Attamaris

Hey, Developous. I apologize for the wait. I've played a bit off and on, but it took me a while to check off the feature standards. As you read, remember that I tend to focus on what should be changed rather than what has been done right so don't get discouraged by my ranting. =)

The help files could use some work. The initial tutorial to click and attack was helpful, but I found myself in Dakara with little idea of what most of the buttons were for. Perhaps there is more to the tutorial but I was not a high enough level to continue through the portals by the inn keeper. (I ended up getting lost somewhere around the third level of the rat pens.) Though I could skim the list of class abilities, the lack of descriptions meant they were just random names. My greatest feat appears to have been scrying myself by accident.

Also, what's the license on that hub icon (or any of the resources if they're not yours)? I've had to reject some otherwise decent games because I just couldn't ignore the legal implications.

There are some minor interface issues as well. For instance, the buttons make the window menu obsolete so it should be removed. Likewise, having the item drops displayed on the map means the corresponding text can be removed to avoid spam. (Granted, the icons are rather small so you might want to make them stand out more.)

Finally, I found the lack of feedback when attacking to be a problem. The game simply looks broken unless I'm keeping track of the Stam section of the Condition tab. I often have to click the Attack button many times in order to see anything happen. I understand that there is probably some dodging/blocking variation going on behind the scenes. However, I believe you'd be better off showing a "miss" or "0" animation so players know it's not just glitching out.

(This latter issue is sort of like the status comparison feedback that was added to the "fun" and "goodness" list in March. I phrased that standard according to competition between players, but I'm willing to rephrase it for NPCs as well if you feel I'm being unfair. It's probably wise that I make a general feedback clause anyway.)


Along the lines of feedback, it would be nice if the game had sounds. It's not part of the feature standards. I just think it would liven the game up and I know you've asked for suggestions. With the old school nature of the game, you might want to give sfxr (or its Flash equivalent) a try. I don't know if you're familiar with it, but it's a random sound generator with fields you can tweak.



PS: Gratz on getting a game listed. The RPG nature of this particular project is obvious, but I'm glad you won't have to be filtered out by a genre check anymore. =)

I enjoyed the game, even if I felt the user-interface was too.. broad.

Ok... Will rehost now