RogueGen

Puzzle/world generation sounds intriguing and challenging, but what wasn't entirely clear to me: are there going to be other puzzle types? 

Puzzling/Exploration and Combat seem somewhat disconnected? Like is there a sort of backstory tying those together? Or is it just arbitrary to have alternating puzzles and fights?

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

Central bulls-eye feature is very technically ambitious.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

The puzzle type presented doesn't really feel like it relies on teamwork much more than it does on pure memorization.

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

Following from 2.: different puzzle types or some other factor that requires/encourages "together" more.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?
   In the presentation you mentioned that you want to write your system in such a way that enemies could potentially pick up player skills and use them in the same way.
   I think this could make for a very cool, interactive world.
   
   
2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?
   If this is a 4-player local coop game, I'm guessing the camera will try to keep track of all four players at once.
   I think this might clash somewhat with world exploration.
   
   
3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?
   It would be cool if you had to cooperate for the puzzles as well as in combat. I would also suggest possibly NOT randomly generating the puzzles as
   well-designed puzzles are usually much more enjoyable than automatically created ones.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

I can imagine that the fighting system could be fun. Giving the player the possibility to often change his "class" by picking up new weapons sounds like a good idea.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

With the statue riddle, I see a bit of the problem that it is either too small and so easily solvable or it is too big it will be hard for you to manage that there will only be one correct solution.

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

As the game is open world I would not lock bigger areas to the players. But maybe if some are harder then others (because of enemies) the riddles could give the players, better weapons or other buffs.

The procedural map generation with interesting biomes, each featuring their own assets and enemies, does sound pretty neat. However, I do not see how you can implement this system plus combat plus puzzles in the given time frame. I would concentrate on building a hand-made map first and introduce the procedural generation step by step.

The puzzle you proposed seems a little arbitrary to me. If you want to go ahead with this, you should add some kind of story or reason for the swords pointing to other statues. Also you were not sure how to implement the puzzle system in the game. If the statues appear on the map as in the first Figure 2 of your descrition, the puzzle is rather trivial to solve. On the other hand, if this information is not available, the puzzle might be too hard. I propose, you should look into other kind of puzzles as well, e.g. finding keys in different biomes to open a door.

I like the idea that skills for combat are acquired by exploration, resulting in different fighting styles per play-through. For this to work, it is extremely important the skills are well balanced. A skill should be useful on its own but also synergize with other skills and players. As the combat will likely take up most of the playing time, it is very important to get the skills right.

The cartoony art style seems quite nice and simple enough to allow for a variety of animated characters.

Your development schedule seems a bit off to me in some areas. For example implementing a functional puzzle for playtesting will likely take more time than one hour.

What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

I really like the mock-ups (Fig. 2 (Combat) and 3). A game with a similar graphic style would great.

What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

I have to mention three things. First of all, the actual together part (the combat system) is not elaborated in the game idea proposal. Secondly, the "puzzle" does - in my opinion - not seem like a fun and interactive puzzle and more like an incentive for world exploration. You mentioned in your presentation that the procedual generated world will not look like its empty. I think that that's near to impossible since even hand-made open world games often lack in this aspect.

Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

I would suggest making the "puzzle" a little bit more interactive. E.g. the player(s) have to rotate each statue in the correct position in order to create a connection/complete circle.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?
   I like the exploration aspect of the your game world and think that the environments will be a key point of the game.
   
   
2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?
   With all the features you mentioned you wanted to implement, I think you won't be able to finish everything in the given time frame. Think about your core concepts and make a single map with hand-designed environments which focuses on those concepts.
   
   
3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?
   I don't think the puzzle design you mentioned in your presentation seems interesting enough. Maybe instead of the statues just pointing toward another statue why not make a few more elaborate hand-designed puzzles at certain locations where you can get good loot.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

Combining 4-player coop and the focus on exploration sounds like a great idea, especially if the pacing between puzzles and combat is done well.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

I am not a fan of the procedural generation, as your gameplay will consist of exploration, enemy encounters and puzzles. So it might lead to a drop in quality when it comes to the game's pacing and quality of environments, which could negatively affect the exploration experience.

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

I would think about crafting the environments individually, which could make the respective elements of your game fit better together.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

I like the weapon/ability system. Especially in multiplayer this offers loads of opportunities.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

Procedural generation can be dangerous... Independent of the fact that it's not trivial to generate decent looking world, I think that not a lot of people will play multiple sessions of the game (I have the Playtesting chapter and the Demo Day in mind where playsessions are usually relatively short). If you can make it work, it will probably be great.

About the puzzles... I think the idea you presented still needed some improvement. Why not focus on combat?

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

Procedurally generated Weapons & enemies 

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

My favorite and least favorite aspect in your game are pretty much the same. Why? Because i can't predict how it is going to work out in the end.

In case your procedurally generated terrain and puzzles turn out good, i.e. you manage to find out the perfect metrics to determine whether a generated puzzle makes sense or not, I think this would be something new and interesting to play.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

What if the system can't manage to make meaningful puzzles and terrains, what if your metrics seem to be good, but the result is not fun to play? This is something you definitely have to keep in mind since you can not know beforehand if your algorithm is stable enough to let it design all the puzzles.

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

It probably doesn't fit in the scope, as your project is very ambitious without it, but still: Online multiplayer would probably improve the game, as for such a game everybody needs a big FOV and probably his own mouse and keyboard.

Best Regards,

Robin.

What I liked best from your presentation were the visuals you showed, but I'm skeptical about whether it's possible at all to make and keep exploration in a procedurally generated world interesting. I'm not aware of any existing game that pulls it off.

Your ability system with weapons = classes sounds cool. That has the potential to keep even very simple combat fun for a while, and combo attacks usually make for some really fun moments. Maybe add some incentive for players to change weapons every once in a while? (like weapon durability in Zelda BotW)

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

Open world rogue like. Or "Minecraft but with something to do and adventure" sounds really cool.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

How is traversing the world interesting/challenging? So far I only read "there are enemies", but therefore you wouldn't need a world generator. Are there natural borders (like rivers, valleys, ...) where you have to find a way through?

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

I'd suggest working a lot with colors to make your biomes look apart. It works and it is cheap (and otherwise you might have to do a lot of work, creating models for everything).

1.What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

The procedural map generation makes the game replayable. Love the graphics.

2.What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

I didnt get how the idea of using statues for world exploration could be fun.

3.Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

Stay with the low poly design but use brighter/more colors

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?
I like the idear of an generated open world and your combat system.
2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?
The biggest problem I see is that the game has no overal goal. You mentioned that the players should work together to solve some riddles but the example you gave has no real motivation to solve it. Add a meaning to solving your riddles.
3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?
Maybe it would help to add a story to your game. So by exploring the world the players will part for part find out the backgrounds of there character and the surounding.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

The combat system! More specifically, the design of the combat system. Enemies and players behaving the same way but players having the advantage because they're able to think and react better than the enemies. If the AI is designed correctly, it can be really empowering to win a battle for the players.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

The lack of puzzles. Since the game's focus is going to be puzzle solution, it would be better to have more variety in puzzles quickly so they can be implemented and tested sooner. I feel it would be difficult to balance puzzles and combat within the same game so it might need to be tested sooner as how these two elements of the game will go together.

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

A crafting system perhaps to allow characters to create more powerful weapons or abilities by combining two weapons/items in the game. This can give the game a sense of progression in addition to solving puzzles. Though I suggest leave that until the base of the game (procedural generation, combat, puzzles) is done 

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?
I like your approach on procedurally generating the map and puzzles. The art style is both simple and effective.
2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?
What is the main goal in the game? Solving puzzles might be interesting, but creating interesting and challenging puzzles procedurally might be tricky and the variety of puzzles presented is pretty limited too. On the other hand, you have combat, which obviously isn't the main focus either and creating a fully fleshed out combat system with different skill sets, leveling and a bazillion of weapons will be quite a substantial amount of work too. 
3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?
Concentrate on one core game play element, either puzzles or enemies, make it good, really good.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

Love roguelikes and cool procedural generation! Exploration aspect is also very promising.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

Nice procedural generation might be very tricky. Generating cellular dungeon or a terrain is easy, but generating something more varying interesting to explore is way more difficult.

Also, the puzzle you proposed, or at least its description seems not that entertaining for me (I haven't got it really clear though). I have never seen the game where procedurally generated puzzles were really a main element of gameplay, they mostly serve as motivation for collecting certain loot or exploring certain areas of the map.

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

Some puzzles can be a superb addition to the roguelike gameplay if they support other ideas of the game. I would try to integrate the statues idea more with the exploration aspect, and add some minor quests and puzzles.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

I like the weapon/ability system. It gives a lot of variety and adds to the replayability.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

The random generated puzzles could be a lot of fun. But it could be really hard to make randomly generated puzzles which are interesting to solve. You need to be aware that this could take a lot of your time.

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

I don´t know exactly what your plans for the classes/weapons/abilities are, but to highlight better the "Together" theme, i would suggest you ensure that you cant´t possibly have for example 4 Archers in a group, but instead have a healer, a melee fighter and so on. Because then the players have a more or less unique role and have to help each other in order to survive. For example you could limit the amount of identical weapons you get to a maximum of 1 or 2 and specific weapons are better against specific enemies.

1. What is your favorite aspect of the proposed game? Why?

The generation of the world with respect to biomes and different settings and locations seems to make for an interesting world design. I am looking forward to the created worlds and the art style.

2. What is your least favorite aspect? Why?

4-player local coop seems a bit limiting ( if local means on one pc ).

3. Which single change or addition would you suggest to most improve the game?

Focus to create more puzzles than just having standard enemies or basically a mixture of both. ( time pressure → some have to fight, some have to solve puzzle )

Since your game has so many aspects (puzzles, open world exploration, combat), I would suggest focusing on two of those (or rather, keep one of those aspects very simple) so you can concentrate on those which I think would result in a better game.

Your sketches are super adorable with the scribbly shading, but since you mentioned that you're going for a low poly style, this is just a compliment, I guess : D