Now that Sword Fights on the Heights IV: Unsheathed is released, I would like to hear your feedback. The feedback can include bugs you found, ideas you have, balancing issues, what you do/don’t like, etc. Don’t be afraid to say you hate the game if you don’t like the game, just tell me why you don’t like the game. I will try to respond to everyone I can.
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This pertains to the single player mode.
With something like this, players will go in with certain expectations if they already know about linked swords. Most linked sword fans are very picky about how their tool is presented in game. But at the same time, the old sword’s lack of polish will reflect poorly with new players. You could try to find a middle ground by making new animations that mimic the classic sword while also being more lively and expressive.
It looks like the NPC opponents are supposed to be replacing real players, but they’re just not very satisfying to play against. They all have the same appearance. They all appear to have the same behaviors such as standing in place waiting to be approached. They would be better if they were more varied and if they could adapt to the player’s behavior. Of course, that’s easier said than done, and realistically it just won’t be possible to replicate the interesting nuances of real people.
So what else could you do? Spur of the moment idea here. What if the map was sectioned off into zones with normal enemies leading up to a boss fight before heading to the next zone? Then, instead of finding tools on the map, the player would choose their weapon at the start of the game. Thus the player can do multiple playthroughs and get a different experience each time.
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Thank you for your feedback! I’ll try to add more realistic movements as well as make the animations more of a middle ground, and give the enimies more looks. I also really like your idea with the choose your weapon at the start as well as blocking off sections. It makes it sound like a single player mode to a fighting game. One thing though, would it be ok if I were to keep the weapons all over the map so when you unlock a new area, you can get that weapon?
I think there’s a bias that I have when I look at your modernized version of the game. I’m so used to having played Shedletsky’s version, it’s really striking trying to play this one. I also think that the old Roblox sword animation in general felt a lot more controllable than the modern ones, such as the one you use in your game.
Now, the old animations don’t need to be brought back, but I think a level of control (making the animations quicker, and maybe even giving an option to have the third strike hold you in the air?) is required in order to express skill with the sword on Roblox. Not everyone likes to hang in the air, and the old animation definitely allowed a more consistent hitbox and was easier to use.
The other thing is that the swords themselves have changed a bit, which is nice and fresh. However, when I tried illumina, it’s kind of hard to use. You already amped up the movement speed in the game, and illumina sends you forward more than it does upward - if the game is a platformer, it’s almost impossible to handle the illumina without falling all the time. Sure for skilled players, eventually it can be handled, but for the average player, no one is really going to touch illumina and fight over it the same way they did in the legacy version.
I guess another thing is that the map is a bit bright, but I guess graphics settings can handle that stuff. The map has some nice additions and I like that you don’t have to die when falling, so nice job there. I also liked the choice between multiplayer and single player, but I suggest, if your playerbase grows large enough, to make a “hardcore” or “competitive” mode and a “casual” mode for multiplayer. I just feel like there is a really high skill floor for using the current swords under the current conditions - casual players might feel locked out if they are new to the game and constantly get slayed.
Otherwise I enjoyed it (except for the lack of players, hopefully more will discover the game). I hope this feedback helps, I really wish to see a nice version of SFOTH and yours is a really strong step in the right direction. Good luck with your future implementations!
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Thank you for your feedback! I’ll tone down the Illumina speed, make the graphics less bright, and when I make better animations, I’ll make sure to make them faster. I’m also revamping the single player mode to make it more of a story mode so that players still have something to do when there’s no one online and get rewarded for completing it.
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I changed just the linked sword animations. I didn’t change any other animation just in case if you guys thought the sword animations still needed work.
I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan. This idea of rehashing this same game from over a decade ago has been rehashed so many times. I have seen other people do this over the years. I could only play multiplayer since single player was down but no one else to fight leads to no playing. This is a type of game and quality of game I would expect 7+ years ago. I don’t think this game could work nowadays with people’s expectations of games on Roblox being higher. If I compare it to the original one, the lighting and everything makes it seem more epic but I remember back when we didn’t have all these fancy things. Nowadays, players don’t know when we didn’t have dynamic lighting.
The other thing that worries me about this game isn’t related to being an old idea but the gamepasses. They seem like a “Pay to win” option where players that pay always have the advantage over other players.
Look, I get that nostalgia is a thing and I’m glad people still look back at the old times but I doubt any new player would care if this was a remake of an older game, they will just judge it for what it is. I’m sorry if I sound blunt but I have seen enough rehashes where we have to move on from the past and create new things.
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Thank you for being honest. My plan is to release the first level of single player mode and see what everyone thinks. If it doesn’t look like people have faith in it, I’ll just continue my other project I’ve been working on for a while and drop this project. I may come back to it though.