Universal [ALPHA] Deadly Days – Pixel-style zombie apocalypse strategy game (by Pixelsplit)

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by pixelsplit, Sep 26, 2017.

  1. #1 pixelsplit, Sep 26, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2017
    [​IMG]

    EDIT: We are now in Beta Phase and are still searching for testers!
    Check the changes and explanations here (Attention: High GIF amount :D):
    http://forums.toucharcade.com/showpost.php?p=4059635&postcount=10
    ---

    Hi!

    We are Pixelsplit and today we want to kick of our Alpha Test for our upcoming strategy game "Deadly Days".

    What is it?
    "Deadly Days" is located in a post-apocalyptic setting, but not far from today. The player takes responsibility for a group of survivors and must build a base. To do this, the survivors must swarm out daily and collect parts. However, caution is advised, because the survivors are not alone in the city - meat-addicted zombies are on the rise. Blast them away with air strikes, arm or cure your survivors. But don't leave them out there alone!



    In Detail
    The core game is basically a wave-based game (waves are called days for us). Your survivors collect loot and you must support them with different skills. Currently, we divide the skills into three categories: Air Support, Weapon crate and Medical Support.

    [​IMG]

    In addition, there is a category with special abilities that you can get through crates. Use them wisely!

    [​IMG]

    Each day becomes harder than the previous day, but also offers more loot and better crates. Loot comes in the form of two resources: scrap and parts.

    [​IMG]

    Between the days (= waves) comes the (quiet) night. Here you have the possibility to stock up your "tokens" (for the different skill categories). This is done with scrap. In addition, you have the option to activate reserve survivors (if any have died), but this also costs a few parts. Your scrap expires as soon as you lose all the survivors.

    Use Parts to upgrade your base (upgrades can be made in various categories). Then survive for more days to gain more loot. Base-Building is offered once before starting the waves. As soon as you lose all the survivors, you can go back there.

    So, the loop is Base Building -> play days (and nights) -> Die -> Base Building -> play days (and nights) -> Die and so on. Parts do not expire.
    The ultimate goal is to climb the Leaderboard and reach the highest possible score.

    Gain experience by playing games that will help you level up. These level-ups give you an improved badge, but even more important bonus crates. You get experience for some actions like killing and looting.
    Another important aspect is the year system. You start in year 0 (after the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse). A meta goal is to create as many years as possible. You can move on to next year in the base, but that costs a lot of parts. Of course, you also get something: Your survivors become stronger and you get more parts and points.

    We think that this is how zombies will be created:
    Most big companies are big money-makers, right? The worst are the ones related to food. What if there was a burger chain called MKing, which would add a few drops of a secret ingredient to the meat? An ingredient that makes all consumers addicted. After prolonged consumption, the brain is massively damaged, so that after some time only one area remains active. The area that controls the consumption of meat. You only want one thing: meat and more meat! To make matters worse, the brain is switched off to such an extent that natural death is no longer possible. Only a high level of violence can help!

    Who are we?
    [​IMG]

    We - Pixelsplit - are an indie dev studio based in Germany, Frankfurt am Main. Formerly (since 2010) we were known as ZEICHENKRAFTWERK or sometimes ZKW Games.
    We made several games (in different genres) before. Our last one was the well-received title "Tales of the Tiny Planet".

    If you want to test it ...
    ... and are an iOS user then just drop us an email to [email protected] .
    The e-mail should contain your name and e-mail.
    When the build is Apple approved, we'll send you a TestFlight invite.

    If you would like to use your Android Device, then just go here: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/games.pixelsplit.deadlydays

    Why are we alpha testing this?
    First, we would like to know whether the game concept is well received by you. And if the implementation is fun.
    Since the game will be an F2P game, we also want to know if the balancing and retention will work that way. We have tested different balancing settings and now we just need feedback from real players - you guys.
    But in general, we want any kind of feedback from you guys: ideas, balancing, the good, the bad.

    Ok... F2P you say... why?
    We would like to try to deal with the topic openly, your feedback is also needed here! We think "paid" doesn't work anymore in the store, of course with some exceptions. Currently we are planning to finance the game with mainly optional advertising, eventually we will add InApp purchases later so that crates can be opened immediately.


    GIFs from the latest update
    [​IMG]
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    [​IMG]

    Screenshots
    And here for the sake of completeness screenshots.
    [​IMG]
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    [​IMG]

    We are looking forward to an open discussion with you and of course to many testers!
     
  2. #2 pixelsplit, Sep 26, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2017
    0.9.6 - 13.12.2017
    * Massivley ramped up amount of zombies!
    * Overworked AI (fights now 1on1 instead in radius)
    * Added: Weather system
    * Added: Lootable environment objects (cars and bins)
    * Added: New special abilites (loot scan and time stop)
    * Added: Tutorial
    * Added: Settings
    * Added: Credits screen
    * Many bugfixes
    * Polishment
    and much more

    0.9.5 - 16.11.2017
    • Added: Objective system (with over 100 missions now)
    • Added: Skin system (lootable skin crates with over 30 skins)
    • Added: Many new events (including bosses, etc.)
    • Added: Slot machine (in crafting screen; gamble to get positive modifiers)
    • Added: Pause menu
    • Polish: Stacking special tokens now (bubble with remaining uses)
    • Polish: New blood system (better performance and now with spray behavior)
    • Polish: Daily boost toggleable (so you can keep it for later)
    • Polish: Added new year UI design
    • Balancing: Deactivated time countdown in night mode
    • Balancing: Many balancing adjustments
    • Balancing: Removed ads after new game
    and much more

    0.9.0 - 12.10.2017 (Beta introduction)
    • Added: Special Event system: On some days special events happen (e.g. big zombie horde)
    • Added: Tactics menu to give more control over characters in some situations (regroup, prioritized enemy, send survivor back to base)
    • Added: Daily loot boost (double parts)
    • Added: When touching gravestones, you get some scrap
    • Balancing: Costs for activaiting reserve survivors in night mode increase per use
    • Balancing: Higher years don't increase your points anymore (led to points not beeing based on skill)
    • Balancing: Harder enemy levels give you more points now
    • Balancing: Going to next years doesn't reset your upgrades anymore
    • Balancing: Increased probability of crate spawns on map
    • Balancing: Going to next year leads to higher income now (more parts)
    • Polish: Show damage taken number above enemies
    • Polish: Survivor should not be layered on another
    • Polish: Upgradable categories will be highlighted green now (when you have sufficient parts)
    • Polish: Crates are ordered now (remaining time)
    • Polish: Added feedback when a crate was found on the map
    • Polish: Abandon button in night mode is hold to abandon now
    • Polish: Changed color of crate in main menu
    • Polish: Fade out map at edges (thus allowing a bit more camera scroll)
    • Polish: Increased size of health arrows above characters
    • Fixed: Characters didn't check correctly if an obstacle is in sight when shooting at enemies
    • Fixed: Shine in crate opening animation didn't scale correctly
    • Fixed: Color of tracking arrows not matching color above charcaters
    • Fixed: Tracking arrow scaling was to small on tablets

    0.8.7 - 29.09.2017
    • Fixed: English is now fallback language (instead of German)
    • Balancing: Buffed area heal (higher radius and healrate)
    • Balancing: Adjusted balancing of shotgun (is now much stronger)
    • Balancing: Adjusted balancing of fitness upgrades (stronger now)
    • Polish: Crate UI is now just shown if new actions are possible (looting or starting opening)
    • Polish: Added new world space crate sprite (should be better visible)
    • Fixed: Scrap bonus not working when skipping waves

    0.8.6 - Initial Alpha Version
     
  3. Reaganomics

    Reaganomics Well-Known Member

    Apr 26, 2009
    785
    2
    18
    I've been waiting for a game like this for a while. I'm definitely interested.
     
  4. We just sent out the first batch of TestFlight invitations. Be aware that it is still an alpha version ;)
    Please send us (this thread would be a good place) any feedback you have (bugs, ideas, improvements).
     
  5. mudrik

    mudrik Member

    Sep 27, 2017
    5
    0
    0
    Hey, how to turn an english version?
    I have german language and have no idea what to do.
    iPhone 6S, iOS11
     
  6. Hi mudrik! Thanks for your post.

    Unfortunately, the fallback language is wrongly set to "German".
    So if your system language is not english, it will choose German.
    We will send an update to Apple tomorrow.

    A possible workaround for now is: temporarily setting your system language to English and then play the game in English. After playing you can simply go back to your old language. Otherwise we hope that the update will be approved as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!
     
  7. mudrik

    mudrik Member

    Sep 27, 2017
    5
    0
    0
    Thank for advice.
    So, the first one is monir - not translated button (see pic 1)
    And what is the crate that will open after a year? (pic 2)
     

    Attached Files:

  8. Thanks, we'll change the unlocalized button.
    The year crate is a long term retention crate, for the ones that will really keep playing this game for a long time.
    It'll contain some good stuff ;)
     
  9. The new TestFlight version 0.8.7 just got released. Here the changes:
    * English is now fallback language (instead of German)
    * Buffed area heal (higher radius and healrate)
    * Adjusted balancing of shotgun (is now much stronger)
    * Adjusted balancing of fitness upgrades (stronger now)
    * Crate UI is now just shown if new actions are possible (looting or starting opening)
    * Added new world space crate sprite (should be better visible)
    * Fixed scrap bonus not working when skipping waves
    * Fixed "Return to base" button not beeing localized
     
  10. #10 pixelsplit, Oct 13, 2017
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2017
    Beta Update 0.9.0 (ATTENTION: Gif Alert)

    Hi,

    at first: thanks to all testers and the great feedback.

    Yesterday evening our update 0.9.0 was approved on TestFlight. All testers should now get the newest version. BTW We are still searching for more testers.

    In this post we'll explain / show a bit more about the changes.
    Added: Special Event system: On some days special events happen
    We wanted to give some days a special touch. So we added an event system. We currently implemented five different events. One of them is the zombie horde. The other ones we'll leave as surprise :)

    [​IMG]

    Added: Tactics menu to give more control over characters in some situations
    Getting more control over the survivors was something many of our testers requested, so we gave it quite a high priority.

    Regroup
    Send all survivors to a user defined point to regroup there.
    [​IMG]

    Prioritized enemy
    Sometimes you don't want to rely on the decisions the survivors make. Mark an enemy to prioritize his elimination.
    [​IMG]

    Send back to base
    In certain situations you just want one survivor to run back somewhere. We said "somewhere" is base. Usually this can be used in situations where you want to avoid a fight.

    [​IMG]

    Polish: Show damage taken number above enemies
    We wanted to give a bit more feedback how weapons and attacks behave. So we added damage numbers when hitting enemies. We think that it feels much more dynamic now :) But please tell us your opinions!

    [​IMG]

    Balancing changes
    We adjusted the balancing at several points, please refer to the backlog to check the exact changes. But in summary we wanted to make the point reward more skill based and the process of going to next year less punishing (or even not at all).

    For sake of completeness here the changelog for 0.9.0:
    • Added: Special Event system: On some days special events happen (e.g. big zombie horde)
    • Added: Tactics menu to give more control over characters in some situations (regroup, prioritized enemy, send survivor back to base)
    • Added: Daily loot boost (double parts)
    • Added: When touching gravestones, you get some scrap
    • Balancing: Costs for activaiting reserve survivors in night mode increase per use
    • Balancing: Higher years don't increase your points anymore (led to points not beeing based on skill)
    • Balancing: Harder enemy levels give you more points now
    • Balancing: Going to next years doesn't reset your upgrades anymore
    • Balancing: Increased probability of crate spawns on map
    • Balancing: Going to next year leads to higher income now (more parts)
    • Polish: Show damage taken number above enemies
    • Polish: Survivor should not be layered on another
    • Polish: Upgradable categories will be highlighted green now (when you have sufficient parts)
    • Polish: Crates are ordered now (remaining time)
    • Polish: Added feedback when a crate was found on the map
    • Polish: Abandon button in night mode is hold to abandon now
    • Polish: Changed color of crate in main menu
    • Polish: Fade out map at edges (thus allowing a bit more camera scroll)
    • Polish: Increased size of health arrows above characters
    • Fixed: Characters didn't check correctly if an obstacle is in sight when shooting at enemies
    • Fixed: Shine in crate opening animation didn't scale correctly
    • Fixed: Color of tracking arrows not matching color above charcaters
    • Fixed: Tracking arrow scaling was to small on tablets
     
  11. Coming closer to soft launch

    Hi survivors,

    we made it to version 0.9.5 thanks to the feedback we received!
    System-wise we are quite ready for the soft launch (Android SL already running).

    We made the following changes:
    * Added objective system (with over 100 missions now)
    * Added skin system (lootable skin crates)
    * Added many new events (bosses, etc.)
    * Added slot machine (in crafting screen)
    * Added pause menu
    * Stacking special tokens now (bubble with remaining uses)
    * New blood system (better performance and now with spray behavior)
    * Many balancing adjustments
    * Daily boost toggleable (so you can keep it for later)
    * Added new year UI design
    * Deactivated time countdown in night mode
    * Removed ads after new game

    If you want to try it - we still let the Beta run, until the Soft Launch.
     
  12. Softlaunch India, Singapore and Netherlands

    Hi,

    we just soft launched the game for India, Singapore and Netherlands.
    So everyone who is interested in the game and lives in one of these countries can download the game now.

    We again made several adjustments (especially to AI), bugfixes and polishment.

    Now we start working on the final RC - this will include a proper tutorial (replacing the current instructions).

    We are looking forward to your feedback!
     
  13. JackDerp

    JackDerp Well-Known Member

    Dec 15, 2015
    317
    33
    28
    I don’t mind games that are free with adds with a removal IAP but what do you mean about including IAPs later? Some people on this site including me are apprehensive when a dev talks about including IAPs later after release.

    Also, will this game have an energy system and an online requirement?

    Game looks really cool and I do still want to play it!
     
  14. Hi JackDerp and thanks for your interest in the game!

    We have (already in the softlaunch) added some InApps (basically buy currency). BUT no content is locked or was balanced in a way that it is almost impossible to reach. So the InApps are just for the users who want to support us or don't (want to) have time to repeatedly play the game. There is no online requirement and no energy system.

    Regarding ads: We have rewarded ads where you can gain a little currency bonus when watching an ad. Since the softlaunch monetization wen't not so good, we also had to add "forced" interstitial ads when you start a new round (which last 5-30 minutes+). But i directly want to extract feedback from your post: Removing these forced ads as soon as you bought one InApp.

    I know it is a hard topic, but for us developers we need some way to monetize. We now tried with an really optional system for the user, so he can enjoy the game also without spending (or generating [via ads]) any money. We hope it works out somehow.

    Now let's come back to the game. We made several changes to the game (which are not 100% mobile ready yet, approximately next week). It really changed the game alot (in a very good way). Have a look here: https://pixelsplit.itch.io/deadly-days/devlog/17591/rainy-day-1-many-many-zombies-encountered-update-097e

    We would love to hear your feedback about the upcoming update and your thoughts on what we told you about monetization now. Feedback is the most valuable thing right now! I'd love to invite you to TestFlight as soon as the new update is out (if you still like to play it).
     
  15. JackDerp

    JackDerp Well-Known Member

    Dec 15, 2015
    317
    33
    28
    Good to hear! I can’t wait to play this in that case!!!
     
  16. Then i'd suggest you to send your Apple ID for testflight to [email protected] . Just preparing the update!
     
  17. Update 0.9.7

    [​IMG]

    The new version 0.9.7e is now available in softlaunch countries and for testers. We've made major changes to the game, triggered by feedback and Lets Plays.

    The primary complaint was that the survivors were not fighting actively and cleverly enough. But we also noticed that the start of our game was not engaging enough. We have now taken the first steps to resolve these problems.

    Survivor now fight against only one target
    Previously, the Survivor melee attacks were carried out against all in enemies in a range. That looked strange and didn't feel right. With the new changes, survivors face zombies 1on1 and fight their way through hordes one after another. The zombies got the same change to maintain the balance.

    [​IMG]

    Furthermore, the ranged combat behavior was optimized, so that the survivors are much more willing to fight (especially against groups of zombies).

    Zombies, we need more zombies.
    In the previous version, the map always felt a little empty. In later days there was a bit more going on, but especially the early game was a bit boring.

    Now we have drastically increased the number of active zombies. In addition, we have rebalanced the game so that most of the zombies are very weak and can be killed very easily. Now fighting the masses feels great! But be careful: they are still deadly in large groups. As the days continue to advance, opponents with new special abilites and stronger then ever appear, beware!

    [​IMG]

    New special abilities
    We added two new useful special abilites.

    Time Stop Take the stress out of a day, get an overview and optimize the current state of the game (e. g. give all weapons and heal them).
    All this by stopping the time for a few moments.

    [​IMG]

    Loot Scan Lots of lootable parts are not always clearly visible in the hustle and bustle.
    In this case, you can activate the Loot Scan to quickly highlight and collect all the loot around.

    [​IMG]

    Weather system
    We plan to visually polish the game a bit over the next few weeks.
    A first step for atmosphere is a weather system, which (currently) randomly activates a weather.
    Currently we have implemented two weather types, see for yourself.

    Rain storm
    [​IMG]

    Snow
    [​IMG]

    Lootable environment
    Until now, scrap and parts could only be collected openly from the street.
    But now some of them are also hiding in cars and garbage cans. Keep your eyes open!

    [​IMG]

    We think the game has improved a lot and is now much more enjoyable. We hope you like it too, let us know your opinion. We need your feedback!

    Now have fun with the new version!

    And like always: New testers are still welcome :) Just send a mail to [email protected]
     

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