I was wondering if you could make a version with no animation, background, camera wobbling... I know it would be less good, but that way it would work on more devices (thinking Kindle Paperwhite there). I have tried after painfully extracting the html code from itch.io but couldn't find what makes what.
It would take time, so if you can't it's not much of a big deal.
This feels like it's just on the edge of being a really fun little game, but the sheer randomness in the early stages and the way in which losing health so drastically impacts your ability to deal with enemies drags it down. The obscurity of some mechanics is also a problem- I understand that it's a deliberate choice, and I think in some cases it works. Learning what the doctor does to your crewmates, or what each of the divine offerings actually provides, is a fun way to improve mastery of the game. Similarly, the very obscure elements- the puzzle of figuring out how to deal with the extremely dangerous late-game angel/devil enemies is a neat, out of context challenge. But a lot of this obscurity is just painful to deal with- for instance, it's possible to lose the spelling game repeatedly while spelling valid english words, because there's no clear indication that what's needed is three three letter words. Some clarity on that point- maybe in the form of three marks on the ship lighting up as valid words are formed, or a suggestion via dialogue, would make it much less frustrating.
I also think that the sheer necessity of crewmates and the total randomness of whether you acquire any in the first few fights is also problematic. Perhaps a free crewmate could be added to the very beginning of the game, or have one be guaranteed in the first 2-3 events. Further, some crewmates become extremely frustrating to face, in particular the one which boosts dice which drop to two pips- without control over where your shots go, and given the high variability of damage even with a few extra rerolls, it feels entirely up to chance whether your opponent will take damage or heal every time you attack them. It might be beneficial to make the combat mechanics asymmetrical, and allow the player to place their own shots in addition to their opponents.
I don't want this to come off entirely negative- for all these issues I had, I kept playing through moments of frustration because the game has a lot of charm and some really good bones. Cheers!
For the spelling game, it is actually told in dialogue but just in a "language" you don't understand. And wouldn't one get it in the first failure ie. not fail it repeatedly? Not very many times at least.
The patch I'm currently working on adds in a log book to your ship that tracks all events you've encountered offering more info and hints about them. Also includes an option to start with a crew member and trinket, but you gotta unlock and earn those starters though.
Seems to be caused by the event you had before where you pick one crew member and the other will end up on the next enemy (the frog one in the pic). That seems to cause enemy to get too many crew members and causes an error. Managed the repro and fix and next patch will be coming soon...
I'm pretty sure websites can not go full screen on their own and need user interaction to do so. I think at least most browsers do enforce this security thing.
i am in a run where apparently i have so many event-boosting things that combat has mostly disappeared. got a few green reset things and in my current reset, i have had ONE combat. and about 15 queen of the sea encounters. and like 40 trinkets. it stopped adding them to the ship after a while so i have no idea if they still count tho.
while i was writing this i got my 2nd combat encounter and the birds ANNIHILATED my opponent 👍
Basically, the librarian just gives you tips (that's what my friends told me, they might be lying), and for the word puzzles, you have to make 3 3-letter words, and the frog will reward you with stuff. I'm pretty sure the words are from the scrabble dictionary.
If it is 100% loosened you can go ahead and ram it to get the divine being inside. If it is no loose enough and you ram it, it sinks. I am not sure what the exact percentage required for a successful ramming, but I think it is over 75%.
I gotta say that this is a frustrating game to play. I only started playing in the last day or two. Did it used to be easier? I don't understand where I might be going wrong in my strategy. I think it's just luck, which takes a lot of fun out of the game. Also, sometimes I agree to things I don't understand, like trying to bribe a ship but ending up giving away my spice and it not being enough then finally fighting at the disadvantage of not having most of my spice.
When I'm given the option to select letters to spell things out, even when I get a word, it won't do anything most of the time. How come RAT doesn't do anything? Is there a pirate theme? Is it "fun" for you to keep players guessing in such a broad way that it's more like you're making fun of them desperately playing your game?
What is that guy with the weird lettering? Does it say anything? I tried flipping it upside down by rotating my screen. I also tried looking in a mirror at it.
You know, maybe you don't know what fun is. It's not that a game should be easy, but a game shouldn't really put a player at the mercy of the mechanic and RNG. And you leave so many misunderstandings in this game that I wish you were trapped in this game so I could sink your ship. That I would play again and again.
But all this stupid stuff where you don't explain anything as part of a "puzzle" that costs any playability in the game? Are you kidding me?
I hope the next time you play a game, it's created by racists and fascists who hate you and lure you into wasting your time guessing at what's going on while you just keep getting older. That should be lots of fun for someone, though maybe not you.
I wouldn't say it used to be any easier. On one hand, it used to have less variety so less RNG but on the other hand, there also was less choices to me made ie. even more luck based.
I do like games which have some mysteries and leave them to player alone to solve and obviously I do like to make games which I myself enjoy. It's not for everyone, I get it and it's just fine. And I am in fact working on a next patch which will include a log book where you can explore your discovered things/mechanics a bit more thoroughly giving at least some hints which should at least a little help alleviate these issues.
Spelling just one word isn't enough. You gotta do all three, to win. And pirate/sea themed words are in fact a bonus. The weird lettering is the "special language" of the frogs. It's not quite as simple as just flipping or mirroring but that's on the right track.
Sorry for wasting your time and thanks for the feedback...
You know, while playing another round of this game, I was going to apologize. I'd barely acquired one of those divine creatures, taking up all but two 9-point cargoes, then came up against a boat with 9 cargoes and was defeated. It wasn't worth it to acquire the divine creature because it took several of my cargoes, setting me up to lose the very next encounter. This is why I'm angry. I expect the game to be fun and playable, not a submission to an RNG that I pretend is something more with the bouncing characters, the ship, and the interactions that are meaningless because the RNG is all that ends up mattering.
Have you ever played Monopoly? Have you taken the time to understand why the board is set up the way it is and why there are two dice? 7 is the most commonly rolled number and the most common space to land on is Jail, so that orange set with spaces 6, 8, and 9 spaces away from Jail will be the most strategic set to get, especially since houses and hotels cost $100 each, not $150 or $200 like further toward GO. And they're valuable enough to make a big difference. You can watch YouTube videos on strategy for winning and WHILE IT'S STILL SOMEWHAT BASED ON CHANCE, giving everyone, even less-skilled players a chance to win, IT'S ALSO STRATEGIC, since knowing how things work makes a big difference when chance works in your favour. There are patterns that would suggest Monopoly is actually a thoughtfully designed game.
Have you put any such effort into this game? Because putting that kind of thought into balancing the game might make it more enjoyable and encourage people to try to get better. I thought it was common for game makers to think about this stuff, but I don't think you really have. I could be wrong. Maybe I'm missing something. But why would I put in more effort to try to figure it out if I have no reason to believe it will do any good?
You sound like a nice person. Despite my frustration and obvious contempt, it's not my intention to be mean to someone who doesn't deserve it.
Good luck. This game is addicting enough that I'm going to have to willfully steer clear of it so I don't renew my conviction that it's seeming shortcomings are inexcusable.
What a completely terrible thing to say. You get to play a well crafted and entertaining game, for free, and because you are frustrated because you don't have the patience or capability to figure things out you feel obligated to leave such pointless and shameful feedback.
Next time you are not having an absolutely great time, perhaps be a better human being and simply move along to something that does make you happy. But then again, looking at some of your other posts, your negative and off base comments seems to be something of a habit of yours.
Okay. Maybe you're right. Maybe I went too far. So... am I wrong in suggesting this game is somehow unfairly difficult, even to understand? That solving "puzzles" that are really barriers to playing the game or understanding what's going on seems in the context of a game unfair? It's just a game. But... I really wish I could enjoy the game, that winning the game was more dependent on my choices and actions and less on mere chance or trying to understand what's going on with puzzles that seem rather arbitrary.
Am I wrong in expecting the creator of this game to take this into consideration? Even accusing the creator, angrily, of being unfair? Perhaps the misunderstanding or lapse in capacity or judgement isn't actually my fault but the fault of the creator. And maybe as some random person on the internet, he's unlikely to take my comments to heart but see them as someone who is angry that they didn't do a better job or weren't more considerate.
Generally, being nice isn't a solution to problems so much as a way of coping with them. And I don't respect it when I try to enjoy a game and it's actually the creator who stuffs what seems so promising a concept with irritating reminders of all the stupid stuff I'm trying to escape about the real world.
I'm afraid I don't have a lot of sympathy for players or creators that don't seem to want to do things right. But I think you may be right. I went too far. See, when I play a game, it's an escape but one that I try to enjoy with intense focus. I'd very much enjoy this game if winning and losing were dependent on my abilities and I could improve, but that's not how I see this game.
If I'm angry and bitter, it's because I care or cared enough to be. If someone wants to turn my time at play into a reminder of my frustrations with the world, okay, and a part of me feels free to comment as if they have instead of focusing on particular things like I'm naive enough to believe they're worth mentioning given how much this game seems to set players up for failure instead of progress or winnable challenges (though perhaps with persistence and work).
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Love this game!
I was wondering if you could make a version with no animation, background, camera wobbling... I know it would be less good, but that way it would work on more devices (thinking Kindle Paperwhite there). I have tried after painfully extracting the html code from itch.io but couldn't find what makes what.
It would take time, so if you can't it's not much of a big deal.
Thanks for making this awesome game!
I was doing so good in my run till this happened
just a suggestion, but the last few words of the genie ship usually cover most of the top letters, so can you fix that?
Yup, already fixed.
What happens when two ships with both one cargo, both one level two swab and no trinkets or other crew members, battle each other?
I guess there is a chance for infinity there. Pretty rare though...
This feels like it's just on the edge of being a really fun little game, but the sheer randomness in the early stages and the way in which losing health so drastically impacts your ability to deal with enemies drags it down. The obscurity of some mechanics is also a problem- I understand that it's a deliberate choice, and I think in some cases it works. Learning what the doctor does to your crewmates, or what each of the divine offerings actually provides, is a fun way to improve mastery of the game. Similarly, the very obscure elements- the puzzle of figuring out how to deal with the extremely dangerous late-game angel/devil enemies is a neat, out of context challenge. But a lot of this obscurity is just painful to deal with- for instance, it's possible to lose the spelling game repeatedly while spelling valid english words, because there's no clear indication that what's needed is three three letter words. Some clarity on that point- maybe in the form of three marks on the ship lighting up as valid words are formed, or a suggestion via dialogue, would make it much less frustrating.
I also think that the sheer necessity of crewmates and the total randomness of whether you acquire any in the first few fights is also problematic. Perhaps a free crewmate could be added to the very beginning of the game, or have one be guaranteed in the first 2-3 events. Further, some crewmates become extremely frustrating to face, in particular the one which boosts dice which drop to two pips- without control over where your shots go, and given the high variability of damage even with a few extra rerolls, it feels entirely up to chance whether your opponent will take damage or heal every time you attack them. It might be beneficial to make the combat mechanics asymmetrical, and allow the player to place their own shots in addition to their opponents.
I don't want this to come off entirely negative- for all these issues I had, I kept playing through moments of frustration because the game has a lot of charm and some really good bones. Cheers!
Valid points!
For the spelling game, it is actually told in dialogue but just in a "language" you don't understand. And wouldn't one get it in the first failure ie. not fail it repeatedly? Not very many times at least.
The patch I'm currently working on adds in a log book to your ship that tracks all events you've encountered offering more info and hints about them. Also includes an option to start with a crew member and trinket, but you gotta unlock and earn those starters though.
The game broke against the king ship
Seems to be caused by the event you had before where you pick one crew member and the other will end up on the next enemy (the frog one in the pic). That seems to cause enemy to get too many crew members and causes an error. Managed the repro and fix and next patch will be coming soon...
also can you add options in the game while you play bc if I close my PC and open it again it doesn't fullscreen
I'm pretty sure websites can not go full screen on their own and need user interaction to do so. I think at least most browsers do enforce this security thing.
what I mean is like options in the beginning but you can just click them while you play bc that's the only way to full screen. in the beginning
Oh I see! You can actually bring up that menu at any time by pressing ESC.
omg I'm so dum, thanks!
hello. I have been playing for a bit and the last update has been for 18 days! just wondering when the next update is going to happen. thanks!
Next patch is still in the works. Can't say for sure yet but I'm aiming to get it release ready in a week or so.
i am in a run where apparently i have so many event-boosting things that combat has mostly disappeared. got a few green reset things and in my current reset, i have had ONE combat. and about 15 queen of the sea encounters. and like 40 trinkets. it stopped adding them to the ship after a while so i have no idea if they still count tho.
while i was writing this i got my 2nd combat encounter and the birds ANNIHILATED my opponent 👍
i get you. I had a pet that went through 4 librarian things and got skeletonized and all I can't find any encounters
during my run like that i had the guy skeletonized, maxed out, i had the boat piece thing boost encounters, AND i had a maxed out skeleton bard!
my friends made t*t, s*x and fat on the frog word puzzle ship, can you not make the words that sus?
These words are still words. It wouldn't be fair if they weren't included
Yup, ALL words count, no matter what they mean. Or they should at least. If you find one that doesn't, let me know...
i did frog. it uh... broke. and i won too... ._.
Thanks, looks like there's a bug on wishing for crew with that slot occupied...
Can anyone help me with Mr.Frog the librarian and Mr. Frog of the word puzzles? Dyslexia makes this puzzle even more diccifult!
Their 'language' might as well be martian for how well I can understand them, to be honest, but any hints would be appreciated.
Basically, the librarian just gives you tips (that's what my friends told me, they might be lying), and for the word puzzles, you have to make 3 3-letter words, and the frog will reward you with stuff. I'm pretty sure the words are from the scrabble dictionary.
Wait what is the brown furry thing on the TMN ship?
He is their teacher
why do the o's look like that?
Sometimes, when I shoot the iceberg thing, it says, "it is now 100% loosened, should I ram it". Is this a bug?
Also, I skeletonized a crew member with wings and it ended up as a skeleton with wings and white eyes, which is kinda weird
If it is 100% loosened you can go ahead and ram it to get the divine being inside. If it is no loose enough and you ram it, it sinks. I am not sure what the exact percentage required for a successful ramming, but I think it is over 75%.
It’s basically a dice roll against the given percentage.
double green pear
WTF
birds destroy to 1 cago left, spy sabotage that one
click shoot and everything normal again
I gotta say that this is a frustrating game to play. I only started playing in the last day or two. Did it used to be easier? I don't understand where I might be going wrong in my strategy. I think it's just luck, which takes a lot of fun out of the game. Also, sometimes I agree to things I don't understand, like trying to bribe a ship but ending up giving away my spice and it not being enough then finally fighting at the disadvantage of not having most of my spice.
When I'm given the option to select letters to spell things out, even when I get a word, it won't do anything most of the time. How come RAT doesn't do anything? Is there a pirate theme? Is it "fun" for you to keep players guessing in such a broad way that it's more like you're making fun of them desperately playing your game?
What is that guy with the weird lettering? Does it say anything? I tried flipping it upside down by rotating my screen. I also tried looking in a mirror at it.
You know, maybe you don't know what fun is. It's not that a game should be easy, but a game shouldn't really put a player at the mercy of the mechanic and RNG. And you leave so many misunderstandings in this game that I wish you were trapped in this game so I could sink your ship. That I would play again and again.
But all this stupid stuff where you don't explain anything as part of a "puzzle" that costs any playability in the game? Are you kidding me?
I hope the next time you play a game, it's created by racists and fascists who hate you and lure you into wasting your time guessing at what's going on while you just keep getting older. That should be lots of fun for someone, though maybe not you.
I wouldn't say it used to be any easier. On one hand, it used to have less variety so less RNG but on the other hand, there also was less choices to me made ie. even more luck based.
I do like games which have some mysteries and leave them to player alone to solve and obviously I do like to make games which I myself enjoy. It's not for everyone, I get it and it's just fine. And I am in fact working on a next patch which will include a log book where you can explore your discovered things/mechanics a bit more thoroughly giving at least some hints which should at least a little help alleviate these issues.
Spelling just one word isn't enough. You gotta do all three, to win. And pirate/sea themed words are in fact a bonus. The weird lettering is the "special language" of the frogs. It's not quite as simple as just flipping or mirroring but that's on the right track.
Sorry for wasting your time and thanks for the feedback...
You know, while playing another round of this game, I was going to apologize. I'd barely acquired one of those divine creatures, taking up all but two 9-point cargoes, then came up against a boat with 9 cargoes and was defeated. It wasn't worth it to acquire the divine creature because it took several of my cargoes, setting me up to lose the very next encounter. This is why I'm angry. I expect the game to be fun and playable, not a submission to an RNG that I pretend is something more with the bouncing characters, the ship, and the interactions that are meaningless because the RNG is all that ends up mattering.
Have you ever played Monopoly? Have you taken the time to understand why the board is set up the way it is and why there are two dice? 7 is the most commonly rolled number and the most common space to land on is Jail, so that orange set with spaces 6, 8, and 9 spaces away from Jail will be the most strategic set to get, especially since houses and hotels cost $100 each, not $150 or $200 like further toward GO. And they're valuable enough to make a big difference. You can watch YouTube videos on strategy for winning and WHILE IT'S STILL SOMEWHAT BASED ON CHANCE, giving everyone, even less-skilled players a chance to win, IT'S ALSO STRATEGIC, since knowing how things work makes a big difference when chance works in your favour. There are patterns that would suggest Monopoly is actually a thoughtfully designed game.
Have you put any such effort into this game? Because putting that kind of thought into balancing the game might make it more enjoyable and encourage people to try to get better. I thought it was common for game makers to think about this stuff, but I don't think you really have. I could be wrong. Maybe I'm missing something. But why would I put in more effort to try to figure it out if I have no reason to believe it will do any good?
You sound like a nice person. Despite my frustration and obvious contempt, it's not my intention to be mean to someone who doesn't deserve it.
Good luck. This game is addicting enough that I'm going to have to willfully steer clear of it so I don't renew my conviction that it's seeming shortcomings are inexcusable.
What a completely terrible thing to say. You get to play a well crafted and entertaining game, for free, and because you are frustrated because you don't have the patience or capability to figure things out you feel obligated to leave such pointless and shameful feedback.
Next time you are not having an absolutely great time, perhaps be a better human being and simply move along to something that does make you happy. But then again, looking at some of your other posts, your negative and off base comments seems to be something of a habit of yours.
Okay. Maybe you're right. Maybe I went too far. So... am I wrong in suggesting this game is somehow unfairly difficult, even to understand? That solving "puzzles" that are really barriers to playing the game or understanding what's going on seems in the context of a game unfair? It's just a game. But... I really wish I could enjoy the game, that winning the game was more dependent on my choices and actions and less on mere chance or trying to understand what's going on with puzzles that seem rather arbitrary.
Am I wrong in expecting the creator of this game to take this into consideration? Even accusing the creator, angrily, of being unfair? Perhaps the misunderstanding or lapse in capacity or judgement isn't actually my fault but the fault of the creator. And maybe as some random person on the internet, he's unlikely to take my comments to heart but see them as someone who is angry that they didn't do a better job or weren't more considerate.
Generally, being nice isn't a solution to problems so much as a way of coping with them. And I don't respect it when I try to enjoy a game and it's actually the creator who stuffs what seems so promising a concept with irritating reminders of all the stupid stuff I'm trying to escape about the real world.
I'm afraid I don't have a lot of sympathy for players or creators that don't seem to want to do things right. But I think you may be right. I went too far. See, when I play a game, it's an escape but one that I try to enjoy with intense focus. I'd very much enjoy this game if winning and losing were dependent on my abilities and I could improve, but that's not how I see this game.
If I'm angry and bitter, it's because I care or cared enough to be. If someone wants to turn my time at play into a reminder of my frustrations with the world, okay, and a part of me feels free to comment as if they have instead of focusing on particular things like I'm naive enough to believe they're worth mentioning given how much this game seems to set players up for failure instead of progress or winnable challenges (though perhaps with persistence and work).