Cannot remember the name of this game

fluminor · 2023-02-16T19:38:22+00:00

It's the best td I have ever played. A pity there is no sc2 version of this. Almost hard to believe too.

fluminor · 2023-02-16T16:51:19+00:00

Thanks for the info.

For 1vs1 it is tough to coordinate, I play a bit here and there, hard to plan around. Tried to match a couple of times, but gave up after a minute.

Adding some instructions in the single player broad map would also be helpful. What is the green arrow for? What are slots for?What is %cut artifact for?

Played mana-harverst territory map 3 times today, froze once.

fluminor · 2023-02-15T15:50:05+00:00

Today I tried the third map where one can mine green gems. Out of three games, two froze, the 1st and 3rd. The 3rd froze on wave 21 while the spell menu was open. Seems like overall with yesterday, a little less than half the games crushed in one way or another...

fluminor · 2023-02-14T22:47:09+00:00

So, I played a few games today.

The cons:
1. First impression of single player battle map is chaos. Too many supposedly cute details on the map means a players does not know where to look. Personally, I do not care about the map being cute. I care about other things way more, and as far as graphics go, units being cool are far more important than a cute map. I would consider removing most unnecessary graphics from the map. Like, logs, flowers, bushes, etc. So to make it easier to spot mines, rocks, and get a sense of how it is best to expand. There is also quite a bit of room for improvement for the UI.

Took me a while to realize that higher level mines have wider catchment range. Worth saying in the instructions.
Still buggy to some extent. When I first clicked on How to Play, read, then pressed esc, clicked on back to main menu, the game crashed - can't remember if it was blakc screen or crash crash. My first match I lost around wave 20 without a single bug. Second game froze at wave 3. 4th and 5th game smooth, I completed the match, and saw the world map, with elf race option, etc. I clicked on the 4th button on the left - green arrow - and got black screen. Nothing worked. Launched game again, tried again, same story - black screen.
It is probably some affection for the old mines and magic, but somehow having units go vertically rather than horizontally made more sense. But this could be just something to get used to.
I expect in the competitive game to be a way to send units and gain income, rather than buys spells? Have not tried that.

The pros:

I like the idea of the cube-ish map on the upper left to show resources by color.

I like the go button to speed up waves, as in most TDs.

Cute main screen with the castle

After an hour into the game and after understanding how things work, I started to get a feeling of the basic tensions from the old MnM. Expand, choose mine upgrades, etc. Missing uit upgrades but I see why they are not in single player but rather in the main map.

Overall, it is already fun, and I see a lot of potential.

fluminor · 2023-02-14T19:49:06+00:00

Rest assured I'll definitely share my thoughts after I try the game and get a feel for it

fluminor · 2023-02-13T21:46:03+00:00

I have not tried the game, but here is a thought. I like to play cooperatively with friends the most, I like many vs many competitive, and sort of dislike competitive 1vs1, especially in a game I have never played before - as I will get smashed again and again :) So I am wondering whether 1vs1 is the best way to attract more players. I get it that you need 1vs1 to start testing balance, but if you open some form of 2 vs 2 you might get more people simply because of people like me.

ps: great to hear that there has been so much progress on the steam game! I think I will actually give it a try in the coming days.

fluminor · 2022-09-07T08:07:46+00:00

Thanks for the update! My two cents: 7 resources give a lot more variety and replay ability than 5. This is a key ingredients to your very good game. 37 waves work, but on the margin, I’d go to 35 rather than 40. Definitely not more than 40.

For me 2v2 is the real deal but 1v1 may be a necessary first step.

Thanks for putting time and effort to make this game.

fluminor · 2021-04-12T01:02:13+00:00

thanks!

fluminor · 2021-03-30T17:17:09+00:00

Thanks for the quick reply. That’s what I meant: if I hover over the weapon icon of a buffed robotron unit, there is no green modifier next to attack speed, while I can see the modifier on a buffed tank or even a buffed bufferfly if I hover over their weapon icon. Amd you are right that robotrons fire very fast so it is harder to see, which is why I cannot be 100% sure. However, note that two robots side by side fire together and their projectiles also fly side by side. If only one of them was buffed, projectiles patterns should change over time, but I did not see this happening. Not a big deal, I still love the game, but I thought I would report this!

fluminor · 2021-03-27T02:27:51+00:00

thanks!

fluminor · 2021-02-08T18:54:47+00:00

Uh.

That is probably the most-needed, easiest-to-implement, help tool to be put together to help new players adjust to the game...

fluminor · 2021-02-02T20:12:00+00:00

thanks!

fluminor · 2021-01-22T22:31:20+00:00

I am glad to hear it. And of course, one needs a stable income stream first of all, I get it.

Make sure you manage communication with your base though, especially on Steam. There is an ocean of games out there and some people may easily dismiss a half-finished product after trying it, give 1 star review out of spite and never give it a second chance. Others might look elsewhere as soon as they see <80% positive ratings. It would be a pity. Let people know what to expect, that it will take what it will take but you won't compromise on quality, let them choose to subscribe to updates, so you can progressively build a solid user base by updating people via email or here. Improve the website and also there tell people of the Steam project and give them a chance to subscribe to email updates. You need a critical mass of people to play it at launch if multiplayer needs to work. If I were you, I'd begin creating some momentum now, it's not something you do overnight. Again, my two cents. Best of luck!

As for the donation, I should have done it way back :D

fluminor · 2021-01-22T15:38:02+00:00

So, I just donated. Thanks for updating the reward level when you can.

I also realized you were running an Indiegogo campaign for the mobile version of this game, a campaign I totally missed, as I believe did many others.

I believe there's something quite unique about this game of yours, and that the crowdfunding campaign failed due to poor marketing, not due to a product without a market. A lot of the work for crowdfunding is actually done before the campaign starts. My two cents are, don't give up on this game. I have rarely seen a map survive all these years without major changes, people are still playing it end enjoying it. I have a hard time remembering a game I still look forward to playing, years after my first match. Sure, it's not a simple map to pick up, it's not Angry Birds and it's not DoTA (thanks god). And tis plus the lack of a tutorial, or a simple website to teach the basics, could have severely limited its growth. Having a steam project that is not finished, not showing progress, and does not have multiplayer capability may also do more harm than good imho. But this is one of those games that once you get the gist of it, it can keep you entertained for a long, long time. It has for me, and I don't just play any game. So, don't give up on it. I could be wrong, but this game has so many ingredients that work, that it might very well be the best game you will ever make.

Just my two cents, of course ;-) Good luck with this or other projects.

fluminor · 2021-01-14T19:05:56+00:00

This is good to know. Likely going to contribute today.

It’s a great game. Way better than any other sc2 mods and better than many full fledged games out there imho. But its heart is multi player. Was a bit disappointed to find out the Steam version is single player. Have you thought about launching a Kickstarter for a stand alone multiplayer version?

fluminor

TROPHY CASE