[WIP] [Phaser] Dotfortress

[dmarclay]

This is my second attempt at this simulation game concept with the main mechanics beeing random behaviors you can influence a little. The game hasn't much depth yet, I would like to hear some feedback before taking further directions. I'd like to validate that the gameplay is viable too and evaluate how much instructions are needed.

It is strongly influenced by the Dwarf Fortress genre, and I am also kind of aiming at reproducing part of the feeling in short casual browser/mobile play sessions. We're far from this yet.

It was made with Phaser, which I discovered with this project. Very decent framework with a lot features, quick learning curve, many examples available, OK doc.

Comments are very welcome, thanks for your time.

Try it!
http://df.dmz.rs

[Goblet Ed]

Excellent little demo. It is pretty fun commanding units to gather resources and build things. I think it would be best if you kept it light/casual. Stay far away from the type of learning curve Dwarf Fortress has!

Playing a bit each day to try and get as far as possible seems perfect for this game. Maybe add an auto save feature so that the game window can be closed on a whim. The player would have his progress saved so that he can continue the game at a later time.

[dmarclay]

Thanks a lot for the feedback.

I'm not sure yet where to add the depth - and it gets boring rapidly as it is.

One option is crafting. How easily did you get a chest built? I would like to stick to a single-click game interface (the constrint should get me safe of too much complexity), but I can imagine a more interesting crafting tree.

I'm considering other dynamics too like day/night cicles, agricultures, ...

Btw: autosave was already there, you should be able to resume your game.

[Goblet Ed]

On 1/6/2017 at 2:08 PM, dmarclay said:

Thanks a lot for the feedback.

I'm not sure yet where to add the depth - and it gets boring rapidly as it is.

One option is crafting. How easily did you get a chest built? I would like to stick to a single-click game interface (the constrint should get me safe of too much complexity), but I can imagine a more interesting crafting tree.

I'm considering other dynamics too like day/night cicles, agricultures, ...

Btw: autosave was already there, you should be able to resume your game.

I did not get to build the chest at all. Only thing I managed to do is build a small house. No idea how to craft other things like cupboards and anvils.

Lose condition should probably be when all your dots either die or move away. Currently there also seems to be a finite amount of resources at the player's disposal. Difficult to say how you are going to add more depth because I feel like every option is going to add a significant amount of work. Perhaps you should check out games that are similar to Dwarf Fortress but smaller in scope.