[SandorHQ]

In 2023, I made a procedurally generated, turn-based word puzzle adventure, set in a steamgoth world, and published it on Steam. It's called Words of Yendor, and it is wildly unpopular and I've lost a lot of money on that project. (Demo available on Steam -- it's not that bad.)

So, I've learned my lesson, and recently published the demo of a procedurally generated, turn-based word puzzle adventure, set in a classical fantasy world. It is also pretty unpopular, so I'm starting to notice some patterns, but I'm still somewhat proud that Dragon Riddler has a tight scope and a tolerable learning curve, and that the game mechanics allow for some pleasantly deep tactics. I like to think that it's also fun, and I wonder what verdict the Steam Next Fest this June will deliver, as it pretty much decides this project's fate.



As for the tech, I'm using Godot 4 with GDScript, a language that I'm growing more and more annoyed with. :) I'm not sure about Godot 4 yet, because with C# it's certainly promising, but I already had to put such a project on hold due to a Godot bug, so this is also something only the near future will reveal.

[Jack]

This looks excellent. Will add to site in a moment.

[Geogear]

I've actually seen Dragon Riddler first on a jblow stream. I must say that, it's a gem of a game, well done sir. It's one of those games, that you wish you had the idea for it 😄. And I think that this game would go really well with handheld consoles, talking about steamdeck mainly.

[SandorHQ]

I've actually seen Dragon Riddler first on a jblow stream. I must say that, it's a gem of a game, well done sir. It's one of those games, that you wish you had the idea for it 😄. And I think that this game would go really well with handheld consoles, talking about steamdeck mainly.

Thank you for your kind words and for letting me know about that stream. I had no idea!

He has apparently renamed the game to Dragon RIDER, consistently, and who am I to disagree with jblow himself? ;) Although he didn't seem impressed at all, so I'd better just stay with the original name.

The main takeaway from this stream is that I'll have to make it a LOT more apparent that it's possible to build longer words, only they cost some extra energy. The tutorial mentions this twice, but obviously nobody reads tutorials. Poor jblow was very annoyed by the assumed 4-letter word limitation, and I dare not imagine how many others must have felt the same frustration. I really must apologize for this and fix it very soon.

[FileDescriptor1]

So I tried the demo for a while. It really pulled me in, but I have to say it seems extremely difficult.

I didn't see the dragon's lair once outside the tutorial because I would die. (I also died in the tutorial).
The flies are infuriating! Difficult to kill, drain control, long range.
It seems like things compound, and as you start doing badly it becomes rapidly worse until the player is very restricted.
I can see how people would assume 4 letters is the limit because of the UI, where only 4 spaces are visible at most.
Even being able to do longer words, though, punishing the player with loss of energy discourages it, since it brings you closer to taking health damage, and it seems to eventually restrict you to 3 letters?

It's a interesting concept, and fun to play. But I personally felt frustrated and hemmed in very quickly.
But you've got something here, because I wanted to be less frustrated, so I could play more. :)

[SandorHQ]

So I tried the demo for a while. It really pulled me in, but I have to say it seems extremely difficult.

There's just a single post on the demo's message board, and it's complaining that the game is too easy. Now what? :)

Last night I had an epiphany for a UI solution, which hopefully makes it easier for players to understand that longer words can be used, so I'll implement this change and release it as a hotfix in the coming days.

But, as you mentioned, the player still feels the cost is too great -- because I'm not explaining it well that energy can be regained by skipping a turn, or by using tier-5 letters, as well as other means. I need to find ways to better teach this too.

[Geogear]

I would say that the game is challenign and not easy, but I like it that way. But the other parts about 'communicating' how the game works is spot on. Game should communicate what it's doing without friction, it should be clear.

[FileDescriptor1]

There's just a single post on the demo's message board, and it's complaining that the game is too easy. Now what? :)

The struggle is real, friend!

Of course you should take my comments only for what they're worth, which is one player's experience.
All my comments are sincerely meant to help if they can.

And, frankly, the game is so interesting I'll probably pick it up again and see if I can get a better grip on it.

[lantanadan]

I also tried the demo but ended up dying in the tutorial and level 1... over... and over... and over...

I see a few issues at the moment. Number one, there's no difficulty ramp. It just kinda starts high. The tutorial and early levels should make you feel like an absolute boss, lull you into a sense of power so you can get a handle on the game's mechanics. THEN when the real adventure begins, you begin to realize how little you actually know and it's time to dig into that SAT vocabulary.

Second, I agree that going over the letter limit shouldn't be detrimental. I think the reward for doing so should outweigh the energy cost. Right now you get like, what, maybe 2 control and 1 reach for going over the limit at the cost of 2 energy? The 1:1 trade kind of makes it feel like it's not worth it, as you need energy to defend against attackers too. So what I would say is make that a 2:1 or even a 3:1 trade, like +3 control & +2 reach for 1 energy. Maybe even add in some modifiers on letters to gain more bonus resources when those get used. Then I think I'll feel like I'm being rewarded for being smart, rather than just screwing myself over when a fly with 3 reach is hitting me from outside of my range with its long-range nuclear proboscis.

Third, I think you can greatly drag out the content of the game by introducing concepts (and enemies) one at a time, rather than cramming them all into a single tutorial and the first level. Progression systems are important! Start with low HP enemies and maybe treasure piles, and just build up from there so the player has time to get a grasp on what's going on, rather than sending a force of 10,000 Uruk-hai at us right from the start.

And as for the one guy saying the game is too easy... well, to each their own I guess? Personally I also found it extremely difficult but I think it could be immensely satisfying if the current level of difficulty was reached or even surpassed after like 20 levels, rather than right from the start.

[FileDescriptor1]

All of Ian's comments are on point from my perspective.

The game seems really solid to me in design. All the improvements I can think of are about pacing and number tweaking.

[Geogear]

All solid feedback from Ian. Couldn't add more.

[SandorHQ]

I'm truly grateful for your excellent feedback, gentlemen!

Yesterday I was able to publish a hotfix that hopefully does a better job of indicating the player can build longer words. I'm still considering how I could better convince players to treat Energy as a consumable.

I also banished the "flies with nuclear proboscis" (I love this! :) to Level 2. Even though I'm practically always able to beat the demo (having played it more times I'd care to count), those little buggers still gave me a heavy beating occasionally. Maybe I was just too lucky when I added those critters and should have tested them more.

For now, I'm not sure if I should nerf the energy cost for longer words. I think the best tactic in the journey act (when you're looking for the lair) is to go slow, as in trying to consume letters vertically, aiming to keep your Reach high, so you can see what's on the horizon. Then, if you spot something strong or dangerous, check its path and its action list. There's a chance that the foe will camp (e.g. a Goblin hunkers down on a tier-5 letter), which can give you time to build up Control in 2--3 turns, using a few higher tier letters from other rows.

Also, you can extend the capacity of Word Builders after beating a dragon, as you get a free boon (a random upgrade: sometimes an item, other times some kind of stat upgrade like faster Energy replenishment, extra Life, etc.), and you can also spend XP (which you get in dragon duels) on additional boons.

[Jack]

adding your titles to the new curator page/list
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45631594