I was here at the very beginning, and then returned again and again, just to see this game die... For a long time it looked like the devs only wanted people to pay, instead of play.
Now it looks like the developers actually want to fix their game, so I thought I'll share my ideas too.
- I'm experiencing connection issues all the time, which is weird, because I can play much "bigger" games without any issues, while watching youtube videos and/or multiple live streams, but this game lags even when I play it on it's own.
- The loading times are terrible, sometimes up to a minute to load a zone (even on i5 64bit system), while other games with much bigger maps and more detailed graphics only need seconds.
- The window often shows the "not answering" writing during loading, or when I try to search for something in the AH.
- The battle sprite problem... Why did you make only 3 of them to begin with? I would add a mecha type with stun and shock effects and a jelly type (a flying jellyfish would be cute) with freeze effect. This would also need some rebalancing, but some abilities I think are already broken, I find the seraphynx's healing ability barely usable for example. The t3 gremlin healers are ridiculously overpowered, compared to the seraph's healing effect.
- Make it possible to separate the attack and the action functions, why are they the same button anyways?
- The cursor is attached to the knights' head, and because of the camera angle the ranged targeting is off-grid: if I put the mouse on an enemy to shoot it, I'll probably will miss it because of this.
- The red target marker isn't helping either, it often randomly jumps to an other enemy - that is sometimes behind me - after one or two strikes. It's really annoying, because I could kill my primary target with the 3-hit combo, but this stupid thing prevents me from doing it. Also, because of this I can't hit the explosive block when enemies standing next to it, I always hit the marked target.
- I think the rapiers' knockback is is too strong: after the fist hit I hardly ever can reach the enemy with the second hit, except if there is something behind them to stop them.
- Make more unique events like the homecoming was.
- Give players daily log-in gifts, like fire crystals based on their tier or example.
- NO MORE COLOR STYLES! If you want to add more costumes, then make something actually new!
- Add new boss fights! My idea for this is a mecha knight factory for t1: the gremlins are preparing for an attack against the surface, so they started to build an army. The final boss is actually 3 elite knights, each of them has a different element (fire, ice, shock), and they also have 100% resistance against their own elements and the status effects.
...
I think this will be enough for a while.
My suggestions
I'm experiencing connection issues all the time, which is weird, because I can play much "bigger" games without any issues, while watching youtube videos and/or multiple live streams, but this game lags even when I play it on it's own.
This isn't really a suggestion; it's more of a comment. What would you propose they do on their end to make the situation better?
- The loading times are terrible, sometimes up to a minute to load a zone (even on i5 64bit system), while other games with much bigger maps and more detailed graphics only need seconds.
This one's also more of a statement than a suggestion. For other people (myself included) areas on SK generally load up just fine. Not really sure why the loading gods have enacted their wrath upon you. (Though my toaster of a laptop has been known to try and catch fire now and then, but I think that's just because I forgot to offer a sacrifice before starting.)
- The window often shows the "not answering" writing during loading, or when I try to search for something in the AH.
What do you suggest other than "make it stop?" This is true of really any window that gets busy or temporarily locks up, not just SK.
- The battle sprite problem... Why did you make only 3 of them to begin with? I would add a mecha type with stun and shock effects and a jelly type (a flying jellyfish would be cute) with freeze effect. This would also need some rebalancing, but some abilities I think are already broken, I find the seraphynx's healing ability barely usable for example. The t3 gremlin healers are ridiculously overpowered, compared to the seraph's healing effect.
Right now we have one for attack/buffing, one for defense/healing, and one for utility/support. Not so sure about the mecha one, but I'd be down for a little jellyfish to pal around with. What else could it do other than be able to cause Freeze? Would it be mainly for support?
For the existing sprites, there's a couple of things that need reworking, I agree. At its core, Heart Attack is not one of them. However, Violent Heart Attack needs to actually cause noticeable damage upon the explosion, and Iron Heart Attack has had competition with defense orbs dropping from enemies normally. Perhaps the ones gained from using the skill could stack and not have a limit on how high the timer could go?
Darkfang Menders are enemies that are designed to interrupt your progress by rapidly healing everything nearby. Heart Attack is designed with the idea that healing weapons should not be a thing, and instead gives you the opportunity to help yourself and your party members by giving yourselves a higher chance for health. They're two different things, and of course the enemy will have the "better" version: they're menders, they're meant to heal things. We are not.
- Make it possible to separate the attack and the action functions, why are they the same button anyways?
I don't see anything wrong with this one, sure.
- The cursor is attached to the knights' head, and because of the camera angle the ranged targeting is off-grid: if I put the mouse on an enemy to shoot it, I'll probably will miss it because of this.
Not really sure what you mean here. I use the cursor as a cross-hair when I gun all the time, and it's never given me any issue.
- The red target marker isn't helping either, it often randomly jumps to an other enemy - that is sometimes behind me - after one or two strikes. It's really annoying, because I could kill my primary target with the 3-hit combo, but this stupid thing prevents me from doing it. Also, because of this I can't hit the explosive block when enemies standing next to it, I always hit the marked target.
It "jumps to another enemy" because Auto-Target is designed to go for the nearest monster. Might I suggest disabling it altogether and see how you fare? It will keep your aim from spazzing out, and it's a lot easier to line up shots without it.
- I think the rapiers' knockback is is too strong: after the fist hit I hardly ever can reach the enemy with the second hit, except if there is something behind them to stop them.
I agree for this. I'd like the knockback toned down a little, but also change the first swing to an overhead swipe instead of a wide arc and lessen the hitbox a bit.
- Make more unique events like the homecoming was.
The Homecoming event was specifically designed to welcome in the Guild Hall update, and was a one time thing. What other "unique events" would you suggest, and would you make them one time only as well? Telling them to "make this" with no context isn't very beneficial.
- Give players daily log-in gifts, like fire crystals based on their tier or example.
I'd like to say yes, but only if they're bound to the knight you receive them on.
- NO MORE COLOR STYLES! If you want to add more costumes, then make something actually new!
This is another case of saying "don't do this, make this" without giving any sort of suggestion. The color styles are fine; it would be nice to have more "unique" looking costume pieces rather than recolored things, but it's not bad either. Some people like having the wide selection, and more color styles help bridge the gaps in color combinations we have access to.
- Add new boss fights! My idea for this is a mecha knight factory for t1: the gremlins are preparing for an attack against the surface, so they started to build an army. The final boss is actually 3 elite knights, each of them has a different element (fire, ice, shock), and they also have 100% resistance against their own elements and the status effects.
This one I'm sure will happen at some point. The idea for T1 just makes me think of Ironclaw Munitions Factory we already have in T2. "Three elite knights" doesn't give much depth, but I do like the idea of things having their own status theme all at once. Fleshed out a bit, I think it'd be a neat concept.
Well... yes, this has become more of a possible-bug-list than actual suggestions, sorry for that.
I said no more colors because at this point it's really annoying that those were the only new content. In fact, I think (without checking) about 8 out of 10 "updates" were introducing new color styles, while there was a "bugfix" a few months ago, where the problem was that a sword's effect had the wrong color. I still can't decide wether it was the only bug they found, the most important to fix, or they just picked the easiest.
About the new boss fights: it would be cool to have a boss fight for every monster type, including a graveyard themed and a fiend themed, bu I don't have ideas for these and I think, because of their theme these would be better for t2/t3. Adding these new bosses with their own tokens and stuff to buy with them would mean enough content for a big event, where players get special items, like the honor blade was in homecoming.
More details about this boss concept:
I call my elite mecha knights "Legionnaires" from now, I think it's a good name for them. They appear as an upgraded mecha knight, with pauldrons, unique helmet with mohawk-like top, a boosted plate shield which reduces the incoming damage from the front, and a polearm as a weapon. The polearm's range is double of the normal melee attack's. Each legionnaire has 100% resistance against their own status effect, and greatly reduced incoming damage from any weapon of their element type (for example the fire legionnaire can barely be damaged by firo alchemers or fire brandishes and can't be set on fire). The polearm's normal attack has some chance to cause fire/freeze/shock status effects, there is a spin attack that knocks knights back and more likely to cause status effects, but this attack also reduces their defense from their shield for a short time. They also have a charge attack when they run towards the knights (like the trojans), this is their strongest attack: knocks back, stuns and causing status effects. They also able to use barriers of their type.
Their weaknesses are the prisma alchemers, as they deal elemental damage without any special effect, so they aren't resistant against them, and the other legionnaires, because they can damage each other. They also know this, so they will try to not be in the others' melee range - use vortex bombs.
The first levels are quite factory like, with gremlins and every kind of construct monsters.
The boss room is simple: first we have a wave (maybe 10 or so) of normal mecha knights of every type, the legionnaires are idle until this wave is destroyed, or until they aren't attacked.
An other thing I though, it would be good if we could make or own costumes (without orbs). Not big things, but being able to make and use any rookie or common armor in any base color style. For example I'd like to have a military fur coat as a costume.
Also, the mission window - especially the arcade tab - should remember my last choices, so if I pick tier 3 and then change the gate, then it shouldn't drop back to tier 1. It should work the same way as it remembers the difficulty. Also, while in the clockworks the mission window should open at my position showing the gate and depth where I currently am.
Another thing: make unused consumables auto-sell when players return to haven. Capsules, vials and vitapods should sell for their normal sell price, barriers would pay more, while support kits pay the best. Of course the payment would be divided between the players.
About the auto targeting, this is how I would modify it:
- turn it off when I switch to a gun
- only jump to new target when there is no enemy in the direction the player is facing.
Three more things about this:
- make it possible to manually set the target to an enemy, so we will always look and attack at it's direction (again, this turns off wen we use guns)
- make the weapon's attacks and especially the charge attack's path and range visible - either a trail or a segment - like the abilities in LoL for example
- show the monster's information when I move the mouse over them wether the auto targeting is off or not
Also, a different cursor for the guns, one that looks like a crosshair maybe?
Also (I know it's trolling) but I think removing the sega logos from everywhere would greatly improve the game's value and playability.
Another boss concept: a really huge lichen colony, for t3.
The main boss is really slow at the beginning, while lichens spawn at the sides of the room during the whole fight, with random non-common lichens.
The colonies work slightly differently here: each of them can assimilate one non-common lichen (for example an oiler, and then the lichen colony will have the abilities of the oiler too).
The fight itself goes like this:
- phase 1: the boss barely can move, when it's hp reaches 0 it releases enough lichens to form 2 giant colonies, the non-common lichens spawn rate is increased
- phase 2: the boss moves faster, when it's killed, it releases enough lichens to form 3 giant colonies, the non-common lichens spawn rate is further increased
- phase 3: the boss becomes a giant colony itself, when the boss is killed, the lichens stop spawning
the fight is over when the last lichen is killed
I like the idea for the boss, 3 things with different statuses.
It would be really cool if they were also really weak to the other 2 statuses (e.g. hitting the fire gremlin with shock makes the shock do more damage/last longer). I think that'd be pretty cool.
(Plus, it'd give 1* an actual boss, Collector isn't much of one: doesn't it show up near the end of the game? Razwog doesn't do that!)