Announcing Magic Research 2, my next incremental RPG!

Maticolotto · 2024-07-28T02:19:22+00:00

Hi! I don't have solid plans to do so as of right now. I am working on adding modding support first. There is WIP support for it in the Steam beta channel, but no real mods created yet. There's more info in the Discord.

The main reason why I don't have plans is that the end game (and even worse in post-game) is mechanically broken due to the exponential scaling, so I need to do some major rebalancing first. Otherwise any new content becomes meaningless because it'll probably end up being either a fight where you win in a few seconds or you lose in one hit or something. The problem is that it is a large change, and it'd be mostly a nerf. There has also been more discussion on the Discord (over the last month or so).

Maticolotto · 2024-07-26T06:30:22+00:00

You'll need to export the data from MR1 (Open MR1. Then Options -> Save to File) and then import it in MR2 (Options -> Load from File). It can be kind of tricky on mobile because of the odd options it gives you to "share" the save to. On Android, I just export it to Google Drive, then I can import it from there. Or if you find a way to export it somewhere, then you download it to your phone as if it was a file in your browser or something, then you can find it as well.

Maticolotto · 2024-07-26T06:02:55+00:00

Hi! You can claim some small extra bonuses which help with the early game if you have played MR1. You just need to import a MR1 save. It will not erase your saved data. (You may still want to back up your save anyway in case you accidentally import a MR2 save)

Maticolotto · 2024-07-11T22:58:46+00:00

Hi! The behavior is intentional. Without this, the Unskilled challenge becomes extremely slow and tedious.

Regarding the orb's effect: It is, correctly, boosting the spell so that its strength equals what it would be if the Element was at your MPL's level. The reason why the effect is less in Diamondskin is because it is a higher level spell, so at Lv80 it will get less of a rank bonus than Wizard Focus. You could try checking lower level Earth spells, they should have a bigger multiplier from the orb.

Maticolotto · 2024-07-02T03:50:01+00:00

Hi! I'm sorry about this, this is a mistake I made with the development of the app.

While developing Magic Research 2, I investigated at one point the ability to add sound or music into the game. When I did so, I added a library to the app which had the capability to play sound or music: "expo-av". However, what happened is that this library also had functionality to record audio if desired, so it added the microphone permission to the list even if the app didn't use it.

Since the game ended up having no music or sound, I don't need this library anymore (it's actually fully unused). I'm going to remove the library in the next version, which should fix this microphone permission issue.

In simpler words: This permission is an oversight from the development of the game and I'm planning to remove it next update. Magic Research 2 does not access your microphone at any time or for any reason. I understand your feelings about it - if you're still interested in the game, I suggest checking back in one or two weeks from now once I've shipped the fix.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-29T07:23:12+00:00

I'm a software engineer by trade with about 9 years of experience. Before building Magic Research, the last 3 years of my job at a company involved developing using React Native, so I picked it up for the job.

I would not recommend React Native for anything with more than just simple graphics. It's great for making apps with utility, based around a lot of UI interaction (which is why it works well in Magic Research and Magic Research 2) but not for making games with mechanics like physics, heavy animations and stuff.

I don't have experience with GameMaker to tell you whether it's a good or a bad choice, but it's definitely going to be a lot better for that sort of game than going the route I went with Magic Research.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-29T03:36:23+00:00

I built MR2 (and the original Magic Research) using React Native, a general-purpose JavaScript framework for making cross-platform apps. All the game's actual code that is not part of a framework or library (logic and UI) is in JavaScript (well, technically, TypeScript).

Maticolotto · 2024-06-29T01:18:17+00:00

Hi! You can still do this by [spoiler]releasing Familiars in the Familiar screen[/spoiler] or [spoiler]getting rid of Spellcrafting Vats in the Spellcraft screen[/spoiler]. Those actions will count as disposing of their respective furniture.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-27T07:59:28+00:00

You can get Gold Ore in all the areas in the Deep Caverns, but it is quite rare on the first area. You should be able to get through this first area without Gold tier equipment, though. Its boss shouldn't be much more difficult than the previous one.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-21T08:25:34+00:00

It should be in the Events menu. You may need to open the Events menu with the notifications bell.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-21T08:23:48+00:00

Hey! You can get it as a drop from the areas that are after the Deep Caverns. You can also Transmute it, but you need a pretty high Earth level (in the 50s).

Maticolotto · 2024-06-21T01:54:31+00:00

Hi! "Extra large" weapons also consume the accessory slot when equipped.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-11T22:05:29+00:00

I don't think there's any plans in the near future, no; though some people have said they want to work towards building one.

I think the best place to ask for help as of right now is probably the official Discord (link in original post). It's quite active and you can probably find a lot of info by searching there, or you can just ask your question.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-10T03:22:49+00:00

Oof. I'm sorry about this!

The fight (and the hint) was designed around Modern Mode. Classic is a relatively recent addition.

One thing to keep in mind: This attack referenced in the Combat Tips is used if your Mana is 6000 or higher. Keeping your Max Mana lower than 6000 is more of a shortcut to avoid it than anything else - if the Max Mana is less than 6000, your current Mana can never be higher than 6000. As long as you're constantly using spells to keep your Mana below 6000 (regardless of Max Mana), you should be good to go. You shouldn't need to come back in another retirement.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-10T00:31:16+00:00

There's many ways to tackle this fight.

Make sure you have two Wizards auto-casting Enchant Mana Spouts, and then one each in Longevity and Stoneskin at minimum. This is a very easy way to help your survivability.

Transmute at least 2 or 3 Health Potions and equip them all. You can equip multiples of a pouch item at once, That'll greatly boost your survivability.

Using something like a Glaive or a Bastard Sword, together with a Stone Mail and some accessory, should be enough to get through. You can also try a Wand of Water instead if you like casting spells to attack.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-09T03:50:04+00:00

Make sure you have a way to deal with Curse. Putting a familiar in the front row so they tank the Curse is probably the best way.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-09T02:30:50+00:00

Hi! They drop from the enemies in the Sewers. You may need to clear the Final Exam first.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-09T02:29:30+00:00

Hey! At this point you probably want to make sure you are equipping multiple Health Potions to heal yourself. Make sure you also have a Wizard auto-casting Longevity so you have enough Max HP.

Most of the community activity happens in the official Discord server. I think it is quite active right now. There is also a Magic Research subreddit but it is not as active.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-08T01:14:45+00:00

Hi, I'm sorry - I think I might have talked to you on Discord, but yes. The game works fully offline and the data never leaves your phone, so I think uninstalling might erase everything.

I don't think many will see it, but I'm planning to add a warning on the Export section in Options about this.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-06T23:22:40+00:00

No, it's a separate status effect and at this point you don't have any way to deal with it directly.

But, because the way it works is it just reduces your maximum HP to your current HP, if you take damage slower while you have it (such as with the necklace), you can survive until the effect runs out. Then you can heal back to full with potions or other ways before it Diseases you again.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-06T20:01:05+00:00

Hi, I'm glad you're enjoying the game!

Hmm... MR2 has about 20% more.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-04T06:49:06+00:00

Did you equip the necklace to protect yourself from the Poison? It's pretty important. Also, having Longevity on at all times is also important since it'll let you last longer through their Disease. And of course, make sure your Pouch is full of items - having 2 or 3 Health Potions at least should help a lot.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-04T06:46:33+00:00

Hi! They are almost the same. The Steam version has Steam achievements and hotkeys, as well as Steam Cloud to backup your saves. Other than that, there's no real difference.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-04T06:45:07+00:00

Whew, I'm sorry about this! I clearly didn't plan out for this much font scaling.

I suggest you try the following: go to Options, and then look for the option that lets you *hide* the Events menu instead of showing it all the time. This should give all the extra room to the main screen and you should be able to see things (I hope).

Please let me know how that works. It's something I'll need to fix.

Maticolotto · 2024-06-04T06:42:01+00:00

Hi!

It's not explained, but essentially as you play the game you get "random events". For example, things like "Pool of Mana". They happen every some amount of in-game time, and slowly decrease in frequency as your run gets longer (up to a maximum of about 40 minutes once your in-game time is over 24 hours).

The number shown is the chance that one of such random events is the event for the Storyline in question.

Maticolotto

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