itch.io

should probably refresh/replace/noop if already set instead of stacking indefinitely

just a visual issue, no actual impact on anything

it's rare to see an actual playable demo in 2018 instead of a 15€ early access cash grab that is nowhere near the level of what you have shown so far... thus i'm glad some of what I mentioned could be useful.

the tactical layer looks really good coupled with some very interesting/unique ideas (the impact of terrain, the timeline, focus...), you might consider adding it onto kickstarter for both funding and more feedback from other players... 

I could have added more points but didn't want to bloat the post even further... that said a grappling hook could be a nice addition. Pulling enemies over spikes could ignore the damage in the same manner that 'ram' does (except for the last tile the enemy ends up staying on). Perhaps it could allow the character to access tiles with a bigger height difference other units might not reach that easily ... and then give enemies a similar skill^^

anyway I'm looking forward to the full game, especially if the strategic layer is on the same level and there's enough variety in enemy types, map design, etc

on the top right part of the battle UI there's a button to display enemy health bars... it shows the same curved bar on top of the opposing units that you see above your own 

once selected it will stay that way, for me it was hidden by default

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first of all looks like a promising game if content will be added, good job so far; long text ahead

features that I'd like to see:

• WASD-support
• display skills even though they are unavailable (change the opacity or w/e)
• skills are unclear... thought aegis would be duration based not charges
• better readable font
• level up while in battle should have an effect, currently there seems to be no change
• the possibility of friendly ranged fire should be displayed before firing
• had no idea you could actually click on the info question mark -> should be clear

issues I noticed so far:

• charging through spikes does not deal damage to that unit (unexpected -> intentional?) (edit: scavenger warlord)
• spikes are exceptional... you can onehit enemies by pushing them into one/two spikes
• height on the other hand is barely noticable; solid objects are ok
• mud is barely visible when movement tiles are shown over it
• you can push enemies uphill (I expected to stun/exhaust the unit by pushing it against the upper tile)
• critical effects can be unfavorable, i.e. guardian/spearman will push an enemy back but this enables certain enemies to charge at you again which you might want to avoid by locking him in melee... also it might mess up your planning (e.g. you wanted to attack/push with another character) -> preferred effects would be debuffs (less speed/max health/armour/piercing/....)
• engagement is sometimes unclear 
  • enemies will state they are engaged to one of my units even though noone is next to him anymore
  • an enemy is surround by three of my own units and none of the four states being engaged
• enemies will sometimes try to break engagement for no apparent reason over multiple turns... best I got was ~6 hits over two turns with an enemy trying to break a 1vs1 and all characters on mostly full health
• "if a character is pushed/bashed into an enemy, that enemy will automatically retaliate, thus triggering a free attack"... there are three issues with this:
  • it should be worded differently, e.g. "if a character is pushed/bashed into an allied unit, that ally will automatically retaliate, thus triggering a free attack"
  • I triggered this according to the floating combat text but there was no visual and no free attack of my other unit (edit: happened once, most of the times it works)
  • in theory if you pin an enemy between two characters of guardian/spearman class according to the rules they will crit and push the enemy with each hit... this should create a loop ;)
• since terrain is so important it can be a deciding factor for the outcome of a battle. Not having control over placement can be frustrating. It's the same issue as in battle brothers. 
  • although the enemy rarely starts in engagement range and is usually slower. Kiting to a better position could be possible
  • maps can be so small that repositioning is sometimes not feasible
• what is the point of a priest? he deals himself ~255 dmg for a mediocre buff? three casts and he kills himself with it? the concept of a buff only unit is great but why add the massive self damage? edit: now that I found his trait (40% health on any enemy death) it seems more reasonable
• ranged units should not be able to fire at the melee unit that is currently engaging them... or if anything with vastly reduced dmg (instead of critting the tank in front of them)
• regarding focus: the hardest part of each battle is the start whereas the end is just a cleanup which gets even easier due to massive amount of focus. -> easy fix would be let the team start with focus and scale it accordingly (imho would make sense thematically aswell)
• AI has the same pathfinding issues as in starcraft, i.e. if the way is blocked (by their own units) they will start moving around the entire map... should move the units on the frontline or charge into a beartrap if that means saving 6+ turns running the long way around (which they never complete... they turn around once one of their friends is down)
• impressions on a 1-10 scale (ignoring focus skills):
  • priest, design: 9, strength: 8
    • initially confusing, but interesting concept; can work as offtank once the heal over time is stacked
  • hunter, design: 6, strength: 7
    • positive: beartraps for area denial and to possibly push enemies into it; support shots seem OP
    • negative: low accuracy if behind own units, friendly fire on support shots
  • javelinman, design: 4, strength: 10
    • positive: always 100% accuracy, no friendly fire, support shots seem OP
    • negative: boring since he has no special skill... his turn consists of repositioning (which is unnecessary most of the times due to no accuracy penalty) and shooting (which he does all the time anyway) -> might as well skip his turn if there's nothing to do. Maybe add something like a pinning shot (immobilizing an enemy)
  • bloodknight, design: 8, strength: 7
    • vulnerable but mobile
    • wishlist: allow jumping to tiles and not just enemies; mark/choose the landing tile when attacking (sometimes it's not clear)
  • berserker, design: 4, strength: 4
    • seems uninteresting & underwhelming, no skills only autohits
    • wishlist: something like an aoe-hit, maybe with friendly fire 
  • guardian, design: 8, strength: 10
    • onehits even tough enemies on the right terrain due to pushing; combined with defense and shielding this is the best class by far 
  • footman, design: 8, strength: 9
    • same as guardian but since he has to follow the enemy it's not as OP; feels as useless as berserker once in melee