3) I don't know what this crazy concrete looking structure I'm fishing in is, lol. Like maybe a small archipelago so you can have different fishing areas and multiple docks scattered across the different islands. You can limit access to certain areas by obtaining "fishing licenses" or something, could be mini-quests you accomplish at each dock.
4) Linear progression can be fine but this is REALLY linear. Maybe some branching when you add more fish types, like 2-3 fish at each level and collection bonuses can separately allow you to scale up to the one type in next tier of fish, that way every single fish doesn't feel like a grind, only some of them. And as the player you are consciously deciding to challenge yourself with a fish in the next tier instead of completing the tier you're in, if that makes sense.
Anyway, really enjoyed the game and it definitely has potential! I hope you eventually come back to it after you work more on those idle games you mentioned :)
(2/2)
3) Hahaha you're the first person to really question the structure. Yea I was grayboxing the level layout and was planning to switch it out with actual islands and such but ran out of time. I like the idea of fishing licenses to unlock zones, it's a much more on theme way to approach that! 4) I very much agree. I do hope I can achieve that through design when I have more fish to play with. An example is the current bass fight. There should be 4 ways to approach the fight as it is basically a DPS race. You can upgrade your damage to catch it before it gets away, up your speed, get the slowing upgrade, or go while underleveled and pray for RNG lol. I'm happy you think I'm on the right path and I'll make sure I keep your suggestions in mind!
Really like the concept overall and the bones of this game! The mechanics are solid, with some minor bugs. Some random suggestions I thought of while grinding out that 100th swordfish:
1) I would say that boar repairs should cost money, your boat should come back to life with 1 hp and then you pay gold past that. It's currently a bit cheap that I can just flee to a harbor and be completely healed instantly at no cost. And just losing the cargo when a boat sinks isn't really punishment enough. So redoing the concept of HP/Repair might make it more interesting.
2) It was unclear to me what leveling up actually did. Maybe display base stats somewhere and leveling up increases everything by a little, and then the paid upgrades further modify the stat? Somehow the upgrades and the level need to be distinguishable so that any accomplishment feels distinct.
(1/1)
Thanks for the thorough feedback! 1) That's actually an interesting idea. It's a bit akin to durability in Diablo where if you dip too low, you're forced to grind a bit before you can return to your full power. What I like about this is that this game supports non-combat encounters, so you could just farm some non-combat fish for a while to build your gold back up. 2) Yep you're right, leveling was supposed to unlock new gameplay systems and zones but there really isn't enough content in the prototype to support this.
Has potential, but as many people have said, it doesn't ever get difficult. Mechanics should have been introduced earlier in the 20 level set, and then explored in greater detail. It feels like a tutorial for 80% of the game. This whole thing could be condensed into like 5 levels, and then new mechanics added that make the game more difficult or more of a puzzle, as it stands now it's way too easy.
Well designed and a fun concept. Could be a little longer, with potentially optional content that is a bit more challenging mixed throughout. The only thing I felt it really lacked was difficulty. Really well built though and deserves expansion!
Great game, just needs to be longer and have some harder levels. Never took me more than 3 tries. Mechanics are fun, and with more content this could be really great.
Very entertaining for the first half of the game. Then the second half drags because of slower black ants and essentially no new upgrades. Getting the last 10 achievements should feel like an accomplishment, but instead it's boring Maybe ant upgrades, or paint color unlocks separated instead of one upgrade, or multiple paintings at once. Something new would have been great. I will not be finishing it sadly. 4/5, really great first half and fun idea!
Fun concept but not particularly challenging. If the difficulty scaled later or a new mechanic was added to spice it up, it would have been better. Still, had fun playing, keep 'em coming!
Is it upsetting to anyone else that when you start your fame over from scratch, you have to sell the first 3 to get enough fame for the gallery again and then your first painting possible to submit is Rick Astley? It feels so wrong. So so wrong. But I always have him on display!
It helps a ton to restart if your first few trees appear super far from the hut. Basically try to make sure that your first gatherer doesn't reach the pond, because he walks so slow at the start it burns a lot of valuable seconds. If you can get him with a full bag on the first half of the field, and keep him busy, it'll help your final score by a sizable amount. And restarting at the very beginning only wastes about 20 seconds or so, totally worth it.
Not a bad idea, but poor execution. I hesitate to even call them puzzles because they required no thinking, and the logic behind the use of the sphere was nonexistent. I only solved it because they were 2 things out of about 10 I could interact with and I started trying everything. It took me less than 5 minutes to solve a room with a 60 minute timer, and most of that was trying to figure out the metal sphere. The ending was also far from satisfactory. Multiple endings and/or better puzzles would be a good start, but there is a lot of work to be done for this game to get anything more than 2 stars.
Really great game overall, fun and simple mechanics but you always want to beat the next challenge so it keeps you hooked. Some small tweaks would make it better, many of which have been mentioned already in the comments. Thicker borders for the special enemies would be great. And not playing the battle out in a small window, the whole screen should be utilized. A tutorial that actually explains everything would be great. I didn't distribute my stats or skill points until the 4th battle area because I simply didn't notice they existed, which is silly but it just wasn't pointed out and I was focused on optimizing my battle strategy. The void area was a nice addition, liked the portal to the next area as an enemy idea
For starters, all of the edits have been great. I have one more suggestion. I totally understand that you don't want to the complex rules to gray out automatically, but can we maybe manually gray them out with a right click? If I'm certain that a rule has been satisfied, I would really like it to not be lit up.
In case anyone is wondering what the text during the intro says...
"To each it is left unknown that to each it is granted, this gift brings a curse;
That every memory of something as a part of anything can become everything in an instant,
as existence in this place and time brings a power unlike any other to create that which can create,
and to manifest something in the mind of anyone, that beckons their souls to the heavens of Earth"
Yes, it took a lot of refreshing the page and pictures to figure it out, haha.
Gave 3/5. Solid art, solid mechanics. But the logic was really disturbing. I'm not the best at these sorts of games, but I must have used the hints a dozen times. A worm that eats through bones/wood? The wizard to make the egg bigger? Sometimes it was just a bit too far-fetched and it was more of a process of elimination than actual logic.
That cackling noise when you beat a level... I'm not sure anyone would want to hear that 20+ times. The gameplay got better as the game got further along, but it didn't happen fast enough. The concept is simple enough that a couple tutorial levels could replace the first 10-15 levels.
I REALLY want to finish this game, but the lag is so messed up to the point that I can't even get past the 3rd level. At first I could refresh the page and it would go away for a few runs, but now it persists even after a refresh. Figure out a way to fix the lag, it's making me want to kill someone because it's so inhibiting.
 "Fish Legend Fish"){kind=icon}
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 "Castle Woodwarf"){kind=icon}
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 "Monster Clearer"){kind=icon}
 "Mine of Sight"){kind=icon}
 "Chess Evolved Online"){kind=icon}
 "Bad Viking and the Curse of the Mushroom King"){kind=icon}
 "Frozen Elsa Look For Star"){kind=icon}
 "StrikeForce Kitty"){kind=icon}
3) Hahaha you're the first person to really question the structure. Yea I was grayboxing the level layout and was planning to switch it out with actual islands and such but ran out of time. I like the idea of fishing licenses to unlock zones, it's a much more on theme way to approach that! 4) I very much agree. I do hope I can achieve that through design when I have more fish to play with. An example is the current bass fight. There should be 4 ways to approach the fight as it is basically a DPS race. You can upgrade your damage to catch it before it gets away, up your speed, get the slowing upgrade, or go while underleveled and pray for RNG lol. I'm happy you think I'm on the right path and I'll make sure I keep your suggestions in mind!