Amber Full Beta 1.0.1

[jack1974]

Haha no worries you didn't sound like an ass. I am VERY objective with my games as you've noticed. I like compliments of course, but constructive feedback is what can actually help me improve.
Anyways, as you've seen I did an update, I removed a bunch of honestly useless recipes (lol at the time I spent doing them and money paid to the artist to draw! but maybe they'll be used in a future game somehow).
With the changes to XP and skill increase (all concerning adult age, since the young age I think it's well balanced and I don't want to touch it) I believe now should be more bearable, should go on average twice as fast vs before.
Regarding the recipes you should unlock them more in order of level (of course what is already done, is done) already from some versions ago. Unless there's a bug somewhere...

[jack1974]

Lol wait, there WAS a bug indeed when discovering a new recipe! I am fixing it now, so it will ALWAYS unlock the recipes from the lowest to highest ranks

[Franka]

Regarding the recipes you should unlock them more in order of level (of course what is already done, is done) already from some versions ago. Unless there's a bug somewhere...

Yeah, I was just talking about if you required specific items to make the final McGuffin, you'd need to make sure there was a way to guarantee that you could find the recipes somewhere, without relying on too much RNG.

[jack1974]

Yep, just updated 0.8.7a
Now I even display the recipe tier in the "new recipe" screen (I used it to test and making sure the lowest available recipe is discovered). I can't believe this thing wasn't working until now!! lol

[myoksy]

upgrade the entire shop to max/build the super duper room

there's more gameplay when in the adult stage? maybe you just motivated me to actually finish the apprenticeship

@jack, a quick question: has the skill level an impact besides opening up more recipes?

[jack1974]

In adult stage there's the shop builder (you can see a screenshot in the game page).
No the skill level has no other use (I wouldn't know what else to use it for, since the item quality is influenced by Energy).

[myoksy]

hmm, thought so. and - I think - a reason why the game rubs me the wrong way: it gives me not the impression to accomplish anything, the char does not get better or stronger and I have no feeling of progress. both the level and the skill are just numbers without positive and perceptible effect on the game play.

a few ideas, absolutely not well-thought out:
* item quality will some percentage of the skill level better (so specialising could be a viable tactic)
* gathering results in higher quality/more items by some percentage of the char level (currently gathering as tactic feels not worth it)
* a higher char level could result in shorter gathering/walking around/crafting times

unsorted notes:
- amount resets when using quick buy in auto crafting
- raw materials reset when using shop in manual crafting
- opening the screen "Unfinished Tasks" takes in-game time?
- it is not clear when it's possible to take a day off or study. and jobs are always offered in either both places or not at all - probably triggered by the energy level, but it feels so arbitrary
- the needed energy is intransparent. mixing 7 minor starter potions uses 12 or so, a whole day studying 5, but even a short gathering trip over 20
- waiting from dusk 'til midnight and sleeping gains 30 energy, taking a day off only 20 or so
- selling is frustrating. is it a real end product and can be sold directly? or is it a rare raw material only found one in a blue moon? is the selling price worth it? what were the ingredients again? did I buy them for more than the buyer is offering me?

Somehow the game feels not polished, this is a new experience for me with your games - even in beta*. Another point is the loose connection between game mechanics and story line, I like your games because they are story-driven. This one? Not so much. The gaming activities are not really results of the unfolding narrative, it's more a picture story interspersed by mouse-click orgies. (The last half-sentence was unnecessarily harsh. Sorry.)

My opinion alone, even when Franka claims trademark rights on the phrase.

* please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to diss you

[jack1974]

Well I think probably at this point it's best for me to stop working on this. I don't think I can make it "better" even if I spent the next 3-4 months working on it. It was an experiment as I said, I never did such a game before, and probably won't do it again
By such a game I mean a completely new genre. Indeed I am selling it as dating sim with OPTIONAL crafting game.
Sometimes you need to know when it's pointless to keep going, especially as in this case there isn't even something "clearly wrong", but the whole idea of a crafting game without any other gameplay element. If I had time to add RPG element, where you would get the ingredients looting the monsters, would be already better probably.

Anyway, nevermind. Experiment failed. Please play it as dating sim. It's still worth the price even if you just play it like that I think.

In future, only VN/Dating sims and RPGs. No more experiments from me ever, the risk is too high compared to the rewards!

[myoksy]

you may stop working at it, but fixing typos is not real programmers' work, isn't it?

there's a text line currently reading "Mother ws always there when [..]". you should throw in an "A", vowels are cheap nowadays ; )

[jack1974]

Yes of course I'll fix typos And even bugs if there are any left. But I won't keep working in the sense of trying to add/tweak gameplay/features. It would be a very bad business decision for me (and luckily, most of the players wouldn't even care since I think 90% are playing in VN mode )