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Thank you!

Hi! I watched you play on stream. I'm aware of the difficulty spike being an issue.  This is because the current levels are intended to be around mid-game. The tutorial was made last minute so there are a few issues with that, but we needed to have an easy level for the demo players. So that's why it doesn't do a very good job explaining certain mechanics. This is something that has since been addressed in the current development state. As for the enemies, there could definitely be less of them. Thank you for playing.

Hi. The levels in this demo are definitely not intended to be the order of levels in the final release. These levels will be around mid game, so there will be many easy levels before you get to these ones. I will also continue to adjust the current level layouts and enemy frequency/placement could definitely be improved. Since you watched the video, you probably already know this but the tutorial will be overhauled completely. To be honest the tutorial was cobbled together last minute to try and have an easier level that will teach players the basics however in its current state it definitely doesn't do a good job at that. The reason the meter is not mentioned is because the lines were written before the Blast Attack was finalized and should have been updated. Thanks for playing!

Hey, I watched you playing my game on stream so I have a pretty good idea of what your playthrough was like. It's true that the enemy bumping can be somewhat inconsistent, I think most of the time this may be because of the angle of your inputs compared to the enemy, but I feel like there's more notable inconsistencies with certain enemies in certain areas. I will be looking into this further. It is also true that enemy placement in levels could be improved.

I think if the enemies were to slide off of the stage on their own, the game would become less challenging overall. I remember watching your playthrough, you would constantly ram into enemies to try and get them off.  This is not the ideal way to deal with enemies. The idea is that when your blast attack is not available, you should not approach them aggressively and focus on dodging them. If you dodge them efficiently near an edge, you will have a window of opportunity to bump them off yourself. This is not your fault as the tutorial in its current state does not do a good job at teaching the player ideal enemy interactions and is also unclear about certain mechanics such as Blast Attack. This will be addressed. Right now enemy interactions include your basic bumps and the Blast Attack as options. I agree that there could be more ways to defeat enemies. Something I'm considering is being able to bump enemies and making them bounce off walls as another interaction method.

Thank you for playing the demo!

I think I know what the transparency bug is. This should be an error that only occurs in level 00, as the collectibles have not been assigned to respawn in that level by mistake. I think that might be what the other person was talking about. I'm also aware of some issues involving the see-through walls in level 00. That was added basically last minute so it's not polished. The camera bugs are also something I'm aware of and this will have to be addressed. About the player clipping through the ball, this is a very strange issue. Other than the other person who mentioned it here, I haven't seen this happened to anyone else. I've watched many people play the game and I've gotten many reviews and it doesn't happen. I'm assuming this may be some sort of hardware issue? I'm not sure I will have to investigate further but it's a very strange occurrence and  I cannot think of a reason as to why this may be happening right now. Thanks for playing and writing a review.

I played using keyboard on chrome. Sometimes it would take me several inputs before the camera started to move.

Hi. As someone who also did their own spin on the brick breaker type of game, I think you have a good concept here. There are a few issues in its current state though. I think the different characters and enemy types should be introduced gradually. I know that all the information is on the screen but it's a lot for the player to be expected to memorize on just the first level. Because of this I did not pay much attention to the abilities and stuff like that at all. I was still able to progress through the game fairly efficiently regardless. The graphics and art style are good, and the game overall is very polished for an early proof of concept.

I played as Zelvy. I think some of the enemies spawn at awkward or unexpected rates. Some aesthetic choices aren't really for me, but that's just personal taste I guess. I don't think I've played this type of game before so I don't have much to say on the general aspects. I think it's a fun arena type of game, don't know what exactly to call it but I'm sure you get what I mean. I like how seamless and simple level ups are. I think some sort of tower defense mode could be fun.

Hey, I just played this game. I think you have an interesting puzzle concept that has potential. I don't know which direction you're going to try to take this but in its current state there are a few issues. Mainly the camera controls are jank. Sometimes it takes several inputs to get it moving and sometimes it doesn't. The gameplay is simple and fun, the objective is clear. However, it's not clear when starting the game that each level pack introduces different mechanics. Also, it should be made clear to the player how many levels are in each pack before or while they're playing. I kept wondering how many levels remain in the pack and if you exit you cannot pick up where you left off. Other than that, I think if you polish it and improve the visual aspects this can be an interesting game to play. You have a solid concept here.

Hasn't changed much since I last played but it's fun as usual. A little confusing at first but I keep getting better each time I play. I think that's kinda the point isn't it? Fun gameplay, nice characters and voice acting. I will again suggest to make the character portraits blink and react to the gameplay. Good stuff and keep it up! :)

I agree that the levels need some adjustments. There will be more levels added so the current ones will be placed later on. Thanks for playing!

Yes, while there's definitely Monkey Ball influences, it does play more like Marble Blast, Pac N' Roll, etc. where you control the ball instead of the stage. I agree that the levels could use some adjustments as well as the walking sound effect. I think what you're experiencing with the bumping is that the enemies are stronger than the player is when it comes to bumping, so if you ram into them then their force will be added onto your speed, making things difficult. It is actually recommended to primarily dodge the enemies if you do not have a blast attack ready, and if near an edge you will have a window of opportunity to bump them off easily. You can also just bump them normally to get them out of the way a bit but brute force to knock them off is not recommended. The game should do a better job of teaching the player enemy interaction and this will be addressed. Adjusting screen size currently does not work because the game is not optimized to play on different aspect ratios. Currently if it's a non-16:9 aspect ratio then some UI elements may be misplaced or missing. This will have to be addressed but it's not high priority. Thanks for playing.

Hi, thanks for playing. The bug with the fullscreen is something I've been aware of for some time. I'm not sure what's causing it. I don't know how much we can tweak the physics currently, but I am planning to make some adjustments. I do agree that this game is probably better suited for a controller. I do plan on integrating full controller support, it just wasn't ready for the demo release. I do also plan to have much easier levels, right now the plan is to have about 20-25 levels, and the ones in this demo will probably be later in the game than they are now. The tutorial will also be overhauled to better teach the player how to play the game. Thank you for the kind words.

I do plan to integrate full controller support. Thanks for playing, and thanks for the kind words! :D

I understand that it could feel a bit floaty, although the levels are all designed around the current movement. I'm not opposed to further tweaking the movement but that could mean that level layouts will have to be tweaked as well. The 90 degree rotations are a stylistic choice, and I understand player concerns with it. It could definitely have some adjustments made to make it feel better. It also doesn't help that there are currently some bugs regarding the camera movement. The blast attack mechanic is also definitely something that has to be better explained. I'm also aware of your point that some level platforms are not aligned correctly, this will have to be corrected. Thanks for playing and leaving a review, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

There seems to be some confusion regarding certain game mechanics. I made this video to clarify some things. Check it out if you want further clarification.

The noise you mention is indeed supposed to be the walk sound. It could definitely be adjusted. 

I can understand the concerns with the camera. To be honest, someone else designed level 00 and I don't think he had the camera in mind when he was making it. I did the best I could to make adjustments to it. The other levels were all designed by me though. 

Enemy interaction is something a lot of people have been having issues understanding. I think half the reason is because the tutorial doesn't do a good enough job of explaining certain things to players, so I will definitely be overhauling the tutorial. 

As for enemy bumping, I'm not sure how you handled it but you aren't meant to approach them aggressively if you do not have blast attack ready. It's ideal to dodge them first, they will glide past you and if near an edge you will have a window of opportunity to bump them of right before they try to turn and chase after you again.

The bump strength is supposed to be the same throughout all levels although I think the angle you bump each other at affects the trajectory. In level 02 particularly, I feel as if in that first section with the four capsule-bots they knock you further than usual and I can't figure out why this occurs.

I agree that the blast attack mechanic is not explained well, this is because the tutorial lines were written before the mechanic was finalized and should have been updated. I disagree with the blast attack not being useful. It bumps off enemies pretty effectively. I think this could be the timing of your activation. The range of the blast attack is actually pretty far, its hitbox is slightly larger than the visual effect. Try to make sure you have some space between you and the capsule-bot upon activation to make the most of the range.

Thanks for the compliments on the music and aesthetics. I'm also always glad to see a NOVABREAKER mention! :D Saying you can see this being a game you purchase is a big compliment. Right now, this isn't planned to be a commercial product. We'll see though. Thanks for playing and writing a review!

Ok?

The demo for ROLLING BALL GAME DX: Director's Cut is now available to download. The game is currently in active development and many aspects are subject to change. Any feedback is appreciated.

ROLLING BALL GAME DX: Director's Cut is a marble roller game. Traverse through obstacles and avoid the capsule-bots trying to knock you off the stage. Featuring all new and remastered levels, alongside extra content.

Link: https://jeremias.itch.io/rolling-ball-game-dx-directors-cut

I've been following this project for some time now but this is my first time actually playing it. Early on the framerate dropped a few times but it didn't happen much after that. The level layouts aren't very interesting and could be improved. It would also be better if you could play the next level directly after finishing the previous one and watching the cutscene instead of having to back out into the level select again. The visuals are definitely in an early state. Other than that everything else is solid. The character artwork is nice and I like how the UI is part of the mech. Combat and movement works well as expected.

Hello, thanks for posting feedback. I agree that the tutorial definitely needs an overhaul. The see through walls were a last minute addition so they're a little wonky and could be improved. I'm glad you enjoyed and that you are interested in the project.

Yeah, I understand. I've played Deluxe a bit but I don't think I got to the SMB2 levels on that.

Oh I didn't mean that you were having audio related issues. I meant sound as in they're solid complaints. As for marble games I've played. I'm definitely familiar with the Monkey Ball games although I've mostly played through the Super Monkey Ball 2 levels through the remake version. I've played many other marble games such as Marble Saga for example, and while those games certainly have influence, I'm not really aiming for this game to be like this. I'm mostly doing my own thing compared to other marble games but it's definitely more similar to titles such as Pac N' Roll and Marble Blast instead of Monkey Ball. It's still more of it's own thing with the enemies and bumping mechanics differentiating it from most games in the genre.

Hey, thanks for the review. As for the issues you faced, I understand the concerns with difficulty. Level 00 is supposed to be a tutorial level to get the player to understand the basic game mechanics, although it definitely needs an overhaul. You already sent me the screenshot of the ball shrinking, that is very strange and has not happened to me or anyone else I have seen play. I'm not exactly sure what that could be about, maybe it's an issue on your end? I really don't know. The issue you had with respawning under the level is also something I have not seen yet. The collectibles disappearing, I think is an issue with level 00, as I'm pretty sure I forgot to set them to respawn after losing in that level. The camera rotation bug is something I'm already aware of and needs to be addressed. Thanks for playing and I'm glad you enjoyed the demo.

Hi, thanks for playing! The camera has been a common issue with many players and is something I will have to reconsider. It also has some bugs which need ironing out. Overall though, the levels are designed with the camera in mind. Jumping is not something in consideration for this game as I really want movement to be about the ball and not just a be a standard platformer. The enemies being stronger than the player is an intentional design choice and it is not recommended to approach them aggressively if you do not have a blast attack ready. The blast attack's hitbox is actually slightly larger than the visual effect. I hope this helps! I'm glad you enjoyed the demo.

Thank you for your in depth review. I agree with your complaints about the tutorial, I feel like it needs an overhaul in favor of something that more effectively teaches the player basic game mechanics. Camera bugs are something that I have been aware of for some time now but I'm yet to figure out what exactly is causing it. I'm also aware that some people are not too keen on the 90 degree rotations, although that's an intentional design choice in which levels are designed around. I agree that the level designs could use some work, although I don't think that they're just not fun. As for level 02's wall running segments, the player is given more than enough space to gain enough momentum to make it, although I think some issues with this are general lack of opportunities to learn the ball's movement throughout the levels overall. I also feel like this movement would be easier for players once controller support is properly implemented. As for your issues with enemy interaction, the blast attack becomes available once the meter is full. The meter is filled by collecting the green konpeito collectibles. Like I said I do think that the current tutorial struggles to properly teach the player certain mechanics so confusion is partly my fault. The reason the text did not mention the meter is because that line was written before the mechanic was finalized and should have been updated. You are correct about the enemies incorrectly detecting certain platforms and thus thinking they have fallen when they haven't. Although I generally disagree with bumping enemies not being fun and being the wrong direction. I'm not sure if this is what happened to you but I often find that new players approach the game incorrectly and immediately approach the enemy aggressively when they shouldn't The enemy movements are very broad and easy to dodge, so if you do not have a blast attack available it is ideal to dodge the enemy and if near an edge, it will glide past you giving you an opportunity to knock it off. This issue is partly my fault as I have to do a better job at introducing enemy interaction to the player. I understand that if you try to play aggressively the bumping may take over a large portion of the gameplay and some players may have issue with that. As for your aspect ratio problems, support for all aspect ratios has not been implemented at this time. Once again, thank you for playing my game and writing a review.

Thank you for the feedback. I agree and I feel like the game could do a better job of explaining basic mechanics to the player. Also I have not implemented support for all aspect ratios at this time. These points are things that will be addressed.

Hello, thank you for your review of my game, and thank you for providing gameplay as that helps me a lot with inspecting how players approach my levels. As for some of the points you made I feel like some gameplay mechanics were misinterpreted, for example you do not need to use the enemy to launch you off ramps, while enemies can be used to do movement tricks it is not something that is required of the player at any point. The purpose of the hoops are to gain extra points and are also not required to reach certain areas. You also mentioned a lag spike upon level completion, although when I watched your gameplay there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. The freeze frame is an intentional effect, which I think you misinterpreted. I also noticed in your gameplay that you did not use the blast attack at all even when your meter was full.

Other than that I do think a lot of your complaints are sound, for example the camera is something a lot of people have been having issues with, and it doesn't help that there are some bugs surrounding that mechanic. Although you mentioned you played on controller so I'm curious as to how you moved the camera as controller support has not been properly implemented at this time. Did you just use both the controller and the keyboard for when you had to move the camera?  I do also feel like some of the physics and level design could use some tweaking although I'm not sure how much physics tweaks would affect changes in the current layouts. There does seem to be some errors with enemy knockback as well, particularly in level 02. It seems like the four enemies in the beginning segment of that level knock you back further than they're supposed to and I haven't been able to figure out why this happens.

Anyways, thanks again for playing and leaving feedback.

It's fun but it definitely feels very early. I have multiple monitors and the game opened in an awkward position between monitors, although this fixed itself upon starting the actual game. It doesn't really feel like I'm driving a tank, speed build up should be a bit slower. Also, vehicle destruction doesn't feel very impactful so maybe louder sfx and other visual and camera effects could help with this. Other than that the basic combat mechanics are work well, I also like the way you handle repairs.

Check out the trailer for my game, ROLLING BALL GAME DX: Director's Cut.

Project Overview:

Remaster of ROLLING BALL GAME (2022), marble roller inspired by games like Marble Blast, Pac N' Roll, and Super Monkey Ball.

Game Engine:

Unity

Our Talent: 

I've been able to put together a small team of five. I do most things, (Code, UI/UX design, game design level design,  2D art, etc.), I also have two sound designers/musicians, a 2D Artist, and a 3D artist.

Looking for:

Programming Support -  I've been fine doing all the coding myself so far but I'm trying to find someone who is willing to assist me in programming certain things or cleaning things up. It would be ideal for you to be familiar or at least capable of working with marble rolling style player movement and physics, as well as have knowledge in enemy and level object interaction. Preferably someone with similar skill level or slightly above mine. This would allow for the project to be completed at a quicker pace.

Length of project: 

This is intended to be a short turn around project, could be finished in about a month or so, there's really no specific deadline at the moment though. This is before taking into account the possible addition of another programmer, or any possible change in scope during development.

Contact method: 

Message me on Discord (@jeremias1). Please reply to let me know if you sent me a request, so I can accept it.

Website:

https://www.jeremias.win/

This is just a hobby project, neither myself or anyone that's already contributed has received any payments and this game is 100% free to download.

Hey, I'm interested in this. Sent you a request on Discord to discuss further.

Thank you. I am aware of this glitch of the ball getting stuck sometimes. I find that it happens in some levels more than others, like the one you mentioned. I am still looking for a viable solution and will patch it out if I can.  Again, thank you for the kind words. :)

My latest work, NOVABREAKER is now available for download. NOVABREAKER is a new spin on the classic brick breaker style of game. Includes unique level mechanics, fully voiced visual novel style cutscenes, unlockable art gallery, and more. Please check it out.

Link

NOVABREAKER