Thanks from the Dev! Hey everyone, thanks for playing! I just saw this thread. I was about to create one. Thanks to the OP for doing it for me. If anyone has any questions, please let me know and I'll try to respond as quickly as possible. Thanks so much for your support. This is my first fully solo game (I used to work AAA in studios). I'm learning all the ropes of doing it all by myself so I apologize in advance if I go about anything incorrectly. I gotta say thank you again for all the support I've gotten from everyone. You guys are awesome (and highly critical in a good way, which is what I need so bring it). Explanation of the game modes, and resources Game Mode: Challenge Saga - designed challenge rooms (not random) - no player abilities (flat stats) - speed run gets hard after the first 5 (they're just gimmes) - speed run is the hardest thing in the game, don't expect to be able to do them - remember to share your replays on everyplay (the bottom right button on the room summary, film clip icon) - remember to watch replays on everyplay (get tips from how other people solved rooms) Game Mode: Free Running - procedurally generated mazes - player abilities (start each run with flat stats, earn perks each time you level up during your run) Resource: Gold - your gold loot is global (shared between what you pick up in Challenge and Free Run) - use it to beat rooms in Challenge Saga that you can't pass (from the room summary screen, click the $ icon to go to shop and click "buy beat room") - use it to buy gems (cost 1000) - find it in loot crates - get it from prize minigame - get it from redeeming prize codes Resource: Gems - your gems loot is global (shared between what you find/earn/buy in Challenge and Free Run) - use them to unlock areas (on the Challenge Saga overworld menu, unlocks for both game modes) - use them to continue your run in Free Running after you die (consecutive continues on the same run increase in price) - use them to take a spin on the prize minigame (cost 5) - find them in loot crates (rare drops) - buy them with gold in shop - get them from prize minigame - get them from redeeming codes Resource: Spells - only used in Free Running mode - if you have any, you will select one when starting a run - gives you starting perks (normally start with no perks, and earn them each rank up during your run) - find them in loot crates (rare drops) - get them from prize minigame - get them from redeeming codes - I may add them to the shop, buy them with gold (what do you think? good idea?) Prize minigame - watch an ad to play the minigame free - pay 5 gems to play the minigame - rewards: gold, gems, and spells Prize codes - every now and then I'll post up codes that you can use on the prize minigame menu - go to: Main Menu -> Try Get Prize -> Redeem Code and enter the code - codes can only be used once per user - codes will expire (I'll post expiry date when I post the codes)
Explanation of Free Running Perks There are 18 total perks which are available in Free Running mode. You begin each run with flat stats (like Challenge Saga mode), but you earn XP in Free Running mode (for killing enemies, visiting new rooms, and visiting new caverns). As you earn XP, you Rank-UP. Each time you Rank-Up, you are presented randomly with 3 of the 18 perks and you get to pick one. Perks you already have may show up, and they will increase the power of that perk if you select them. Explanation of Spells Spells are collections of 3 perks. Spells are used when you start a run in Free Running. They apply the perks in the spell to you right away so you get to start your run with already buffed stats (as if you had Ranked-Up already a few times). The Perks! Chance of Block - In combat, you strike first, then the enemy, then you, then the enemy, until you flee or the enemy or you dies. - This perk gives you a chance to block the enemy's attack turn - Always useful. Chance of Critical Damage - When you take your attack turn, you hit for 1 damage. - This perk gives you a chance to hit with more damage. - Always useful. Critical Damage Amount - The amount of damage that will be applied if your chance of Critical occurred. - Only available if you have Critical chance perk - Always useful (can get very powerful) Chance of Counter Attack - Combat is turn based, you attack first, then the enemy, until you flee, or you or the enemy dies. - This perk gives you a chance to damage the enemy instead of take damage on their attack turn. - Always useful (can get very powerful) Counter Attack Damage Amount - The amount of damage that will be applied if your chance of Counter occurred. - Always useful (can get very powerful) Chance of Chain Damage - During combat, when taking your attack turn you only attack the enemy you are engaging. - With this perk, you have a chance to also damage all the other enemies in the room. - Always useful (can get very powerful) Chain Damage Amount - The amount of damage that will be applied if your chance of Chain Damage occurred. - Always useful (can get very powerful) Chance of Life Leech - During combat, you attack, then the enemy, then you, etc until you flee, or the enemy or you dies - With this perk, you have a chance of leeching life from the enemy during your attack (so you take life from them, and gain life for yourself at the same time). - Always useful (can get very powerful) Life Leech Amount - The amount of life that you will receive if your chance of Life Leech occurred. - Always useful (can get very powerful) Chance of Health Pickup - In Free Running, every room is procedurally generated. - More enemies are added to each room the longer your run goes. - This perk increases the chance that a health pickup (the chest) will be in the room. - Very useful later in your run as enemy numbers and difficulty increase. Less Walls - In Free Running, every room is procedurally generated. - The algorithm makes the rooms more complex the longer your run goes. - This perk reduces the chance of walls. - Very useful later in your run as room complexity increases. Less Hazards - In Free Running, every room is procedurally generated. - The algorithm makes the rooms more hazardous the longer your run goes. - This perk reduces the chance of hazards. - Very useful later in your run as room hazards increase. Less Enemies - In Free Running, every room is procedurally generated. - More enemies are added to each room the longer your run goes. - This perk reduces the number of enemies that will be in the room. - Very useful later in your run as enemy numbers increase. - Not useful early in your run (you want enemies so you can kill them, get xp, and rank up fast). Less Enemies - In Free Running, every room is procedurally generated. - More enemies, and more difficult enmies are added to each room the longer your run goes. - This perk reduces the difficulty of enemies that will be in the room. - Very useful later in your run as enemy numbers and difficulty increase. - Not useful early in your run (you get more xp for higher level enemies, which you want to rank up fast early in your run). More Pickups - In Free Running, every room is procedurally generated, and enemy drops are randomized. - This perk increases the chance of loot crates in the room, increases the chance there will be something in loot crates, and increases the chance of enemies dropping loot on death. - Very useful if you're farming. Better Pickups - In Free Running, contents of loot crates and enemy drops are randomized. - This perk increases the value of loot in loot crates and drops from enemies (more chance of higher gold, gems, spells, and items). - Very useful if you're farming. Run Faster - The hero runs a fixed speed. - This perk increases the run speed. - Very useful in Frozen area (you lose 1hp per second in Frozen area). - Good when combined with Less Walls & Less Hazards perks. Chance of Revival - In Free Running mode, when you die that's it. - This perk gives you a chance of being revived when you die (basically a free continue). - Always useful!
In Game Prize Code Hey everyone, you can use this code in game for 10,000 gold! Beat 10 rooms or buy 10 gems with it. It will expire at Midnight PST (but I'll post more in the future, don't worry). I'll post codes periodically. Feel free to request some. I'll post some spell codes later for Free Running mode. Enjoy! How's the game for you? Lemme know. Thanks!
Last Prize Code of the Day Hey guys, just dropping another prize code in here for anyone playing. This one gives you 25 gems. Use them to take a spin on the prize minigame 5 times, or retry on a freerunning run. Any Questions? Does anyone have any questions for me? Feel free to ask. How's it going anyway? How far are you? Which mode are you playing the most?
Tried two other games first before work but I'll make some time to try this one later on after work in when I wake up, already downloaded ready to try. Hopefully there are still codes that work by then though.
If they've expired (I'll hold out a bit past midnight PST), just ask here for some more and I'll post more. Thanks for the support. Ask me anything if you're stuck.
Just playing adventure mode. Room 8 so far. Fun game. I am not as twitchy as i used to be since i am a "mature" gamer, but managed to 3 gem the first 6 worlds and multiple tries on the 7th wold has only got me to about 14 seconds. Still far frm the 12.3 or whatever i need. The other mode looks fun, might try it tonight. Are there upgrades in Adventure mode?havent come across any yet. I wish you great success.
Hey! Thanks for playing. Here's a word of warning: The speedrun times are hard. The first 5 rooms in Molten area are gimmes. The rest of the game are strictly hardcore. I wouldn't expect many people to be able to do them. That's why it's the 3rd challenge. I usually just beat the room, then try to beat all the enemies, then move on. I go back to speedruns when I'm randomly looking for a challenge. Beating challenges in Challenge Saga is a good way to collect gems. Getting the first two challenges in each room is relatively easy (although beating all enemies in the Frozen area rooms is very difficult). The 5th, 15th, 25th, etc rooms give you a bonus 5 gems just for beating the room. The 10th, 20th, 30th, etc rooms give you 10 bonus gems just for beating the room. So you don't have to try to beat all challenges in each room to progress, or to collect lots of gems. I tried to make it fair that way. Something in there for super hardcore to brag about (that's why the leaderboards are cumulative, and there's video replays), and something in there for the rest of us. Lemme know what you think about that balance. I suggest not getting hung up on that third challenge. But good luck!
I would maybe add a video on the App Store or make the yellow things a little smaller so people can get a better idea about what's going on.
Great job on your first game, dev. Having a lot of fun with it, and especially enjoy having you join us on the forums. Here's to hoping this game does well enough that you can continue producing, and on an even grander scale. Welcome!
Yes! I need to do that. I'm working on some video right now, I need to do an edit for the store also. Thank you for reminding me. I need to replace the pictures also. They really suck. I hate the yellow things. I just tossed them in there for some reason to try to add explanation text. I need to try to replace it with something less "stab you in the eye ugly". The yellow things suck. Thanks again for your feedback.
Hey, thanks for your comments and encouragement! I hope you enjoy the game. I appreciate the welcome! I'd like to get some updates in there if there's support for it. Posting the devlog thread in the "upcoming games" sub-forum helped me so much. It made me try harder and not let me make excuses for myself since I'm mostly working alone. I know the game doesn't match the polish of the larger, more experienced teams, but I'm happy I was able to elevate it to what it is now. I owe that to the community here who was commenting and giving feedback along the way. Made me feel like I had a bigger team. It was nice. In the future, I won't start a thread that early. I was always worried about appearing spammy if I posted too much. Anyway, I'll post up a prize-code for some cool spells tomorrow. It's pretty exciting to start a Free Run with a powerful spell!
Special Prize Code Well, it's technically tomorrow. I couldn't wait. I'll just leave this here and head to bed. This is a kind of special code. They won't all be like this. This one gives you 6 spells. 2 of each of these: Spell 1: +45% chance of critical +3 critical damage +45% chance of health chest Spell 2: +45% chance of chain damage +3 chain damage +45% increased pickup value Spell 3: +45% chance of revival +45% more pickups +45% chance of critical Enjoy!
Almost went to bed without seeing this. I don't know what to say. The way this thread starts I think should be...edited, maybe moderated. I think it takes away from the attention this game and developer deserves. I haven't tried it yet, but the concept sounds great! On top of that, I think he has one of the best business models for an F2P. I am looking to start doing some hobby developing, and it's nice to know the community has some actual developers hanging out with us gamers. Congratulations and good luck! I'll be sure to get you a drink through the IAP, with or without ads, you give me hope.
Thank you for the codes. I'm sitting down today to give the game a complete shake down. So far it's been really fun. I really like the IAP structure to remove the ads. I'll report back later with a proper rating and impressions. Again thank you very much for the gem, gold, and spell codes. That was very nice of you. Billy
Wow, hey thanks for your comments. I hope you enjoy the game! Good luck with your dev projects. It's very rewarding. Don't give up, there's always lots of resources out there online if you're ever stuck on anything, so just go for it!
Thanks Billy! I hope you enjoy the game. I would be curious to hear your feedback. I'll post up more codes periodically if there is interest. I'd love to hear from anyone playing the game really.
Thanks again for the feedback on the horrible screenshots that are up on the store. I've replaced them all, but I can't upload them until I upload a new version of the app. The way apple runs things, Screenshots have to be reviewed with a full app update. It's so scammers don't get a crappy game approved and then change the screenshots afterwards to something awesome looking. I guess that's fair, but it's a pain for me. I'll replace the screenshots when I do the next app updated (soon). I want to wait a couple of days in case anyone finds any issues then I can fix that at the same time. Bummer that I'll have those crappy screenshots during my "launch weekend", but lesson learned. That's what this first game is all about for me. I wanted to try to make something fun, but also learn everything so I can do better next time. Here's the new screenshots already updated in the Google Play Store for the Android version (just FYI, not spamming here). You can see they're much better: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.FirstOrderGames.SwipeyRogue Thanks again for the feedback!
Ok, First off I paid to remove the interspersed ads. Have a cup of coffee on me. I am going to also continue to watch ads for the rewards to give you more revenue. When I am done here I will go place my review on the AppStore. I like the game. It's fun. It is a rogue like experience but also an auto runner. The presentation is pretty nice and the swiping control scheme works great. My favorite mode of play is the free running. I like the procedural generation and the spells and the ranking and spell system. It makes it interesting and has that "one more time" appeal! I keep going back for more with this mode and I'll watch the ad to try and get a good spell before I start. The challenge mode is also good. You really have to be precise. And you do get a nice sense of accomplishment when you conquer a room. That first molten level 5 was a b****. Lol. I kept at it and when I finally got it I was really happy. The sounds, music, and graphics in the game are nice. I can't believe you did this by yourself. That alone deserves a purchase. I really like how you structured the ad removal IAP so that it's pretty much accessible by anyone. I've recently become permanently disabled defending a co worker and my finances have been tight until my pension kicks in and I was very appreciative of your pricing levels. Further more having the ads that are not forced where you get rewarded the gems gold or spells are jus great. Again this makes it accessible to anyone. It gives you revenue and we get rewarded. And it's not forced. I also like every play. That was a nice touch adding that. A lot of us on touch arcade use it. Might I suggest you get in touch with an admin to do a mobcrush live stream event where you can give out codes and give pointers during it. It would definitely get the word out about your game in a positive way. Suggestions, I would make female characters as an option as well. I would make different classes like maybe a swordsman or an archer maybe? People love choices and it would work well in your formula. Again thank you for all the codes. They worked perfectly. And thanks for a great game! Billy
Wow! Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I appreciate your feedback and your enthusiasm for the game (and the purchase, which really wasn't necessary, but thanks!). I'm glad you're happy with the pricing. That was my biggest goal. I play many games that are fun but are ruined by paywalls or forced advertising, and I just wish that I could have bought the game instead right? I wanted to make it free but I tried to find a way to be as cool as possible about monetizing and not exploit people. I'm glad you appreciate it. Free Running is definitely the game. I probably should have put that button first in the list instead of second. The Challenge Saga mode was something I wanted in there to try to stand out. So many of these runner games only rely on procedural stuff, and I wanted to have some "designed, intentional content" in there to showcase a bit of what I do, and not just what I program (if that makes any sense). I bounce back and forth between the modes depending on mood. I find it fun to clear a bunch of challenges and see my progress on the scrolling map. Word of warning: the Challenge Saga speedrun times are all intentionally hard. I played them a million times and put my best time + 10 hundredths of a second for some leeway. There are often almost hacky tricks to get the time (like shaving corners really close or running between a fireball and a wall). They're not meant to be completed by everyone. I wanted something in there for the super hardcore if they happen to find the game. Also, they don't have to be completed at the same time as the other challenges. I made the speedrun times really easy for the first 4-5 levels in the Molten area (the first 5 levels in the molten area are basically the tutorial, I hate tutorials so I just made easy levels to convey the idea). Because the speedrun times are easy and you can beat all the challenges at once, some people think that you can (or have to) do that for the rest of the levels and get frustrated. I probably should have found a way to communicate that that isn't the case. I usually beat the level, maybe try to beat all the enemies in the process, then move on to the next level. I only go back to speedruns every now and then if I want a challenge. I designed, coded, produced, and marketed the game myself but I had help with 2D art and music composition. Declan Bell did the music composition (I did the sound design / sound effects), and Anthony Coito did the original 2D art (I designed the layouts, sizes, and shapes of everything and he gave it all a theme and real nice looking art, then I integrated it). But ya, other than that I made all this happen (but it wouldn't have felt polished without them, the music and UI elevated everything beyond what I could have done alone). I had an original plan for 3 character classes with different abilities (with, of course a female character). I didn't have the resources to do it though so I made the 4 areas of the world instead and added some unique gameplay elements to each. I may be able to add more characters in updates, but it depends on the support that the game gets. I'd like to add some more enemies and boss battles to Free Running mode first though, that's the one thing I think I can do on my own regardless. I hope you're uploading replays of your best runs (sneaky speedruns etc). I've been uploading a few to try to get things going. I'll keep an eye out on the Swipey Rogue everyplay community and try to support it. I'd love to do mobcrush!!! I don't know how. I need to just set it up and do a few streams to get sorted. I'm not sure how I could get you guys involved though. Maybe set a time and post here or something? How are people doing it? Thanks again for your comments and feedback! It's very encouraging. Developing on your own is like yelling into the void. I spent years working at studios on big games so this has been an exciting, but slightly bizarre experience being so completely isolated. Holy crap, sorry I wrote so much.
