Dec 22, 2022

Sudokolorful - OriOpa Studio

Hello colorful people, how are you doing?

I have some announcements to make about Sudokolorful.

After hearing your feedbacks, I decided to redesign some aspects of the experience and would like to let you know why of each change.
I believe that games are a very powerful tool to make people’s life better, and this idea and made me rethink this game. When I design a game at OriOpa, I have this definition of what our games should be in mind: “An experience that helps people to improve their well-being”.
Sudokolorful was until today kinda an okay experience, however, could be better on that. So, I made some major changes:

There’s no ranking system anymore. A ranking system adds competition to the experience, and it doesn’t go well with the idea of being a relaxing experience;
The same goes for the timer. It was attached to the ranking system and in my view adds the idea the needing of being always faster or having to perform better every time, which also goes against the idea behind our games;
Now you have only Quick Save and Quick Load, which saves only your last game. The previous save system was too complex for the minimalistic idea we had in mind;
The game was optimized for a better performance and smaller space usage, so it should be a smoother experience now. Also, more respectful with the environment;
A Progressive mode with up to 50 challenges and 4 variations each was added;
The old gameplay mode was remade and now it's called Random mode, with 90 challenges (will be added more in next updates) for you;
All challenges were handcrafted and tested to avoid double solutions.

New game is coming

Another major change for the studio was the definition of its identity. I decided to give some consistency on what kind of games we are making and now we are focusing on puzzle games with color as a core mechanic. Yes, from now, our games will be based in this theme as a starting point, in addition to well-being.
Colorful Dotlines will be our second entry in the Colorful franchise. Wishlist and follow the game to receive our announcements!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2255430/Colorful_Dotlines

Thank you for everything, you have been awesome!
Happy holidays for everyone!

Henrique
OriOpa Studio

Dec 22, 2022

December 2022 Update

Apolune 2 - Mad Merv

TL;DR Adding a help screen

After @SpaceGameJunkie decided to upchuck his morning brew all over this game in a 12 minute hangry review video (described by one of the game's die hard fans as the work of a "bellend") we added a help screen available by pressing F1, ESCAPE or Backspace, along with the "Menu", "Fuji", "Back" or "Start" buttons on many common controllers including modern Windows-compatible X-box controllers.

There have been a number of friendlier reviews of our game, check these out:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvzdxTc1Hdc (BHG Media Group)
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeRPsHO6Vnk (Mockduck Plays)
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO5oRZFSYHg (Coffee and a Game by RetroRob)
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBvNXcrKZf0 (Bacon Ice Cream Productions)

In response to this review, as the developer, I'd like to say a couple of things:

1. @SGJ only scratched the surface of the game, missing many of the jokes and features. He actually did intuitively figure out 100% of the controls within the first few minutes, but did not explore or discover anything and complained about every minute detail, not giving the game a chance. I politely asked him to give it another chance after providing him with the guide, but his Discord community tarred and feathered me and Brian himself chastised me for not complaining to him in a DM or something to that effect. Not sure what I would be hiding in a DM, and while I guess that is some sort of "rule" of his community, I wasn't aware that I needed to. It's all very sad, to be honest. Sad that he was rude in the first place, and even sadder that groupthink destroyed our relationship. I've been a fan of SGJ since before episode 100, and when I mentioned this, he didn't seem to care about that at all. Go figure.

2. While the game offers single-player, it is more fun in a group with an open mind. I've had compliments from parents who love that they can play it with their younger kids, and that everyone has fun. That's extremely satisfying to hear and was a goal of the game design in the first place.

3. SGJ only hurts the indie community when he provides little or no constructive criticism. While honesty is appreciated, his attitude in the video is definitely a turnoff. We're sad to see this from a reviewer who used to help indies and has featured us on his podcast before. To quote Dave Chappelle: "This one guy laugh just a little too long..."

Design Notes

Adding a "Pause Screen" to the game was a big decision for me as the designer. I originally noted a desire from players for a Pause screen shortly after the game was originally launched in 2021. I wanted this game to be hard, and yet have "space" in the game for talking, relaxing and resting between moments of action, since the game is basically non-stop once you start playing.

I specifically did not want to add a "Pause" screen because the game was originally designed to be "rogue in space", even though the game has gotten easier with some of the iterations, it is still a hopeless cause as you will probably not be able to keep your station alive beyond two hours. However, I do understand a desire to review a manual as an onboarding feature for new players. So, for this reason, the "help screen" takes the place of the "pause screen" but prominently informs you that the game is NOT paused, though you can read the controls and take note of the advice in the help screen while the game continues on in the background.

Since then, a few changes were made that allow the players to re-enter the game as long as the station is not destroyed, even if all of the players have died (originally, this meant the game would end abruptly). When it does so, it resets the game clock, allowing players to start from the lowest level of complexity/difficulty, but with whatever money or space station upgrades they collected before dying.

I personally have issues using video game controllers for a long period of time. I carefully designed the way the controls work (generally through holding a direction, or through an "impulse") so that you don't have to "grip" the controller, which is a tendency, to cause musculoskeletal strain on the hands. Even if they seem "foreign", it's because so many designers rely on multiple fingers of each hand doing multiple things.

Think about games like Zero Horizon, which require you to press a button with your thumb, hold a trigger or shoulder, all while moving a stick, spastically fighting and fleeing, and possibly also press down clicking a stick, or the DPAD, all at the same time. This causes a lot of muscle fatigue and can lead to pain after playing video games -- sometimes referred to as "video game hand" -- and I don't think any of that is actually necessary.

Dec 22, 2022

Vol. 44 Ready Or Not - Development Background

Ready or Not - Kaminsky

Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 44th edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we will be sharing details from an interview with our police advisor, Dan. This newsletter will focus on Dan’s background and how he came to work for Ready or Not, as well as some of his major contributions. We are very fortunate to have him on the team to make Ready or Not as realistic as possible!

Police Advisor Background

Dan has spent 19 years total as a police officer, 15 years on SWAT split between two different departments and teams. He currently works for a large 54 man regional SWAT team covering small suburban cities and towns in a larger metropolitan area within the United States. Along with his duties in SWAT, Dan is an instructor in tactics and firearms at the police academy level. His knowledge and expertise has led him to publishing and peer reviewing articles in SWAT Magazine. His inspiration for joining the police force originated due to him misreading a line from the play “Our Town” when in highschool. The misread line “only one life in a thousand is interesting” and recent media focused on the Columbine shooting inspired Dan to make a difference with his life.

Dan has been playing SWAT and tactical games since he was a kid, reciting some of his classic favorites as Rainbow Six and Medal of Honor. Outside of video games, Dan describes himself as a historian of SWAT, specifically its early history and tactics. His passion for both led him to become one of Ready or Not’s early followers, commenting on reddit chat forums filling in the gaps with how SWAT operate in real life. His contribution to RON’s early understanding of how gameplay elements reflect real life operations sparked an email thread between developers and himself, resulting in his position as police advisor.

Above: A closeup of an ambidextrous lower receiver weapon.

Above: An expedient breaching tool that is small enough to always be kept in hand, Glock 17 for scale comparison.

The Ready or Not team depends on our police advisor for a wide range of things including SWAT AI behavior, uniforms, weaponry, as well as what a day in the life of an officer actually looks like. Dan’s description of how messy a real SWAT office is actually inspired the change of the lobby in the main menu of the game. Dan keeps us updated on new tactics and strategies, as they are always changing and look different in police departments across the country. He also helps explain the meaning behind why SWAT officers make the decisions they do and contributes heavily to building a very realistic SWAT AI.

Above: The gun belt setup of a SWAT officer.

Above: A kit worn by an explosive breached for a training event.

Above: One of the many strip charges used as an explosive for various types of surfaces waiting to be breached.

When asked what his favorite part about working with Ready or Not was , Dan stated he loves working with the team and contributing to a game that depicts real horrible events in a respectful way. He enjoys the setup of Los Suenos, stating it is realistic but original and fun to explore. In the future, Dan and the team hope to work together on improving the dynamic nature of SWAT AI. They hope to diversify the decision making of each individual SWAT AI depending on their skill level and talent. It is truly a privilege to work with someone who has as much passion as the Ready or Not team in creating realistic SWAT based video games!

Above: A SWAT armored vehicle, designed to withstand substantial fire from any angle.

Above: Officers practicing at a large multi agency training even at a hospital.

Conclusion

This concludes our 44th biweekly briefing where we learned more about our police advisors background and contributions. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

Dec 22, 2022

Lost Ark In-Game Holiday Bundle Sale

Lost Ark - HardcoreHenry

Heroes of Arkesia,

We have several festive holiday bundles available that offer major savings on a variety of cosmetics and valuable in-game items. Two packs are focused on packaging together new holiday cosmetics for a discount, and two packs offer major savings on key progression materials. The packs are obtainable in exchange for Royal Crystals via the in-game store until January 5 at 12:00AM PT, 2023. Find the four special bundles showcased below!

Cosmetic Bundles

Exciting Winter Bundle

Available in exchange for 2,700 Royal Crystals, with a limit of 1 per roster.
Cloaked Fox Pet Selection Chest
Legendary Rapport Pit-a-Pat Chest (Bound) x5
Winter Holiday Structure Set (Bound)
Snowball Mount Selection Chest

Magical Winter Bundle

Available in exchange for 2,700 Royal Crystals, with a limit of 1 per roster.
Nutcracker Pet Selection Chest
Legendary Rapport Pit-a-Pat Chest (Bound) x5
Wallpaper: A Small Village in Snow (Bound)
Magic Bed Mount Selection Chest

Honing Bundles

Supreme Holiday Honing Bundle

Available in exchange for 10,000 Royal Crystals, with a limit of 5 per roster. The materials are bound.
Pheon x100
Crystal x1000
Ancient Platinum coin x40
T3 Fusion Material Selection Chest I x6
T3 Leapstone Selection Chest I x12
Honor Shard Pouch (L) x60
Crystallized Destruction Stone Pouch x3
Crystallized Guardian Stone Pouch x9

Holiday Honing Bundle

Available in exchange for 2,000 Royal Crystals, with a limit of 5 per roster. The materials are bound.
Pheon x20
Crystal x200
Ancient Platinum Coin (Silver) x10
T3 Fusion Material Selection Chest I x1
T3 Leapstone Selection Chest I x2
Honor Shard Pouch (L) x10
Crystallized Destruction Stone Pouch x1
Crystallized Guardian Stone Pouch x3

Those are all the planned bundles found in the in-game store, but make sure to celebrate in-game at Festivity Island in the new, on-going event! Use the Ocean Liner for express travel to the new island and help Turry the Polar Bear with a variety of quests. Earn Joytide Stars and Joytide Twilight Stars by completing event quests that you can trade for special items and valuable rewards during the event, and Snowflake Powder that can be used to bake a special Stronghold feast.

[url]Launch The Game Now[/url]

Happy holidays!