Hey everybody, Andrew here. I’m the main developer behind Ghostlore. We have gotten a lot of valuable feedback from players who tried the demo during Steam Next Fest, and have compiled it to come up with our next steps. Here are the biggest areas of improvement that we’ve identified:
Controls
Many players have reported that it is tiring to have to hold down the mouse button to move. In the current beta build, you only have to click once and your character will path to the destination. We are looking at implementing other quality of life features, such as the option to restore controls to the default. Controller support and WASD is another thing that is highly requested, and is currently being worked on. Finally, there are also a couple of known serious bugs related to the re-binding of controls. These will be fixed before the Early Access launch.
Controller mock up
Procedural Map Generation
Currently, the procedural generation creates many gaps in the terrain that players can run into. This is not intentional and many players are finding themselves stuck in various nooks and crannies. We'll be tightening up the procedural generation so that there is a clearer distinction between traversable and non-traversable areas.
Tutorial
A lot of players have requested clearer instructions on how to do certain things which are not immediately apparent. An example of such is how to hold position and hold fire when using mouse controls, as well as how to buy or sell items in bulk. We plan to add a simple tutorial, as well as tooltips to convey features like these.
Tutorial mock up
NPCs
Lastly, some players have said that shopkeeper NPCs blend into the background and they don’t realize that there are NPCs there. We will be adding an icon above the NPC heads as a visible indication that they can be interacted with. The icons indicate the type of shopkeeper, and will also be on the mini map.
NPC markers mock up
Other stuff
On a more personal note, our only programmer, Adam, has been called up to serve in the army for 2 weeks, from 1st to 11th of March. This means we have very little time to implement all of the above changes. For those who are not from Singapore, men here are required by law to serve a tour of full-time military duty, and for 10 years or so after that, we remain on standby in our civilian lives for when they decide to call us back.
Because of all this, we have decided to push the Early Access launch back by two weeks, from the end of March to April 14th (PT). To make up for this, we will keep the demo running for an additional two weeks after Steam Next Fest, instead of taking it down immediately.
For those who have tried our demo, your concerns have been heard, and we want to ensure that they are properly addressed. In the meantime, please keep the feedback coming as it will help to improve the game. Thank you!