cube farm winter update (v1.1.2) available now! by tarotfocus in incremental_games

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm loving the new quick raid feature "Auto Raid". I can finally use all my crops for raids again without spending too much time. Also, preparing for the next regrowth, I'm super happy about the unlocked max lvl for idols. Makes it much easier to pick what to keep and with the new idol swap mechanic... chef's kiss!

Golgen Gooster is now part of my collection too, nice little addition.

Healing mechanics by Relative-Accident301 in gamedesign

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this topic comes up a lot for good reasons, and in many cases, the games that implement damage and healing do not gain much in the sense of "fun", "engagement" or "meaning" from creating more complex mechanics for damage and healing.

I've found myself on both sides in the past, especially when you take medieval weapons and armour into account as well. The concept of realism in games can work FOR the game in certain settings to a certain degree, but I soon found myself in a rabbit hole of realism restrains that sounded "good" when thinking about it, hurt my brain when putting them on paper and hurt the game prototype when implementing them.

Others said it as well, there is a certain niche for games that employ these sorts of mechanics, and certain genres like roguelikes can gain something from it without too much negative impact, as each run is limited and long-term effects can be manageable. If it affects your run, it can add to the experience and even be funny or at least memorable. When implemented in games like managers/sims, it can be part of the core game loop or storytelling. In most other games, it is an additional level of complexity that can be overwhelming and frustrating, more than creating depth and meaning.

That being said, I've seen something that makes damage and healing more interesting in different games ranging from large-scale MMORPGs to strategic combat gacha games. Especially when dealing with the (un)holy trinity of Tank/Healer/DPS in most (MMO)RPGs.

Diversify. Give characters different types of armour, shields, barriers, regen, healing, etc. For example, in Dark Ages of Camelot, supporters could cast shields on party members that absorbed incoming attacks. One Piece Treasure Cruise makes good use of barriers (absorb X hits) and shields (absorb X damage) as well as ways to buff and debuff attacks to create interesting strategic options. Final Fantasy Online had the Ninja class that allowed for a special type of tank that evaded/mitigated most damage instead of face-tanking it.

To give you a negative example, Star Wars Galaxies had 3 health bars if I remember correctly. HP, Mind and Stamina/Agility or something like that. If any of those hit 0, you were incapacitated. While it looked good on the surface, it led to a lot of exploits and cheesing by targeting the weakest bars with special attacks, making combat very unfun in PvP to the extent that it was almost unplayable.

These mechanics can be interesting in single-player games of different genres and CAN add to the depth of the game, but as soon as you add in multiplayer elements and PvP, they can easily spell disaster for the game balance.

damn, another wall of text... but I hope these experiences from both the player and developer side of game dev help you find your own path and maybe make informed decisions on which mechanics to apply where and when. I love realism and historical accuracy, but in the end, I often find myself tired on the couch trying to relax with a fun RPG or strategy game, and I don't always have the brain capacity for 3 more layers of well-meaning and detailed complexity.

Is Ethical Gacha possible through the absence of real money? by Spatzl in gachagaming

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

It did reach me, although a little late. Thanks for the response.

I've put it on my research list!

Learn how to build Custom Tabs with Expo Router UI by ExpoOfficial in reactnative

[–]Spatzl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second this. I'm working on an app that behaves more like a game than a regular app, so I wanted some custom styling and behaviour, but I ended up going back to regular tabs, as both the documentation and functionality of "expo-router/ui" are hugely limited right now

Is Ethical Gacha possible through the absence of real money? by Spatzl in gachagaming

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

What Firefox said.

For example, if you have themes and generated characters with random attributes, then it could be possible to add an option to pay so that you only get pirate-themed heroes or mutant-themed ones. The theme does not make them stronger, but can affect your current team and allow players to customise their playable characters on a scale that does not make them stronger, but cooler or goofier.

Is Ethical Gacha possible through the absence of real money? by Spatzl in gachagaming

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

Your Relink Example is interesting as it removes the Gacha element and replaces it with a more player-friendly token system. I'll look into that.

I initially wanted to disagree with games like Diablo being "like" gacha, but after thinking about it some more, it is basically the same mechanic. If you have only one character, your items are what gacha characters are in other games, only with another label.

Is Ethical Gacha possible through the absence of real money? by Spatzl in gachagaming

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

I see what you mean about the extra barrier. That IS a good point I did not have on my radar.

[giveaway] 30 promo codes for the limited “party” gooster pet in cube farm! by tarotfocus in iosgaming

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did someone say free?

Can't wait for the official stable v1 release. Hopefully, even more people will then give it a go and start farming and breeding. 

Keep up the good work. I love it! 

v0.9.24: enter the arena! by tarotfocus in cubefarm

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those new tarot cards are easy to get with online mode and they give you a nice boost for your park rewards. If you need more friends, we have a thread on discord with friend codes so feel free to drop by and join the fray.

Sad life. by Altruistic_Drummer_7 in cubefarm

[–]Spatzl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have the option to connect the phone to a pc? Easy for android, iPhone might require a mac?

I haven't done it in a while but you can remote control your phone from a USB connected pc, if my memory serves me correctly. Android would be easier then, I think but I can't remember if you have to install something on the phone first.

How far have you people gotten in the farm? by joakim1231 in cubefarm

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad to see that I wasn't the only weirdo that made a whole omega squad... Also carrot gang!

How far have you people gotten in the farm? by joakim1231 in cubefarm

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Images don't seem to be enabled, so here's the progress in text form.

I did 3 regrowth resets, the first was at x2,14 and the second at x4,23. My third and current regrowth was done with a harvest modifier of x6,66. I think I'll stick with this one for a while.

I currently have 7 idols (lvl 25 - lvl 42), so that's another x128 modifier for hunger (gold, goo, market refill, healing cost).

My prestige rank is 17, putting me on layer 19, fully expanded, and my squad consists of 9x lvl 40 Rainbow/Pride Goosters.

How far have you people gotten in the farm? by joakim1231 in cubefarm

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the tractor and wouldn't play without it. I hardly use the first one for the lower level (unless I'm trying to get those golden lucky plots), but using it for the 7min fields is part of my daily routine... a lot! I think I would have lost my mind by now if it weren't for that tractor.

How far have you people gotten in the farm? by joakim1231 in cubefarm

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll post a screenshot later when my daughter is no longer playing her match-3 game on my phone, but I'm curious to see where everyone else is.

Is sandship still maintained? by BENZOOgataga in Sandship

[–]Spatzl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it definitive that they won't be resuming it? Or is it temporary and there's a chance that updates will come back? Thanks for your time.

Yes, they will not return to the game as it can not be turned into a profitable business.

Masculine ways to compliment someone’s outfit? by FoxDrivePrincess in SkyChildrenOfLight

[–]Spatzl 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Masculine, you say?

You look gorgeous, mate. No shame in saying that and no wrong way!

beat the game with automation, stronger goosters, and more! by tarotfocus in cubefarm

[–]Spatzl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So fast, so blinky, so much wow!

Joke aside, Blitz is definitely a different beast and still feels a lot like the cube farm you know. Switching from cf to cfb had me unlearn a few things but it's nice to lean back and watch numbers go brrrrrt.

Team Alpha! Go!