remco 2021-10-05 15:57
As I watched the stream, I can't really give my first impressions any more, so I'll leave that to others. Instead, have a slightly unsorted list of remarks!
One thing before we get started, I see that I mostly wrote is a bug list ... so I wanted to say that I _did_ enjoy playing it! There can hardly be anough pixel art simulations with a cute look :-) (Also, note that this list is at least partly based on that you may want to continue with developing it, so are interested in stuff you obvs. couldn't get done during the jam itself.)
- First, I really wonder how well I would have understood everything if I wouldn't have watched the stream. Given the help and hovers I think I would've gotten it, but without any other comments there's no way to tell (yet). - Sometimes a flinter-thin layer of water will prevent you from building ... fair enough, but it's really hard to see sometimes! - Overflowing flood barriers are really only known by guesstimating if it's over yet and seeing the effects. Would be nice if it was more clear. - I get that it's a worker placement game, but people who don't play a lot of board-games may have some questions about where your workers go when you destroy stuff. Since everything costs money as well, it may be a good idea to return the worker, for some extra strategic depth? - Not everyone may realize flood-barriers can be built in water (making pumps _a lot_ more useful). - Maybe it's an idea to _always_ make the first effect a storm of some kind? The other effects are a little underwhelming in comparison. Well visually anyway, to the point where you may miss that they're happening. The tulip booms and crashes in particular, since they also happen when you don't have any planted. - Visible time until the next 'step' would be apreciated (like, when do I get my $200 do not pass start and workers?) - Everything is quite slow, and the speed up doesn't seem to help much (it may be quicker, but as the screen-update lags when sped-up it doesn't _feel_ quicker). Maybe I'm just in jame mode though? The upside is that it can be played as a sort of idle game. Let's see how my micro-Dutch terrarium is doing! - Pipe _repair_ costs a full worker. Given that a pipe is (10 riks^ and) 1 worker to begin with, and once you have at least one tulip fields workers become the problem... I think that's a bit much. [^] I'm old enough that I remember the slang/abbreviation for Rijksdaalders :-p - I'd like to be able to set priority for building stuff. Though doing that without clutering the simple interface is another problem... - Lots of sky may be a Dutch thing, but there's also a lot of ground. There's lots of screen real estate locked up in that! Not sure what to do about that without making it not Dutch any more though (no high buildings because we don't like 'em and not a lot of stuff underground because that muck is not workable in that way). - Pipes have only bends and straights I think, no crossings (T or otherwise). - I'm not sure a town always does something on upgrade? Maybe show a little message what has happened, so people don't have to hunt for that. - Maybe it's an idea to distribute water (more) immediately if the difference is higher than 1 (instead of just one at a time). You get into weird situations if you remove a flood-barrier and the sea was high one one end and low on the other. - The little plus for the forced town upgrade _almost_ entirely blocks one tile. - I wanted to see the game over, but instead found what I _think_ may be a dominant strategy: Build nothing but a few tulip fields, and then occasionaly grow your town. Just let it drown. The people can swim, and, more importantly, repair water-damaged buildings!
_EDIT_: Oh almost forgot! I managed to get my tulips safely buried in a mountain by raising land! tulips_in_land.png