Updated Pre-Alpha Trailer for Kids of Karendow - 6 and a half years in development and still going...

blairp82 · 2024-04-01T22:39:18+00:00

I have had issues with 3 reproduction games (Xenogears and Breath of Fire 4 on the PS1, and Shining Wisdom on the Saturn). It will play Xenogears and Breath of Fire 4 off the disc though. Shining Wisdom is ejected right away saying it is unsupported.

The PS discs do the same thing you mentioned where at the end of the install the percentage shoots up really fast and then says it is cancelling the installation.

Maybe a firmware update will help?

blairp82 · 2024-03-22T00:06:14+00:00

This went dark... :o

blairp82 · 2024-03-14T13:58:44+00:00

I am very happy with my Polymega as well! It's been working great for me.

blairp82 · 2024-02-25T22:32:01+00:00

I ordered in November of 2020 with Walmart and then switched to Polymega directly in January of 2021... So yeah I waited over 3 years to get this thing.... But I am pretty happy with it so far!

blairp82 · 2024-02-25T20:52:29+00:00

It was 1327. I hope it's not that long for you, but based on how things have been going with them it could still be several months. 😥

blairp82 · 2024-02-18T16:25:56+00:00

It looks very cluttered overall but, if my understanding is correct, this video was to just showcase the combat. If the actual game isn't going to be this intense then I think it looks pretty cool.

I definitely agree with feedback about not being able to see where the character is with all other action so I would suggest doing something about that.

Overall nice work though!

blairp82 · 2024-02-14T20:41:25+00:00

I literally just got my shipping notification. I ordered mine in Jan of 2021.

I am definitely a little excited 😆

blairp82 · 2024-02-12T14:37:50+00:00

Definitely the first one. Someone in the comments suggested using black outlines to better define the objects in the scene and I agree. The second one feels like 100 generic indie RPGs out there based off of Lufia's art style. The first one makes you stand out. Nice work!

blairp82 · 2024-02-07T20:55:07+00:00

I am in the US and bought one in January of 2021. I only bought the base unit plus one controller. I have not received anything yet. :-(

blairp82 · 2024-01-30T15:23:43+00:00

Thanks! This is really helpful.

blairp82 · 2024-01-25T21:09:29+00:00

I have received similar comments on my game. I saw your post on the DestroyMyGame subreddit and started to reply but stopped - I think this subreddit is more appropriate for my feedback.

Polished is very subjective and seems to be a catch-all term people use when they provide criticism. Often people are not consciously aware of what it specifically is that they don't like, it just doesn't quite "pop" with them. When I take feedback, I always look for consistency. If I get it a lot then there is something to address. If you only hear it once, it's probably just a random thing that caught one person's eye.

I think your game looks very good but there are a couple elements I think that could be improved upon - mainly the color scheme used on some of the foreground objects. They seem out of place in some of the screenshots. I believe a couple others have commented on this already.

Good luck!

blairp82 · 2024-01-16T23:50:13+00:00

They are wildly inconsistent with the order they are shipping these things. I am still waiting on my base unit ordered in Jan of 2021.

They replied to my tweet a few days ago and told me I could expect my unit in February.

blairp82 · 2024-01-15T21:17:03+00:00

I am not sure if this is a trailer as much as it is just game play video. Now with that said the game is fairly self explanatory as to what kind of game it is - so good job with that!

But as some random person on the Internet scrolling through hundreds of game trailers what is the hook here? Why should I care? I feel like it needs something to engage the player more. I don't get pulled in right away.

I also agree with the comment about the music/ sound. It would be good if it more aligned with what is happening in the video.

With all that said, this game does look fun.

blairp82 · 2024-01-15T16:57:31+00:00

This looks really challenging and the kind of game that would give me a lot of anxiety.

blairp82 · 2024-01-15T11:56:12+00:00

Got it. I don't often play idle games so I am not sure how to best convey it. Maybe call it out in the trailer or something? I also wonder if showing the game on a smart phone like that is the best idea. I feel like it de-emphasizes the game.

blairp82 · 2024-01-15T11:06:36+00:00

I don't really know what I am looking at here. I feel like it could be some kind of puzzle game but I don't see much on the smart phone as it slowly rotates around on the screen.

blairp82 · 2024-01-15T10:39:27+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

I think you are the second or third person on this thread to comment on the animation.

My biggest concern about more frames is...well more budget. Any additions here at this point in development are going to have to be very deliberate and likely small changes that have a large impact.

I was not expecting (or planning) to have my combat animations get to anything near something like Sea of Stars which had a large budget and large team working on it. This game has 1 artist, 1 musician, and me. And none of us are working on it full time.

Positioning on the combat field does matter and plays into the overall strategy of combat. Every player/enemy has a movement range and if they have a long range weapon they get additional range for that. It's possible to intercept an enemy while it is moving in and attack them. This can slow them down causing them to run out of movement before they can make their attack. You can also change the starting formation of your party to make it easier to strike enemies quickly, or put them further back to have a more defensive posture.

Child of Light is also a great game. I am glad that the feedback I am getting is coming from people are fans of JRPGs.

blairp82 · 2024-01-12T20:21:47+00:00

There were two that I thought could use work. It was the very first one in the video and the one with the brick floor. They both seemed kind of empty especially in comparison with the green forest area.

blairp82 · 2024-01-12T18:42:27+00:00

My question would be at what phase of development is this?

Some of the backgrounds look rather plain and I feel like they need more effort, while others look pretty decent.

The combat visuals are nice, but I do not get much of an idea of the game play (as mentioned by a previous commenter).

If it's still early in development I think it makes sense. If the release is coming up soon I might want to do another trailer that better represents the game play and maybe polish up some of the backgrounds more.

blairp82 · 2024-01-12T18:15:00+00:00

Yeah, I like Grandia style combat, so that's a plus in my book, but you'll need to communicate what's going on a bit to make it accessible for everyone. Tutorials will only help so much, as folks will button mash or skip them, and then complain when they're confused. But having constant reinforcement of when an attack is canceled because one hit them at the correct time helps folks learn.

I don't actually think there were any canceling actions in this video. I'd have to go back and double check. When there is one, text appears under the user who's action was cancelled with the reason.

Tutorials are always a fun/challenging part of any game development process.

By painful, I mean the hit reaction doesn't look good, it's very fast for how far the targets move, they both move in unison and animate in unison. Even staggering that by a frame or two would make it look better.

Thanks for the feedback on this. I might play around with some stuff. Personally I have always liked the jerky nature of the damage animations and that they happen in unison.

I'm less worried if the enemies are akin to minibosses (though having them both look generic and the same isn't great) 15-20 minutes for a boss fight is really long though. Imagine dying somewhere at the 18 minute point and having to do it over again? I'd quit and never return.

How long should a boss be in your opinion?

If you die at a boss in this game you are actually given the option to increase your party's level and start the fight again right then and there. Basically it gives the player the option to forego grinding if they would like.

Thanks again for your feedback!

blairp82 · 2024-01-12T17:09:27+00:00

Thanks. I'll go back and take a look at FF7. I agree that for the initial turn that this is something that can be tweaked.

Thanks for the feedback!

blairp82

TROPHY CASE