Squares are more expressive and reactive to their environment. You might not even notice.
Buzzsaws look a lot more threatening. They throw sparks and everything!
Lasers do a better job of conveying the hard surface they're hitting.
Also, if you like the game, it could definitely use your help with a positive review.
Thanks in advance.
v. 05/04/2019 - Gotta go slow sometimes
Added a few things:
A more obvious speed indicator (speedometer?) in the GUI.
Some early levels, where applicable, simply show what the speed controls are. This may or may not be overkill.
An experimental branch, full of debuggy goodness.
The speed updates apply to both the full version and the demo version.
"Yes, we get it. You can control the game speed."
ASK THE AUDIENCE: Controlling the game speed... more obviously.
tldr: Speed and speed controls need to be made more obvious
In watching some Let's Plays, it seems like folks sometimes get stuck on levels where you need to take things slowly and carefully. Take 3-10, where the goal is basically to solve the level in 11 moves, at which point the Buzzsaw's gonna wreck a Crate already sitting on a Panel, causing you to lose.
Now, it can be played like an "action" level, where reflexes and speed come into play. It's even possible to complete it on full speed. But that's not necessarily the intent. If you think an action/reflexes-based approach is your only option, your game experience is artificially limited. You don't know what tools are in your toolbox.
The thing is that you have control over the game's speed. Dynamically, within the game. You can speed it up. You can even hold a button to fast forward in case you're waiting for a bullet to destroy a pile of rubble or something so you can press forward.
You can also decrease the speed to the point that the game runs turn-by-turn. Or, turn-based or bullet time or whatever you'd like to call it. Bullets and buzzsaws will pause and wait for you to make a move. You can stop and think about every single move you make. You can even "pass" a turn and just wait a frame by pressing SPACE or button A. You can take those 11 moves one at a time if you want.
Speed up by pressing > or button RT, down by pressing < or LT.
The thing is that the only hints that you can do this are (a) that there's a little icon in the HUD showing your speed, and (b) the "How to Play" screen shows speed up/down controls. This needs to be fixed.
For one thing, the HUD is going to be more apparent in what speed you're at, and that there are actually multiple speeds. Make it larger, give it a speedometer of sorts to convey that speed can change.
For another thing... well, that's where you and I have some options:
Overlay speed controls on 1-4, the first level in which some things (Ice Cube) move automatically depending on game speed. Maybe also a few other early levels, such as 2-1, where you first encounter Bullets. The only problem is that you can skip levels, but then again chances are that you won't skip 1-4 at first.
Put a Bullet bouncing around in 1-1, out of the way, to demonstrate that some things move automatically. Possibly also with an overlay of movement controls.
A dialog box along the lines of "hey you can control your speed". (Not my favorite option, because we'd rather show than tell.
I'm keen on option 1.
Any other thoughts? What have you seen that works? I'd love for us to make this game the best and most accessible it can be.
... also, I need to implement the ability to remap controls. That's coming.
Thank you!
Just wanted to give a quick but well-deserved thank you to those who've given the full game a go, whether you bought it or were grandfathered in. The reception has been humbling.
If you've enjoyed the game so far, please consider writing a quick review. It would be a tremendous help in keeping development progressing.
I also highly welcome continued feedback on the Steam forums, announcements, and discussion posts. We're still in Early Access, so there's plenty to help shape! Even the most minute suggestions have had a great impact -- a little usability tweak here, a little graphical fix there, and perhaps a couple of pruned or tweaked levels help polish the experience. (Wild and crazy suggestions are still more than welcome, because of course they are.)
And if you've just stumbled upon this game's page, I invite you to check out the demo. It will evolve just as the full game will. The three new short trailers also help give you a picture of what the game's all about.
Happy Squaring!
THE FULL VERSION IS HERE
The full version is now live! Square like you've never squared before in 111 whole levels!
More good news: Testing seems to indicate that if you had the game in your library already, you got upgraded to the full version for free. If you did -- well, enjoy!
Note that it's still in Early Access, which means that it can still greatly benefit from feedback! Most updates and patches will be pushed to both the full version and the demo at about the same time.
Full version coming... pretty soon...!
Finally! The full version should be available for purchase within the next few days, pending some approvals.
The main app will become the full version and a paid product, and what most of you have on your desktops right now will become a demo. The demo will still offer a full 31 levels for free, while the full version has 111.
During Early Access, it'll be pretty heavily discounted.
You'll see another announcement once it's all live. Happy squaring!
v. "04/20/2019" -- The "not much to say" update
Hardly noteworthy, though some were fan suggestions.
You can now move while "fast forwarding" (TAB or button RT by default) by holding a direction. You'll basically zip across the screen, which is good when you know where you're going.
Preference for music volume actually saves now. Imagine that!
Fixed some issues with the title screen "animation" when invoking and canceling out of the title menu in wonky ways.
Fixed some issues with the app icons.
Tweaked some of the music in the later worlds.
v. "04/14/2019" -- Some Shard Stars' tweaks and slightly more
To grab the third star in the level, you've got to get the first one and then revisit. For these stars, ideally,
There should be a twist. You shouldn't have to repeat most of the steps needed to beat the level in the first place.
It shouldn't just be a matter of waltzing into the level and grabbing them a few steps from the start.
That's the design goal of the Shard Star: an interesting twist on the existing level. You know, something that's (a) interesting, and (b) a twist. There were a few levels where that whole thing could be improved. So it was improved. Most noticeable in levels 2-9, 3-6, 3-10, 4-4, 6-7, 7-3, 8-2, 9-6.
Some levels' values for Par Stars were also balanced, mostly with more relaxed move requirements.
Also, squares look in the direction they're moving. It's actually ever so slightly helpful.
Next on the horizon:
Even more expressive squares!
Displaying your personal best "score" (number of moves) for each level. Beat yourself!
The story and ending(s).
Oh, and the full game available in... some capacity, somehow, for public consumption.
Happy squaring!
v. "04/09/2019" -- The "it's been a little while" update
It's been a little while. But long enough of a while that this this list may not be comprehensive.
Added a final level. Clearing that level is essentially the (non-100%) win condition.
Well, two final levels, really, depending on your version. In the full version, it's "The Gauntlet" and comes as the 111th level. In the free version, it's "The Fauxntlet" as level 31.
The prologue and endings are storyboarded but not fully programmed or triggered normally yet. They do exist, though.
Most of the level layouts have been made to "fit" their world better. Grass Land levels look more open and sprawling, Spooky Castle Land is claustrophopbic, Cold Land looks more like an arctic environment, Zed Land's got prominent borders, and so on. The levels are functionally exactly the same as they were before, meaning that the solutions haven't changed at all; they just look more fitting.
There are sidewalk chalk marks (such as arrows and circles) that you'll see from time to time. The gameplay is still very much "just try it and see what happens" and so these don't really give away solutions, but they'll nudge you a tiny bit at least in some of the early levels. 1-1 and 1-5 are good examples of how they're used.
Top priority will be figuring out how free+full will be offered: as F2P+DLC or demo+paid. Really depends on some Steam logistics.
Happy squaring!
FEEDBACK REQUESTED: Technically, a change to the pricing structure? Maybe?
Right now, LST is offered as a Free-to-Play title with 30 levels unlocked, with the full game unlocked via a paid DLC that adds an additional 80 levels. During Early Access this paid content is discounted.
I'm mulling over changing that to an LST Demo with 30 levels unlocked, with the game itself as a paid product that adds an additional 80 levels. During Early Access this paid content is discounted.
In no way is this intended to be a "bait-and-switch." The way I see it, it's functionally exactly the same thing. But I may not be seeing everything, and that's where you come in. If there are other insights out there, I'd really like to know.
Here's my take. There are some advantages to "demo + paid game" vis-a-vis "F2P + DLC":
It's a more natural fit. DLC is meant mostly for premium content, additional features, expansion packs, and so on -- expansions, not as prerequisites for the basic game experience.
It's much easier to release into the wild, even as Early Access. And rather than messing with DLC at all, at least for right now, focus can be placed on developing and releasing content.
It's easier to control the pricing. It's much more simple to provide, say, Early Access discounts for a paid base game than for a paid DLC.
Zero-day release DLC is understandably just a huge turn-off, even for F2P games.
Gotta admit that this would also put the full game up-and-center, where DLC sorta hides it.
Things that are showcased have been for the full game, showing off levels that aren't in the first 30. That content is worth showing off, but it's much less palatable to say "oh by the way that stuff is in the DLC."
Disadvantages:
Technically not labeled as Free to Play anymore within Steam. It'd be listed as a "game with a demo" or something like that, which isn't as enticing and possibly not even as marketable but that's fine.
Others that I hope that I'm not missing but would welcome some feedback if there are.
DLC is of course an option in the future, but it'd be for what it's intended for: expansion of the base game.
There are some logistics behind pulling that change off. It may or may not be possible to reorganize anyway. But before the game gets to that point, even, I'd highly welcome some feedback.
