Overall a nice game though I would have liked to see a skill/talent tree of some sort. Maybe add damage, HP or defence at level up or something. What made me seek out this thread though is that insanely tough level where you play each character separately. I even tried to go from medium to easy difficulty but I still get slaughtered eventually. No matter how many potions I spam I can't keep some of my chars alive long enough to offer help from other chars.
Not really. Puzzles have an intended solution, you need to find it. Tactical fights (or games in general) have a set of resources, you need to make use of those resources as well as possible, there are lots of possible approaches. After playing this for a while yesterday, I played Tactical Soldier Undead Rising for a while. Right from the beginning, that game has a lot more choices---different weapons, ways to maneuver, expendable resources, etc. The publisher of Dungeon Crawlers quotes a comparison to Diablo in their ads, but it doesn't have random drops, doesn't have much variety of equipment (the best thing to equip is obvious, at least as far as I got), doesn't really have enough tactical choices to make for interesting decisions (as far as I got). Could it get better? Sure. One of the reasons I posted was to find out. But with so many games on the App Store, if the first hour isn't very interesting, a lot of games won't get a second hour.
I didn't really read the entire post, but a tactical fight does have an intended solution--kill or be killed within the parameters set up by the dev. I can finish puzzles differently, so this doesn't bear a ton of weight in modern solutions. Now if we're doing some Mensa puzzle that has 1 braniac solution then you're right. This is my opinion, so no need to argue. But if you think it's not valid then be my guest to say so.
I'm on 3-1 and it has gotten much more challenging. I'm playing medium. For those that are concerned that it is too easy, hang in there. My main concern is that it is going to be over soon...
I promise you both it'll be working next week when 1.0.1 gets pushed through. We submitted it friday.
Well as the dev of the game, I agree. Games like X-Com have inherently more tactical variation than our game. This is particularly true of X-Com, because many factors come into play, including the ability to tech up, having wide open field of play, and height. This is also because of the immediate impact that having all ranged characters have on a game vs. a more "melee vs. melee" game have. That being said, as our game progresses, you are given *way* more tactical choice and decisions. Tactical Soldier (of which i am a big fan, and friends with the dev's) on the other hand, keeps the same tactical choices throughout the entirety of the experience. In fact, i played through the whole game without ever having to change weapons for any of my characters. Our game, on the other hand, provides what i would call more "Tactical Deviation" or "Tactical Variance". As an example, later in the game you are presented with enemies that can do different kinds of damage. For example, there is a room in 3-2 that has Gargoyles, Banshees, and Ogres. A Banshee doesn't do much damage up front, but can stun you. An ogre does mega damage but no status effects, and a Gargoyle can ignite you, which lowers your defense by 2 (btw, something you may want to know, Ignite lowers defense by 2 on you or enemies). Determining the position of your characters, in conjunction with which status effects you are willing to risk being applied to you and to which characters, is the difference between victory and defeat. These are in fact *very* tactical situations, and have variance. Will roy cast a shield on Payter and let him take the brunt of the damage? Or will you choose to cure status effects? All of these decisions have a direct impact on the next turn and the subsequent result of the battle. The previous example i provided is only an example of how you would react to your enemies (defense), but there is also variation/deviation on offense. Payter has a wide range of differing abilities that completely change the scope of how you may approach a battle. Will you allow him to be surrounded, giving yourself a 60%x4 chance to stun your enemies, thus, not needing to attack them on the following turn? Would you rather have an 80%x3 chance to do mediocre damage on your enemies (cleave)? or a 95% chance to do big damage on 1 enemy? Aegon can fire a 12-square fireball that does little to no damage up front, but reduces your enemies DEF by 2. This could be the difference when attacking with slash, for instance. I personally designed the first chapter of the game, but after that I let our level designer run with it and design the rest of it (with input from me). By chapter 3, as i was playing through it for the first time (and the next 100 times), i found myself stunned, and careful weighing each and every decision. Thinking about how my enemy might react to my moves and where the best placement for my characters were, were *big* decisions. This is the very essence of a TBS, in my opinion, and i think we got a lot of things right in that regard. These are the things we bring to the table with DC that I think are worth their weight as a tactical strategy game. On the other hand, i tried to keep it from being *too* deep, because i want this game to be easier to play, more casual, and less focus on micro-managing your inventory than other games of the genre. Finally, to speak to the Diablo reference, well, we didn't say that. TA said it. I am genuinely shocked and delighted that he chose those games to compare us to, and at the same time, agree with you that maybe "Diablo" is not the best way to accurately describe what you're getting into. I always thought of it as "A certain set of movie influences meets Hero Quest". But we're definitely not going to shy away from the quote.
What use is the gold at present? Have I missed something here. I read prior that a shop is coming. Can you spend the gold in the game as it sits now?
Game Impressions As a fan of many things turn-based (some of my stranger turns not included), I hereby issue a recommendation and a warning : If you are looking for an easily accessible, easily played, and easily mastered turn-based experience, with some minimal RPG elements (no choices for character progression, a pre-set development path, but character do grow stronger) included for good measure, Dungeon Crawlers is a splendid choice, perhaps one of the best in the App Store. If you look to those simulated mobile battlefields for strategic depth, tactical variation, and a sense of satisfaction from a battle hard won... then PC and console gamers would laugh you and your little handheld device in the face. But we know better For your turn-based skirmish fix, go purchase Final Fantasy Tactics or Ravenmark (the best class/job/character progression system in a TBS, and the most sophisticated tactical TBS combat engine, respectively, with the added bonus of splendid writing and in-depth storylines in both cases). Time of Heroes might be another good choice, though I have yet to play for long enough to determine just how deep the strategy and RPG elements go. Or head back to old classics such as UniWar and Battle for Wesnoth, explore alternative turn-based options such Greed Corp, Neuroshima Hex or even Cabals, or just dive headlong into the vastness of the 4X genre in games such as Civ Rev and Starbase Orion. Or nourish high hopes for the upcoming Pocket Heroes, essentially Dungeon Crawlers with far less pretty graphics, but asynchronous online gaming. Regardless, if depth of strategy and tactics is what you are looking for, stay well clear of Dungeon Crawlers. Also, don't enter these otherwise very inviting and entertaining dungeons looking for a immersive plot or splendid writing. Dungeon Crawlers is a game of meager dialogues and simplistic comedy. It is not quite as on the nose and in yer face as Highborn ("Ah, a necromancer villain named Evan! It's funny because we don't expect fantasy necromancers to be named Evan!"), or as trite and tired as Evertales ("The tavern of fetch quests and the dark lord of darkness? Oh, mine, what jolly good fun! You know what is also very funny? A bloke in women's clothes."), but rarely moves beyond basic stereotyping (a horny barbarian, a nerdy wizard, and a very hungry monk), light meta comedy, and out-of-place reactions and sentiments (when in mortal danger, the hungry fella is more concerned with the direction of his next meal, the barbarian with impressing the lasses, etc). Like others, I am also curious where the TA previewer came up with the Diablo comparison I see very little, if any, of Diablo in Dungeon Drawlers, but quite a lot of Hero Quest. A far more flattering comparison, to my mind
I want to like this game a lot, but I can't disregard its flaws. The battles are a bit on the simple side. To me the real challenge is to deal with the enemies before getting bored. Spoiler The first Goblin King encounter is a great example of poor game design. Maybe I did it wrong, but it probably took me 30 minutes or more just to finish that battle. Aegon was the only one really useful since he alone had to take out the goblins closest to the king. Go in, use magic, pull out, repeat. As long as I did it like that, and kept healing, I was invincible. But it took forever since I had to fend of the never ending stream of goblins coming from the walls. And Aegons attacks either missed or didn't do enough damage every now and then. Also, if he stayed too close, the goblins with the bows could easily kill him within one turn, and then I'd have to do it all over again. The game should be faster. The fast forward button is no good, it only works when the enemies are moving. Not attacking?! The implementation is quite awful to be honest. It's quite frustrating to wait for your turn sometimes. How about an "always on" option regarding the fast forward? (including attacks). Minor details: The dialogue text doesn't fit entirely in the window when using all the rows. Not a problem, but really... why? I do think this game has great potential though, and I love the overall feel of it. Can't wait for updates.
Game Impressions I was going to hold off getting this game because of the number of bugs and issues reported in this thread, but the developer's strong presence here convinced me to go ahead and get it now. I am very glad I did! I have played through the first chapter and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It seems like a pretty casual experience so far which is the level I enjoy in turn based strategy games. The difficulty is fairly easy so far, but I suspect that will change soon. I did have to replay the final encounter of chapter 1 a few times. I enjoy the light hearted humor and everything controls and plays nicely on my iPad 2. I look forward to playing further and also seeing whatever improvements and additions this game gets.
Well, if Tactical Soldier starts out more interesting but doesn't change much, and Dungeon Crawlers starts out quite simple but gradually gets more interesting, I personally prefer the former approach, I think there's a lot to be said for drawing people in early. That doesn't mean the difficulty has to be high early (and you have Easy/Medium/Hard anyway, while TS doesn't), but it would be nice to have more choices even early on, rather than having to level up and build up an inventory before you have any nontrivial options. Just my thoughts. And I think when you choose to use the Diablo quote in your ads (is that your decision or your publisher?), it's not quite the same as saying it yourself but it sets expectations that maybe aren't going to be met. I would really enjoy a turn-based Diablo on iOS, but this isn't it. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to respond, it helps me understand your decisions more, and also gives me a better idea what to expect if I decide to continue. If I put it aside, well, it won't be the first iOS game I didn't finish, or the last. That's the great thing about having such a wide variety of games available.
Right on the spot Ayjona! Someone there said 3-1 makes it tougher. The place I was stuck in was 3-2. Took me some 5 tries on easy to make it after countless of tries on medium. When I finally managed I noticed I had been really close to finishing on medium. Actually that level was the first and so far the only that made me use potions. Now a few stages past that horrid experience it's easier again. The secrets were another thing. Didn't know how to open them until I accidentally activated one. I must have missed soooo many good items, among them a barbarian weapon. Still whacking away with my +0 weapon. Other than that a niceish game. The best thing in the game I would say is the story. Dark Knight Shyamalan especially was hilarious. And thanks again Ayjona for recommendations. FFT, Uniwar and Wesnoth are familiar to me but there were some names I didn't recognize and also I guess I need to give Ravenmark another chance.
Loot? Um... What loot? I'm on chapter 3-2 and have only acquired: Tabard of Smartmaking +1 Ale-Soaked Clodhoppers +2 Cloth of Loining +2 Robes of Mass Hysteria +1 Staff of Cremation +3 Hand Chopper +2 And a handful of potions... No weapon upgrades for the warrior or priest so far. Is this right for my level in the game? Also, what's with releasing a game with gold and no shop to spend it in? If I can finish the game without the touted loot/shop, what's the point in going back doing it with them?
Love the art style!! Unfortunately, I'm not very fond of turn-based battles, otherwise I'd snap it up. Best of luck to you!
Youmust have missed about the same amiunt of secrets with me. One of your items was unfamiliar to me but I received a priest weapon, book of healing. Think I've found roughly 50% of the secrets.
Cannot progress because the game crashes repeatedly while trying to load level 1-3. Restarting the device with no other app in the background doesn't fix this either. iPod Touch 4, updated to the lastest ios version and all.
