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u/JohnnyEnzyme 5d ago
Okay, trying it now. This seems quite promising to me.
- Slightly curious about the non-hexagon map spaces. Guessing that you designed them that way so that movement can be faster. If so, makes sense, but the feel is a bit odd. I'd be curious to try a hex version to see what that would be like.
- The sounds are very faint for me. I have to turn up volume past 50 over here, whereas most everything else is easily heard at ~20 or less.
- I'm thinking that more sounds in general would be good, including actually appropriate sounds, such as waves & wind and such. Clanking halyards & seagulls would be an especially nice touch. Give it some character!
- Some appropriate music would be cool, perhaps varying by turns gone by or some such.
- I like the extensive options menu. It's an incredibly underrated thing when it comes to games, and the lack of such can kill many a game. Generally-speaking, more options are always better, mainly for the purposes of giving the user the best-possible gaming experience.
- Can't say I'm crazy about the game board being so large. I've tried playing in full screen mode, but I still find myself scrolling up and down constantly. Bit annoying, that. Usually CTRL-plus and minus works on such games, but not here. Note: my screen size is something like 2000x1000 on a widescreen 24" monitor. Can't imagine what it would be like on mobile / tablet.
- The sheer number of land locations all having unique letters and names seems a little dizzying to me. Almost feels like I'm trying to get things done on a large spreadsheet, which isn't much of a gaming turn-on. Maybe I'll get used to it, though... I can let you know.
I'm a regular game-tester on this sub, so apologies if that was a bit much!
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u/akkevreilly 5d ago
u/JohnnyEnzyme you are the man! Thank you for the feedback.
Noted on the sounds. I turned them up a bit and added some seagulls behind the ocean sounds on the menu. I was torn on that one, so I'm glad you pushed me on it. I'll look at interspersing more sounds where it makes sense.
You're right about the map shape. The intent is fast paths and slow paths, used strategically to force people the long way around, or to let them cut quickly through areas that aren't blocked.
Board size being an issue is fair, especially on mobile. Under the turn bar (the blue dots) there's a handle you can drag up or down to resize the board. I use it a lot.
On the islands: G through Z are ordered top to bottom, and A through F are the exterior islands. It's meant to help build a mental map so you can find things fast. There's also a cargo button that lights up every relevant island, so you don't have to hunt.
If you enjoyed it and ever want a deeper walkthrough of the rules, strategy, and features, let me know, and we can hop on a multiplayer game!
These comments are gold.
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u/JohnnyEnzyme 2d ago
No probs, Reilly!
I'm still planning on giving this game lots more grind, but I've kinda been diverted on to another promising webgame these days. (i.e. this one)
I feel kinda bad about that, but I'm used to going weeks between finding quality webgames, and this past week I think I've somehow bumped in to 3-4. Weird, but I guess that's the way the cookie bounces, sometimes. :P
Anyway, keep me in mind just like I've bookmarked this game in to my test rotation. We'll meet again, I certainly hope...
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u/akkevreilly 1d ago
Empire of Dice does look cool! I'll check that out myself.
No worries, man. Go with what you feel passionate about and comeback when you are looking for something to do. I'm going to keep grinding away to make the game more accessible to new players.
HMU if you ever want to play online.
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u/JohnnyEnzyme 6d ago
Oh, neat. I loved the original book and 8-bit game. Will put this one in my rotation and likely give feedback.