Adding A New Mechanic To My Roguelike Game - Devlog 3

[@HelperWesley]

Let me know what part of a steam page you think makes you want to buy it. 🤔 Do you browse steam pages the way that I do? 😅

[@yokmp1]

Name and Image which catchese my attention Review Indicator to see if the game holds up to the first impression Actual Gameplay to see if it fitss my taste Genre to see if the Action game isn't a card collector or auto battler at its core Price at last, i usually see my line at 20€ for a small Indie game, This also depends on other factory and I bought games for like 30€ or more. I also read the reviews to see if people say something like grinding and the like.

[@C4NDYCatz]

When wanting to buy a game, I usually click on a game because the initial art I see looks visually appealing. It's honestly the main reason I haven't bought games like vampire survivors, because I just don't like its visual style. If you can get images to create that initial hook, I usually buy a game if the negative reviews still highlight positive things about the game, and if the genre interests me/doesn't feel too generic or lacking of content (for its given price). I have to say, the art improvements already make me want to buy this game a lot more, so I would just make sure the game's tags are relevant and that all screenshots/descriptions on the steam page reflect the game in a unique light, rather than redescribing what a rogue-like is.

[@GrushV2]

The image and video are what get my attention

[@fosterturtle]

Seeing the price discounted during sales hahaha! Great work as always Wes

[@GrushV2]

@@fosterturtle so true

[@zombieninjaredworld7430]

A way to make it personal and diverse is to have two companions and add items for the companions. You can add a nickname option and a tag to make the companion unique like pokemon. 10 Stat changing items would work and 20 tags is plenty of tags.

[@itsmeLegendDragon]

A cool way to signify the change might be a color change or a colored aura around the companion

[@onebrickatatime9097]

I think it would be cool if when your combo meter is locked, chains are thrown around it. I think it would make it more clear and also be totally cool.

[@justanepicgamer6256]

Even though you've swapped the doors with portals, they still kinda feel like doors to me because of the screen transition. The first time i saw them i even thought they were just fancy doors. A different kind of screen transition (like a white flash) could maybe better sell the idea of the portals being portals

[@HelperWesley]

Yeah, we've talked about that, and I'd definitely like to swap out the tween with an instant snap and flash effect. So you "pop" in to the next room. 👍

[@itsjustcisco]

this is very nitpicky, but ngl i think the lock would look better in the middle of the chaos bar rather than at the bottom of it

[@HelperWesley]

I might play with the positioning some more later in development. 🤔 I intend to do a small playtesting round when I finally get the game put back together, so maybe that'll be feedback we get about it then. 👍

[@restingphantom]

The lock should probably be placed in the middle of the combo bar

[@matthewwagner7017]

I would love to see you swap the default windows mouse cursor for a reticle. The arrow blocks like 60% of the small enemies, a thin circle that you can see inside of would be nice.

[@HelperWesley]

Eventually. 😅 It is on the list. 👍

[@qqniob6040]

I think it would be fun to increase the player speed with the chaos-bar.

[@erikdulac6245]

I absolutely agree, I also think adding a slight aura around the player to emphasize the super saiyan feeling.

[@dan2562]

This is awesome! The game is coming together to its ultimate form. One fear I have for the project is that balance will make the game not hard enough. I'm assuming the typical audience of GDevelop is on the younger side and could influence the balance feel. That being said, looking back on my purchases on Steam I seem to buy games that on first impression look like they have interesting mechanics. Something like Titanfall 2 or Downwell. Whether I like the game after buying ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh, and it has to be on sale

[@HelperWesley]

The balance should be fine, the infinite scaling should difficulty should appeal to all skill levels. 🤞 (I'm also not afraid to hurt the player.😅)

[@SigmaKatLoaf]

The way you lay out your videos just feels so calming to me. Keep up the work!

[@TotallyRoguelike]

Your devlogs really inspires me when I'm working on my own game 😊

[@PhantomThiefXI]

tags > price > gameplay video for me but generally i wait for a sale first, if its not on sale i just wishlist it

[@HelperWesley]

Same for me with the sale thing. 😅 I have a lot of wishlisted games. lol

[@omegaminoseer4539]

OGs will remember that we picked blue for Gun-Guy because it helped the Player determine which bullets fired were theirs and NOT the enemies'. That may be why it clashed so hard; you built the game textures around the color difference. Your Kaos Meter adds a lot of skill into the game, even incidentally, since now you can actually screw yourself over by NOT going fast enough in earlier rooms to DPS it down. As for your question, I don't usually look at the tags. I watch the video first, then I read the description. If I can't tell what kind of video game it is, then I'll look at the tags and determine how much I want that game. When it comes for price, I assume that if I can play a game for 1.5+ hours times what I paid for it, the game is worth the investment. I bought BTD6 on-sale because I don't play it as much as I would. However, I played about 30 hours of Spelunky 2, thus far. A Speedrun game like this would be well worth the price.

[@HelperWesley]

Yeah. I should have just stuck with the bullet decision made at the beginning, there was a lot of thought behind that. 😅 Oooh, 1.5x times the price. That's a neat little way to look at it. I'll lock that one away to think about when we get to the price evaluation phase. 👍

[@Beam-Clips-Subsicribe]

I personally look at the trailer and the tags and the screenshots and the demo gameplay and maybe like postprocessing ❤

[@Beam-Clips-Subsicribe]

Let's go I got a like

[@Beam-Clips-Subsicribe]

I'm having a problem with using tiled with gdevelop 5 can guys make a viedio about it and the tilemap that's the return favour I bro lol

[@darealpummel]

Even with a tiny change in the UI can get me so invested! I LOVE THE ANIMATIONS FOR THE CHAOS BAR! If its gonna release on mobile, then man am i gonna be addicted!

[@uniisnor]

I always check to see if there is multiplayer. I don't really like playing games by myself, I would sooner watch my friend stream another game.

[@RKIOrbMage]

Things I look at in a steam page are the trailer and the few first screenshots. I usually glance though the trailer, so make sure (in general) that there is gameplay shown for most of the trailer, so I can understand it at a glance. I also look at the first few sentences of the description, so don't waste your time by saying, In this new 2023 blabla

[@Yosirhellothere]

Maybe instead of changing the bullet colour you can add a coloured muzzle flash. Love the game btw keep up the good work

[@Lozt22catz]

I think gameplay, price, and visual style are the most important things to me. Also, how much I already care about the project.

[@kurjiano]

The trailer make a really good trailer that will make people buy it I always look att the trailer and the thumbnail...

[@tankseye9915]

Make a single character that can be modified in like a upgrade tree or a power up that changes the pets weapon pr weapon type

[@futureolive3000]

I will watch some vedios about the game and if i like it i will buy it. simple.

[@ApollousasBear]

I am addicted to these devlogs.

[@seth-blank]

Looking amazing. My only thing with it is to me hitting the enemy's don't feel punchy enough (Personal opinion). Adding a white flash to the enemy's I personally feel would make it look premium. I know some have that effect already but imfeel it should be on all them.

[@HelperWesley]

It's just the old ones that don't have that effect, they'll all get it eventually as the art gets swapped out. 👍

[@SombreroMan716]

Are you planning to redecorate all of the enemies in the game? Because the ones that haven’t been redesigned really clashes with everything else they has

[@HelperWesley]

Yeah, definitely. 👍

[@sleepingcolossus]

How I evaluate a game's Steam page 1) Skip trailer, go straight to screenshots 2) If screenshots are satisfactory, go back and watch trailer 3) Look at overall score (not individual reviews unless overall is mixed) 4) Skim through the "about" section. The more visual elements it has, the more I'll care to scroll through 5) Whishlist the game 6) Review whishlist during major sales

[@Wholes4d]

For me, a HUGE thing in steam pages is how they show difficulty scaling/run progression in the trailer. If I know it’s a game that can go absolutely nuts by the end of a run I’m way more likely to be intrigued of how that plays out. Also a strong achievement list, I need something to be proud of to show off on my profile after completing a game.

[@DommoDommo]

That combo bar covers the left doors several times in the video I noticed. Might wanna fix fhat

[@HelperWesley]

Art is actually planning to do ANOTHER overhaul of the rooms and doors.... So I'm not really going to worry about those things too much until then. Because it might be worry for no reason with the new version.

[@orbaysimsek3072]

Wow! I like how far the game has come. Thank you for sharing all the progress. :)

[@MarcosCodas]

The new art direction is coming along so nicely

[@DontCheckFunkyCatsChannel]

Hey uh do u remember when I asked for where was the wait action , I still can't find it I search up "wait" but nothing is there btw I'm not using the browser GDevelop I'm using the app help me

[@RecordsSam]

One companion is better. MAYBE two. Differentiates yourself from Binding of Isaac.

[@EmperorVitrag]

Things I look at on a game's steam store page: 1. Tags 2. The area where it shows if the game is singleplayer and/or online multi and maybe has steam workshop (I personally prefer games with Steam workshop and singleplayer) 3. Pictures and maybe videos 4. The long description area (under the price) 5. price.. which is the final decider if I wanna get the game: Now, soon, later or never.

[@DemoniumSama]

What I do before buying a game: Check KZbin for gameplay and/or good reviews, then check price, then decide if buy or wishlist (depending on how interested I am and the urge to play it and how much time I have etc.). For example, with fromsoftware games, since I played all dark souls, Elden Ring was a "no doubts ill buy it" but until the beta or network test or whatever was released, I wasnt at the 100%, however with for example with Armored Core, Sekiro, Lies of P and other games, I just decided to wait a bit before buying because sure I wanna play them and I think the price is fair, but I don't feel the urge to play it asap + not that much time to play, sadly.

[@BuxOfficial]

Not sure if you still need this but for me, deciding to buy a game falls mostly down to my enjoyment of the trailer and the reviews, then if the cost is proportional to the amount of time I could spend in the game I'd get it! Great progress!

[@thwomp1542]

When I look at a Steam page, if the video that plays isn't immediately showing me WHY I SHOULD PLAY THE GAME (read: gameplay) then I get annoyed. Lots of Steam pages show barely any gameplay and it makes me not want the game.

[@ladyravendale1]

For the steam page, it’s almost always a non-factor for me, but that’s probably out of the ordinary. I find new games through KZbin/Twitch/my friends, and if I like what I see there I buy it. That does also make me think, it would be really cool if there was inbuilt stream integration, since who doesn’t like causing streamers pain? But it might also be outside of gdevelops scope, I can’t remember.

[@meliodas8409]

I always look at steam reviews when buying a game. Of course, I look at tags and screenshots too. I only read the description when I know nothing about the game, or I want to know what's on a DLC. Generally, I won't buy a game I haven't heard from before, in that case I would just wishlist it. Also, how much of a discount it has improves the rates of me buying something I don't know about. Lately I've been looking at trophies too, to see how much replayability the game has. That's it.

[@salvadego7834]

Tbh, when I buy a game from steam, I don't really look at the description or the video or the reviews, I enter the game page already knowing if I will buy it or not, usually it's because my friends recommendation, or if I saw it b4, that's for the big majority of the games I buyed at least. Sry for the late response.

[@grantwilliams630]

For the steam page: 1. I look initial game icon 2. The price 3. I skip past the video and look at some stills 4. I either watch the video or click through it 5. I check the reviews 6. I read the description.

[@redswordz9131]

for me personally, i click a game in steam after looking at the "thumbnail" of the game and also genre is important because sometimes i search for a specific genre like "metroidvania" or "pixel-art" then i will judge the game's "thumbnail" and look at the video gameplay.

[@EmiWi]

I usually look at the first picture or video on the game page, alongside the art on the right-side, whenever I'm deciding to buy a game on Steam. I don't skip through the trailer and watch it entirely. The description I don't bother with unless it has info on how the game is played (is it co-op, etc.). Then the price is the final deciding factor.

[@zytaxwarflame]

I decide beforehand whether ill buy a game or not. I usually watch other people play first to see if id like a game. I very rarely buy games i know nothing about. But ill buy almost any rouge like thats less than 20 dollars, if i have the money. I love rougelikes. Or i used to. Its been almost 3 years since i lost interest in games. Im getting back into game with One Step From Eden. I used to be able to play for hours, but now a 30 minute session leaves me strangely tired.

[@starlightpastel279]

When i look at a steam page, videos above all else. I might glance at other parts of the page if its already caught my interest and pictures definitely help but absolutely nothing captures attention like the videos because they are the only thing on the entire steam page that will ever truly capture the vibe of a game. Everything else is missing something, pictures have no impact, text might feel forced or mechanical, tags can be interpreted a thousand different ways, they are all helpful as excess but NOTHING is even CLOSE to as important as getting a good video that captures the vibe of the game right up front

[@qmerk2661]

I don't contribute to games dying just because they are not popular. so if a game sounds and looks fun , it really doesn't matter to me how the rest of the steam page is. (but it does for a lot of other people) so my answer probably doesn't mean anything. but when I do look for games, its price, then trailers. I don't look at reviews(cant trust reviews from players that complain about everything) and I never tend to read the description. I only do that when the trailer doesn't show or explain enough about the game. have a wonderful day Wesley!

[@DASC324]

make it a single character that can be upgraded in different paths, so basically for every companion that would have existed there is a upgrade for your single companion

[@bananatom7653]

Answer for favor: If I see a video on a game, I see if I like it from the video, then look at how much it costs, then think about getting it, or, if I have enough money, just getting it. That's it.

[@thatonedudelive7260]

Usually I look at gameplay first, if that looks cool buy it. If the price is a big questionable I look at type of game then decide will this game give me $$ value.

[@Dan.dgo4]

Yo I just started watching your videos and I'm big fan of roguelikes and roguleites

[@nathanlowry9421]

By far the type of game I look for on steam are roguelites, and especially the roguelites with a high degree of customization and complexity

[@jeffersonbellon4432]

When I'm locking for a game I look the video gameplay, (the most important thing) the price, and the comments

[@jabin8153]

I think it wouldn't make much sense to weaken the player over time. Instead, what I would do is increase enemy strength. It has the same effect but can keep the bigger numbers.

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

Increase Sales: The artwork needs a vibe consistent with the intended audience's desired frame of mind. The goal is to trigger an internal desire with an external prompt. The title, logo, banner and cover image are the most important factors. The attitude and direction of the game has to be clear in less than a second. The user will decide if they want to buy in less than ten seconds. Visuals are far more vital than people acknowledge because of the confusion surrounding "good" or "bad". Design is good if it initiates a desired response within the target audience. Start at the end: What internal desire am I aiming to trigger? What do I want the viewer to feel? Design around the solutions to those questions and an increase in sales is a certainty.

[@josephc8312]

You could add one main companion that does stuff in the story and all that, and several customizable smaller companions that just give slight buffs and form a conga line.

[@pixelcatmagic]

I wanna see some youtubers play it, I wanna KNOW that the game I'm buying is worth it more than other games and that it will always be worth it.

[@ConfusedPrgrammer]

I look at titles and mainly the gameplay and video trailer plus if i know anything about it never read the description when I’m considering buying

[@estrico6298]

When i choose a steam games ,I shortly check in the gameplay video and screenshots: -the art style -if each important visual elements stands out and are satisfying to watch and interact with Then look at the critics and price.

[@RamboTheArtist]

I usually check the reviews and look at some gameplay. I always skip the pre rendered footage trailers.

[@meliodas8409]

I think the locked combo bar would look better if the color of the bar changed to a more metallic texture. As if it solidified.

[@ICSOYL]

I usually look for videoes or pictures of the game on the steam page, i specifically look for one shot of the early game, one of the mid game, and one of the late game. This is to make shure the game is actually full of content, cause sometimes even if the game is cheap it lasts like 2 hours then stops being fun. I also look at reviews, and look at specifically why people don't like the game, i look at the ones being constructive as that's what i trust the most

[@alu2901]

The UI text still looks off center. Maybe have it choose the center of the bar but minus like 10 or something.

[@rml1064]

Ok soooo... Suggestion on the power ups... Make the game UI disappear. And the power ups look way too big for the screen. They looked small before, with the coins, and now they look way too big cluttering the screen

[@HelperWesley]

I was thinking of that, darkening the screen all of the way. But the player needs to be able to see their stats, so they can make a more informed decision. 🤔 I'll figure something out. 😅

[@rml1064]

Also, Wes, I like you, but change that damn ghost sprite, all the enemies are new but the ghost and it's driving me nuts

[@HelperWesley]

@@rml1064 We're working on it. 🤣

[@JacobGislason]

The main thing I look for in a steam page is the reviews and there is nothing you can really do about that so I’d just say make sure the trailer is mind blowingly good

[@sonological]

when im looking for games on steam i first of all get atracted by fancy art before even knowing what the game is about then i watch the videos some times i look at the images but thats only if the video wasnt clear enough. then a quick screening of the text and if some keywoards catch me i look at the price :)

[@P1Ckl31]

Me personally, I look at price first, look at gameplay and animations. Animation is really important to me so I love games with good ones.

[@aunber]

I think the combo meter would feel more impactful if you changed the subtle death pop effect depending on the meter

[@ethanbuttazzi2602]

for me, i look for two things, first is the game animated trailer, if they take the time to make a snazzy animation introducing the game then im more inclined to belive they relly care about the product, and them the gameplay trailers, and then the images.

[@lexibyday9504]

the middle ground between a conga line of companions and one important companion is a light party system where yu can have maybe three companions in your conga line at the same time, each with their own unique but less intricate story.

[@Dillonian]

I do mostly the same as you do when I check out a steam game, though, I will say if there isn't any actual gameplay footage it turns me away for sure.

[@bigphatburger3038]

the trailer is usually a pretty good indicator but to be completely honest, its usually seeing a youtuber I know play it or review it.

[@sultlun]

I always look at the description, some pictures, two positive reviews, two negative reviews and the price

[@oroji793]

When i see a interesting game on steam, i usually see the trailer, if it looks sick enought, the music is right and the gameplay looks epic, i usually buy it

[@tamashiro_again]

to buy a game on steam i'm checking the trailer and some gameplays, And the price of course

[@Sakros]

I usually don't read the description of the game, cuz most of the time it's the most generic description of the genre the game is in. Next, I don't usually watch the video/trailer of the video (only after it has my interest and I'm thinking about buying it). How I scroll through games is basically looking at all the screenshots (that need to be some kind of gameplay-screenshots, if these are only "cinematic pictures" or something like that I will click off) and clicking between them really fast. I wanna see in those screenshots what the game is about - how is it controlled, are there levels? is there progression? ... etc. That, at least for me, is the most important point. Next would be the trailer/video - which should also showcase all of those features in a rather fast fashion. I don't wanna spend 5 minutes looking at the store page, either it is a buy after seeing the first 20-30 seconds of the trailer seeing some epic boss battle or I start skipping around and wondering if I should buy it. And I feel like I'm not alone in this, current media is rather short and want to pack the attention of the viewer, which your trailer/screenshots should. Of course, the "landing" image, the one that shows up in search etc. is also quite important and should be rather colorful. Basically, go all out like some youtubers do on thumbnails, without the clickbait part of course.

[@ConsumeUke]

Sadly, I don't realy buy steam games if i dont know them already so mosty i look at the tag and the price

[@Blizar760]

For your question if I can play it with my friends

[@HelperWesley]

No, this will be a single player game. It will have a leaderboard, if you want to compete with your friends that way, but it'll be a single player game. 👍

[@Blizar760]

@@HelperWesley I understand but otherwise I don’t think it’s worth buying a game

[@wetpenguin]

I only look at pictures, genre and reviews on steam when considering to buy.

[@senator2375]

you should need to show godly builds on your steam page if someone see a good build they do know this game is real roguelike game so firstly you do need to change your power ups

[@cermity]

I usually looks the trailer and if it’s interesting I’ll look at the price and that will decide for me

[@heya03]

I personally look at the description and the screenshots when I want to buy a game.

[@MaxReallyDoesntCare]

Make a buddy that requires another controller to work as it acts as another player and is controlled by the other controller

[@ConfusedPrgrammer]

Put the lock over the middle of the bar it’s more noticeable and I feel like it shows the bar is locked better

[@foradecontexto4672]

the companion could be costumasible , with diferent weapons or functions

[@n0_one-mc5to]

I Love all your work.keep it up!

[@HelperWesley]

Thanks! 👍

[@Slapthesushi]

I look at the music in a steam game, and the reviews, and if I like the gameplay

[@CERISTHEDEV]

About the steam thing This is something that i think you should do try and find some youtubers/streamers to play the game because if a game does not have an really amazing trailer im going to watch letsplays of the game then if i find it good i buy it Also yn if you will do this just saying a mobile port is a big plus since the fact that normaly people that watch gameplay youtubers cant play the game on there own because its on pc so yeah i would suggest you to make a free version with ads and all that jazz and and a paid version without ads like the game "20 minutes till down" it would be a good example

[@HelperWesley]

I'll definitely be sending free copies out to KZbinrs to play it. 👍 As for a mobile version.... 😅 We'll see. The main focus is steam right now, and if the game does well enough that I could see it doing well on mobile, then we can see about porting it over. But mobile is a whole different ball park. 🤔

[@Coolcodedude]

honestly if it is a indie game i give it bonus point for wanting it and when i have intriguing lore i really want a game

[@jeanprofite4341]

What makes me buy a game : the design of the character, it needs to be cool.

[@Commvnd3r]

what about making different of abilities to the drone and players just pick whatever it suits their gameplay , like support drone "healing or smth" , armor drone " take dmg from you", bonus dmg or balanced stats one

[@HelperWesley]

That's kind of what the characters are for. Each one has a different ability. So it's kind of the same thing, but you pick the character based on the ability you want to be able to use. 👍

[@Tinkerer_Red]

Some advice on your steam page, my number one turn off from any stream game is when they use .gif inside their long form description, But the gif pushes the color limit gifs naturally have. Your game may not surpass that color limit at most times but keep it in mind as it speaks to me as, "well if that cant get something basic like a properly colored photo they probably cant program a game either" Sadly tiny builds and many many indie 3d games all share this issue and its a massive pet peeve of mine. Once you see it you'll notice it a lot more.

[@HelperWesley]

Well now I'll be looking for that on steam pages. 👀

[@tulenvakiproductions]

Description is what I read, and for the intro video, I usually tend to skip it ahead to get to the actual game play and I am quite frustrated if the videos show only trailers, story videos or anything unrelated to the actual game play. If the video starts with the game play and drops the cinematic or other stuff in between on short bursts and the logos makers etc should be at the END of the video, then I might see the full video without skipping parts.

[@HelperWesley]

That makes sense, I usually do the same thing. I'll usually skip to the images if the video isn't about gameplay. 😅 Interesting, maybe we'll think about blending the gameplay with an animation to get people to watch more. We'll see. 🤔

[@sadkefekaya6442]

Well I look at the trailer than the price and then I check the description.

[@Elpan7777]

i like how the game is looking right now, but i dont like the fact that some enemies and objects use the old sprites, it just look bad, and more compared to the new sprites, for example the tables dont have the black outline like the others and the ghost design is boring.

[@HelperWesley]

Yeah, that's just growing paints, all of the art is slowly being swapped out. 👍

[@LuizMoratelli]

I do similar thing to choose a new game, look the video skipping parts, look at the images (searching for gameplay/combat), read the "topics" in description (if it exists) and finally look at the price, if fits in my wallet, I buy, if not, wishlist.

[@HelperWesley]

Yeah. I didn't say it in the video, but I usually wishlist games until they're on sale. So I do that exact thing, but usually it ends in a wishlist. 😅

[@LuizMoratelli]

@@HelperWesley From what I read/watched about "steam's experts" that is the common behaviour, and is EXTREME important to "sell" your product quick, having a good and fast pacing video + images of gameplay. Generally you have a bunch of seconds before the potential seller move to other page. One tip that I saw a few days ago is, add yours logos/company name/etc at the END of the video, so the buyer could start seeing the trailer of the game in fact asap.

[@eboatwright_]

Looks great!

[@k3krga]

im always checking the trailer and then look at the rewievs

[@mistergfinal2277]

I was on the video!!!! Anyway I buy for two things trailer and description

[@HelperWesley]

Yeah, the trailer seems to be everyone's first thing, and then after that it's a little less obvious where people will look next. 🤔

[@FakeforFaith]

Everytime I see you post I jump out my couch 😅

[@iiropeltonen]

For me it's The trailer. Gameplay footage.

[@disappointedcreeper]

Yes, I do typically read the description.