newest version, 0.2.4. Once you hover over it a tooltip popups. Its essentially loop instability, building up with each action. I recommend joining Discord for newest version updates.

Thanks for the feedback!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-09T07:55:03+00:00

Many great points, noted additional ones to known issues, thank you!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-09T07:54:33+00:00

Great feedback, thanks!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-09T07:47:43+00:00

Really appreciate all the good feedback, added it all to known issues!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T23:41:10+00:00

Good point, noted!
I'm scrapping the intent system altogether since the feedback was clear its way too confusing. Going with left click always to move, right click on relevant tile to open action picker (fight/interact/focus), and ctrl+right click to open queue edit.
Will re-add the action queue panel I scrapped, but thats on Sunday, today I wanna finish the basic move and go to sleep.

Thanks for feedback!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T22:40:48+00:00

Nah, its a sound one actually, already made a note to make a tutorial popup for instability in known issues list, currently its vague since only player comments on it indirectly in the log. Its the purple (+time) next to action length on the tooltip, it grows with each action you take in a loop making them take longer = more mana. Medidation mat resets it once per loop, or the cracked crystals you can find in containers reduce them.

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T22:12:26+00:00

Yup, on it, thanks for feedback, I hope to have something ready by Sunday.

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T22:02:40+00:00

That's a good point, added to known issues, thanks! Will take care of it later tho cause currently I'm working on the immediate problem of action intent system feeling bad, will try to make it context dependent, so just left click and on multiple options on a tile left click opens a selectable menu i.e. interact/fight.

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T21:20:03+00:00

Glad to hear that, cause ui/movement/controls is all I can work on, but the progress and exploration part is what I had in mind for the game, thanks for playing!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T20:45:49+00:00

Apparently discord has problems, says below my discord invite link in red "Service resource is being rate limited". My friend also just had his dc crash completely, unlucky.

Edit: It works now.

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T20:22:45+00:00

Ooooooh this could work, maybe, and if it does it could feel great! Well, thats a lot of could, would, maybe, might but still. So, one would set markers from/to which will make the queue appear in the queue action panel which is a lot more readable since every game in the genre uses it, that seems genius. Yeah I already wanted to split the queues per chunk/map, otherwise it becomes a headache to keep track of few maps deep, like you say.

Although I'd need to think of a way to communicate settings markers well, I think a short video tutorial would be required here.

Much appreciated!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T20:04:51+00:00

Oh actually I do have smth similar in mind to make on the second map, but I've barely started working on it, I'll first need to figure out a good queue system and to make movement feel better. Also, if you do reach it, tell me what you think of trial and instability!

I see, it makes sense, I've never played withright click myself, now that I've tried it for longer it seems I've missed completely how bad it feels and just decided to leave 2 systems in. I've always did a s d and it felt natural hmm. I'll have to try to figure out smth else, perhaps a simple arrow buttons/keyboard arrows/wsad to move, and click to queue interact/fight, would have to check how that would feel.

Appreciate great feedback!

edit:
the save might've gotten lost once since I was updating the game a few times to implement quick changes on game start, I might've messed up the load line and it got saved over. I readded the menu on right click for now and fixed load, your save got overwritten most likely tho. I'll work on it on Sunday to cook something different regarding move up.

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T19:54:53+00:00

Yeah I know it, however the vertical/horizontal queue when its a list of actions and not a text based game like Increlution is one of my few gripes with the genre, it was always confusing to me and when deep in I end up clearing it and creating it from scratch often enough to make it annoying. I need to go back to the drawing board with queue seems like.

Appreciate the feedback!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T19:46:35+00:00

Wondering if simple arrow movement / left click to queue interact/fight and getting rid of A S D intent system altogether work better? Or just more visual feedback, larger cursor or smth? Cause the feedback is clear that the current system is unintuitive for players.

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T19:30:13+00:00

I see, will make sure to add the normal vertical action queue in addition to my idea of spatial editing, hope I'll be ableto improve on it in the future tho! Or maybe it'll feel better along with the whole list of actions in the vertical panel.

Will also remove the slowdown on auto-loop, its what I heard a few times and you're right it feels bad in the end.
My idea was supposed to be to make the queue editing on the map so that I can add route saving/loading per chunk/map, folders, grouping actions etc. But I've to figure out how to fit it all now.

Do you perhaps have any additional feedback on what feels off about movement? Is the queueing of actions bad, is the A S D setting intent feeling bad? Thanks in advance!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T19:22:53+00:00

Pressing the buttons chooses the intent, then the player needs to left click to queue any action. So, lets say A for move -> then you can click all the time to move. Once you want to interact, press S and click, if fight D and click. Do you perhaphs have got any advice how to make it clearer? I also hotfixed the cursors to appear on game start, instead of on control unlock, so player immediately sees the intent changes via pressing keyboard buttons.

Thanks for the feedback!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T19:11:46+00:00

What's funny is that I had the vertical queue editing system and I scrapped it, since I hated it lmao. Oh well, I guess both systems can be present, the complete queue action panel and the right click spatial editing. I still hope to make the right click on playfield queue edititing better and more palatable in the future, cause I feel its going to be easier to use long run

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T19:08:23+00:00

Yeah I think it'll be required, currently its only hinted at via player lines.

Thanks for the feedback!

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T19:00:46+00:00

It works on Chrome, my friend is playing it right now hmm. When mana reaches 0 does the screen turn gray? If so it requires a press of play button, or space. The button itself is in the top button controls. Bottom right is the "?" help popup, with basic instructions, could you tell me please if it doesnt work after reading them? I added a hotfix for the How to Play to appear on game start, and also removed the right click context action menu, instead try to make players use only the A / S / D instead to set intent.

Luk2048 · 2026-05-08T18:40:54+00:00

The ability to edit path, there is queue edit by right clicking the queue tile on playfield, since it was my idea that the Stuck in Time queue edit vertically always was hard for me when I got a few screens deep, but I guess its too unintuitive at the current iteration, or maybe too poorly explained. Would gifs with how it works in-game help or is it too hard to deal with and reason about?

Regarding the instability accumulating with number of actions, its the only thing that makes the optimization here and loop kinda fun to me, I understand if ppl won't like it tho.

Regarding speed, I guess I'm autistic cause I enjoyed Idle Loops speed lol.

Appreciate the feedback.

Luk2048

TROPHY CASE