I've been watching this game for a while now because it sounded like an awesome concept but there were some concerns about AI and crashes. I have it on my AppShopper and have been impressed with all the content and bug fix updates. The developer seems very active and I love supporting these types of indie companies. I see that the AI has been improved a couple of times. How is it now? Challenging? Also how does the IAP affect gameplay. Will probably be snagging this soon because of all the development it's been getting.
Hi ShaggyPXA! Thanks a lot for your interest in the game. I can't really make too many claims about the game difficulty, but I can confirm that the AI is now a little more defensive, thanks in part to some suggestions on this very thread. The difficulty of the game is partially in the hands of the player, as you can choose to face either a matched opponent with a similar fortress or, if you want to aim for more loot, a completely random and potentially very challenging opponent! Regarding IAP, I mentioned a while ago in this thread that I HATE evil or manipulative IAP, so can promise you that my games will never have paywalls or timers, and that all of the content can be easily unlocked through playing normally! There is an option to buy additional coins for those players who want to, but I like to hope that the game is balanced in such a way that nobody feels they have to pay to win. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hello, thanks for the fast response! Just bought your game. It's been cool to watch you add updates and I'm looking to playing it soon. I'll post comments here once I've experimented a bit. Good luck with future developments!
Ok, now that I've played a little bit I want to share my thoughts. First, I'm finding it pretty addicting. I love the creativity and variety of units (I've unlocked all but one, which I think is the wall repair dude). The combination of pixel artwork with comically desperate sieges is great. I also like how quick games are. As you mentioned there is no need to spend real money on extra gold. There is enough variety and strategy to keep me coming back for more. However, I have noticed a few bugs. Every third game or so, I experience a crash at the end of an enemy's turn. This makes that particular battle unplayable so I force-close the app and start a new game. Also,sometimes the AI's men run off the screen into blackness. These games also can't be finished. Although these crashes ruin particular battles, the game is still very playable. I've also seen how many crash improvements you've added so far, so I'm sure these bugs will be worked out in time. I'll post suggestions as I think of them. One is some kind of stats screen. It would be cool to somehow see each unit's base damage, health, movement and range. Right now I'm memorizing them but it would be great to have some reference screen. Overall, insanely addicting game. Just what I've been looking for. Please keep up the great work!
Yep. It's 30 units, excluding the King. Now that I think about it this kind of thing should really have some explanatory text when you hit the cap. I'll add that in with the next update. I hope it feels like a balanced cap? I wanted to emphasise tactics and superiority of fortress design over being able to buy 900 ballistas through IAP! Also any more than 30 and the enemy turn takes ages.
Impressed, but... I have been playing this game since it's release and it's getting better with every update. I did have a major problem where the game crashed instantly upon loading, leaving me no choice but to delete and reinstall it. Since then it has been running much more smoothly (and rarely crashes these days). I have encountered a bug today though... I have a large castle, lots of cash in the bank and have been doing well (mainly due to the amount of playing!). However, after winning my Last fight, my bank balance has increased from 20,060 to over 2million! It seems for some unexplained reason I have been given an extra 2million gold. I did purchase the extra gold before the first crash - lost when I reinstalled the game, but that was only 5k gold. While it's nice to have the 2mill in my balance, it must be an error that needs fixing. For future updates, I have a few suggestions: -How about the ability to customise units? Make them hit harder/ take less damage due to armor / move faster due to magic/ footwear... -the same could be achieved with the introduction of a new unit type: items. Potions to restore health / increase strength / go faster. -bombs? -fog of war -traps -how about the ability to set the ai of your units? I mean so that you can tell them to be defensive or aggressive. Perhaps even set paths... -levels?? Upstairs and basement... -also, more units are always welcome!
Yeah, the thirty unit cap is absolutely fair. It would be really annoying to have to wait for the AI to move hundreds of units. I also love how this game works. It's really cool to see what other people have built but I mostly prefer playing against the AI so you don't have to wait forever for a human opponent to go. Very clever design. I have gotten to the point where my king is no longer in any danger. Now, I either choose to let the AI crumble against my walls while I pick them off with crossbows or just smash them real quick in the field. Although this is still a blast, I sometimes miss the sense of desperation I experienced early in the game as a superior force broke through my walls and I had to make valiant last stands. I'm trying to think of ways to bring this back. I could just limit the number of units I have or make a weaker castle. This would work, but then I never get to see my best castles/soldiers tested to their limits. Would you consider an additional mode like endless siege? Every five turns or so, have a bigger and bigger force come on screen from the left or right to join the battle. Maybe reward players in gold proportional to how many waves they survive? I would happily pay extra for a new mode. Thanks for all your hard work on the game and I look forward to seeing where it goes next.
Thanks for joining the conversation AMWhy! This is the second time somebody has reported the 2 million gold bug to me (although I'm pretty sure most people who find a bug that gives them loads of money aren't going to report it!). I've never yet been able to recreate it myself. It would be a bigger concern in a full-on competitive multiplayer game, but I shall keep an eye out for it. Traps and fog of war are both things I have considered at one point or another, but I'd want to do them right without overcomplicating the existing game. We'll have to see in the future! ShaggyPKA, I've been thinking very seriously about a horde mode since around June, but was too busy trying to make my game less of a buggy mess back then. Now I know there's an interest I'll put some more thought into it. If you're looking for some stronger competition, you should ask AMWhy for their gamecenter id! Any other players out there want to volunteer their fortresses and gamecenter ids?
always great to see a developer who cares about the input of customers. Thanks for adding an endless siege mode. I'm very excited to see where this game goes and will continue to support it in the future.
So I got fed up with delaying this update any longer, and have decided to launch it a week early! In addition to all of the new Halloween content, I'm very pleased to announce massive retuning, bugfixing and stability improvements throughout the app. Battles should now be 100% crashproof! Thanks as ever to all my regular players who keep me focused on wanting to make a better game for everyone. ...Oh, and as a final bonus, All Glory to the Pixel King is going to be available for FREE for the next few days! Enjoy!
Finally picked this up. Pretty fun. Have a few questions: - Is there a way to zoom out so we can see the entire battlefield at once? - Is there a way to just erase blocks? (I guess adding grass works like that) - And is there a way to select a group of blocks and copy/paste?
Heya Bronxsta, thanks for giving the game a go! - Zooming and copy/pasting are definitely two things that would be cool to add at some point, although I don't want to rush into any major interface changes unless I've got a good idea of how to work them in without overcomplicating things. - Right now, adding grass is the primary way to erase and get a refund on blocks. Maybe a slightly more explicit 'erase tile' option would be a little more obvious to the user... Thoughts anyone? Does it take a while to work out that grass doubles up as the delete function?
Thanks for the freebie - I've been playing this more than Combat Monsters... Had no problem figuring this one out. What I'd like is a cancel/undo orders button for a unit mid-move/attack. Will the Halloween content stay after the holiday? Otherwise I'm gonna miss my zombie horde... Also: an option to turn off the music would be nice.
Hi drelbs! Halloween units were supposed to be limited to only a few weeks, but I've also grown quite fond of my zombie horde! Instead, I think I might leave them unlocked for anyone who plays during the next few weeks, and as a super rare unlockable for anybody who starts playing after the next update. I think I may have to raise the unit costs a little though, as zombies are way overpowered when used correctly!
Very much so - I've got 30 zombies, and if I'm careful I can often win battles with 1/3 to 1/2 of their army converted and little or no casualties. Two easy nerfs would be to give newly converted units minimal health (as they are zombies) or not make them active as they convert (which prevents the 2 zombies convert one enemy unit, which then weakens an enemy unit. 1 more zombie converts that unit, then wash/rinse/repeat...) I have to say while I don't think it's the optimal strategy, I've seen some absolutely beautiful castles - it's too bad there can't be a gallery up somewhere. My castle is a brick blob with two reinforced doors and the king, surrounded by zombies... One question: Do you get more plunder if you destroy more of the enemy structure/units? (i.e. the same whether you beeline and kill the king or is it more profitable to completely eliminate their army and/or castle..?)
Ah, both excellent nerf ideas. I hope you don't kind me ruining your fun! The plunder you get is currently based on the total cost of the enemy's fortress, plus an added bonus if your's is of lesser value than theirs. So yes, currently making a beeline for the king is a valid strategy. Originally it was going to be based on units and blocks destroyed, but figured that could make the battles a bit boring if you have to sit there clicking on every block in a fortress when you could be having a new battle instead!
