Post Suggestions For a Better STRAFE® Here

[Chef Alamode]

Just some ideas based on the complaints in the reviews, my own playtime, as well as ideas from others.
Please tell me if they added something on the list that I haven't marked as done yet.

Done:

• Nerf fall damage
  
• Add/fix footsteps or other identifying sounds for enemies
  
• Better indication of being damaged via audio and/or visual - I think that the added/tweaked enemy sounds makes up for this.
  
• Balance weapon upgrades - Slightly balanced with the removal of self damage from some, might need more work, I haven't used them all post update.
  
• Very slightly more health pickups to appease like half of the negative reviews (Make the armor made from scrap give 100 instead of 50 and maybe make it cost more if it feels too easy) - I think with the improvements in other areas, the game has become just the right amount of very slightly easier, or at least fairer.

Do these:

• FIX BUGS obviously
  
• Improved AI (Better pathfinding, not shooting at walls, lessen the detection distance through walls, maybe some movement or animation prior to agro for aesthetics. Also maybe changes to how monster closets are activated as to be more fair. Greater variance between the enemies that move directly at you and their movement patterns should also be considered)
  
• Chunkier sound effects and weapons (Heavier and more varied bass, additional sounds and maybe visual. Make most of them louder)
  
• More information on stats, pickups, enemies, etc. (Maybe akin to NETRICSA from Serious Sam that gives info after encountering secrets, weapons, enemies, etc.)
  
• Add number key weapon switching or at least a key for the primary
  
• Additional aesthetic to weapon upgrades, to help with the sense of progression. (Bullet effects/color was suggested and would be subtle, yet nice)
  
• Add something to notify the player that they found a secret (Classic games had just text and/or a small sound, best not to overplay it unless it's part of a joke about an underwhelming secret or something)
  
• Add a save/resume feature (Planned)
  
• Custom seeds/seed sharing similar to other games
  
• More in-depth end of level stats (Specifically a total enemy count was requested)
  
• Cheat codes have been suggested multiple times
  
• NG+ or other endgame reward (Planned. It was suggested to gain the ability to chose an item/weapon upgrade that you beat the game with when starting a run, and an increase in difficulty aswell)
  
• Slight changes to reloading have been requested a lot (Most balanced ideas are auto reload at 0 and don't allow reload when there isn't enough ammo for secondary fire. Scaling secondary with how much ammo is left would result in a lot of people using only secondary fire I think)
  
• Gore options (Mostly options to lower the quality of or change the amount of dead bodies for performance. Also some funny options like the "hippy" blood in Serious Sam)
  
• Melee option at all times (This was requested many times, though I understand why there isn't one)
  
• Improve and add items to appease those that want the game to be similar to other rogue-lites
  
• Modding/workshop support (Though I think that this was already vetoed)
  
• Multiplayer (Co-op, Co-op MURDERZONE, or PvP.)
  
• Make the rail gun spread smaller (It's supposed to allow for long range kills, but too far away and it's inconsistent. The default gun should be pinpoint accurate, especially while standing still)
  
• Weapon model options (Middle and left view models)
  
• Custom crosshair options
  
• Bring back Glitch Merchant in his weird, skinny glory

Give some feedback and post your own suggestions.
Thanks.

A note on many of the suggestions: things such as guns and reloading and enemies etc, are MAJOR game changing (or game breaking) changes and go against what the game is designed to be. Just because you're not good with a certain gun, or because you want the game to be the exact same as another game, there is no reason for the developers to conform to your individual desires. I worded this somewhat harshly, but there are way too many people putting the game down because they want something that isn't what they bought.


Initial edit:
Thanks everyone for posting your thoughts. I came home after school and work with 90+ notifications.
List revised.
Thanks to Baka for being so active.
I'd like to say that I'm sort of split with reloading, and I think that an auto reload at 0 ammo could be beneficial to game feel, but I also understand why it is how it is.

[pa1ner]

Fix the mouse sensitiivity in axis Y

[Milk]

Add melee weapons. Also shrines.

[flonzi]

I said this in my review but, I'd like a system where enemies have a chance to drop health when they die. The health could dissappear after a short amount of time. They could drop ammo for pickup-guns too. The fast despawn time would encourage players to move around more, instead of just walking backwards while the enemies follow you.

This would of course work much better with an improved enemy AI.

Love this game but it needs an update badly.

[Soulbreaker]

+

[Bizz]

I want to say thank you for the very constructive criticism. Regardless of what we add or how fast we add it (as we are focusing on the technical side of things atm) we are definitely paying attention.

Oh and also

Originally posted by Doom3 pa1ner:

Fix the mouse sensitiivity in axis Y

Our sensitivity isthe default you'd see in most shooters- what is your mouse? We have addressed this concern with other people with different mice.

[⛧RETRODEATH ⛧]

Originally posted by Baka.:

I want to say thank you for the very constructive criticism. Regardless of what we add or how fast we add it (as we are focusing on the technical side of things atm) we are definitely paying attention.

Oh and also

Originally posted by Doom3 pa1ner:

Fix the mouse sensitiivity in axis Y

Our sensitivity isthe default you'd see in most shooters- what is your mouse? We have addressed this concern with other people with different mice.

I also agree with most of the points the op stated.
If I might ask, what made you guys add the reloading?
That's one of my personal major complaints. Fast paced arena shooters like this really get their pace killed with reloading and it makes it feel a bit more clunky than anything.

Fall damage I also didn't like but not something that bothered me TOO TOO much

I did also think there was a lack of sound design. I love the music to death, but the guns and explosions don't sound powerful enough, and the shotgun in particular doesn't feel as beefy as it does in most mid 90s fps. :p

Besides those, I personally love the game.

[Bizz]

Originally posted by RetroDeath Reviews:

Originally posted by Baka.:

I want to say thank you for the very constructive criticism. Regardless of what we add or how fast we add it (as we are focusing on the technical side of things atm) we are definitely paying attention.

Oh and also

Our sensitivity isthe default you'd see in most shooters- what is your mouse? We have addressed this concern with other people with different mice.

I also agree with most of the points the op stated.
If I might ask, what made you guys add the reloading?
That's one of my personal major complaints. Fast paced arena shooters like this really get their pace killed with reloading and it makes it feel a bit more clunky than anything.

Fall damage I also didn't like but not something that bothered me TOO TOO much

I did also think there was a lack of sound design. I love the music to death, but the guns and explosions don't sound powerful enough, and the shotgun in particular doesn't feel as beefy as it does in most mid 90s fps. :p

Besides those, I personally love the game.

Fall damage is getting very nerfed - We added it to add thought to the movement, so you only chose to fall certain distances. We're both increasing the distance you need to fall to trigger it and the damage recieved.

Reloading is in the game because we want to make getting cornered a real thing - if you're constantly shooting you'll never have to worry about anything other than max ammo (Which we give you tons of). That's also the reason there's no melee by default (only as a last resort) - because melee weapons make close encounters with other melee enemies (the types that tend to swarm, especially early on) mostly unthreatening. Basically for both - we wanted players to be concerned about the environment they were in, even when they weren't just avoiding bullets. Though we recognize that these elements aren't true to many old school games.

In Quake, for instance, the main shotgun is pretty weak, it takes multiple hits to kill a base enemy. But in our game, all the weapons start out pretty strong and fire pretty fast (the railgun being similar to the shotgun speed in quake) so the reload helps account for that. If you clear the murderzone to the end you can experience a bit of STRAFE with no reload if you like - I think it'll become clear that you're just mowing down enemies and leaving bloody hallways right from the get-go.

[FuzzyJuzzy]

Baka, the game has many flaws that I won't get into, but I will offer my biggest suggestions to address the elephant in the room - that the basic act of combat is just not fun:

- Really, really, really beef up the weapon effects, punchiness and sounds. I have no idea why this is not the case in a game that tries to emulate the visceral nature of a 90s shooter. Make the shotgun sound like a booming cannon, make the machinegun sound and feel like it's firing hot slugs. Make the way the guns impact the enemy gratuitous and violent. Right now it feels like we're knocking a paper cup off a piñata when we headshot enemies. There is no initial blood spurt on impact, and all the blood flows after the act of shooting is done.

- Make the physics feel much heavier. Combined with the wimpy weapon effects, the floaty physics make it feel like the player is shooting nerf guns at pinatas made of paper. The way enemies fall, and the way they move really contribute to this weightless feel.

- Telegraph damage clearly and communicate where enemies are. Add footsteps, grunts, whatever. Indicate clearly when the player is getting hit and from where. This comes back to animation again, since most enemies don't have clear animations for their attacks. You mentioned you addressed this issue in the final version but you haven't.

- Give enemies more interesting and varied behaviours than "run directly at the player". You'll note that most shooters in the 90s had the enemies run in a zigzag manner (even Wolfenstein managed this!!). Combined with the fact (at least in early stages) that enemies mostly move at the same speed, and you have a mind-numbing combat experience. Look to what good shooters like Doom did with their enemy types - each one poses a specific threat and plays a certain role. They are also used differently based on the level design - teleporting, shooting from a pedestal, ambushing the player from different directions. There's pretty much none of this in Strafe.

[⛧RETRODEATH ⛧]

Originally posted by Baka.:

Originally posted by RetroDeath Reviews:

I also agree with most of the points the op stated.
If I might ask, what made you guys add the reloading?
That's one of my personal major complaints. Fast paced arena shooters like this really get their pace killed with reloading and it makes it feel a bit more clunky than anything.

Fall damage I also didn't like but not something that bothered me TOO TOO much

I did also think there was a lack of sound design. I love the music to death, but the guns and explosions don't sound powerful enough, and the shotgun in particular doesn't feel as beefy as it does in most mid 90s fps. :p

Besides those, I personally love the game.

Fall damage is getting very nerfed - We added it to add thought to the movement, so you only chose to fall certain distances. We're both increasing the distance you need to fall to trigger it and the damage recieved.

Reloading is in the game because we want to make getting cornered a real thing - if you're constantly shooting you'll never have to worry about anything other than max ammo (Which we give you tons of). That's also the reason there's no melee by default (only as a last resort) - because melee weapons make close encounters with other melee enemies (the types that tend to swarm, especially early on) mostly unthreatening. Basically for both - we wanted players to be concerned about the environment they were in, even when they weren't just avoiding bullets. Though we recognize that these elements aren't true to many old school games.

In Quake, for instance, the main shotgun is pretty weak, it takes multiple hits to kill a base enemy. But in our game, all the weapons start out pretty strong and fire pretty fast (the railgun being similar to the shotgun speed in quake) so the reload helps account for that. If you clear the murderzone to the end you can experience a bit of STRAFE with no reload if you like - I think it'll become clear that you're just mowing down enemies and leaving bloody hallways right from the get-go.

fair 'nuff.

[Tomasz79]

I'll add just a humble perspective of someone who did not yet purchase the game:

I loved Quake and old school way of fps games and was very excited for Strafe - what I saw on trailers looked great, fast pace, old school looking effects, 'hardcore' feel.
With first negative reviews I thought this game surely isn't for everyone and will not satisfy all. With more and more tough reviews on steam, it made me doubt Strafe, unfortunately.

But I still believe in Strafe and see it's potential, and even with it's flaws, a developer that really cares can 'save it'.

And that's my point, if you guys are willing to make it better and fix main issues many people have - I'd love to get Strafe. I imagine there may be many people with similar view, being unsure to get the game or not, and waiting how the devs will react.

With that being said, good luck to you guys working on it, and hope Strafe will only get better. :)

[QuirkyChloe]

Adding controller vibration would be nice :)

[Serell]

"Reloading is in the game because we want to make getting cornered a real thing - if you're constantly shooting you'll never have to worry about anything other than max ammo (Which we give you tons of). That's also the reason there's no melee by default (only as a last resort) - because melee weapons make close encounters with other melee enemies (the types that tend to swarm, especially early on) mostly unthreatening. Basically for both - we wanted players to be concerned about the environment they were in, even when they weren't just avoiding bullets. Though we recognize that these elements aren't true to many old school games.

In Quake, for instance, the main shotgun is pretty weak, it takes multiple hits to kill a base enemy. But in our game, all the weapons start out pretty strong and fire pretty fast (the railgun being similar to the shotgun speed in quake) so the reload helps account for that. If you clear the murderzone to the end you can experience a bit of STRAFE with no reload if you like - I think it'll become clear that you're just mowing down enemies and leaving bloody hallways right from the get-go."

Instead of adding a crappy reload to accommodate for crappy enemy design, you should have improved the enemy design.

If you have to have reloading because of how the enemies work, you should changed how the enemies work.

[Serell]

Originally posted by Navihawk:

>Remove fall damage
Yeah, lets go ahead and make it impossible to die while you're at it. /s I have had zero issues with fall damage, just stop leaping off of high ledges.

No. Jumping off high ledges is fun.

[Matty G]

I think most of my personal complaints have already been gone over by the thread let alone the OP, so one I'll like add to the pile is the mini-map. While it may have style points by having you look at the corner of your helmet, it's obstrusive and also not that easy to read.

Though an option to toggle between either a fixed or rotating map would help on top of zooming in/out, perhaps a Doom-style automap overlay could also work, with perhaps inventory/key items listed at the bottom ala Hexen.

[Nathan]

Originally posted by boates:

I'd say change the AI; They always run right at me (Regardless of range, or melee), Pre-fire before they have sight, and will clump up in the entrances to new rooms before I enter. This can be really annoying when entering a new room/floor, trapping you from exiting the starting room, and backing you into it.

Yeah, I'd like the AI to be a priority to address. Drones shouldn't just shoot in a loop many rooms away and slowly walking against the walls trying to get straight to me regardless of environmental obstacles, Gluttons and other melee enemies need more than simply running straight at you and hitscan melee hitting you, that doesn't encourage any dynamic combat situations, the optimal is to always progress conservatively and immediately upon enemies noticing you backpedalling and shooting them from a distance.

Enemies need well choreographed animated melee moves, that can be dodged, by strafing for instance, they need excuses to stop on occasion from running, like if the ingame lore is about them being ex humans, maybe some kind of sickly shiver, spasm, seizure or whatever, stop them from the monotonous straight running and instahits.
High impact shots like explosives or a close range shotgun blast should deter enemies somewhat, have them stun, maybe add ragdolling to still alive enemies (assuming they didn't die), so that you can shoot enemies away from yourself.
Punchthrough for railgun shots to punish those silly enemies for walking in a straight line.