Post by Mai in PCB DEFENSE comments

Viewing post in PCB DEFENSE comments

Overall seems like a fun little progression loop, though maybe a bit challenging/harsh early on!

When pads are available to buy and be upgraded is a little unclear, and it feels unpleasant to have to manually tap to pick up the loot when you already have to tap for the main turret firing direction (on mobile -- no mouse "hover").

"roguelike" feels like maybe the wrong word for this game, it's actually an "incremental"? or perhaps you could call it both, but incremental feels more core to the game with the upgrades between runs.

Juba8 days ago

You don't need to click to aim the turret; simply hovering your mouse cursor over the enemies is enough, and you can do the same to collect drops. There are keyboard shortcuts available for turret placement and upgrades.

Yes, it isn't a pure roguelike; I think "tower defense" is the most accurate genre description. It would be more precise to say that it incorporates "roguelike" and "incremental" elements.

Mai8 days ago(+1)

Ah, good to know! I was playing on mobile where "hover" doesn't really exist, its only ever tap/touch.

Juba8 days ago

I made some adjustments for the mobile version, but I'm not sure if the game runs properly on mobile. To be honest, only my wife has tested the mobile version, so I'm not sure what state it's in, lol.

Mai8 days ago(+1)

Fair enough, yeah! I'd be happy to put together some more feedback -- interested to trade feedback? My PCB themed tower defense game is also here on itch at https://mai8.itch.io/critical-path-td

Juba8 days ago

Yes, I reviewed it and wrote a comment; I even gave it a rating.

Mai8 days ago (1 edit) (+1)

Rated yours as well! my random assorted feedback/thoughts!

- I originally struggled on mobile where there is no hover -- the game definitely makes a lot more sense with a mouse where you can hover for price info and pickups and aiming
- Leaderboard only shows the top 20 -- ~~would be nice if it showed the top 20, and then a 21st row always showing you and your rank (unless you're in the top 20 already)~~ ah it does, my results were just lost from switching from phone to computer
- The threats after boss kill seem insanely strong! +240% costs (as compared to like +50% or even +100%), -95% energy regen (as compared to -25% or -50%), etc
- The "upgrade bios" button at the bottom was a little unclear to me, I didn't find it for my first 5 or 6 runs
- Auto-buying the tower slots could be a nice upgrade to have later on, as it gets a little repetitive feeling
- It was also unclear to me what the "RECHARGE" button does -- all buttons would benefit from tooltips explaining them in a simple line
- You can kill enemies underneath the various UI elements/buttons/displays and not see or barely see the drops from them -- same thing off the edge of the screen either fully or partially
- The buttons being at the bottom center and health info at the top left also feels a little disarming -- maybe they could be grouped better so you have less places to zoom your eyes around? I found it really hard to look at my health/money amount because I couldn't keep looking over there -- but maybe I just need to learn the key controls so I don't need the on screen buttons as much

Overall it is fun to play and the rate of progression feels good -- first boss kill took 3 or 4 runs. Some upgrades are much more rewarding than others so you do have to think about which ones to prioritize. Hope you continue to improve it!

Juba8 days ago(+1)

First of all, thank you very much for this detailed feedback. You are right on many points; I’ve received a lot of criticism regarding the UI, but even though I’ve tried to fix it, no one else has offered such detailed suggestions. This has been incredibly helpful to me. Regarding the next update, there were general complaints about the game's difficulty, so I’ve made improvements specifically to debuff cards and game balance (though I haven't released it yet). I think I’ll finish up the UI improvements as well and release a comprehensive update.

Thanks again for your valuable feedback. I wish you success with your own game and will be following your progress.

Juba4 days ago

v3.7.0 addresses your notes: auto-buy added, wave counts reduced, mobile coming in v3.8.0. Thanks for the detailed feedback.