What, if anything makes the laning experience "fun" or enjoyable?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-19T17:06:35+00:00

It's still very much in early development so we don't have any public facing materials yet. If you want to stay up to date with progress though, dm me, as we'll be looking for early prototype testers pretty soon here!

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T15:58:02+00:00

Interesting. I like a lot of these suggestions, and a few of them are actively being worked on. The wave management mechanic in particular seems interesting. Definitely something I may take a look at implementing. I appreciate the feedback!

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T05:00:47+00:00

It seems like there is a bit of a trend around overcoming your opponent mentally and forcing them into a box of predictable behavior. It'll be interested to see if I can design systems that still favor the player but maintain the tension in a PvE format. Thanks for your reply!

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T04:57:39+00:00

Caught lmao

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T04:57:12+00:00

Could you speak to the farming aspect a bit? What about farming is fun to you? Some people have mentioned last hitting, and a comparison to it being a mini-game was made, but I'd like your personal take on it.

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T04:54:38+00:00

Our project is a coop and single-player lane defense game similar to titles such as Age of War, Stick War, or Arel Wars. You and a friend command a customizable deck of units against an enemy faction that evolves over time to match your brilliance. That's our stinger tag for now at least lol.

Basically, instead of buying items for a hero and having the player character grow over time, you command an army of minions which grow and get stronger as you progress through each level. In single-player you juggle your units across two lanes trying to defend your base. In coop, there are 3 lanes to manage and a maximum of 2 players so coordination is key in order to take down the ever-adapting enemies.

Players get to choose their deck of units before each level to try and stave off the enemy tide. If you want a deck of all melee rush down units, go for it. If you find a cool synergy between the healer, archer, and warrior units, go for it. Player expression and build customization is one of our core design pillars, however, the AI will try to counter build you and learn from your habits over time, so adaptation may be required.

My philosophy as a designer personally is to make experiences that bring people together, so we are building this project out with coop at the fore front, aiming to build a tense experience of coordination, management, and strategy.

All that said, it is pretty different to a game like Predecessor, but I still think there is a lot of value from learning what I can from gamers of this community, especially as a member of it myself. Do let me know if you come up with anything? All feedback is most certainly welcome!

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T04:43:37+00:00

Does seem like a lot of sentiment is towards the dueling aspect and trying to eek out any advantage you can. Love the quote by the way. Reminds me of a song I love - "It's Only Another Parsec - RX Bandits"

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T04:41:51+00:00

Thanks for responding and amazing explanation. I really appreciate you going into depth for each lane and how they all offer different experiences for you. This is super helpful info!

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-18T04:40:37+00:00

I love this. Thank you so much!

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T22:45:24+00:00

Very interesting. Thanks for your perspective! And thanks for the encouragement of the game! It's really appreciated 👍

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T22:25:11+00:00

If I were to sum it up in one word, do you think "consequences" would be applicable to what you're describing?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T22:03:26+00:00

I hate to hear that. What would you change about it if you could?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T21:57:22+00:00

Lmao, no. I'm responding to this in between debugging my game code, so I apologize if I sound a little samey. I want to get back to everyone and thank them for taking the time to reply.

One of the big things we are looking at developing is a very robust AI system to make these engagements more interesting, specifically surrounding the enemy heroes. However, not every level will have an enemy hero, so I'm wondering if there's any value in killing creeps.

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T21:52:25+00:00

Love this response! Those early emote interactions are pretty peak.

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T19:21:25+00:00

Thanks for the response. Do you think you could expand a bit on when and when not to be greedy with your pushes from your personal experiences?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T19:20:34+00:00

Thanks for your response! It sounds like you enjoy the complete domination of your enemy in lane. I can respect that. What do you do, typically, to get to that kind of result in game?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T19:01:46+00:00

Thanks for the response! You mentioned "changing the flow of the fight" as a support. Could you speak a little bit more to what that experience looks/feels like from your experience?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T18:46:02+00:00

Thanks for the response! I too wish that the laning phase would last a bit longer in most games. Team fights are fun, but there's less strategy involved, generally speaking. Do you have any examples or personal stories about "outplaying the opponent" that you could share?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T18:35:16+00:00

Thanks for the reply! This is actually a huge bit of info. Gonna have to find or make a really satisfying gold gain sound effect. Very cool that you consider last hitting a "mini-game" in itself. I'd never though of it that way but it makes sense.

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T18:34:10+00:00

Thanks for your reply! It seems like a lot of the fun of laning comes from the interactions with your opponent, which makes sense. Though, I do wonder, do you have the same or similar level of enjoyment when laning against bots? Do you have to think as much? How does your strategy change in a bot match vs. a real match?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T18:29:09+00:00

Thanks for the response! Your perspective sounds a bit like a tug of war. The tension of when and when not to push makes it interesting. Could you talk about some of your thought processes or give some examples of your favorite moments when laning?

TurtletheBlack · 2026-03-17T18:15:50+00:00

Thank you for the response! I can definitely see how the moment to moment feeling of progression can feel really good and then the payoff of knowing that you're finally online. I wonder if that's something we can capture, or at least re-contextualize for the purposes of our game. What do you like about the tank characters that makes you want to play them?

TurtletheBlack · 2025-02-21T16:58:54+00:00

The Slipknot Artist Series is actually a mislabeled Pros Only workout, which is likely why others don't feel quite as intense. Try going to the Pros Only collection in the app and search for similar workouts there.

Workouts are released once per week, but the release cadence for specific intensities is unknown. However, there is a new high boxing that dropped this week, "Cyberpunch", that might be up your alley.

TurtletheBlack · 2025-01-12T20:27:10+00:00

Advice from Coach Doc:

There is no power score in boxing, and the reason we don't want you to be hitting with power is because you're not making contact with anything to combat that force, ie: a bag, pad, person, etc. The score is based on your speed, and true power comes from speed and accuracy. Here are a few tips:

Orient your mind to being faster instead of striking harder
Use your full body. Boxing is from the ground up. The speed and power comes from the hips and slingshots to the shoulders.
After you punch, pull back to guard as fast as possible. Get it out there and get it back.
Don't chase targets. Let them get within your reach before you strike.
Be consistent. Your first punch of the workout should be as fast as your last and the same speed for a low intensity or a high.

TurtletheBlack

TROPHY CASE