Eviscerate is one that I'm probably looking at. I'm not sure so much if it's that card that's the problem, or how relatively easy it is to trim your deck. Another angle I'm looking at is for high score chasers, to provide an incentive for players to run a larger deck to maximize (eg: some kind of trophy card that doesn't do anything but gives point at the end) I realize Stamina is mainly only useful for Mischief. I'm brainstorming ways to fix it, which mainly include replacing it with something for characters for which it's not that useful.
I agree that some potions are pretty useless (Stamina comes to mind) but many of them are good I think. Off the top of my head: Invisibility: 50% dodge. Later in the game, this means you're dodging 2 attacks on average. Considering how strong some of the later attacks are, this seems meaningful. Heal: I think this is 20+ health, which is roughly equivalent to Greater Heal, and I think quite good for non-healing classes Fire: Weak later on, but in World I, 8 damage is quite a lot. It's decent in World II still. Speed: Grants 2 actions, so it cycles itself I think the fact that you can easily remove potions from your deck by using them also makes them less of an issue if you don't find them useful. Let me know though if you think I'm overvaluing potions. I think the four listed above are pretty good, and I almost always take them. I also think the idea of having some consumables is interesting for a gameplay perspective - I find myself trying to save them for boss battles, but it gives me a little extra punch in monster battles if I need it.
With the iPhone X update, several items, in particular the gear for options appears cut off, more so in some screens than other. Was this intentional or a stretch bug?
i just purchased the game on my X and am noticing this too. its quite bothersome as its clear in certain spots that it wasnt intentional e.g. text being cut off in the tutorial
Thanks for the feedback on the iPhone X version. I was aware that it was a tad tight given the aspect ratio, though I felt that overall the full-screen view looked better. That said, I'll continue tweaking it. My current plan is to pull back the camera (zoom out) a bit so that it fits better. Once I get to this, I'll post some screenshots on Twitter to get feedback from people. I've added it to the to-do list on Trello - https://trello.com/b/6RpXj76I/meteorfall-bugs-improvements
Once you get the hang of the game finishing Uberlich works out nearly every time. At first I wanted to explore every card despite the games warnings about the deck getting diluted if you pick up too many but once you listen to that advice none of the characters are too hard anymore. Always keep a small deck. Only difference between non-spellcasters and spellcasters should be to keep a good balance between mediate and spell cards for the latter - don't equip too many spells - otherwise you could find yourself running out of charges if no rest or lvl up is around the corner. I retract my former wish that one should be able to permanently upgrade (grind) cards with diamonds - Once you know how to play right, the blacksmith is more than enough for that. I still "temple" shadowburn every time it's possible though (but came to love shadowpact) Finished all 4 characters by now and already have about 1200 diamonds - Can't wait for your updates/new ideas to spend them on. And (@nykeloc) agreed about potions, they're rarely useful. 30+ HP can save you in the end, especially if you made a few deckbuilding mistakes but if I have no choice but to get a potion other than HP (ie from levelling up) I usually use it right away, otherwise it's just a waste of a move. Don't mind about them too much though. Anyway, really loved the game, but as I'm through with the chars now I'll patiently wait for Eric's update. Hard mode and new unlockables would definitely be cool Thanks for this great game Eric, wasn't as hard as I had initially thought (especially regarding Rose) and a lot of the fun came from figuring out the best tactics. Meteorfall gave me many hours of fun gameplay for the price of a cheap drink in a bar and I can't wait for what's next
I'm still glad I bought this one and I've gotten a lot of fun out of it, but now that I've bought all of the characters' special cards, the gems piling up is starting to bother me. Couple that with the fact that currently random occurrences such as blacksmiths and temples absolutely determine your ability to win and how wildly they vary from game to game, and I think it's time to set this one aside until an update or two come down the pike. At this stage of the game, the limitations and general unfinished'ness of the whole thing are pretty glaring.
After roughly 1.5 days of playing I'm already done I guess, beating the game with each character is just way too easy, especially Mischief is ridiculous as with the proper deck, you can always pull of a first turn kill, even on the Uberlich. The premise, a dumbed down copy of Dream Quest with adorable art, is great, but it's missing all variety - there's a clear best deck/strategy for each class, and you'll cycle through that strategy against every enemy in exactly the same way as their cards very rarely impact your options. What was great about DQ was the huge amount of unlockable achievements and how they changed the game, here not even all the unlockable cards are beneficial having. Meteorfall has all the potential to be a classic but it feels like it was released 6-12 months too early, let's hope updates turn it into all that it can be! That said, still 4/5 stars and amongst the top 5 card games imo
In hindsight, I kind of regret going with gems. People REALLY don't like the gems piling up, and it's easy to get them (because I also don't want the game to be too grindy) It's a fine line between giving player enough to unlock, without being too grindy. I think I came down squarely in the casual-friendly camp, but I can see why it's unsatisfying for players that like to unlock stuff. I'm actually the kind of player that loves unlocks, so the current implementation is a bit against my nature. Hard to please both camps I'm also well aware that it lacks the build diversity of DQ, and it's something I'm hoping to address as I grow the card pool. New classes are being designed in such a way that I hope will theme cards in a way that there are multiple builds to pursue. I'm hoping I can boost new builds for existing characters as well - we'll see how that goes.
Is it too late to change from gems to a DQ system (beat x boss to unlock x card etc.)? That makes it feel less grindy since you have an objective rather than just getting gems (DQ also had unlocks for x steps/enemies/dmg taken etc. which took care of rewarding the player for every game) The lack of diversity also stems from cutting down your deck being the best option for every single class, there's no punishment for small decks like in DQ, where that spells game over vs certain enemies. Temple amount completely makes or breaks runs in MF as the starting cards are largely worthless even at level 3.
As I play more I'm starting to realize that if I don't get enough temples early on that I don't stand much of a chance on that particular run, and should probably start over. Question...am I missing something subtle or is there no strategic advantage/disadvantage to which path you choose on the map? Could be a cool add to have each class feature "Preferred Terrain" or something, that offers a small temporary stamina/health boost while in that terrain. Still loving this gem of a game, eager to see where it goes!
Can you refresh my memory on which enemies punish small decks? I went to https://www.reddit.com/r/DreamQuestIOS/ to look at what LoD decks people were using and you're right - they tend to be larger than the decks in Meteorfall. I'd love for someone that understands DQ better than me to explain might that might be. I played DQ a ton but only reached the LoD a few times. The way I usually played DQ was also to try and minimize my deck as much as possible. Once theory I had about why DQ has larger decks is that you can upgrade all cards in Meteorfall. This means that in Mischief's starting deck, two of the best possible cards for a final deck (Stab/Evis) are in your deck from the start. Maybe what I need to do is to weaken the power level of upgrades for starting cards, and print some new cards that are higher power later on?
The main difference is the boss. Each area also has a certain pool of enemies, but it's honestly hard to tell as a player.
There's one on level 3 called the hag that turns your entire drawn hand into curses and since it's also physical resistant (half dmg from physical), finishing it off quickly isn't viable for certain classes - overall some enemies being completely resistant to poison (earth dragon), ice (ice queen) etc. force you to diversify your deck or pray to the RNG gods. Getting rid of a good amount of starting cards is important in DQ but there are many more opportunities to acquire good cards later on without paying for them. I think equipment in general, especially sword and staff level 3 are so crucial in MF that they further incentivize small decks and thus a higher chance of pulling them early. Adding cards to your deck in Meteorfall is more risky since some of them are only good at level 3, but you can't go back to a blacksmith to upgrade them or plan your strategy/deck/money based on exploring the floor and its enemies and buildings like in DQ - the complete lack of knowing what's ahead in MF discourages explorative play. No, half the starting cards for each class are no good even at level 3, don't make them even weaker. Ideally all cards should be viable in at least one build. Other cards like Eviscerate and Hana's Protection are arguably overpowered at level 3.
I wouldn't revamp your system, you have the #1 RPG game in the appstore, you're icon is featured on the front of the apple store today as a favorite game for groundhog day. The gems are annoying after awhile and I don't know if you saw my post last week but you should add a perk system like spending 100 or more diamonds could get you 10 starting gold for your next run, or 5 max hp for that run, or replace a card in the deck. You could choose one perk that costs diamonds on each run and that perk would only last for that run, this way there is something to do with the diamonds and adds a little more replayability to the game. You could also make spending gems unlock additional new perks, gives people a goal to accomplish. Also, back to potions, I think people would use them if you made it so you could only have a max of two potions in a deck and swiping left on them didn't remove an action or give you stamina, just simply put the potion at the bottom of the deck. This way people could actually hold on to them when they need them and not feel like drawing it when it isn't needed wastes a turn. Or you could create a potion pouch that holds a couple of potions at a time and can be used whenever like slay the spire, either was gives the same result.
Is it possible to skip choosing a card when you level up and it gives you a choice between two cards? Often, I don't want either card that is offered.
It's not possible to skip. I actually took this one out of Dream Quest's playbook, which I think does the same. I know it can be uncomfortable as a player if neither option is desirable, but I kind of like the idea that it's difficult to build a perfect deck. Part of the challenge is figuring out how to make the best out of a bad situation. If anything, I think it's too easy right now to build small, optimal decks.
Think the blacksmith is usually more important than temples. Get rid of your basic attack cards by exchanging them for the ones you can get for diamonds (with one or two exceptions), level up the cards you have and don't take on a lot of new ones (except for good lv II or III that fit your deck in the second or third world). If you gotta choose between cards at level up and there's a potion then usually take it and use it as soon as possible (except for a health potion or, again, if there's another choice that really fits your deck). Usually I can beat the game with every character with, if at all, 1 or 2 temple visits max. Maybe 3 for Bruno, he is a bit of an exception due to his 4 Basic Attack cards. I actually like if you gotta choose between two cards that don't fit your deck too much to make the game a bit harder. Really love Meteorfall and thought two of the chars are too hard at first and the two others too easy but after figuring out the standard strategy I'm basically winning every run now. Small deck with cards that work together, as many blacksmith visits as possible and one or two temples should suffice to beat Uberlich. A deck with ~10-15 level III cards complementing each other (not counting basic attack cards of course) is hard to beat.
