XP & skills :: Aground Suggestions

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Megan

12 Aug, 2018 @ 2:32pm

XP & skills

First of all: great game, very stable, and bursting with potential. :) I tried it on Kongregate and it didn't really grab me, but for some reason the Steam demo did. I think it was the interface improvements.

I've only come across one bug I couldn't auto-report and can't reproduce; at one point the inventory started flickering wildly and kept discarding stuff as if I were pressing buttons even though my hands were off the keyboard. (Happened at the summit, I'd just built the Com Station and called the Mechanic after checking for signals.)

Anyway, the one (minor) complaint I have is that investing in skills doesn't feel satisfying. Attack and Defense require massive investment for gains which were overwhelmed by my equipment upgrades. Ironically, Bargaining is probably the worst bargain; the first two levels cost 50 skill points and improve sell prices by 12% and 6%; the next three cost 3 times as much and are much less effective (+4%, +3%, 2%). This is barely even noticeable.

I've reset a few times to experiment and I haven't been impressed with most skills. Just a few of the initial levels in Health, Stamina, and Weight were enough to get through all existing content. (I finished with the Science path around level 9, I think.)

There are a few reasonably-priced skills to invest in which feel good too; the first level of Sight helps a lot with exploration, and Critical and Evasion seem like decent investments. I think the cost of Weight spikes too fast, though.

Level requirements also ramp up sharply, and it's tough to gain XP after the existing quests are completed; I imagine that will be solved in time with more content, though, so it's not a real problem.

Looking forward to seeing more of everything! Congrats on a solid EA, and good luck with the full release.

Last edited by Megan; 12 Aug, 2018 @ 2:34pm

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Showing 1-6 of 6 comments

David Maletz [developer] 12 Aug, 2018 @ 6:18pm

I'm glad you enjoyed the UI improvements! We've done a LOT of them based on suggestions - and while at first it seems like annoying or boring work (it's not cool new features, art or content), it does make a difference and make the game playable, so I'm glad you noticed that.

For the bug, I'll take a look, but if I can't reproduce it, it'll be tough to fix. Let me know if you're able to reproduce it - it's probably the key release signal was never received in the game.

The level requirements I'm not too worried about - as you'll be able to level up easier as we add new content/quests - it's just hard to grind for levels. But, I do agree that many of the skills could be re-balanced. Don't under-estimate extra attack - as that stacks with your upgraded equipment (it's never irrelevant unless you're using ranged weapons), but I do agree it could be cheaper. Bargaining should probably stay the same cost every level, as it already has diminishing returns. I'll definitely look through them all, thanks for your feedback!

Megan

12 Aug, 2018 @ 7:02pm

I think the UI is the most important and least appreciated element of game design, honestly. Every genre needs a UI; every type of gamer must use it at every stage of the game; the best game in the world would be worthless with a bad enough UI. It's the window through which we see the game; if the window is flawed or grimy it doesn't matter what's beyond it. I wish more devs focused on theirs as you have on yours. :)

I'll give Attack another try next time I farm the Golemech. I'm guessing there won't be an equivalent skill for ranged weapons, and they'll be balanced by materials cost and ammo weight instead? (Neutral speculation, not a complaint.) Hmm, a laser that runs on batteries would be nice, though...

Megan

12 Aug, 2018 @ 7:07pm

Oh, one niggle with the UI - I'm not sure exactly what triggers it, but sometimes in inventory the game won't register an Enter keypress when I'm fiddling with amounts - I think it has something to do with using the mouse to navigate the Storehouse buttons, then hitting the numpad Enter because it's right next to my thumb.

David Maletz [developer] 12 Aug, 2018 @ 9:04pm

Ranged weapons have a range skill that increases attack range, but yeah, no damage bonus. Lasers that use batteries are planned (the ranged weapons that don't need projectiles are balanced by them being acquired later in game).

Numpad enter is actually a different key than normal enter on your keyboard, and the game never registers it. I could add it as a third select option though.

Megan

13 Aug, 2018 @ 5:34am

Nice! Maybe you could have enchanted crystals for magitech lasers with elemental effects. :D

I was thinking about what would happen if I invested in Attack now and then the skillpoint price changed, but I guess that's an easy fix, the skill reset thingy could just set my available points to whatever's appropriate for my level.