If we made buff spells last longer, I'd have to nerf the glowing sword. And since buff spells are getting stronger in the next update anyway (time circle and silence are getting merged, sword fury is getting stronger), I may just leave them at the current duration. I could increase the hasten duration, but it was always intended to just help you get on the main path faster, not as a combat thing. I guess we could anyway, just for the hell of it. I don't want to add spells to breakables, as doing so would make breaking things mandatory. We added the gnomes to at least kind of ease the pain of your obsessive compulsive disorders, but I don't want to make breaking everything in a level mandatory. Next game we'll probably make breaking furniture drop coins or be worth a little bit of experience or something. I wrote all the item descriptions and such. Brandon wrote the dialog this time, he also wrote Hook Worlds. I can't remember if I wrote SQH or not, though I wrote all of Hook Champ. New IAP: Some is planned in the next content update (not this upcoming update, which is for UNiversal support, balancing, and feature requests). Currently it's just two items: A hat that makes you look like a drudge, and a robe that makes your charge do more damage and your dashes do slight electrical damage (half a sword swing's worth) to everything you touch. If the robe is too fun, we may just make it a loot item and do a pack as suggested. Just to test if that's better than doing single items. I know what achievements aren't working and why, will fix in this upcoming update. I'll take a look at health urns on pinnacle 3 in story mode. As for the other thing, I don't really want to touch master mode. However, we're getting rid of "lucky" (ultralucky gets to stay), shield is getting removed from the spell rotation (you'll still get them from hitting urns when full), and silence+time circle are getting merged into one spell. The spell will probably just still be called Time Circle. Should be. How much, do you think? 50% or so longer haste? I may end up having to nerf Glowing Sword by a little bit. Maybe 1 second buff extension per kill rather than 2 seconds. Simply because it's going to become pretty easy to get all the buffs on yourself because there's only going to be a few buffs in the urn rotation. Time Circle (now with Silence), Ultralucky, Sword Fury. Add in a permanent hasten because you keep killing stuff, and it's wouldn't be hard to keep these buffs on you at all times. ------ My favorite loot loadouts: Glowing Sword + Old Pendant + Battlemage Armor + Death Duck Today I played Crypt 3 a bunch of times in a row with the above combo, and got all 7 buffs on myself. Then I'd kill groups as fast as I could. End result: I did the entire level with every single buff on myself, for the entire duration of the level. Hasten+Shield(most of the time)+Sword Fury+Time Circle+Silence+Lucky+Ultralucky. It's a fun trick. Lich Foot + Lich Armor + Desperate Edge + Crab Pet Sets your critical rates to something like 80% melee, 90% for all spells. It's fun to crit constantly, but this is mostly pretty gimmicky considering you're going to run around with 1 health. Strange Rock + Crystal Staff + Earthen Garb For completely and utterly destroying most bosses. Earth spike criticals with a high magic stat does a huge amount of damage. Cloth of Cold + Whitebeard Ring is the poor man's version, not quite as effective. Those icicles are crappy against groups, but actually end up doing almost as much damage as earth spike if all icicles hit a single target.
Having played most of the great games on the iOS platform and have been a player since the Apple IIGS in 1986. I can honestly say that Mage Gaunlet is one of the best executed, polished and fun game to date on the market. The controls are precise, the story is fun (not too deep but that is perfect for quick plays) and the gfx are top notch. I am having a blast with it. Keep up the good work.
Went after some achievements. Found out you cannot unlock "crossed the streams" in master mode. Same with the eyeball one (can someone tell me how to get this, they always see me) Is the last secret achievement glitched? What's the one before it? The pinnacle one? I also am confused someone said in master mode castle = estate. Kepa can you change it to reflect that because I CANNOT find any secret in the estate. Level 70 now. Going to beat crypt 3 on master mode three stars then get all boss hats and call it a day until furture update hits. Maybe get the shadow slueth achievement if I'm up for it.
Still addicted to ths game. Any ETA on the universal update or iCloud support being in there? Can't wait to play it on iPad.
1 second would make it useless. Most levels don't have enough enemies that are quick to kill and packed close enough together for it to do anything even at the current duration, and many of the ones that do—like MM Gardens—are so easy already that it doesn't matter. As fun as the combo is, the only levels where it's really useful is Crypt-3, Hurgoth and Vataneba, and even that last one is suspect because she's easy anyway. The eyeball one just kind of popped for me and my brother arbitrarily. Honestly, I have no idea how you're 'supposed' to get it. Maybe try the ghost pet and nail it with a targeted spell before it shoots you? There is a secret in MM estate. But yea, it's weird that it says Castle. @ Kepa: Are the note indicators for each level going to be in the upcoming update? EDIT: Wait! I do actually remember how I got the eyeball one. Stand right next to it with the phoenix feather and let it kill you. It won't see you because it thinks you're 'dead', and when you erupt the achievement should pop.
I finished Story Mode begrudgingly last night, at some point the levels just become overlong, tedious and boring, even when well populated with magic, hearts and enemies. But I stuck with it because of hearing how much better Master Mode is and because deep down, I really like the base mechanics of the game. But yeah, I can't stress enough how much of a better game Mage Gauntlet is in Master Mode. Every aspect of it feels better. The shorter level length, the denser monster placement, the lack of CONSTANT "push the invisible wall" secret areas (and the secret areas that ARE present along with the clues to find them just feels better) and even the "plot" of master mode, both in how it's presented and the content of it, is better. I have about half a dozen levels in Story Mode that I didn't three star and I'm kind of bummed I'll have to go back to that pacing to complete them (well I don't HAVE to but I'm THIS far, I might as well). I think I'll take a little break until the next bug fix and balance update hits. Speaking of, any news on that? That would cover the twelfth secret achievement in Story Mode along with making one of the trinkets increase the hat drop rate, if I'm remembering my quick browse through the thread. I'll be cool taking a breather until it hits. I'm at 76/86 achievements right now. <3
Kepa: I'm not asking to increase the hasten duration as a combat aide, I just want it a few seconds longer to actually get you back on the path, as it usually runs out when you're only part-way back, even when dashing. 2/3 seconds extra? Adding spells to breakables would make breaking things mandatory? How do you figure? If the levels were left as-is, you wouldn't need additional spells to pass the levels, right? I don't see how the addition of 1 or maybe 2 randomly placed fireballs or acid clouds in like 1/500 barrels in a level would suddenly make breaking all items mandatory..it wouldn't! It would just make it a little more fun to smash everything! Even relegate it to just the crappy spells ("lucky" would be the suggestion if it weren't being removed) if need be, but c'mon, give us something in those things! Lastly, about IAP: Obviously as you know, IAP is a touchy thing. I really don't think there's any testing needed to determine whether players would prefer single items to packs. Packs all the way! In fact, I think you should only release packs! No single item is worth a whole dollar, but we pay it because we love Rocketcat and love the game. I'd probably buy the new Call of Duty for $150 if that's what they MADE me pay for it, but I don't want to have to! I really don't want to pay 4 or 5 bucks for a matching suit, weapon & pet for Lexi. Of course the simple reply here is "then don't buy it", but obviously I want the items, I'm eager to support you, I just don't want to pay the same for 20 pixels as I would pay for an entire new game on the App Store. I think there should be packs only, and I think they should be $0.99/pack, personally. $1.99 at the most. The last thing you wanna do is charge too much for IAP (here's looking at you, Gameloft), even if it's optional and not at all mandatory. Reasonably priced IAP is the way to a gamer's heart. Thanks for doing so much follow-up and putting so much effort in listening to your fans, it truly is the key to success and longevity in a market as competitive as the App Store. Keep it up!
so frustrated, i registered just to get some advice. I was loving my play through Story Mode until the final boss fight. I could handle the difficulty curve on the last screen, crypt 3 was no problem, etc. After a couple of tries, I was able to get through Pinnacle 2/3. But the final boss is absolutely slaughtering me. I don't know what it is, but I'm not even denting him; I'll get the progress messages (the highest I've gotten to is when you ask Whitebeard "How much longer?" and he replies), but just can't seal the deal (pun definitely intended). Every other boss fell on the first try - I've tried all kinds of combinations of weapons/pendants*, but it's just not happening for me. Maybe my Magic is too low? I'm 6/15/16. Any strategies would be highly recommended. I was using Arcane Heart + Hungry Sword. *note - when I equipped the Old Pendant, I barely got any buffing spells. Same with Whitebeard's Ring (to use in conjunction with the blue robe +55 to frost), barely got any frost. Anyone else encountering this?
Old Pendant doesn't increase the chance of encountering a buff spell, it only boosts the duration. Glowing Sword, however, will increase your chances of running into buff spells, so definitely use it if that's the route you're going to take. Also, if you don't get the spells you're looking for in the 4 urns at the beginning of any boss fight, just quit to the map and restart. For story mode Hurgoth, however (as opposed to MM), I probably wouldn't use the Glowing Sword + Penant combo since he only summons 4 enemies at a time. The glowing enemies only drop targeted spells. so if your buffs run out because he's not summoning fast enough then you're out of luck, and both your sword and trinket are useless. Generally I only use that for MM Hurgoth (who summons 8 at a time) or MM Vataneba, who summons some absurd number like 12 (though most of those are basic zombies). Giantslayer isn't available until MM, though that's probably the best general use weapon for boss fights. If you have the IAP, I'd still recommend the Phoenix Feather, because it's just that good. If not, I'd recommend Demon's Ring + Singe Trappings + Whatever sword. Usually I use Pyre Garment, but your magic (and therefore your magic crit %) is pretty low, and you really want those Fireball crits. With Demon's Ring you'll get a LOT of Fireballs and Shadow Bombs, which are easily the best spells in this fight (if not in general). Kepa may disagree with me here, but I digress. Shadow Bomb is great because it hits two locations. So as soon as he summons, you want to dash to either the left or right, within range of both spawn points on that side, then cast Shadow Bomb over on the opposite side. If it's done right you should be able to take out all 4 summons 100% of the time, and you may be able to hit Hurgoth with one or both as well (especially if you critical). Fireball only hits one location, so it really needs that critical to do its job properly. But with Singe Trappings you should be able to just launch it arbitrarily in the middle of the fight and take out basically everyone. In between waves of enemies, just pound on him with whatever you have (Hungry Blade I guess would be viable if you don't have Inferno Blade), then repeat. Just watch out for his lasers—they can be difficult to notice because he doesn't make an obvious show of charging up, he just flashes white a little bit. Unfortunately, he also flashes as he takes damage while you pound on him. You'll get the hang of it without too much trouble, though. When in doubt, just dash to the side for a second and dash back. Don't use up your spells on him too early, since you want to save them for when he has minions out. Once you get that 3rd notification, however, you can just launch whatever spells you have left at his face and he should die. EDIT: Just cleared him in probably about a minute using that setup, for reference sake. I'd record it but I'm at school right now.
Help! Went though the game 5 times now to try and find all secrets and haven't had any luck with these: - Sister Anvil - Warchief Tent - Cave Painting - Ruined Golems - The very last 2 achievements in the list Could anyone point me in the right direction for those? At the very least, I could use the level+mode(story or master) for each? Thanks!
the achievements that you listed are secret area achievements in story mode levels. Check the 3rd levels I remember them in the levels on the first map
They're all in Story Mode. Just be thorough in each level, a lot of them are through hidden walls. Some of them will be noticeably marked by things like different colors on the ground, etc, and some are trickier. The last three of the four you listed are in Orc Forest, Boarlands and I believe the Undergardens, respectively. Don't remember where Sister Anvil is but it's pretty early. Ruins Crossing, maybe? The last two achievements on the list are still glitched. Don't worry about them until the next update hits.
Thanks. I found Sister Anvil and Ruined Golems. No luck on the other 2 yet. Edit: Found Cave Painting. Edit: Finally found the Warchief Tent. And the crystal staff. Anyone know where the Cursed Skull is? And ive found gnomey 3 times but cant select it as a pet..
I love this game so much, I'm doling it out to myself in tiny bits, because I really really don't want to beat it and have it be over, lol. Also, I was shocked when I got on TA tonight, for the first time since it came out the Mage Gauntlet thread wasn't on the sidebar on the main page! It looks like its because of all the new releases though.
Wait, what do you want me to do, exactly? No ETA until we submit it. Yeah I'll see if anything should be done with the combo once the buff spell changes are in. The change is that with only a few buff spells, you'll get those buff spells constantly with Glowing Sword. That, and that'll be stronger than what they were. Dunno yet, haven't gotten to that request. If this update gets huge, we might not be able to do the content update until the new game is nearly out. Thanks, good feedback. I really want to shorten the Story Mode levels, but I think this is basically impossible right now due to time. What I'm doing for now is just adding more spells and trying to make sure you never get a disappointing spell (taking shield and lucky out of the rotation, merging silence and time circle into one spell, making sword fury stronger). It's a band-aid and not a total fix, but shortening the levels would be a huge amount of work. For future games we'll design things around Master Mode's pacing. We can add a little more duration to the haste urns, sure. It becomes mandatory because everyone will start breaking things for those extra spells. Even if they're crappy spells. If breaking things provides an advantage (however slight), then not breaking things is a comparable disadvantage. We'll do coins or something in the next game. Anyway, there's gnomes in there now. We'll try a pack in the content update, along with the single items (the drudge costume and robe that adds a bonus damage effect to dashing and charging). The cheaper we make a pack, the less powerful the items would be, though. Maybe a pet + robe + hat pack, leaving out the trinket and sword means way less playtesting required. Cursed Skull is in master mode, at the end of the line of secrets. Find him 5 times.
Hey kepa, does Gnomey still show up in barrels after you've unlocked him as a pet? I'm thinking of the screenshot potential here, lol. Two Gnomeys and a Gnomey-hatted Lexi ftw!
Is there like a 'best' set of items in this game or does it really just depend on your play style? If so what are their names?
Half playstyle/other half 'best' If you like 'buff' spells there is an equipment set for you. If you like the 'earthspike' spell there is an equipment set for you. Phoenix Feather is a must for most levels if you plan on getting 3 stars. The swords can be changed, some people like the inferno blade. I personally like the hungry blade. Most armor you get in story mode is useless in a sense. All good armor (three sets imo) are all gotten in Master Mode. Unless you buy the IAP robe. I cannot seem to unlock this stupid eyeball achievement. Sort of frustrating. Also feel kind of dumb... how do you get WHAAM! I use the 50% damage increase sword to no avail... even crit doesn't "count". Which enemies even have "30 hp". Kepa, go to the master mode secret that talks about the "castle" and change that to "estate" unless there is some kind of "castle" I am missing out on...? Haven't played too much since I hit 300 stars and beat master mode. Only really going after achievements/hitting level 75 now. Crypt 3 on master mode is too hard for me to three star. Tried for like 4 hours. Going to watch that video someone posted now. Anyway I'm really pumped for this update and feel that everything will be addressed. Kepa I would like to request for you to add something so that when you find one of the 13 (or is it 12?) books you get a 1/13 found and then 2/13 and so on until you find all of them. If you miss one it keeps the count going so you won't exactly know where you missed it, but you know you missed one. This should make implementation a little easier. If you can't do it, oh well. But if you can I will wait until the update to go and find them again. Obviously this update will start everyone at 0/13 found so people who have the achievement don't have to worry but everyone else can start anew. Dunno, not too sure how this will work out since people have started finding these books already. I'm a little mad because I had the achievement in OF and it didn't transfer over. Also if you find books while using OF and switch to GC before you find all of them in OF it probably didn't register the books you found in OF. That's what I'm assuming, of course.
