Hi Drazglb. I have played your game and I say that's a fenomenal work of art here. The graphics and the music are so gorgeous. I just loved every aspect of your work, I loved to play that and I took the chance to post on my channel.
Maybe the only problem here is the lack of more enemies, in my humble opinion. Despite that, I give you kudos for this beautiful game.
Hey, thank you for playing Decline's Drops! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. I agree, there are not lots of enemies for now and the only one who has more than 1 HP is the chicken. This is something I'm working on and there will be lots of new and tougher enemies to fight in the final release, of course. For the next demo, you'll see more enemies too! Stay tuned =)
This is definitely a very neat and stylishly animated game, I love the concept and the art style. However, I don't know what current plans are like, but I'd warn against making too many bosses that are just big unflinching damage-sponges.
These sorts of bosses work for Smash because they provide a style of gameplay that every character can approach in the same way with less risk of bad matchups, where everyone's moves have the same effect (just do damage until you win) and everyone can avoid attacks with the generic dodge/shield/jump moves. But... because of this, they're too far separated from the standard gameplay, and somewhat homogenized. More of a fun sideshow than a culmination of the mechanics.
Since you don't have to work with this constraint, you should be able to make bosses that follow the mechanics of the rest of the game, and provide more satisfying "make use of what you've learned" challenges rather than basically making the player adapt to a whole separate playstyle for boss fights
Hi, first of all thank you for your kind message and your very useful feedback!
I'll be honest, I never thought about that problem. While I do have many ideas for the bosses, I must admit the way you fight them is indeed similar to the ones you fight in the Super Smash Bros. series, or the Shovel Knight bosses, to give another example.
It's actually a very good advice, and while the first boss is already done for the next demo (and I currently don't have the time to remake it), I'll definitely consider the question as I now think of many new possibilities. A huge, huge thank you for that.
✔️ Graphics - The overall look is cohesive. Very easy to the eyes. Beautiful. There are many ways to describe how good the graphics is. I like it very much. The screen transition is really cute as well, and I also liked its color palette.
✔️ Sound effects and music
✔️ Character movement and attack - Moves smoothly and I like the variety of attacks
✔️ Level design - I only played one level. I like the design because it wasn't monotonous or boring. It was fun exploring, collecting stuff and fighting the enemies.
Minor stuff:
The default controls are a bit odd for me though, WAD instead of ASD. But that's just a minor thing that can be fixed with customizable controls. And on the tutorial decals, W and A are switched.
Thank you very much for your message! I'm really happy you enjoyed the demo.
I added and fixed many things in the next update, and changed the controls for the gamepad. Keyboard controls will stay that way for now, customizable controls will come later but it will be in the final version, I promise!
It may just be a one stage demo for now, but Decline's Drops definitely shows potential. Quality character animations, fun visuals, chickens to punch, and a good kick of nostalgia. It's a good time and I'm curious to see what comes next.
As I said on Twitter, really enjoyed watching your playthrough and your voice is really nice! Thak you for playing my game, hope you'll like what's coming next.
Absolutely loved this game. Played it on stream with a friend and enjoyed the aesthetic, art, sound, and gameplay. Love to see what it becomes. Brilliant game that gives off "Lesbian Cottagecore Sonic" vibes.
It took me a while to find all the drops, but it was worth it (despite the lack of a payoff), especially since the theme of this game resonated with me so much :D
Good to hear; the completion of this game about a puppet who wants to restore her garden will be the greatest gift you can give to your fans, including me :D
You're right, I'll fix this in the next demo. Also this is the very first stage, so I don't want it to be too hard. But don't worry, I'll spice things up later!
Hi , thank you very much, I really appreciate it! I'll answer to both of your questions. The game is planned to be released on the end of 2021, probably early 2022. As for drawing tips... Well, to me there's only one rule: training. Train a lot, stay focused, and over everything have fun even if it's hard!
Weird question but what did you use to make the visuals for your game? I would assume that the character animations were made in adobe animate (as that's the only form of vector graphics GMS2 supports in sprites besides Spine), but if you wouldn't mind I'd like to know just a bit more about your method (especially in regards to environments), speaking as a fellow GMS user who wants to avoid ye olde pixel graphics artstyle.
Obviously you don't have to answer if it would be too revealing in regards to your work methods.
Hi there! There's no reason I wouldn't reveal how I work ^^! Actually everything is hand-drawn frame by frame and I use Clip Studio Paint Pro EX. I export the animations as PNG files directly in Game Maker Studio 2. Same goes for the backgrounds. Hope you find this useful for your next project!
Wait, if that's the case then how did you manage to keep the image from being butchered in windowed mode, when it's in lower resolution? Obviously the character sprite is lower res and you can see the pixels but like, damn, that's a smooth transition for a bitmap!
Well, you can thank Pixelated Pope for the amazing tutorial he did about keeping aspect ratio and cameras! I made my own camera based on these tutorials:
I love the art design, the music works very well, the gameplay seems very comfortable to me and somehow a nostalgic feeling that remainds me when I play with my Nintendo Ds when I was a kid, I am exited to see how much the full game can offer, good work
Right off the bat, the game art-style screams at the viewer. Beautifully done and the music is very catchy. Buttons are smooth, but somehow doesn't follow the traditional mapping as other genres. I am also having difficulty performing the power punch move. Not sure if I am inputting the buttons wrong or what not. overall great game and here is my Video Review of it!
Wow I loved your style, great video! Thank you for your amazing feedback! I know the power punch move is badly explained, you actually just have to run for a certain amount of time and then when the character starts to blink you just use the attack button! Again, thank you very much!
Thanks! Honestly I don't know... Backgrounds are inspired by some of my favorite painters, mainly Impressionists or post-impressionists such as Claude Monet, Pissarro, Degas, but also Erin Hanson or Claude Gellée (called le Lorrain). As for the animations... Well, I'd say it's quite Kirby-ish? I think it kind of looks like Hollow Knight in some way...
FATAL ERROR in action number 1 of Step Event0 for object Ogalli:
Unable to find any instance for object index '102226' at gml_Script_attack_state_enemy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- stack frame is gml_Script_attack_state_enemy (line -1) gml_Object_Ogalli_Step_0
I was trying to do a super attack, and dodge rolled through a chicken instead. Then it locked up. I had just gotten the first gold drop.
Very nice! I really like this game, although i think i should be able to change the button mapping for the control. I have quite a problem getting myself used to the controls... The graphics were nice and it's really cute, i like it. character movement also not a problem and i think it's good. Overall i like this, keep on the good work my friends!!! and i hope to hear about this game again soon
Thanks a lot for playing my game ! You're not the only one having issues with the button mapping, I will try to make them more pleasant to use next time. As I said, custom button mapping will be added later. I hope you'll enjoy what's coming next!
This was so cute! I enjoyed it a lot and definitely got a lot of Super Nintendo vibes from it, which is my favorite console. The art is just amazing. Is there a way to replay the tutorial level without reinstalling the file? I couldn't figure out how to do the super punch (green block with fist) again.
Hey, thank you very much! I'm very happy you enjoyed playing Decline's Drops. As for the tutorial, for now you just have to restart the game, as there are no real saving system yet. As for the "super punch", it's badly explained, and I apologize for this. You have to run for a certain amount of time. You'll hear a specific sound and the character will start to flicker. All you have to do is now pressing the attack button!
Loved it, I really liked all the hidden things and drops to find! The controllers weren't an issue for me, personally, tho I didn't use the shield. Also really liked the animations, it's clear they were made with a lot of care. Looking forward to the next demo!
Thank you very much! I'm glad the controls were fine for you, but I will change them anyway (and add button mapping later). Next demo coming this month (maybe november...!)
Cute game. I think a button reconfig should be available. I found it funny that the run button works mid-air, the jump gets faster. Also, in 2 sections I couldn't reach a platform that was clearly meant to be reached and I've no idea why, I tried a lot and my platforming skills aren't that bad, honestly. And the whole droplet count seemed confusing for me. There's a lot of potential IMO.
Hi, thank you for your constructive feedback. The run button works mid-air to allow more precise platforming. I wonder where are these 2 sections you're talking about, but there are some hidden mechanics that could have helped you reach these areas (smashing the attack button while performing the dash attack gives you more speed, however, you should be able to reach every platform in the first level without that mechanic). Button reconfig is something I consider in the future, but it's a bit complicated and overall long to set up and will be implemented later. I'll try to improve lots of things in the next update coming this month!
Hi! Thank you very much for your kind comment (and rating!). The final game should be released during the end of 2021 or early 2022. There will be a new demo later this month, so stay tuned!
This was like... some of the chillest but fun games I've played in a while. I had worries with the controls, and shielding is still a little iffy, but I love it all the same.
Absolutely loved this. Very impressive and FUN demo. Couple things I noted were if you jump right under a golden drop, you can stand in the air a bit just below it and jumping on top of it can create a lot of collisions and dust. Sometimes when I'm jumping forwards then go backwards, the sprite stayed forward but I could see this by design. I'm not always the best with analogue controls, especially in a platformer usually favouring the D-Pad for these types of games, but the control with the joystick was actually really tight, accurate, and I was able to play incredibly adequately. This game will continue to be on my watch for sure, especially now as I really enjoyed it. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for your feedback, Aamp! I'll try my best to fix these little issues you mentioned. The fact your sprite stays forward is intentional, I'll add an animation to make that clear. I'll implement D-Pad control later, as well as button mapping! And again, thank you very much! Very happy that you enjoyed it!
I definitely want to add more frames to "Globule" (that's actually her name, Decline is... something else, you'll see it later) but I have so much work to do, I just can't go back too much on the older ones. I'll try to change that when I'll have more time!
I really enjoyed this demo. Some notes I had is that it felt weird that if you released run while in the air you'd lose the extra speed. I understand why this happens but it takes some getting used to. Also a similar issue I have with smash is having the strong attack the same button as the other attacks it can cause some issues trying to do one over the other. I'd suggest potentially having those use the A button if you don't plan on having anything else be that. Something about the walking animation also seemed a little off to me, didn't feel like a walk more of hopping. Other than that this is a really solid demo and makes me excited for the whole thing, good job.
Thank you very much for your feedback, I take good notes of your opinions and will try to improve the game feel! I'm just afraid the Smash attacks will remain like this, as the A button will have another important use later in Decline's Drops. The walking animation may need to be improved, it's actually more of a sidestep animation. Again, thank you very much! I hope you'll enjoy what's coming next!
This looks really, really good in full HD (Twitter's compression doesn't do this game justice) and is a lot of fun to play. The only complaints that I have is the lack of rebindable controls (though there might be a good reason for it, like CrossCode) and the that the music sounds a little too mellow for this kind of game. It just needs to be a little more intense, along the lines of the original Crash Bandicoot or Rayman 2, which nailed having a balance of atmosphere and intensity and have a similar pace to this game. The only other thing is in the tutorial stage, there was some slight lag before a new animation that hasn't played before started to play. Going from a run to a fall would cause it. It never happened after the animation played once, so I'm assuming it has something to do with loading the animations into RAM for the first time.
Hey, thank you for your useful feedback. I understand the controls are a bit weird, but don't worry, next time I'll add custom controls! I'll discuss with the composer about what we can do for the music, that's actually the only one being that calm in the game. As for the lag, I always wondered why it happened, so thank you, but I have no idea how I could fix this. Any suggestions?
One possible fix for the animation lag is to play them all once in the background before the loading screen is finished and before the player has control of the player.
A wonderful demo! Animations are smooth, combat is fun, and the controls were quick to pickup (I used a 360 controller, and it worked fine right from the start). Loved the hidden caves - just like in Yoshi's Island!
A few odd frame drops near the start - maybe some background processing? Otherwise, a charming game so far. Keen for more!
Hey, thanks for your kind comment! I'm really happy to read that you enjoyed that tiny demo. Yeah, frame drops at the start is an issue I'm trying to fix, I think it's due to a bad habit of mine to use very large sprites, which must be the reason behind the lag.
Ahh ok that makes sense. Whenever I hear about loading issues I think back to Metroid Prime 1. It would hide loading times for new rooms behind the functionality of its doors. Whereby, you'd shoot the door to try open it, and it'd sit there idle until the next room was fully loaded, then it would open up. Hide loading times behind the guise of a malfunctioning door (considering the environments in Metroid, this made perfect sense).
Dunno if that example is of any help, but if you wanna keep your big sprites then there could be a way to sneak loading times behind something that seems normal/immersive for the game world.
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Made a video
As I said on Twitter, it was very fun to watch you play the new demo! Thanks a lot!
Hi Drazglb. I have played your game and I say that's a fenomenal work of art here. The graphics and the music are so gorgeous. I just loved every aspect of your work, I loved to play that and I took the chance to post on my channel.
Maybe the only problem here is the lack of more enemies, in my humble opinion. Despite that, I give you kudos for this beautiful game.
Hey, thank you for playing Decline's Drops! I'm so happy you enjoyed it.
I agree, there are not lots of enemies for now and the only one who has more than 1 HP is the chicken. This is something I'm working on and there will be lots of new and tougher enemies to fight in the final release, of course. For the next demo, you'll see more enemies too! Stay tuned =)
This is definitely a very neat and stylishly animated game, I love the concept and the art style. However, I don't know what current plans are like, but I'd warn against making too many bosses that are just big unflinching damage-sponges.
These sorts of bosses work for Smash because they provide a style of gameplay that every character can approach in the same way with less risk of bad matchups, where everyone's moves have the same effect (just do damage until you win) and everyone can avoid attacks with the generic dodge/shield/jump moves. But... because of this, they're too far separated from the standard gameplay, and somewhat homogenized. More of a fun sideshow than a culmination of the mechanics.
Since you don't have to work with this constraint, you should be able to make bosses that follow the mechanics of the rest of the game, and provide more satisfying "make use of what you've learned" challenges rather than basically making the player adapt to a whole separate playstyle for boss fights
Hi, first of all thank you for your kind message and your very useful feedback!
I'll be honest, I never thought about that problem. While I do have many ideas for the bosses, I must admit the way you fight them is indeed similar to the ones you fight in the Super Smash Bros. series, or the Shovel Knight bosses, to give another example.
It's actually a very good advice, and while the first boss is already done for the next demo (and I currently don't have the time to remake it), I'll definitely consider the question as I now think of many new possibilities. A huge, huge thank you for that.
I sincerely hope you'll enjoy what's coming next!
I really liked the demo.
✔️ Graphics - The overall look is cohesive. Very easy to the eyes. Beautiful. There are many ways to describe how good the graphics is. I like it very much. The screen transition is really cute as well, and I also liked its color palette.
✔️ Sound effects and music
✔️ Character movement and attack - Moves smoothly and I like the variety of attacks
✔️ Level design - I only played one level. I like the design because it wasn't monotonous or boring. It was fun exploring, collecting stuff and fighting the enemies.
Minor stuff:
The default controls are a bit odd for me though, WAD instead of ASD. But that's just a minor thing that can be fixed with customizable controls. And on the tutorial decals, W and A are switched.
Thank you very much for your message! I'm really happy you enjoyed the demo.
I added and fixed many things in the next update, and changed the controls for the gamepad. Keyboard controls will stay that way for now, customizable controls will come later but it will be in the final version, I promise!
It may just be a one stage demo for now, but Decline's Drops definitely shows potential. Quality character animations, fun visuals, chickens to punch, and a good kick of nostalgia. It's a good time and I'm curious to see what comes next.
Good job, dev.As I said on Twitter, really enjoyed watching your playthrough and your voice is really nice! Thak you for playing my game, hope you'll like what's coming next.
I am play game.
I love game.
the controls of the game were difficult. (Pc)
But the game was good.
I wrote this article with translate. may be wrong.
basically my thoughts as well.
Thank you very much, I really appreciate it. Customizable controls will come later, but I changed the gamepad default mapping for the next demo.
Absolutely loved this game. Played it on stream with a friend and enjoyed the aesthetic, art, sound, and gameplay. Love to see what it becomes. Brilliant game that gives off "Lesbian Cottagecore Sonic" vibes.
"Lesbian Cottagecore Sonic" I love it. Thank you for that comment, and very glad you enjoyed the demo!
It took me a while to find all the drops, but it was worth it (despite the lack of a payoff), especially since the theme of this game resonated with me so much :D
Oh, thank you for playing my game! Next time, you'll obtain a reward, believe me!
Good to hear; the completion of this game about a puppet who wants to restore her garden will be the greatest gift you can give to your fans, including me :D
amazing vibe you got going on there! Keep up the good work :)
Thank you very much!
i think it would be better to have the glove sign say keep running or a small animation of them running and then transforming
You're right, and it's something I just fixed!
Very relaxing game!
I think the frog boss fight's hit box could be more accurate (on the tongue fist attack). The game could also be harder. Nevertheless, a fun game!
Thank you!
You're right, I'll fix this in the next demo.
Also this is the very first stage, so I don't want it to be too hard. But don't worry, I'll spice things up later!
Thanks a lot!!
I wish I could draw like you, so I could make my dream game. Any tips on drawing??
Hi , thank you very much, I really appreciate it! I'll answer to both of your questions.
The game is planned to be released on the end of 2021, probably early 2022.
As for drawing tips... Well, to me there's only one rule: training. Train a lot, stay focused, and over everything have fun even if it's hard!
What a cool, good looking and fun game! Didn't play it, but the demo is amazing. When will it be completely done??
Weird question but what did you use to make the visuals for your game? I would assume that the character animations were made in adobe animate (as that's the only form of vector graphics GMS2 supports in sprites besides Spine), but if you wouldn't mind I'd like to know just a bit more about your method (especially in regards to environments), speaking as a fellow GMS user who wants to avoid ye olde pixel graphics artstyle.
Obviously you don't have to answer if it would be too revealing in regards to your work methods.
Hi there! There's no reason I wouldn't reveal how I work ^^! Actually everything is hand-drawn frame by frame and I use Clip Studio Paint Pro EX. I export the animations as PNG files directly in Game Maker Studio 2. Same goes for the backgrounds. Hope you find this useful for your next project!
Wait, if that's the case then how did you manage to keep the image from being butchered in windowed mode, when it's in lower resolution? Obviously the character sprite is lower res and you can see the pixels but like, damn, that's a smooth transition for a bitmap!
Well, you can thank Pixelated Pope for the amazing tutorial he did about keeping aspect ratio and cameras! I made my own camera based on these tutorials:
I love the art design, the music works very well, the gameplay seems very comfortable to me and somehow a nostalgic feeling that remainds me when I play with my Nintendo Ds when I was a kid, I am exited to see how much the full game can offer, good work
I am really, really happy you liked that tiny demo! Thank you, I hope you'll like what's coming next!
Right off the bat, the game art-style screams at the viewer. Beautifully done and the music is very catchy. Buttons are smooth, but somehow doesn't follow the traditional mapping as other genres. I am also having difficulty performing the power punch move. Not sure if I am inputting the buttons wrong or what not. overall great game and here is my Video Review of it!
Wow I loved your style, great video! Thank you for your amazing feedback! I know the power punch move is badly explained, you actually just have to run for a certain amount of time and then when the character starts to blink you just use the attack button!
Again, thank you very much!
I enjoyed the demo: great graphics and good music. It would be interesting to see what later levels are like.
Thank you very much! Another demo is coming very soon, this month or next month :).
Nice work, but i wonder what you call this art style?
Thanks! Honestly I don't know... Backgrounds are inspired by some of my favorite painters, mainly Impressionists or post-impressionists such as Claude Monet, Pissarro, Degas, but also Erin Hanson or Claude Gellée (called le Lorrain).
As for the animations... Well, I'd say it's quite Kirby-ish? I think it kind of looks like Hollow Knight in some way...
That is very nice but i cant Binding these dreamy and beutifull backgrounds with character fighting, but overall its a good job, good luck.
Cool game so far
I got an error:
FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of Step Event0
for object Ogalli:
Unable to find any instance for object index '102226'
at gml_Script_attack_state_enemy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_attack_state_enemy (line -1)
gml_Object_Ogalli_Step_0
I was trying to do a super attack, and dodge rolled through a chicken instead. Then it locked up. I had just gotten the first gold drop.
Then again, I deleted the game, but decided to restore it. Perhaps it's my fault.
i absolutely love the boss battle theme
I had problems with the control, but it's a great game, very good, even being in the demo
Very nice! I really like this game, although i think i should be able to change the button mapping for the control. I have quite a problem getting myself used to the controls...
The graphics were nice and it's really cute, i like it. character movement also not a problem and i think it's good.
Overall i like this, keep on the good work my friends!!!
and i hope to hear about this game again soon
Thanks a lot for playing my game !
You're not the only one having issues with the button mapping, I will try to make them more pleasant to use next time. As I said, custom button mapping will be added later.
I hope you'll enjoy what's coming next!
Thanks for your reply! i'm looking forward to it, and wish you good luck with the project
This was so cute! I enjoyed it a lot and definitely got a lot of Super Nintendo vibes from it, which is my favorite console. The art is just amazing. Is there a way to replay the tutorial level without reinstalling the file? I couldn't figure out how to do the super punch (green block with fist) again.
Hey, thank you very much! I'm very happy you enjoyed playing Decline's Drops. As for the tutorial, for now you just have to restart the game, as there are no real saving system yet.
As for the "super punch", it's badly explained, and I apologize for this. You have to run for a certain amount of time. You'll hear a specific sound and the character will start to flicker. All you have to do is now pressing the attack button!
Ok awesome. Thank you!
Loved it, I really liked all the hidden things and drops to find! The controllers weren't an issue for me, personally, tho I didn't use the shield. Also really liked the animations, it's clear they were made with a lot of care. Looking forward to the next demo!
Thank you very much! I'm glad the controls were fine for you, but I will change them anyway (and add button mapping later).
Next demo coming this month (maybe november...!)
Thanks for the reply! Looking forward to it c:
Cute game. I think a button reconfig should be available. I found it funny that the run button works mid-air, the jump gets faster. Also, in 2 sections I couldn't reach a platform that was clearly meant to be reached and I've no idea why, I tried a lot and my platforming skills aren't that bad, honestly. And the whole droplet count seemed confusing for me. There's a lot of potential IMO.
Hi, thank you for your constructive feedback. The run button works mid-air to allow more precise platforming. I wonder where are these 2 sections you're talking about, but there are some hidden mechanics that could have helped you reach these areas (smashing the attack button while performing the dash attack gives you more speed, however, you should be able to reach every platform in the first level without that mechanic).
Button reconfig is something I consider in the future, but it's a bit complicated and overall long to set up and will be implemented later.
I'll try to improve lots of things in the next update coming this month!
that is a very cute art style.
Thank you very much ^^
This game's fantastic. Solid gameplay. Superb animation. Like. When's this completed? Love to finish.
Hi! Thank you very much for your kind comment (and rating!). The final game should be released during the end of 2021 or early 2022. There will be a new demo later this month, so stay tuned!
Awesome.
Looks fun.
this was super adorable and immediatelynotice the smash controls with some buttons moved around
This was like... some of the chillest but fun games I've played in a while. I had worries with the controls, and shielding is still a little iffy, but I love it all the same.
Haha thank you very much, glad you liked it! I know, I don't like how the shield works for now, it will be improved next time. Thanks again!
Looking forward to it!
Really love Decline's Drops. You made a fantastic game. I hope we can play full version soon! GREAT WORK !
Also made a video (spanish lenguage). Decline's drops is landing to hispanic players :)
Thanks for this excellent form of art and expression :)
Thank you for your excellent video too! Couldn't understand everything but I really liked how you showed how the game is played!
Made a video
Excellent! Thank you, I watched all of it and it was very fun and interesting to see you play!
Really happy to know you watched the whole thing , we really loved the game and want to play more when you have more to play.
Absolutely loved this. Very impressive and FUN demo. Couple things I noted were if you jump right under a golden drop, you can stand in the air a bit just below it and jumping on top of it can create a lot of collisions and dust. Sometimes when I'm jumping forwards then go backwards, the sprite stayed forward but I could see this by design. I'm not always the best with analogue controls, especially in a platformer usually favouring the D-Pad for these types of games, but the control with the joystick was actually really tight, accurate, and I was able to play incredibly adequately. This game will continue to be on my watch for sure, especially now as I really enjoyed it. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for your feedback, Aamp! I'll try my best to fix these little issues you mentioned.
The fact your sprite stays forward is intentional, I'll add an animation to make that clear. I'll implement D-Pad control later, as well as button mapping!
And again, thank you very much! Very happy that you enjoyed it!
Lovely and great game! Impressive concept and cool game play! XD
one thing I wish is slightly more animation frame for Decline(she is Decline, right?) : )
I love her move and want to see in more detail!
Thank you very much!
I definitely want to add more frames to "Globule" (that's actually her name, Decline is... something else, you'll see it later) but I have so much work to do, I just can't go back too much on the older ones. I'll try to change that when I'll have more time!
I really enjoyed this demo. Some notes I had is that it felt weird that if you released run while in the air you'd lose the extra speed. I understand why this happens but it takes some getting used to. Also a similar issue I have with smash is having the strong attack the same button as the other attacks it can cause some issues trying to do one over the other. I'd suggest potentially having those use the A button if you don't plan on having anything else be that. Something about the walking animation also seemed a little off to me, didn't feel like a walk more of hopping. Other than that this is a really solid demo and makes me excited for the whole thing, good job.
Thank you very much for your feedback, I take good notes of your opinions and will try to improve the game feel!
I'm just afraid the Smash attacks will remain like this, as the A button will have another important use later in Decline's Drops.
The walking animation may need to be improved, it's actually more of a sidestep animation.
Again, thank you very much! I hope you'll enjoy what's coming next!
This looks really, really good in full HD (Twitter's compression doesn't do this game justice) and is a lot of fun to play. The only complaints that I have is the lack of rebindable controls (though there might be a good reason for it, like CrossCode) and the that the music sounds a little too mellow for this kind of game. It just needs to be a little more intense, along the lines of the original Crash Bandicoot or Rayman 2, which nailed having a balance of atmosphere and intensity and have a similar pace to this game. The only other thing is in the tutorial stage, there was some slight lag before a new animation that hasn't played before started to play. Going from a run to a fall would cause it. It never happened after the animation played once, so I'm assuming it has something to do with loading the animations into RAM for the first time.
Hey, thank you for your useful feedback. I understand the controls are a bit weird, but don't worry, next time I'll add custom controls! I'll discuss with the composer about what we can do for the music, that's actually the only one being that calm in the game.
As for the lag, I always wondered why it happened, so thank you, but I have no idea how I could fix this. Any suggestions?
One possible fix for the animation lag is to play them all once in the background before the loading screen is finished and before the player has control of the player.
A wonderful demo! Animations are smooth, combat is fun, and the controls were quick to pickup (I used a 360 controller, and it worked fine right from the start). Loved the hidden caves - just like in Yoshi's Island!
A few odd frame drops near the start - maybe some background processing? Otherwise, a charming game so far. Keen for more!
Hey, thanks for your kind comment! I'm really happy to read that you enjoyed that tiny demo.
Yeah, frame drops at the start is an issue I'm trying to fix, I think it's due to a bad habit of mine to use very large sprites, which must be the reason behind the lag.
Ahh ok that makes sense. Whenever I hear about loading issues I think back to Metroid Prime 1. It would hide loading times for new rooms behind the functionality of its doors. Whereby, you'd shoot the door to try open it, and it'd sit there idle until the next room was fully loaded, then it would open up. Hide loading times behind the guise of a malfunctioning door (considering the environments in Metroid, this made perfect sense).
Dunno if that example is of any help, but if you wanna keep your big sprites then there could be a way to sneak loading times behind something that seems normal/immersive for the game world.
I'll think about that, thank you!