Since the developers are on here paying attention, wanted to take a second and point out that I almost gave up on this game on the 6 or 7th stage (somewhere in there). A wave of those tower destroying dudes with healers came along and crushed my face. As an avid TD player I felt that my strategy was air tight, and it was the games problem. I read some other comments in the forum that said they too hated that the towers were getting destroyed and I felt vidicated. "This game isn't fair!" I thought. Well, this morning I started to look around the App Store for another TD game, and saw this game again. For some reason, I decided to try again. I went through the first few levels again and build up my experience a little. Upgraded a few towers and tried again. I am so glad I did. I realized that my initial strategy worked well for the easy waves but the game does require you to adapt to what is coming and (here is a shocker), use those little droids things. Huge rush to beat that level using my brain that reminded me of the feeling Dark Souls had given me time and again. Hooked. Wasted 5 glorious hours of morning. For anyone running into the same thing, try keeping all of your main guns near the base and use the little droid things right where those mean bastereds spawn. Also, I did upgrade the lasers to full health and regen and used them to sheild my heavy hitting and upgraded towers. Also, the game really get roaring when you unlock all the cool shit like the nuke, the second sentinal, this huge "laser mountain" thing and a bunch of new stuff. Love this game.
It's not that you need to explain everything in a wall of text, but some textual clues help when the design is a little vague. This is inherent to futuristic art that has little relateable images, because we don't have laser cannons in real life This is mainly to help the intuitiveness, like this for example: Simple but effective. You can also use this to "explain" the buttons for the upgrades menu's. I'm at lvl 12 or so and I'm just starting to understand most of the buttons, because they are pretty general in design. You probably can relate to them with the thousands of hours of development and brainstorming about the game, but most of us haven't. Apple spends a great deal of thinking and designing their icons on iOS and MacOS X. You should certainly try to figure out how those icons came to that design, you will also find ways to make icons clearer without resorting to explanations for them. To differentiate icons, you can use the following: - color coordination (like red for active and blue for passive abilities) - text labels (like my picture, but don't use it everywhere) - beveling (to differentiate abilities and units for instance) - icon shape (example round for turrets, square for abilities, hexagon for menu) - effects (glow or darken) You should also make it clearer in the MENU what is a BASE ability (drones, nuke), what is a SENTINEL ability (jet jump, shield) and what is that other ability I haven't figured out where they come from (HP beam, missiles,...). Like has been said: being unable to know what the upgrade is going to bring is very frustrating. Try to figure something out to make this easy to understand, like Turret Range: +10% instead of "+5" (it's hard to relate what that last number means). The problem is we are basically only spamming these later on. Another problem is that we can't see ANY info what a certain wave is or even see the next wave. So sometimes we have 10 blue aliens, sometimes we have 50 brown creepers. But they just swarm your 15 or so max droids (costing about $250) and they are basically disposable with some enemies. Early on those credits are valuable and I rather spend that credit on a Laser tower than a droid that doesn't do much to the stream of enemies. The Gloop is about the same: it's time-based so it's an absolute waste early-on because they don't considerably help destroy a wave and later it's just a spam-fest to keep them working. I really like the idea behind them but they way they are implemented, it's basically a money sink. I haven't unlocked the third one yet, so I can't give my opinion on it. For the Droid and the Gloop, I'd say just remove both and boost the effectiveness of the slow tower, since that is the basic function these two things do: slow down the wave. The slow tower is about the last tower I use, because it's "rate of fire" is so low, it only slows a few creeps considerably. My suggestion: much faster rate of fire and drop the amount of slow. Maybe this will help dealing with the armies of fast bugs that race through the entire track. That sucks because some levels have very short paths before the first barrier and I don't think the idea of the game is to use the barrier the first two waves and just build as much laser and shield towers as possible. There are plenty of issues with this: 1. Repair Drones are useless without upgrades for the first 6 or 7 levels. Without atleast a few power cells, which are also upgrades, you are looking at just a few Repair Drones (max) the first 5 or so levels. The problem is that 1 Repair Drone is useless, but 7 aren't. I feel like there should be a max of 3 and they should be more useful each. This makes them useful early-on instead of just after wave 10, but it will allow enough of flexibility without causing it to be less of a necessary evil and more of a helpful addition (in combination with the next point) 2. The damage that is done to turrets is frustrating. Early-on it can cripple you and you basically have to choose between a shield tower that can handle 2 (!) blasts before it's $50 wasted or you need credits to upgrade as soon as it runs out of HP. This can't be the way. Either boost the shield towers considerably so they aren't useless with the first wave of attacking creeps or rethink the entire damage thing. It is frustrating I even have to place two shield-towers next to eachother so they aren't blown out with a more advanced wave. They need to be upgraded early to avoid them being blasted to brown goop in the middle of a wave. It's frustrating the first tower the creeps encounter get the full amount of carnage, meaning it's better to bunch up at the first barrier, near your Sentinel instead of using tactics in placing towers for maximum effectiveness. This isn't an issue that can't be worked around during a game, but it negates many tactics that TD's have had for years. Some levels have bends the first few blocks, but keeping a tower alive there is impossible without a bunch of Shield towers and other towers to distract from blowing up that one tower that should have been able to do 90% of the work. 3. Attack Drones are like the Gloop time-based, which means it's an emergency activation, IF you have the energy. This won't happen for the first 10 or so levels because you are going for Repair Drones to repair the barriers because the brown bugs keep breaking through every defense. 4. Hovering. It is frustrating to see the Drones floating around like a puck on ice, not knowing which tower or structure it will repair. It would help a lot if they were less swingy being able to see what's it's going to do. It would also help if they would be less jumpy to switch between targets, making them sometimes take valuable seconds to finally decide which target gets priority. Maybe let them repair in the same way they are being damaged ? So if 2 towers are being attacked, 1st for 20 damage/sec, 2nd for 30 damage/sec, 5 drones that repair 10 damage/sec. 2 drones go repair the first tower, 3 drones go repair the second tower. Prioritize towers getting the most damage/sec. Although you have claimed that IAP are not needed, the game's difficulty really ramps up after level 10, which means that you need to focus on upgrading smart or you'll be having difficulty completing later levels. I've spent 5000 credits easily on upgrading and I'm about 2/3's of the Laser tower's upgrades, maxed the amount of Repair Drones (in the hope this upgrade would prove useful) and Power Generation Speed. I have done a few Endless runs (max wave 125) to just grind for some upgrades in the hope I could complete another level somewhat decently. I do feel the issue people raise that this game looks "worse" than Sentinel 3, even though this claims to have Retina graphics. I play on the iPad 3rd gen and many levels appear blurry, as do most static images (menu's, buttons, structures). It might look great on an iPhone, but on the iPad it does not. Consider that in a few weeks the new iPhones and possibly new iPads will be announced. It is expected that the iPhones will gain resolution in relation to their increased screen size, so be prepared for this. Plenty of graphics do feel unpolished, undetailed and sometimes blurry, I hope this can be addressed some point in time. The interface is sometimes a little annoying, mainly at the corners of the map or with the huge bullseye targets. I'd suggest have more edge "bleed" so I don't have to zoom in to maximum at the edge of the map to be able to place, upgrade or recycle a tower. With the targets for the Nuke and bomb-area-thingie, could this please be a one-tap thing ? At 3X speed it's impossible to aim (the crosshair disappears before you can drag it) and it's touch-area is really large, meaning you can't touch towers in a large circle around that crosshair. Meaning I have to chose between repairing and upgrading or placing a tower, or dragging it away. That can't be the design. My suggestion: decrease the crosshair to be about half as large and make the touch sensitive area a little smaller than the crosshair itself, so it only takes up a few blocks and you can still manage the towers. It is also VERY frustrating to tap for a Nuke and because of the extreme delay, see your enemy move out of the damage area before it lands. I can see why this could be a gameplay element but some bosses are not that predictable (as a non-developer/veteran). My suggestion: one-tap to set the target and have a max delay of 3 seconds before it hits. No need for all the hoopla. A small bug to finish this post: you are able to unequip the weapon on the Sentinel. This is of zero use, except for reducing a lot of it's offensive capabilities. That can't be a feature. LOL, max 10.000 char limit hit
Because I hit the char limit on the previous post, I'll continue a little here: The first part of my post about being more clear in design is especially important for new players. The game as it is now has a very frustrating start: a lot of buttons, a lot of upgrades that are unclear what they will do (or how much) and many icons are confusing all around. Because I've played this game for a bunch of hours, have played the previous game and have wrestled myself through the confusing start, I can't be a good judge what is confusing and what is not. I suggest you let people around you be the judge, like family and friends who haven't played the game yet. I've read some of the feedback people have given and many points are valid. Don't try to defend yourself against the arguments, but try to think in solutions to fix it. If people are annoyed or frustrated by these points, take into consideration that although an idea might be good with a story behind it, 99.99% of the people will never know that sorry. We all here took the time to sum up the various issues we have, after spending the $4,99 or €4.49 for the game. We do this not to complain, but to hopefully see this game improve in the future.
Wow, Phuncz thank you for taking all this time to write all this feedback. It's well reasoned, constructive and extremely valuable to us. You are correct that most of the systems and controls that people see have evolved over a very long period of time and are second nature to us. Sometimes the most efficient way to represent things in terms of screen space or the nicest looking icons do not allow players to understand things as well as we would have liked. We've taken on board everything you have said, and are already working on the first update. I've already adjusted the early waves of soldiers to be less brutal, and also added a new way to repair towers with a button press (at a small cost). I do agree with pretty much all of your points, and we will strive to make this the best game it can be. Thank you again.
I'd like to second what Phuncz said, also like to add that I id like a restart option rather than having to exit/get rewards and start again because the rewards you get for failing a level just aren't worth it. I died on the last alien on the last wave of level 6 (hard) and got 44xp points.
That was a quite funny rant and I have to agree with you, especially on points 1, 2, 3 (this what is frustrating me the mostthe graphics are not for retina displays at all, only the text), 5 and 7 (how easily a fully upgraded turret is destroyed by a weak enemy is ridiculous, you dont have time to react at all).
Thanks and I'll keep watching this thread to monitor the progress, as I will with the game updates. If you need someone to bounce ideas off of or need a tester, just ask
Number 6 is the source of all your problems. You never, ever, drink alcohol as a way of making video games more interesting. The same applies to music and movies. The alcohol simply dulls your mind, and makes the boring more so. Always go with weed for extreme cases of gamer's boredom syndrome (known in medical marijuana circles as GBS). That should alleviate all your Sentinel 4 problems, but consult your doctor or local pharmacist (or possibly the guy on the corner) for more information.
In all seriousness, if you want a kick-ass manual you can put into the game (under the ? Button since ? certainly doesn't mean "credits") with little effort offer the job of writing it to your fans, of which there are thousands. Offer a developer's credit as a reward and then pick the best one. It's a great way for developers to connect with their consumers and an awesome way to reward them. You can move the list of developers to a button on the main screen called "manual"
You know dedicated I am to this game? I'm still playing. But this time I bought TWO bottles of vodka and just downloaded Captain America 2. If I can't have fun this time I'm probably screwing a doorknob and need to stop. That being said, this time I'm drunk enough to spend star credits just to see what they do. Sooooo......bonuses for one scenario only. That would be nice to know, right? I finally spent all my saved up credits on upgrades to the health of the laser and bomb turrets. How much did it help me out? I have no freaking clue because this game refuses to give me information, like the Ferguson police. I want to take a moment to seriously appreciate the makers of this game. They belong on the Mount Rushmore of tower games. Their creation of Sentinel 3 was the "who Let the Dogs Out" of the gaming community. A massive hit followed by obscurity. This sequel has all the makings of TWO massive sequels but they tried to do it all in one. Too much added and not enough thought. Also, I should add, that I'm just dipping into the second bottle of vodka. In the previous game I felt like I knew what the enemy was. There was enough description to really make me enjoy the lovely (see 2nd bottle) the introduction of a new species. This time, when I play, i have virtually no intro to the new species. I don't get why you rushed that part. It breaks my heart ( see 2nd bottle reference )
IMHO: General: 1) The UI is a bit confusing, the amount of features and the sci-fi setting doesn't make it easier. You should add more in-game help and maybe add an "?" button in-game that shows a descriptive overlay for the basic UI elements (a bit like Apple's iPhoto) with an option for more in-depth infos. Also more information about how upgrades change the stats would be great. 2) Just in "easy" mode you could add 300-500 credits worth of upgrades everywhere, color-code the bars in pink or some obvious color (because they are only added in "easy" and removed in any other difficulty). And I mean 300-500 everywhere where there is a "buy with credits" button. 3) Better explain the star-fragments and how you can use them for boosts/modifiers or trade them for credits or xp. Since the boosts are not permanent maybe make the turret, structure and money modifier cheaper on "easy". Also the trade-in options are a bit hidden in the $ menu (where people expect just IAPs). Maybe change the $ sign to a star fragment and place the IAP on the bottom with a $ icon instead of a star-fragment. Or maybe just use separate menus for IAP and star fragments and add a star fragment icon to the main menu. 4) Personally I think the challenge is appropriate in each difficulty. But only if you don't rush from level to level. For people who want to do that you should give the "easy" mode a more prominent place (or make it default and rename it to "normal") and add the extra credits into upgrades (s. 2.). Specific: 5) Turrets getting destroyed is fine. Shields, auto-repair, health upgrades, salvage, repair drones, orbital repair etc. are enough. It's just that a lot of people seem to not get enough credits to use or even discover these options (s. 1/2/3.). 6) Droids are very useful and should remain in the game. 7) Repair drones are useful and work as expected, but you should make it more obvious and easier to change their behavior. So far I'm just in level 14 on an iPad Air and played each campaign at least once in every difficulty and endless mode so far. Enjoying it very much so far, just wish I had more time for it.
It seems like some people have a number of issues with the game but I'm shocked that nobody has yet pointed out the most egregious error of all: I can place a tower, fully upgrade it, sell it, and then end up with more money than when I started. I can do this into perpetuity to make virtually unlimited amounts of cash. This is a great way to get past those tougher levels but it's clearly a bug and needs to be fixed. You also shouldn't be able to start an endless level, quit immediately on the first wave, and then post to twitter and facebook. This is presently the quickest way to earn credits, but I should be rewarded for playing the game, not immediately quitting and then spamming facebook and twitter. I would finally point out that the game locks up on me every time I post to Twitter. I still get the credits, but I have to quit the app and then restart it. Every time. I'm running IOS 6. Other then the aforementioned issues, I'm fairly pleased with the game. It's certainly challenging (even on easy), but as I continue to upgrade my tech, I expect to be able tackle the harder difficulty levels. Keep up the good work!
The tower cost bug has already been quietly fixed for the next update, but thanks for the report anyway We'll take a look at social media credit rewards and the Twitter crash. You're on an iPhone 5 as stated in your profile, correct?
Easily a 5 star tower defense game. If you have played the previous versions you will love this one even more. So many ways to tweak your gameplay and this keeps the game very interesting. Cleared all campaigns levels on hard and working on Psycho difficulty now...loads of fun and days worth of gameplay if not more. Interesting storyline keeps your interest and the soundtrack is fantastic. Worth the cost paid. I can say with 100% confidence that ZERO IAP purchases are needed to progress through game. Clearly the developers only included IAP for those who are inexperienced at basic TD gameplay or for those who like to immediately upgrade all items because they don't enjoy the challenge or strategy part of playing TD games. On Psycho difficulty and haven't purchased an IAP - this tells me the developers are NOT out to just grab money but have produced a solid game truly worth the initial purchase price. A MUST BUY! Developer please consider adding additional stages even if an add-on would require a nominal fee for those TD gamers hungry for more.
I agree, although rough around the edges, it's still a gem. Very good D&B soundtrack and I don't mind the IAP since the games isn't built around them. If anything, I welcome the developers to enable the use without the abuse. It's for the buyer to decide. I do hope for more content in the future, with more diverse maps/themes.
Update V1.1.0 Details Hi everyone, thanks for all the continued feedback. We've been soaking it all up and will be rolling out some updates which will improve the game. The first update has already been awaiting approval at Apple for almost a week, so we hope it won't be long before it will be available. Here are the main changes: - New repair button on turrets to instantly repair them - Soldier damage decreased and Soldier waves easier - Repair drones repair much faster, maximum number reduced from 7 to 4. - Added lots of extra explanation, tips and help to the first few levels and the menus - Medium difficulty setting is now slightly easier - Increased rewards for repeating campaign missions - Droids health, regen and ranged damage increased - Path Gloop lifetime increased We are still working on further updates, but really wanted to get this one out there as soon as possible to address some bugs and add the new tower repair systems. Thanks for all your support and keep the suggestions for the next update coming!
The repair button is a welcome addition ! These all seem like good changes to that will make the game more enjoyable for new players but also for more experienced players ! Longer Gloop and better Droids will definitely help too !
Update V1.1.0 has just been approved! Hi everyone, The update (changes listed above) has finally been approved by apple, so you should be able to grab it soon. Let us know what you think of the new repair systems, and if you were confused before I would highly recommend playing through the first few levels again. Plus you'll also get more rewards for repeated campaign missions now Enjoy!
Next Update Now you should have your hands on the first quick update, it's time for us to make changes addressing some of the more pressing issues. Here is currently what's been going into the next update for Sentinel 4: - Improved UI and controls. We are experimenting with clearer UI, and better controls for activating weapons and abilities. - Improved upgrade information and stats. All armoury upgrades now clearly state exactly how much the upgrade will alter the gameplay. - More help and useful information added. - Balance changes focusing on reducing the damage some tougher enemies can do to your turrets. Also we are trying to address some other issues, although they may be in a future update as we really want to keep the improvements rolling out quickly. These issues include: - Improved graphics, especially for retina iPads. - Experimenting with easier tower damage systems, especially for lower skill settings. We're hoping to finish the next update next week, so it should be in your hands a few days after that. Thanks again for all your support!
