Sand Alpha 0.7.0


I've updated the start screen. Added a STEAM Link. I will probably add a few more locations before I switch to full-time STEAM development. Whatever version I have when I do switch will stay on itch.io as a demo of sorts (free forever). 

I am also preparing first for a Kickstarter so I can buy some audio equipment to record music and sound. More on that later.

Files

Sand - DEMO 154 MB
Version 173 Feb 26, 2022

Get Sand: A Superfluous Game

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Comments

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(1 edit) (+1)

Hello, it's been a while since I've last commented on the game but as I've played recently, I thought I'd share some feedback and list a few of current issues:

I do like the changes and improvements to one's town since I've last looked at it. Having it work, with little folks walking around doing their things is very nice. I would like to be able to decide who to let live at my place and/or possibly customize the immigrants and having the game remember their looks - currently they seem to be changing between my visits to town. Depending on how ambitious you'd like to make them, ideally there'd be a menu where potential hopefuls are listed, for one to choose whom to accept to live in one's town, with said immigrants differing slightly not only in looks or names, but maybe some minor traits (one is a bit faster/slower, another likes to eat more/less). I'd also like to be able to equip and clothe them myself as a goal, rather than them magicking up shotguns before I could even get one for myself or run around seemingly half-naked.

Ability to assign beds also would be useful there as currently all town beds get someone sent to them and with player and his battle-ready companions counting against that limit it means the population is always over it, with game demanding more beds, then filling them and demanding more ad infinitum. I would like to just be able to assign the town's farmers to a hut next to the fields, too, rather than having to figure out which bed the game assigned to whom and making them the farmer by proximity.

I wouldn't really mind it at all if the start of the game would be a bit rougher - like the starting house being smaller, worse-equipped and much more destroyed, requiring one to build much more from scratch. Same with other things - I had almost no use for torch at all, since we get the very useful glowing drone very soon in the game. I'd prefer some features like its glow to be some sort of additional mission reward.

I had a glitch where the weapon workbench wasn't available, making it impossible for me to finish its quest till I read elsewhere I am supposed to clean up EDIE and then accesing the upgrade panel (which doing so unlocked the bench). EDIE only mentions that I can do so later in its questline, after it was already necessary to build the workbench earlier.

Having dressers/mirrors first needing activation before they change one's looks would be nice. Sometimes when I pick up loot in some ruined house with one of these, it's very easy to approach the furniture and switch some clothes/hairstyle colors around.

I see that dirtying things was a bit changed and custodians aren't as necessary for sweeping floors. It's a mixed blessing. There does seem to be an issue however of game generating various trash (bones, skulls, dead grasses) on the floors inside roofed buildings and those don't get cleaned up.

Speaking of roofing - most locations seem to be yet converted to ones with a roof. Towns and various other bases seem to have none, with sandstorms pushing the player around when indoors.

I can put all kinds of items in all kinds of slots. Making my character wear clothes in wrong slots of the equipment. Or not really clothes but some other random objects.

It'd be nice if small quantities of items could be taken with a player - for stuff like missions at the town without a need for a whole wagon. Perhaps, since now most types of resources can be turned into stacks/barrels etc, just adding ability to activate a stack item like that from inventory would solve it (since right now they can only be "activated" for its items when build).

And in regards to those missions, may have been just a random glitch but Betsy in her dialogue didn't really give me a job, just directed me straight to the box.

Chickens became immortal. If there's too many of them, it seems one cannot get rid of any. Ability to kick the chicken to the great coop in the sky or some other way to take care of chicken overpopulation while avoiding chickens dying to accidential weapon swings would be great. Similar with other animals one doesn't want around but sentenced oneself to.

The games seems to be running noticeabl better than how I remember it. Many people may not care too much as long as their rig handles the game well overall but I always considered optimization an important part of well managed project and I am really grateful it's not neglected.

I like diversity of loot when it comes to skellies, but the "better" enemies seem to be dropping only scrap. Since raiders are technologically-capable, it'd be really nice if stuff like gears, electronics or plastic were found rarely among their loot.

Most enemies seem to not fight back when attacked by another group of hostile NPCs, especially noticeable in case of the burrowing bugs murdering skellies who just kinda stand there, taking bugs' projectiles.

One can put stuff like ammo pouch in the activable items tab, then when entering inventory durability of the pouch will turn to 0.1. It doesn't change anything, but looks weird. Items like pouches or canteens would benefit from some description that they work passively as long as one keeps some in inventory.

Meat in general seems somewhat neglected. Perhaps having access to it would let villagers feed themselves better and for longer, with a piece of meat per several pieces of vegetables?

The game often starts in a window and is not responsible to attempts to turn between fullscreen and windowed more through alt+enter. Yet often during the battle, as I was clickign frantically, the game was turning full screen on its own.

Some greater difference between projectile weapon stats would be good. Assault rifle tech (which somehow let's one make MG weapon) required both more experience and the item - much, much more rarer resources to make than a pistol, but the effect against average raider seem comparable - both need quite a few accurate shots to take one down.

Would need to be balanced vs. robots as I already don't really use them, with human villagers simply looking better as they run around.

All animals ignore whip or I had no idea how to use it to control them.

Cemetary one can find generated in the wastes has graves marked with request to be edited.

As always, the post may seem somewhat negative, but it's just because I concentrated on reporting bugs - a thing much more important to be known than the praise. The praise however, I still offer as it is a fun game and I hope for future developments. Thank you for your time.

(+1)

Super thoughtful and helpful! You'll be glad to know most of this stuff is known and most I plan to update. The campmate thing seems to be mentioned a lot so that is something I will focus on soon. They all actually have stats hidden that I haven't implemented yet. The idea is they would get better at a job as they do it more.

Thanks for the feedback!