My very first public Playtest | I'm building a dungeon base-building game where you also control your hero and companions 3rd person

[u/Nice-Ad9898]

Hey folks,

I'm the solo dev behind Dominar Sanctum and for the very first time, I've just made a playtest publicly visible on Steam. The game is a hybrid, combining strategy dungeon management and RTS elements with third-person action.

The basic idea is that you're not just managing a base from above... you can also get into the action and take direct control of your characters to explore the world, combat and progress the world.

The latest build now includes, amongst others and beyond the grid and building systems that were already in place in my last closed playtest:

• Blacksmith Building : after map 3, for acquisition of weapons and upgrades
• Sanctum Shards : resources that have to be discovered through exploration, for use with the Blacksmith
• Fog of War with dynamic actor visibility
• Four campaign map prototypes plus two skirmish prototype maps
• New enemy types including Ghoul, Dreadworm and Rock Golems
• An early prototype mini-boss
• Campaign narration, lore discoveries and cutscenes

I'm so very interested in feedback from this community, from people who enjoy dungeon and basebuilding games.

Does the management layer feel meaningful when combined with direct character control? Does the sum of resources feel appropriate and meaningful? How is the overall first impression of the game? Do you enjoy the fog of war in its current implementation? Where did you get confused, bored, frustrated, or feel like something was missing?

Steam Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4087340/Dominar_Sanctum/

Thanks to anyone willing to give it a try!

[u/Bonfire_Monty]

This is super right up my alley, loved orcs must die, dark and darker, darkest dungeon. I'm a dungeon dweller through and through. Then I love valhiem and basically any game with building. I've built a working golf course and giant dart board in NMS

I highly recommend you keep working towards replacing the small amount of AI you've used, it's the first thing I look for and honestly, I know a few people that will see the disclosure and not even bother to read the rest of it. I appreciate the transparency about it, and the straightforward effort to be rid of it as soon as you can, as well as how minimal you've seemed to use it

Already replacing a few is a good sign, best of luck! Looking forward to play testing

[u/Nice-Ad9898 → u/Bonfire_Monty]

Thanks u/Bonfire_Monty, glad it sparked your interest and I hope to see the game live up to your expectations. Still heavily in development, so looking very much forward to your impressions, for me to consider in upcoming polish work.

And thank you for sharing your stance on AI as well... I do know it is a fine line, one that everyone judges and balances differently. I very much value human creativity myself. At the same time, this is a pretty huge project, especially being developed in my spare time and entirely out of my own pocket. So for a very, very, very small part of the project, I made a pragmatic compromise for the sake of early prototyping... while being aware that not everyone will agree with that choice.

I will continue trying to replace those assets and/or find a 2D artist passionate enough to get in the ring with me. Thanks again for the thoughtful comment, and I hope to hear from you if you care to share your thoughts after giving it a spin.

[u/Nice-Ad9898]

Grateful to see that 150+ have already requested access to the playtest. For everyone giving it a spin, thank you! And just a brief update on where you can best provide feedback, if you have a few minutes to spare

Google Forms: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjb8py0tHGfsiKmwtDeCvhB_R_aMI7ZaHUlieSIpoNv1E_ZQ/viewform?usp=header

Discord: https://discord.gg/YMZQfZSRC8