Dungeoneers - a tactical, single-player, dungeon crawl

[DungeoneerAlex]

Hello ... I'd love to know what everyone thinks of my game:

Dungeoneers

It's on the web and free while in development. Play is turn-based, but fast paced - with hex grids, d10 dice, and nice art (see below). Games are short, strategic, and intense. People seem to like it so far.

Above: The hero has just shot a Gas Spore, causing it to explode - which may or may not damage nearby Lizardman Hulks caught in the blast. Meanwhile, a Lizardman Warlock is summoning an Orc into the top right section of the room) top right section of the room.

Above: The game's map view of the first level, the Caverns.

 

[DakaSha]

Has levels. Not interested. Screens look decent though

 

[circ]

Shut up you. Turn based you say? I'll try to get some time off from my busy schedule of doing nothing and try it out.

 

[DungeoneerAlex]

Has levels. Not interested. Screens look decent though

It has 3 dungeon levels, plus the dragon's lair. There are no character levels.

 

[CappenVarra]

Is alright for an internet time waster, I guess. Quite simplistic and starts off so easy it's kinda boring (and I can't say if it ever becomes harder / more interesting because you're not allowing guests to see the second half), but has some of that necessary boardgame charm.

But seriously, who needs help pop-ups explaining every little detail? I know it's popular in current game design theory to treat players like ADHD-afflicted rodents who need to be fed each atom of information just before it's useful, but this is too much. Just have a help page you show to players beforehand and can also be accessed later.

The game lags somewhat fierce though (browser games sigh; at least it doesn't require Flash), and speeding up or turning off the animations would give it more of that sweet roguelike feel where you can replay quickly.

You also forgot to mention that only the first two levels can be played without creating an account. And frankly, I don't like it enough to register, sorry

 

[Crooked Bee]

Played it; seems a bit too simplistic.

EDIT: Beaten by CappenVarra

EDIT2: I don't mean to diss on this though; it's p. cool that this is turn-based and dungeon crawl-ey. Can you just maybe make it a bit more "strategic" like you advertise it to be?

 

[Krraloth]

Love the art style but I need to try it yet.

 

[Grunker]

Way too simple.

 

[circ]

Not much variety at all really. Except mobs with different stats. Also simple, unless you attack a room full of mobs.

 

[DungeoneerAlex]

Is alright for an internet time waster, I guess. Quite simplistic and starts off so easy it's kinda boring (and I can't say if it ever becomes harder / more interesting because you're not allowing guests to see the second half), but has some of that necessary boardgame charm.

But seriously, who needs help pop-ups explaining every little detail? I know it's popular in current game design theory to treat players like ADHD-afflicted rodents who need to be fed each atom of information just before it's useful, but this is too much. Just have a help page you show to players beforehand and can also be accessed later.

The game lags somewhat fierce though (browser games sigh; at least it doesn't require Flash), and speeding up or turning off the animations would give it more of that sweet roguelike feel where you can replay quickly.

You also forgot to mention that only the first two levels can be played without creating an account. And frankly, I don't like it enough to register, sorry

You're right ... we need to tune the help messages. The game does get harder and less simple. And just everyone knows, creating an account is free and just asks for an email address. Maybe we should allow access to the Ruins level, though, without having to create an account. That's where most of the monsters with special properties are.

 

[DungeoneerAlex]

Played it; seems a bit too simplistic.

EDIT: Beaten by CappenVarra

EDIT2: I don't mean to diss on this though; it's p. cool that this is turn-based and dungeon crawl-ey. Can you just maybe make it a bit more "strategic" like you advertise it to be?

I appreciate the feedback. The strategy is not immediately obvious, but it's there. Much of it comes from use of the Flame and Leap scrolls, and in the Ruins the monsters have lots of special properties. And a lot of it comes from just being familiar with the game, so you can make good decisions about what rooms to go into first, what monsters to take on, etc.

Each time you defeat a dragon, the next dragon you fight is harder, so you'll get to the point where you need to play a very strategic game in order to have a chance to win. Also, we do plan to add more game elements that are unlocked with dragon slayings, increasing the complexity.

I hope you keep playing ... I'd like to know if you think it's still too simplistic after you've slain a Red Dragon ... or two.

 

[Mangoose]

I'll come back when you add multiple party members.

 

[desocupado]

I played the game up until the point where it didn't let me advance without registering, and while I found it has a certain charm (and I like the bow penalties, and that you auto-loot when you kill enemies), it IS kinda simple.

I know you're saying it'll improve and such and such, but I don't quite see how. There'll be new spells other than flame, haste and leap? Monsters with special properties sure is nice, but the tools you have to be able to deal with those are equally important.

I made an account, and I'm going to give it a try, but really, you should make your game interesting from the start.

Also, it might not be what you want to do, but put multiple party members on a game like that and you'll have A LOT more attention from the codex.

 

[Sunsetspawn]

Has levels. Not interested.

You threw this out there and didn't look back. I confused as to how "having levels" is a bad thing. Are you saying you prefer a big sand box?
As much as I love to give a game a good torpedoing, there are very few gameplay mechanics that cause me to do so BEFORE I've played it.

Cover-based shooting, if anybody was wondering.

 

[DakaSha]

I'm saying i dont like my RPG/Strategy/Roguelike/Dungeoncrawls to follow some predetermined shit the programmer has laid out for me. I like my games to be repayable.
Also you are on a KKK roll tonight arent you

 

[DungeoneerAlex]

I'm saying i dont like my RPG/Strategy/Roguelike/Dungeoncrawls to follow some predetermined shit the programmer has laid out for me. I like my games to be repayable.

I feel the same way. The map layouts in Dungeoneers do not change, but everything within the rooms is randomly generated, so each game is completely different.

 

[DakaSha]

Thats cool

 

[CappenVarra]

The strategy is not immediately obvious, but it's there. Much of it comes from use of the Flame and Leap scrolls, and in the Ruins the monsters have lots of special properties. And a lot of it comes from just being familiar with the game, so you can make good decisions about what rooms to go into first, what monsters to take on, etc.

Each time you defeat a dragon, the next dragon you fight is harder, so you'll get to the point where you need to play a very strategic game in order to have a chance to win. Also, we do plan to add more game elements that are unlocked with dragon slayings, increasing the complexity.

I hope you keep playing ... I'd like to know if you think it's still too simplistic after you've slain a Red Dragon ... or two.

Well, in that case perhaps you could have an optional way to start the game with increased difficulty immediately. Because having 6 health and fighting through the first two maps against enemies who all died in one hit (except a single ogre mage who died in two) was... very uninteresting. So, I agree with desocupado when he says:

but really, you should make your game interesting from the start.

 

[Mastermind]

The game's fine the way it is, you need the loot from the first 2 for some of the shit in the ruins. If you have a lucky run you might be able to do with less but sometimes you get shit and you need every bit to survive.

 

[Baron]

Love the game, very nice work!

I like
- that it encourages you to steal treasure instead of killing everything as the rewards are in chests and on the floor, instead of on each monster.
- the artwork, monsters and hexes
- the strategy of where you enter and defend from
- the loss of shield when you use the bow in the preceding turn
- the slow loss of hitpoints, choosing battles carefully
- that pit monsters will pop up and attack cavern monsters, making a nice unexpected three way brawl
- rats of unusual size

Suggestions
- Blunt and edged weapons. There is something noble about a ball and chain hitting my enemies in the face. Swords are for knaves. Plus a small amount of character personalisation is always a good thing.
- Staff or spear. A weapon that, whilst less effective than a sword (or mace) could strike across a pit / 2 hexes.
- instead of auto-finishing a cavern you have cleared and zipping across to the loot, I'd prefer the slow cautious walk towards the chest. Will a monster pop out of the pit? Will I step on a pit trap? What path to take? The auto-complete misses all this which is a shame. [edit - just discovered ghosts... nice]
- NPCs! How simple to include a NPC to talk to. Free a hostage, bargain with a non-combatant enemy leader. Just a pop up dialogue box to let the player show some alignment; free them, rob them, demand they reveal other cavern maps (remove fog of war), behead them.
- shrines, to good and evil gods. Pray to for a chance to receive the occasional +1 hitpoint or +1 attack. Destroy enemy altars. Will a desperate player betray their god to survive?

 

[Baron]

I don't know if this is Codex just picking up the glass half empty, and glassing new games with it... or players just bashed a single kobold before dismissing the entire game, but this game has really quite good strategy to it, particularly in moving about the board, defending and attacking. The huge array of monsters are great, particularly as you hit the Ruins. It's really got a lot of potential, and people are dismissing it because it only has a couple of spells/scrolls, despite that you can use those scrolls for a variety of different purposes, destroying/exploding monsters, movement, defense, causing fear in monsters, escape, offence.

My main complaint is that the game's probably too combat focused, a lot of fun is had just stealing treasure and avoiding fights and I'd like to see more of that. And secondly, currently there doesn't seem to be a great deal of long term play in it. It feels like a beat 'em up game with only a few levels before the big boss, and once he's defeated you stop and have another game. I'd really love Dungeoneers if you were lost in a larger random dungeon and it was more focused on survival (careful scouting, stealing potions, backstabbing stray monsters, choosing your battles, blocking paths and fleeing from monsters you either can't defeat or just aren't worth risking the potential loss of hit points on).


Eating uncooked monster corpses, praying at dark altars and causing cave-ins in order to steal the wealth from peaceful subterranean communities would be the features I'd most beg to be implemented. But as it stands, really quite promising turn based dungeon strategy.

 

[Destroid]

Are those sprites photos of miniatures?

 

[Baron]

Based on miniatures. It's on the website. http://www.reapermini.com/

Some nice ones, too. :: skeletons | zombies | wizard | pirate | succubus

 

[karfhud]

I really liked when a wyvern showed up and killed one of the hags. Overall, good fun, though I'd love to have two characters to control and be able to square off against more demanding mobs.

 

[Cynic]

I really liked this. Sure the mechanics are very simple but from a coding point of view you've achieved quite a bit.

I like how you've used the miniatures to do the graphics it's a really cost effective way to achieve a nice looking result, it ends up looking kind of like claymation.

There is strategy involved to the fights and I think a lot of people here are dissing this way too early. Baron's comment about it being too combat focused is quite true though and it would be awesome to have at least some story tied to the game. Maybe that will happen in the full release.