PSCD 0.7.3 - Alpha preview demo!

[jack1974]

Get it here: http://www.macgames.biz/games/PSCD-0.7.3-all.zip

What's New in 0.7.3
- I had to change the second mission victory conditions because of the new resource cap
- computer AI now will actively target cards that heal the player, like the Automated Repair Device, to avoid situations where nobody can win or lose

What's New in 0.7.2
- added resource cap to 10 (resources won't go higher than 10)
- fixed the crash in the side missions
- deck won't show empty pages anymore
- Bloodlust triggers only when enemy unit is killed (so it's less overpowered!)

As announced, this is just an alpha preview, first 5 missions only, no team talk yet, a few side missions. I want feedback mostly on the gameplay part. Clearly there's a lot of placeholder stuff yet, but the battle screen and deck layouts will be more or less like that one.

Don't be afraid to take screenshots or save game if you think there are bugs

I am interested mostly in knowing if you think the resource system is OK, or if would be better if was simplified somehow. I have only fully coded the first 5 missions, so now I can still do BIG changes like reducing resources to just two (credits and a generic resource) and so on. Later I can't do such big changes anymore since would mean rewrite the game from scratch!

I wasn't able to put the final help texts since the layout would change, but if there's some mechanics that isn't well explained, let me know.

Being tutorials, the missions except the side missions use all fixed decks, since wanted to show some basic mechanics before letting the player experiment on their own. Starting from the 10th missions you'll be able to use your own deck.

You can save the game, but very likely in next version the savegames might not be compatible so be warned

A big THANK to Anima and Miakoda, without their help, no way I could have done such a complex game and in so little time!

[kadakithis]

When playing, due to one of the few early cards part of Nelson are resource buildings, my resources could easily be up in the 30s, this made resources moot except for the first few rounds, if even then. I found most cards that increased my resources fairly useless and that they glutted my deck.

Also, I found myself waiting often for any card that could do damage at all, and got in one situation where the other guy could not kill me, nor I kill him after 30 rounds and knowing no new cards were coming. More offensive cards than what we were given would be nice.

I know it is not gameplay but very confusing when people are speaking but not on screen, you quickly confuse them. And Alex keeps calling Diana, Alex?

Be nice to preview cards when you are building decks. Especially in the begginning, this would really help understand who to take with you. I could not find out what cards meant until I tried them in the field, and was often dissapointed with their effects when I got them.


It really is a lovely game and written so well, really impressed, thank you.

[jack1974]

When playing, due to one of the few early cards part of Nelson are resource buildings, my resources could easily be up in the 30s, this made resources moot except for the first few rounds, if even then. I found most cards that increased my resources fairly useless and that they glutted my deck.

Yes this is a problem with that approach. If I take out the auto-increase of resources, then the building cards would be essential, but if enemies destroy them... would be bad Still, 30s! weird, I got up to 10-15 value, but 30 is a lot
It's also because in the early missions you don't have high-cost cards to use, later you have cards that can cost 3-4 resource + 1-2 of another, so you shouldn't be able to reach high values so easily.

Also, I found myself waiting often for any card that could do damage at all, and got in one situation where the other guy could not kill me, nor I kill him after 30 rounds and knowing no new cards were coming. More offensive cards than what we were given would be nice.

In which battle that happened ?

I know it is not gameplay but very confusing when people are speaking but not on screen, you quickly confuse them. And Alex keeps calling Diana, Alex?

Yes because there's a big cast, and the characters aren't formally introduced (like, I am Charlotte, this is Mizuki, etc). And many scenes have a lot of characters, so is confusing. This happened also on SOTW, but I think will change the early scenes to show only characters that talk. Will be more work but should make things more clear.

Be nice to preview cards when you are building decks. Especially in the begginning, this would really help understand who to take with you. I could not find out what cards meant until I tried them in the field, and was often dissapointed with their effects when I got them.

Forgot to add an help screen for it. You can right-click to examine any card in the deck builder it's also how you upgrade them. I will add an help screen on next update.

It really is a lovely game and written so well, really impressed, thank you.

Thanks

[jack1974]

I just did a small update, adding help to the deck screen, and showing more of the speaking characters on screen in the early scenes so hopefully is more clear now

[kadakithis]

1) Well a few times half the resources were in the 30s while the others would be 8 or 9, but they routinely got into the 20s, in nearly every fight.

2) I forgot what it was called, but when you get to pick side missions, the one in the middle with dredans. I had the replicators that healed me, but they don't have any attack. He had the 2 healers, but they only attacked my health. so he could do 2 damage to my health, but I healed 4, but none of my guys had any attack.

3) That will be nice. I knew the characters beforehand and I started being confused who Charlotte was and wandering which guy was named Lucius.

4) That makes sense! It seemed strange, and I just assumed updating wasn't available yet until the main game.

I always feel like I am attacking it when I was really blown away by how sophisticated it is and how much farther from the first game it has come. I am really looking forward to the finished product.

[jack1974]

1) Well a few times half the resources were in the 30s while the others would be 8 or 9, but they routinely got into the 20s, in nearly every fight.

I just had a brilliant idea while was half-asleep in the garden (here is 18°C today, insane): put a level cap to the resources. Like 10 or something. This way, the resources can never go higher than that amount. This means that you need to plan more carefully the moves (especially later when you'll get high cost cards). Also with this limit, the building boosting resources will also be more useful (like to get an early boost).
This will also work even if I decide to switch to just 2 resource types later.

2) I forgot what it was called, but when you get to pick side missions, the one in the middle with dredans. I had the replicators that healed me, but they don't have any attack. He had the 2 healers, but they only attacked my health. so he could do 2 damage to my health, but I healed 4, but none of my guys had any attack.

Ah lol. That's a typical "enpasse" situation. I think the best solution in that case would be to tweak the AI, since the computer should have won that fight by attacking your autorepair bots!

3) That will be nice. I knew the characters beforehand and I started being confused who Charlotte was and wandering which guy was named Lucius.

In the new version I made sure to show each character when they speak. At least up to scene 03. Doing it this way is MUCH longer, but in the beginning I think is worth it.

4) That makes sense! It seemed strange, and I just assumed updating wasn't available yet until the main game.

I always feel like I am attacking it when I was really blown away by how sophisticated it is and how much farther from the first game it has come. I am really looking forward to the finished product.

Thanks. Well the first game was a RPG so hard to compare, but yeah I coded that myself alone in six months and was 4 years ago, now I've learned and have also great working partners

[Franka]

So far, what I've got (sorry, gotta run to a dinner date, I'll be back later):

Playing on hard.

Redraw doesn't work, is that because I'm in the tutorial?

Mission 1:
I'm supposed to kill all enemy units. I do so easily enough. Now the AI keeps either summoning invisible units I can't attack or simply doesn't play any cards, and the game just drags on and on. Let me attack the enemy leader or something, I've already won but I have to sit through 10 more turns waiting for units I can attack, until I've killed them all. Resources were completely irrelevant in this mission.

Mission 2:
I die in round 2. Round 0: Enemy kills my unit, damages me. Round 1: I play a Mine, enemy destroys both my mines, hits me. Round 2: I play a sharpshooter, enemy kills me.
Tried again, made it to round 3 before being killed. I don't think Bloodlust should trigger when the player is damaged, it's overpowered. The fight seems to be unwinnable on hard (but easy enough on normal). On hard, you can't kill a unit in time, so it's impossible to play the wall because it costs credits. Not that I think you can make it even if you can put the wall down early.

Mission 3:
Won with 4 health left. If the enemy had taken more care of attack order and more consistently targeted the player, I would have lost. Resources were not an issue.

Side Missions:
Getting into an unwinnable game is too easy (playing on hard), there aren't enough offensive units to kill all opponent cards. Again, you should be able to attack the opponent directly instead of having to kill all units.

Deck Builder:
Very confusing layout. Can switch to multiple pages that have no cards in them. Explanations of buttons and the various abilities needed.

In general: I don't play either buildings or resource generating cards, they're not worth the deck space.

Diana's deck: Take Cover is a waste of deck space, since targeting is so random anyway.

Charlotte's Deck: Spiked Iron-Vines is the best card in any starting deck, and probably the only way to win Side missions in Hard mode.

Xavier's deck: Assault Biker is very good, especially for the cost (doesn't require credits).

Galina's deck: Bounty looks like a really bad card.

Christophe's deck: Matrick Mercenary is very good.

Graciela's deck: Recon Unit is too situational, and not good enough to cost credits.

Mario's deck: Only good for survive X turns fights.

[Franka]

I won side fight #2 on hard, and this happened:

[Foelhe]

Bloodlust is so OP I'm convinced it's glitched. Apex-Rahn Warriors are getting +1 strength every time I take damage, so by round one they're one-shotting mines and by round two their damage is in double digits. This cannot possibly be right.

[Anima_]

I won side fight #2 on hard, and this happened:

On careful analysis that's not in my part of the code. So

So far, what I've got (sorry, gotta run to a dinner date, I'll be back later):

Playing on hard.

Redraw doesn't work, is that because I'm in the tutorial?

Yes. The tutorial missions have fixed drawing order which disables the redraw function.

Deck Builder:
Very confusing layout. Can switch to multiple pages that have no cards in them. Explanations of buttons and the various abilities needed.

Ah that may be because of the new filters. The page count is calculated with the total number of cards, not the filtered.