I’d need to sit down with it for a few hours to get used to the controls but this is looking really good, like WW2: Total War.
Thanks!
There was one part where I was ambitiously trying to have two infantry squads hold still and apply suppressing fire while two others advanced but it seems their range was too short to pull it off, even though the LOS makes it seem like it should work from much further? I tried pressing T and then clicking to have troops fire on a position from a distance but it didn’t seem to work.
Applying suppression to maneuver is a valid strategy, but at the moment it's difficult to pull off due to artillery and planes not being present. Also infantry weapons can't do the "fire position" command. The reason rifle range is so short is because it's balanced versus tank cannon range and ultimately the size of the map. I'd like to make maps much bigger but there's several technical and performance restrictions. I'll solve them eventually.
Definitely need numkey groupings, especially if you can assign them during the briefing section and especially if they can be assigned independently. I think a lot of my panicked micro problems could be fixed with that.
Several people have called for this as well, I'll make it a priority so it's in for the next demo day.
I’d prefer just having Q+E be rotation keys instead of needing to hold down a modifier. The F1 readout also shows space opening the pause menu, this didn’t work for me but having it be another way to freeze would be great.
I'll add rebindable keys eventually. The current scheme is inspired by the wargame series, which is this game's main inspiration.
Unit barks are sorely needed
This is being worked on. If you have suggestions for lines there's a form available:
https://forms.gle/qAwsmYJD8AK9npAa7
I think the first mission is a bit overwhelming for a newbie, too many troop types to manage from the very beginning. For a tutorial level I’d start with only infantry, and then introduce the other units one at a time, including trucks as a separate thing.
I agree.
I could see people complaining that your troops die too fast, especially with the disadvantage of assaulting enemies waiting in ambush without softening them up first with artillery. If you want a simple difficulty setting I’d just make the player’s troops tougher and ballsier and keep the current way as the intended/hard difficulty.
I'm happy with how fast units die right now, the problem is that artillery doesn't exist yet and the countdown timer forces you to rush instead of taking it slow.
Ideally to attack a forest held by the enemy, you would first scout with recon, suppress targets with artillery, attack with cheap infantry that are supported by your tanks much further behind.
This looks seriously good, keep it up! I’d need some more time to get used to it but add a basic campaign map like the one from the original Medieval: Total War and I’d play this for weeks at a time.
A totalwar-style campaign map is being planned but I'm not certain when I'll be able to start adding it since I'm still working on the moment-to-moment gameplay.
Thanks for the feedback!
The new models are really good, it's a huge improvement.
At first I didn't understand why I couldn't pick up the red pills on the ground. It would be nice to have a small popup message that says your health is full at least in the first level or two, or maybe as an option that you can then turn off.
I still think you should have an option to auto-equip stronger items of the same type. Often there's no choice to make, it's a direct upgrade so spending time in the menu prevents you from enjoying the gameplay. Alternatively have less items of the same type.
An enemy got stuck outside the level and I got softlocked.
During the forest level with the ambush, you can barely hear the music.
It's hard to tell how long the shield ability of Vanaia lasts because you're looking at the character and not the HUD.
The trees in this level could use shadows that are less dark.
With a little more bug fixing and polish the game feels ready. Well done! The game is really enjoyable.
Nice game! Here's my initial impressions and feedback that I wrote as I played the game.
I like the presentation. The intro logo is very soulful.
I like that you see the area name when you start playing.
The red and green confirm/cancel buttons look out of place but I guess they're probably placeholders.
Jumping feels unresponsive. I'm not sure if it's intended or not. It's like there's input delay.
I don't like having to use the mouse to attack since using the sword doesn't require aiming. Maybe it's because you unlock a gun later on? I hope you're going to add rebindable controls so I can use Z/X/C to attack and interact.
You should be able to close the menu and map mid-animation. Also, the animations take too long.
It'd be nice if you could have a map overlay so you can move while looking at the map.
Since you have to use the mouse, you should being able to click to advance through the tutorial screens.
I feel like a game journalist lol but I got stuck on A6-2 for a while because at first I couldn't see the thing you are supposed to hit. Then I thought it was too high to hit after trying 2-3 times. So I backtracked because I thought I missed an item.
You should be able to grab ladders mid-air.
I don't like how the character controls, in general. Being locked in animations doesn't feel great. I understand I might not be the target audience however, since this looks like a cinematic platformer.
After climbing the ladder I was moving the crate and I almost softlocked myself. My character got stuck between the barrel and crate and was jiggling left and right. I could climb down the ladder but when I climbed back up I was stuck again. Thankfully I could destroy the barrel by attacking.
Looking forward to see you make progress on this game, it looks really cool and ambitious.
