▶
Wait...you mean this game was impossible?
Puppet Master was always meant to be a hard game. As a gamer I like a bit of a bite in my usual fare; to really get the noggin thinking. So when testers came saying, the game was tough I was all "yup, makes sense" and got on doing smaller adjustements (like last update's shields). However, a couple of playtest and streamer videos last month really opened my eyes that I might have a major problem on my hands. I was seeing vets, not new players, having trouble by the third or fourth region and that was a big issue. To investigate, I made an excel simulation of my game (much easier to modify then the game) and found.... well the game quickly became impossible.
And I'm not talking extraordinarily hard. I meant that if playing hard mode, by level 10-12 you'd be maxing out global exposure. The fact that we hadn't heard of this was because no one had reached that level yet... which should've been the first warning sign. So I speant this week reworking the difficulty balance, which meant I had to rework the difficulty backend. I can talk at length about this, but I won't bore you with the details.... I'll just show you these sexy excel graphs of the result:
Maybe not what you expected in a dev post, but a lot of game design happens on spreadsheets (which gets my designer heart fluttering). Here you can see that we would expect an average player on easy to reach level 4 difficulty and end the game with a global exposure just above 25%; if that player tries on hard mode, they would end up with over 80% exposure, and playing regions of difficulty 11. And if they try insane.....well, the game is still impossible at that point, so that's why I'm not shipping insane difficulty :P This week I'll finish up the difficulty and send it out to testers to give it another go. I'll let y'all know if we get survivors!
A new challenge for our community will start soon; join our discord to check it out! Happy conspiring! Rafa
[ 2021-10-17 22:39:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello fellow co-conspirators!
Puppet Master was always meant to be a hard game. As a gamer I like a bit of a bite in my usual fare; to really get the noggin thinking. So when testers came saying, the game was tough I was all "yup, makes sense" and got on doing smaller adjustements (like last update's shields). However, a couple of playtest and streamer videos last month really opened my eyes that I might have a major problem on my hands. I was seeing vets, not new players, having trouble by the third or fourth region and that was a big issue. To investigate, I made an excel simulation of my game (much easier to modify then the game) and found.... well the game quickly became impossible.
And I'm not talking extraordinarily hard. I meant that if playing hard mode, by level 10-12 you'd be maxing out global exposure. The fact that we hadn't heard of this was because no one had reached that level yet... which should've been the first warning sign. So I speant this week reworking the difficulty balance, which meant I had to rework the difficulty backend. I can talk at length about this, but I won't bore you with the details.... I'll just show you these sexy excel graphs of the result:
Maybe not what you expected in a dev post, but a lot of game design happens on spreadsheets (which gets my designer heart fluttering). Here you can see that we would expect an average player on easy to reach level 4 difficulty and end the game with a global exposure just above 25%; if that player tries on hard mode, they would end up with over 80% exposure, and playing regions of difficulty 11. And if they try insane.....well, the game is still impossible at that point, so that's why I'm not shipping insane difficulty :P This week I'll finish up the difficulty and send it out to testers to give it another go. I'll let y'all know if we get survivors!
Discord Challenge
A new challenge for our community will start soon; join our discord to check it out! Happy conspiring! Rafa
[ 2021-10-17 22:39:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
The Shadow Government Simulator
Chupacabra Game Studios
Developer
Chupacabra Game Studios
Publisher
When the Illuminati wills it
Release
GameBillet:
3.00 €
Game News Posts:
47
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
Very Positive
(64 reviews)
Public Linux Depots:
- Desktop Agents - Cov1d-999 Depot [1.25 G]
The Shadow Government Simulator is a turn-based strategy game that puts you in control of a shadow organization dead set on global domination via bribery, intimidation, seduction, and any means necessary. Inspired by old classics like Plague Inc. and modern gems like The Shrouded Isle, this is a challenging game where you infiltrate nations, discover their networks of power, and then reshape them to fit your agenda.
Turn-based strategic infiltration
Every action you take matters on a global scale. When you enter a new nation, you’ll be alone with just a headquarters at your disposal and minimal information. Slowly, you will send your tendrils throughout the region uncovering who are the influential and how much power they truly wield. You'll discover their traits and personalities, earning an understanding of their weaknesses and how to best convert them to your side.
Infiltrate nations around the world!
More importantly, you'll discover who they are connected to, and thus person by person, you shall take over the whole elite. Having a strong interconnected network is the key to success, but the bigger you get the more visible you are and this could lead to your demise. Manage your network, cut and create connections, to ensure you act from the shadows when the time is right.
Evolve your organization
The world will be difficult to conquer without growth and adaptation. As you capture new units, you can change their abilities, unlocking new traits and adapting to the necessities of the shadow war. Throughout your campaign for world domination, you'll be able to build your organization with unique traits. Tailor your society and its pawns to fit your grand plan. Conquer the world and you'll be able to unlock different factions such as the Masons and the Templars, with different strengths and weaknesses!
Fight for global supremacy
As your organization grows and becomes more visible on the global scale the challenges you face will increase. The world’s countries will unite against you and you will face off against rival organizations. Choose wisely which region to infiltrate first, as they will provide different bonuses, but also present different challenges. Each region will offer a distinct play experience with its procedurally generated networks. As time moves forward the regions will acquire unique modifiers to increase the difficulty and diversity of the maps you play on. It might well be worth the risk, however, as nations you take over become yours to command, unlocking new powerful abilities. Be it a person or a country, they shall all become like pawns before you!
MINIMAL SETUP
- OS: Ubuntu 20.04
- Processor: Intel Core i7Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
- Storage: 900 MB available space
GAMEBILLET
[ 6132 ]
GAMERSGATE
[ 2625 ]
FANATICAL BUNDLES
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HUMBLE BUNDLES
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