Clunky interface; dialogue is over-scripted and pedantic; tutorials don't advance past page 1; melee system needs better documentation; "confirm" button implies poor interface; movement onto some highlighted features doesn't reveal anything (such as the silver blob in nearly every area). Need plot explanation for teleport from each area. Good start, but this needs to complete the play-testing before it's ready for prime time.
At the end of a wave, the clock keeps running while the wave report hides the coins I have to pick up. When I die, the restart buttons are sometimes disabled, forcing me to reload the game. Finally, a short tutorial on upgrades (rather than merely stating that they exist) would be good, as well as time to implement them. I had to play this three times just to get some sense of the screen mechanics, and there's simply no time to actually evaluate the options before the next wave starts shooting at me. In short, it's a reasonable beta, but I think I'll wait for the release version.
Get a proofreader for the story line; the English errors detract from the effect.
Some of the prices are unrealistic and somewhat arbitrary. The effects of the staff are somewhat silly -- the initial cleaner can't finish a room in a day?! Finally, the internal info on the game needs upgrading: give me a manual of the things I've learned, as well as obvious paths to the next star. Most of all, the game mechanics are a bit clunky and unrealistic. Remember the first rule of game design: consider the game experience you want the player to have. Check out the similar games in the genre and learn from them before you build one of your own.
You got the engine functional and a rudimentary upgrade system, but the game still needs work. It's grind, grind, grind. The battle happens too quickly to respond effectively, and the input routine sometimes loses key presses. Also, you'll have to proofread the story line before you release the regular version of the game. I know it's thin in the first place, but the various mechanical errors remove any semblance of entertainment from it.
(1) Provide instruction in full-range modes. A player with English as a tertiary language needs the text for proper comprehension.
(2) Provide complete instruction: in the training, I experimented with my semi-automatic and ran out of ammo just before the end. It took me nearly a minute of keyboard futzing to get out of the "empty" hanging state.
(3) Fix the response. I can fire a shot, but affect the bullet's flight by moving the cursor after I fire.
(4) Why does the game ask for my call sign, but then address me as "Sierra"?
Nice, beta version, though!
There doesn't seem to be a second key in my game. I finally gave up and checked the help map. Sure enough, there's a yellow key on the map, but the game has only a blue circle with a pale yellow key, and crossing over that has no effect. Any ideas on how to pick up the second key?
How do you kill an enemy with a land mine? So far, mine simply blow them elsewhere. Even if the bot hits a shield and dies, there's no credit to the land-mine for the "all-weapons" award.
Interface failure.
When I hover over "Play Now", I get text that advises me to log in. I *am* logged in (to Kongregate). When I click on "Play Now", the text "Connecting" appears, locking the window. After a while (I finally went off to do something else) the text goes away and there is no other effect.
If the game has additional requirements over the supplied interface, they should be explicitly documented. I've played other games in the series, and they do not exhibit these problems.
Gotta fix the controls polling. When the game is too concerned about flying combatants and ignores tactical command input, it's failed a significant part of the Prime Directive of game design. I should have to mash the mouse button for several seconds to make things move. Queue the input -- fine. *Lose* the input, and the game has failed.
Well, the beta version is okay, but I'll have to wait until the product is finished. The text needs proofreading, the story line is weak on all fronts, and the game is basically a shoot & avoid exercise with undocumented upgrades.
Basic game design principal: what is the experience you want the user to have? I'm not clear on this one.
I think I figured out the queueing problem -- there's a funny little graphic that's supposed to mean the facility is broken and needs repair. Strange how there's no documentation for this, no data on the engineer's duty cycle, and no hint as we get for dropping money or ratings.
I found another problem, an obvious bug in the game program. For perhaps two months at a time, guests will come into the cinema and stand on queue in the back, despite the fact that all the seats are empty. Then they leave without seeing a movie -- and without paying -- and complaining about the queue. It was hard to track, since the "budget" part of the program seems to have been arranged by someone with no knowledge of even rudimentary accounting.
I got part of the complaints problem: the guests are not particularly bright. If there's a queue at one of the bowling alleys, it doesn't occur to any of the people in line that going to one of the other 3 alleys might be a decent idea. I can see where someone might be reluctant to haul laundry all over the hotel to find an open machine, but failing to call another alley is simply *stupid*. Complaining at check-out when there are two empty alleys is hardly reasonable.
How do I fire my metrics worker and get someone competent?
I get a couple of complaints about laundry queue, so I check the service loads on the laundry rooms. I find that (1) No laundry room had a load of more than 50% last month; (2) Two of the three laundry rooms with usage over 25% had *no* income last month! . . . . is someone stealing the laundry money, or are the game metrics buggy? How am I supposed to handle usage patterns with this level of counting stupidity?
How do you cross the bridges?
The Spire Bridge and the Rune Bridge suggest that I can get to those islands in the sky, but even flying isn't adequate to cross the gap. I've already beaten the snake at the end, and I can't figure this out.
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