iPhone Lich Tower of Doom RPG - (by Expleo Risvold)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by Sanuku, Mar 12, 2014.

  1. ednan

    ednan Well-Known Member

    It's written on topic's title.
    This people whining because something is iPad only is starting to become annoying. Some games MUST be iPad only simply because the small screen won't fit everything needed for a proper gameplay experience.
    I've been playing this game this last hour and honestly, I can't see this happening on a small screen without a LOT of fiddling.
    If a game just released doesn't run on your iPhone or iPod, rest assured that many others will. You don't need to buy a game.
     
  2. verlaine

    verlaine Well-Known Member

    Jul 26, 2012
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    #22 verlaine, Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
    Some quick impressions:

    --I had trouble figuring out how to perform certain actions. At first, I didn't know how to move my character in dungeons (apparently, dragging the character sprite to move one square at a time is the only way). Oh--and it might be good to have an optional window to confirm purchases (bought an item/boost by accident when I didn't know what I was doing). Would a separate in-game manual and/or tutorial help?
    --Combat seems to be 'buggy' at times; attack and spell buttons are sometimes blacked out. So far, the only way workaround is to quit and resume the game.
    --Is there any way to view a numerical representation of remaining health and energy?
    --Once you enter a dungeon, is there any way to manually exit the first floor to return to town--or is a scroll the only means to do so?
    --Just to make sure: there doesn't seem to be any way to 'rest' in town--even for a fee. Is that right?
     
  3. jsrco

    jsrco Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Oct 15, 2009
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    If you look on the main TA page, it is not in the topic title.
    Expressing disappointment in not having both versions is a way to show interest in the game being more widely available.

    Hope this does well, it really does look fun.
     
  4. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    #24 expleo, Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
    Hi, thanks for feedback, its the only way to fix and enhance. I'll try to respond to your questions:

    1) Movement is swiping the direction you want to go. The entire map area is the touch area for this. Length of swipe motion is about one map tile wide.

    2) The both buttons blocked in combat issue I hoped was fixed, it was a known issue. The underlying cause is that the game thinks an animation is playing (every time you press the button, or pull off an attack/spell, a string of events are checked based on your setup. (do you hit 1,2,3 times, follow up with a spin kick, enter a slashing with dagger frenzy before twirling the staff for a final smash ?), and waiting for an end to that. I need to look into it, but any aditional infor would be great: ie, are you tapping very fast on the buttons like an arcade game, or do you wait til they light up before you press again ? Are you out of energy, food or close to zero health ?

    I'm sorry if this is not working as intened. A workaround as you said, is to press pause and resume, but this is not optional and should not happen.

    The next build already have some modifications to the structure of combat events, but I'm not sure this alone will be enough.

    3) Adding numbers was considered, but not brought in. It is not a very hard task to add though, perhaps on the profile window.

    4) The floors are a one way passage down (or up), the initial 'shutting off' animation playing when you enter a floor was intended as a visual que for this. The scroll can return you to buy stuff mid dungeons, but gold (and inventory space) is scare so it is a player choise without any fixed solution if you should have a scroll or not. Of course, running out of mana and dying on 3'rd dungeon level 5 with lots of gold to spare is a pain, but this is a harsh world :)

    5) From merchant you buy mana potions (the other items are a random spell, random item or random skill, at a slightly higher level than found inside the dungeons) or town portal. The mana can be used to rest energy (meditate), heal or get food, so magical mana is the single most important asset.

    If that is too confusing/tiresome, a 'rest up' can be added, should not be too dificult and can be considered if it is somethig players want.

    I hope this answered your questions/comments, I will make a priority to look into the combat situation. If you have other comments, suggestions or glitches I appreciate them.

    And for the andropid/iphone questions: this game was designed for ipad, and it is possible to scale down. But this requires quite some work (several hundred assets need manual positioning and rescaling), and the end result is not so great. If this was a mainstream game it would be universal already, as it is now it requires even more thought.
     
  5. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    Hi, as I have mentioned (and endan also wrote), Iphone support for this game requires a lot of work just to make a scaled down version. To make it realy playable it probably requires a lot more coding too.

    If it turns out a popular request, it might happen, but pri one is fixing player issues, comments and confusions, as well as adding the already created assets (its a month since the game was sent for build, and stuff has happened since then)
     
  6. verlaine

    verlaine Well-Known Member

    Jul 26, 2012
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    Hello! Thank you very much for the detailed reply. Come to think of it, I stopped having problems with blacked out buttons when I slowed down the tapping...

    I'm having fun with the game so far--and it's extremely challenging (yet to finish a single dungeon). Now I'm pretty curious: are there any tips on how to survive as long as possible? I find that I often get killed pretty quickly and easily by monsters on the 4-5 levels.
     
  7. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    #27 expleo, Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
    ok, then the issue is probably easier to solve than feared, some string--events probably 'release' the combat buttons between actions, so I will have to search more trough the events.

    Yes, the game is hard. One tip is trying to have a bit 'luck' on your stats (buy from kareena if you dont start with it).. being lucky tends you to for example more easily find an extra mana bottle when running out. Another is 'dont explore too much', if you try cover all the floors, the resource you gain will most likely not be enough.. it is often a close call when you end a dungeon, and you need to plan for all 5 levels (each dungeon is 5 level deep) instead of looking at one level at a time.

    The game is a bit designed to 'not be over until it is over' though, so things can change even when it looks bad.

    Also I reccomend for first dungeon to spend money on a mana or two from merchant.. (max mana is 250, you start with 150 for most chars) instead of bard songs.. Bard songs get more expensive quick, and the real boosts are when you buy the same song many times (for example, first song gives you 1-3 stat, next song of same type 2-5, third 4-7 etc.. not exact numbers, but to give an idea)

    Some dungeons are tougher than others.

    Entering any fight you can also is a way to reduce your resources very fast, so avoiding every comba situations is a good call.

    For combat, I tend to prefere melee attacks, and use magic when I notice the opponent hits a lot (they are also random from weak version to very strong version). If you kill a boss and get the -1 mana cost for combat spells, it is a bit easier to go wild on spell button. Spells drain mana, but you get a good bost to the tohit value.

    Some runs you are plain unlucky in finding stuff you need, also part of the game. Fighting the bosses is optional, and should only be considered if you are well prepared (meaning got magic to spare, filled inventory with useful stuff etc).. some of them are quite brutal and have the potential to kill the player in 4-5 hits.

    Other tip is trying to have energy level high.. You get a small tohit bonus when near max, and a negative when near bottom.

    That said, the current build is probably a tad easier, as there is a slight increas in gold found, and also it should be easier to preserve energy. As it is now, your skill level in ka-zabar, dager fighting and meditation can nullify the cost to perform an action (for exaple, you make a 3 staff hit, if you fail all 3 'rolls' this attack costs you 3 energy. The current build makes it easier to 'save' this energy, so a 3 staff hit more often will cost 0-3 energy.

    Also in the works are some more cool stuff to find at certain levels, such as energy stones (giving energy,health or mana), and tweaking of the monster settings.

    It is doable as it is now, though.
     
  8. pka4916

    pka4916 Well-Known Member

    Jun 6, 2009
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    Clearly says IPAD ONLY...
    Guess it's a matter of Reading.
    Get used to it.... More games will become Ipad, since a tiny screen is making games like this useless.. By next year it's probable 90% ipad only..
    Say bye bye to the little screens..
     
  9. ednan

    ednan Well-Known Member

    @Expleo:

    Any suggestions for choosing which dungeon I go first? I've played 3 runs and I was quite unlucky in the last 2. :(
    Is there a "class" easier to play with at first? I tried The Magica and The Ka-Zabarist. Starting with more mana with The Magica seems to give a little advantage.

    Interesting to know that the attribute luck. In most games this attribute is almost useless.

    Great game overall. The only thing I find a bit awkward (not a deal breaker by any means) is that the buttons are on top of the screen, which plays fine on my Mini, but it's uncomfortable on my heavy iPad 4.

    @Everyone Else:

    Don't forget you can buy scrolls to get back to town. Definitely a life saver.
     
  10. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    as much as I'd prefere to keep this thread game oriented (questions, comments, bug reports, suggestions) and not an ipad/iphone thread, just my 5 cents here:

    For this game to work propperly (or as good as it can be) on an iphone, it does requre quite some work, and probalby reenginering a lot. There is no 'build universal' button on my dev system.

    I personaly think there should be a place for both iphone and ipad games, and I think it was a bad move to have for example 'devious dungeons' as a universal game. A bit better on the ipad mini, but on the large pad it is near unplayable, but I have enjoyed it for many hours on my phone.

    If my only device was an iPad, I would feel 'cheated' by that title, as it clearly is not designed for that device.

    Some games are intended for short burst game time, where design for a small screen was the origin, and other games are designed with a larger sceen in mind. It is not always practical for all games to be created to suit all. I think there should be room for both universal builds, and also games (only) for one of them. They run on same OS, but are two different beast if you ask me.

    Financial It would probably make much more sense to design this game for the iphone first (or at least have it in though from day one), I could have saved many dollars on sprite work too if I could have them smaller.

    So: Iphone only owners, sorry, I am of course glad you wanted to try this game, and if it is possible, I will look into trying to find a solution.
     
  11. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    #31 expleo, Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
    Hi, all the startup builds do have some randomness too (if you have noticed), so two starts wont be the same. I think the adventurer class might start with one large 'lifesaver' pot. The one I tend to use when trying for a serious run is batlle mage, as he can start with the firewall spell and a balance of ka-zabar and passive spells such as curse. (Curse is passive, meaning it can trigger 1 round, 5'th round, 10'th round etc), reducing opponents ability to hit, and also damage dealt. Firewall is a first round only spell check (automated), but deals a lot of damage.. instakill many of the non-bosses.

    I also like the ka-zabar and wizard thief (later with caltrops and all) as they can start with some nifty tricks.. Having some disarm trap skills can save a lot of trouble deeper and further down the road. (can also be gained by the 'cunning' song)

    For starting dungeons, I tend to be able to (or almost be able to) most time complete impa caverns and sewers. Sewers are filled with soft tissued critters, who take a lot extra damage from daggers, but they can poison and rot both gold and food. The level 3 boss is usualy not that hard, doable with just some mana reserves, but the level 5 boss in sewers can be real brutal.

    It can also be a choice to save the sewers for a bit later, but poison can hurt real bad later on if you dont have ressistance. (each dungeon is scaled, so if you take the sewers as first dungeon or third dungeon, it is different strenght on monsters).

    Elemental caves can be utterly brutal. Slow attacking monsters, but if they hit they can hit hard, and also many are quite tough so weapons don't do much damage.

    Small tweaks are constantly being tested, and it makes a huge impact on the game just raising or lovering a couple of numbers in the long run. A couple points in minimum energy restoration from meditating did actualy make the game far too easy (on average).. the intent is that if you survive a dungeon, it should for the most part be 'barely' ;)

    Last, a note on the pad, I play a lot on the pad 4 and dont find it heavy (i have thumb around right top corner of map, and use it to swipe directions as well as pressing buttons) I guess it can be worse for left handed people, or if you move your hand a lot 'down' when swiping your char around. (remember you can swipe anywhere on the map).

    Of course, that it works for me is no solution for you, I would suggest experimenting with different ways of using your hand to avoid much movement.

    And, as noted, the next build is a bit easier as less energy should be used in combat.

    (And luck plays a role in most rolls here, everything from aiding in critical hits, avoiding damage, finding mana potions when running out, not teleporting into the boss, finding gold, finding loot, gaining extra health/energy when meditating/casting spell of healing... The odds on luck where a bit too low in the build you have, and is increased a bit more now)
     
  12. ednan

    ednan Well-Known Member

    #32 ednan, Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
    Hmm, yeah, for some reason my brain makes me use the bottom of the screen to move. It feels better not moving the hand to the bottom all the time. :)


    Oh. Bug report: my mana potion is infinite :x
    Actually whatever is on my inventory is infinite at the moment, including my zombie scroll. I've started a new game. Not fair having infinite items on my inventory :)
     
  13. kittencakes

    kittencakes Member

    Dec 7, 2010
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    Hi. This looks neat. Is it gender locked? Can I play as a heroine? If not, any plans for developing that in the future?
     
  14. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    hm, never saw that happened before. Any idea what lead up to it, or just one game.. 'wham' ?
     
  15. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    #35 expleo, Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
    Short answer: Yes and No/no :)

    Long answer: there are currently around 240 frames of animation for the player character alone, and that is a creation cost at around 2000$ when doing it 'cheap'.

    At price point now 2$ (it will increase though), that equals 1428 downloads after apple has taken their share, not considering work hours on my part, and willl take 3-4 months to complete.

    So to make it viable with more player char types, around 2000 downloads is needed just for the added skin. And in all honestly, this is a small game created by a handful of people (mostly artis contracors), and I have serious doubts it will even get 2000 downloads total :) But you never know.. besides, if someone is willing to shell out 2000k I can give out my paypal account and have it created in their honour.

    Would be super cool having more genders and variations, but the work/cost involved is simply too much compared to what it can get back
     
  16. ednan

    ednan Well-Known Member

    Just one game.
    I don't know what happened, I noticed after using a couple of times, since the inventory does not show how many of an item I do have.
    At first I thought it was only the mana potion, but it actually happened to any item that I was carrying.

    Another thing, which I don't know if it's related is, after I restarted, the "take item" button was missing. Therefore I could not buy stuff before going to the first dungeon. Closing the app solved the issue though.

    The tip to not try to cover every inch of every floor really helped me. I'm used to explore everything in this kind of game. But in this one the chances are you won't have resources too fast. It's hard. I like it :D
     
  17. expleo

    expleo Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2012
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    Hm, my first guess would be there is a variable out of controll somwhere, that messes up random things. I have seen some bugs last 6 months, but none as you have described. I honestly don't know exactly where to start looking for this, but thanks for notifying.

    On a side note, I played myself the release version today and notice several things that are changed in next update, most notable is changes to end-game critters, and also a few minor issues that have been resovled a while back (mostly about showing wrong numbers for heal etc when using healing glyph and you surpas the max health).
     
  18. sortvind

    sortvind Well-Known Member

    Sep 13, 2012
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    People need to stfu about ipad only rant.
    If games are ipad only there is a good reason for it.
    Since the decelopers would benefit from selling it to people with only iphones, its obviously ipad only because the game wont work well on tiny screen size.
     
  19. Fangbone

    Fangbone Well-Known Member

    Oct 30, 2012
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    I agree. I have both so it doesn't bother me. At first I had an iPhone 4 and loved gaming on it. So much so that I sold my Nintendo 3DS. Then Heroes and Castles came out and although it was great fun on the iPhone I knew that it just had to be better on the ipad so I bought an ipad mini. That led to me buying an ipad air and now I really don't play games on my iphone at all. If you like the iOS gaming scene you owe it to yourself to save up and buy an ipad. After you do you'll wonder how in the world you played on a dinky screen that whole time.
     
  20. Sanuku

    Sanuku Well-Known Member

    #40 Sanuku, Mar 13, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2014
    The current Build is sadly bugged and i really would suggest to remove it from the iTunes Store till the worst is fixed.

    It will harm the Developer more then he can probably think of since most if not everyone that will read any Forum or Review about the Game will probably wait with buying it afterward till the Game will get sooner or later playable and at that time many probably will have already moved on.

    I`m not saying that it`s a total nightmare but the current Build behaves more like one of those Open Beta Builds from Mobage, Zynga or Glu Games and not like any Game that is currently sold at $2.59.

    Note:

    I`m uploading a HD Gameplay Trailer so those that are currently unsure about the Game can get a small Sneak Peek at what they can expect.
     

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