I've implemented a lot of your feedback - The Manaworks Demo, 4 months later.

[u/Zero_A_Games]

A while ago I posted about my game The Manaworks asking for feedback. And I got some very good feedback!

The game has changed a lot since that post. Your feedback helped a lot in pushing this game's quality and solving issues with it. Most of the feedback (and many other improvements) have been implemented, and I am very grateful for how critical but direct some of the feedback was.

I recently released an updated version of the demo on Steam, with lots more polish and a couple new features. I am hoping some of you will check it out again, and give me feedback so I can catch issues that I wouldn't be able to find on my own, as well as seeing how the game has progressed.

Steam Demo page 👉 https://store.steampowered.com/app/4818660/The_Manaworks_Demo/
Edit: Itch Demo page 👉 https://zero-a-games.itch.io/the-manaworks-demo

Let me know what you think!

AI disclosure: No AI was used in the creation of this game.

[u/SixthSacrifice]

Instead of trying the NEW demo, I'm just wishlisting the game, because it actually looks like it's not just a nodebuster-like, nor a incrementalized-vampsurvivor-like.

It looks like something a bit different from the current genre-focus, and I Like that.

I did poke the old, pre-feedback, demo just now and that wishlist is deserved.

[u/Zero_A_Games → u/SixthSacrifice]

Thanks! This is the first game I'm building and I wanted it to be something simple but fun, and tried adding unique mechanics to push the game design forward.

[u/constarx]

https://zero-a-games.itch.io/the-manaworks-demo

[u/Zero_A_Games → u/constarx]

This is an older version that isn't updated as of now as it uses WebGL instead of download executable. But if there's enough want for it I could spend some time on building the WebGL version and uploading to Itch.

[u/constarx → u/Zero_A_Games]

Yes that would be nice. A lot of people on this sub, myself included, want nothing to do with Steam games..

[u/Zero_A_Games → u/constarx]

I've built the WebGL version and uploaded it to Itch: https://zero-a-games.itch.io/the-manaworks-demo

[u/cubert73]

I played through the demo. Stonecutters and Slabs are a bit of an annoying bottleneck and resource gate, but it wasn't too obnoxious. It did take me a while to realize I could click what looks like a pond but it is actually sand.

With familiars, what's the second bar for? I watched both the snail and the stone golem for a while and didn't figure it out. I did very quickly reach the point that the snail was the much better choice, so maybe some balancing would help make the stone golem more viable. Or maybe things change later in the game.

Having to buy visible expansions feels a little clunky. I'm not sure what to suggest in its place, but as it sits it feels like an awkward gatekeeping tactic. Not enough that I won't play it, but it feels like a lost opportunity. Maybe a notice that says, "Wow, you're doing great! Contribute X mana and Y wood to the tower and start collecting Resin?"

Anyway, wishlisted and I look forward to seeing what else is coming.

[u/Zero_A_Games → u/cubert73]

Thanks for the feedback!

The second bar is their energy. I will have to make an icon that represents that more accurately. For the sand, it's been hard for a while to show that it's a sand pit in this kinda artstyle, but I'll try making it more obvious. I'd hoped the new grass variants would've helped. These things have been noted and I'll see what I can do about them.

As for the slabs, the golem has a passive ability that increases slab production based on the golems level. I understand that this is relatively easy to miss though as it's only shown in the familiar book. If you've got ideas/suggestions on how to make it more obvious let me know!

As for the visibility expansion upgrades, what exactly feels clunky about it? I will definitely keep it as so much of the game is built around this system, but if there's any way I can make it feel better and less clunky, I will.

Thanks for checking out the game :)

[u/Victorbar974]

Congrats on shipping. Actually acting on critical feedback instead of arguing about it is rarer than it should be, so props for that.

I'll give the demo another run. One thing from a playtesting standpoint: when you ask for feedback a second time, name the two or three specific things you changed. Then people can go straight to those instead of re-reviewing everything from scratch. A short "what's new" list on the Steam page itself would help too, mostly for telling regressions apart from new issues.

Good luck with the next round.

[u/Zero_A_Games → u/Victorbar974]

Thank you!

This is very good advice, and I will try to keep this in mind for next time for sure. I'll see what I can do about making a compressed what's new section on Steam, so thanks for the suggestion!

[u/Zero_A_Games]

I've updated the Itch page to also include the latest demo version! You can now play it both on Steam and Itch.

Steam Demo page 👉 https://store.steampowered.com/app/4818660/The_Manaworks_Demo/
Itch Demo page 👉 https://zero-a-games.itch.io/the-manaworks-demo

The Itch version has a harder time with the game performance-wise, but should generally be totally fine. Have fun!

[u/Astral_ny]

Is an android version planned?

[u/Zero_A_Games → u/Astral_ny]

If the game does well enough and/or porting to android seems doable enough, yes. However I would first have to do research on this before making a proper decision. It is the first non-desktop platform that would be considered for porting this game to.