Hey there!
Welcome to the October update for the development progress of Gamblers Table.
In this update post I'd like to go over some new cool features, new gameplay elements and more UI and QoL improvements,
FAQ
I'd also like to use this platform to answer some frequently asked questions we have received over the past months, so lets start with that!
Question: Why has the game not released yet? || When are you going to release? || Is this ever coming out?
Answer: We’ve been getting a lot of these messages lately, and we totally get why. The demo landed really well, and we’re super happy about that. From the outside, it might look like we just need to add a few skills and hit “release,” but there are two big reasons why it’s taking time. First, Tim and I (Sven) are the only ones working on this game - in our free time. We both have full-time jobs, families, and everything else that comes with life, so the only real time we get to work on Gambler’s Table is on weekends. Summing up the hours that we effectively had the chance to work on the game and comparing it with our current progress, I am super proud of where we are. But I absolutely understand that it may not seem like that from the outside. Secondly, we just don't want to add a few filler skills and then be done with it. We want every new skill to feel meaningful, with visual feedback and strategic gameplay. The demo had 9 skill nodes, but the current planned release version has 22 - and they all have depth or even cool visual feedback that comes with it. (See the “missile sprite update” for an example.) Gamblers Table will most likely not release in 2025, but you can expect some news regarding the release in the upcoming weeks! While it may be frustrating to not have an exact date, we can only ask you to stay patient and believe us when we say that we are aiming to create a game that is worth waiting on.
Question: Will I be able to keep my progress from the demo?
Answer: Yes, you will be able to take the progress you have in the demo into the full release version. We strongly encourage everyone to reset their savefile instead, as to play the final game as we intended. Especially if you have left the demo open for weeks and amassed unimaginable amounts of currency (looking at some people on our discord right now), then it may feel like the release version is short, when in reality you just skipped over all the progress needed. But we won't force you and its totally up to you how you want to play the game. But keep in mind that you will have to re-spec your skill tree when you load from one into the other and that the skill point requirements may change between the two, meaning you could have 9 skill points in the demo, but 7 in the release version.
If you have any more questions you'd like to be answered in the next post, let us know either in the comments, our discord or contact us via mail. Now off to the new content updates with you!
Capsule Machines
So the game is called "Gamblers Table", but until now we haven't had many features that related to that topic. To change that, we have added capsule machines to the game! Of course, these don't cost any real money, but instead every time that you flip a coin in Gamblers Table and it lands on SKULL (heads) ... you get a skull token! You can use these skull tokens to operate the capsule machines, which in turn gives you hats for your helpers.
But not only that! Some hats now also have the chance to come in new variations like GOLDEN and RAINBOW. Those look so cool! But are much, much rarer to obtain.
This change also means that hats are no longer tied to achievements. The achievements tab has therefore been restructured and looks a little different now.
Hats Are For Wearing
So now you have unlocked a new cool hat, but you don't have the funds to buy a new helper.
Previously this meant you couldn't see your new hat, as hats are only equipped when you buy a new helper. Now, we have committed a whole new section in your sidebar to your hat collection.
Select the ones you like, deselect the ones you don't and then fire away at the "Randomize Hats" button to see your gang rock the new fashion style you chose.
More UI Improvements
Via the discord, the steam discussion forums and mails we have gotten a lot of great feedback from the demo. Some of the changes that are rather simple, but still impactful, I'd like to showcase them to you.
1) Better Options Menu
Some people would always click "Close Game" instead of "Back" when trying to close the options menu. That was due to the fact that they were literally right next to each other (oops) and not really distinguishable at all. Now the "Back"-Button is either the X in the top-right corner or literally clicking anywhere outside of the options menu. The "Close Game" button is also coloured in red now, making it seem more impactful and harder to accidentally click.
2) Better Iconography
Why many words when no words do the trick? Previously every tab in the sidebar was completely written out. This got really overwhelming really fast. We have replaced some text with icons to reduce the text pollution, but also improved upon already existing icons.
3) Money Per Second
This has been requested a lot. The non-plus ultra for the min-maxer.
4) Speaking of Min-Maxing
In the release version there will be a lot of features that can interact with each other. But what if you don't want that? What if you want something to specifically NOT interact so it can be triggered way more often by something else? "Helper Focus" was our first step into that direction, but we are introducing way more fine-granular control over other aspects of the game aswell. These let you decided, whether e.g shockwaves should trigger copper coins or whether your cursor can or can not flip gold coins, ... and so on.
5) Better Tooltips
Tooltips now use icons whenever possible. In this screenshot we can see that "Muscular Helper" now gets a visual representation of what we can expect from that skill and purchasable.
A Table For You
You might have already seen some new tables in the screenshots above. Tables can be selected after you sacrificed and they change up your gameplay. With a little strategizing, you can utilize these table effects to dramatically increase your money gain.
Missile Sprite Update
Make old to new! We are always improving the game where we can, this being just an example. It looks so much better.
Missile is one of my favorite skills in the skill tree. When skilled, it unlocks it as an purchasable in the shop. Having tons of missiles blasting the table looks so cool!
Alrighty. This is all for this months progress update.
Honestly, a big thank you to everyone that sticks around, reads these posts and is excited for Gamblers Table as much as we are!
Cheers!