Devblog #9 – Feedback and Changes
Hello adventurers and welcome to the ninth Devblog for Distant Isles!
We've been receiving some really helpful feedback on the Playtest so far, and today I wanted to talk through some of the changes we're making in response.
As always, we're really keen to receive more feedback, so please jump into the Playtest and give it a shot!
Game Speed
Some clear feedback we've been receiving during the playtest is that the game felt slow. While that can mean a few different things, we tend to agree - it currently takes too long for the player to move to their destination, and combat takes a long time (particularly for an auto-battle).
We've rapidly increased movement and turn speeds to account for this (across sailing, islands and combat) and the game feels much more responsive.
Using a powder keg to blast away rocks and trees
Exploration
A key design principle for Distant Isles is that each playthrough must feel like an adventure for the player.
A key part of that is exploration, and feedback has reinforced how important exploration is for players, i.e. discovering new scenarios, mysterious locations, and encountering different enemy types.
I want to emphasise exploration more, and to do this, I'm investing more time into creating new locations, items, enemies and situations. This will also create new and varied circumstances on multiple playthroughs.
Some new locations include Ruins and Witch’s Hovels – be sure to check them out in the new version of the playtest coming soon.
Skeles arising from the Ruin to chase you
Skills
I also want skills to feel more unique and game-changing, to push the player towards different playstyles. To do that, I’m creating skills that have unique abilities.
A good example is the Artist skill – whenever the Artist visits a Lookout or scenic location, they will have the ability to create a painting, which can be traded for at a high‑value with traders
An amateur painting of a landscape
Wrap Up
It has been another busy month of development – but a crucial month. I’ve really started to bed down some key design elements and principles, and I feel like the game is forming a really sound gameplay model.
Just a reminder to please Wishlist and Follow on Steam if you want to see more.
Huzzah!
Elliot