As anticipated here I have prepared a first & quite comprehensive version of Stelle Guide
(it can be improved)
Hopefully this will help you all.
This is the link https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ln_cnleOMId_3HN_BuhG8PBwi0FB6lrDy2JM_uUYahk/edit?usp=sharing
If you have any comments please feel free to suggest here or in my discord channel.
Happy bazaaring
I haven't made a Bazaar-like myself (although I thought about it many times).
But I happen to be on the same game dev discord server with a guy who's working on a rather smooth Bazzar-like, called Topdeck automat.
Production value isn't as high, of course, but it's not bad. UI is functional, runs are really quick, and there are some new systems (for example cards have "weight" which influences their cooldown).
And you can preview the upcoming fights. Imagine that.
Really funny to see u/SnooChipmunks2696 's post yesterday! We had the same thought!!
I played a lot of Bazaar when it was in beta and like many of you I felt the rug pull. I don't actually mind to pay some more for games myself. However, having paid for the beta, then the subscription multiple months with the promise that it would give you gems you could use for future content and then getting to hear that wouldn't be the case after all and we'd have to pay for the additional content was really frustrating. I just felt so bad playing the game after that.
Anyways, being a game developer, me and my friends were talking about how we could make our own Bazaar-like of course. I didn't want to just copy the game and I still had this old idea lying around of a deckbuilder where the cards are played automatically.
So I tried to combine that idea with some of the Bazaar stuff I think works well and made a playable prototype in a day. It was already pretty fun!
Now 1 year further we just released a demo and people are playing it a lot :) It was even in the 'trending free games' for a few days!
I'm just really excited about the game and wanted to also share my story after seeing the other Bazaar-like post :)
You can check the game out here!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4537510/Grail_Demo/
Back when people were still complaining about first changes to Forklift, I oversaw the conversation in which Reynad, along with a very good explanation of their game design philosophy, said the following:
> The best design criticism is making a better game (Discord link of the exact message) https://discord.com/channels/432922196608942081/1370377080000217219/1371398176292081695 )
And that phrase's been living rent-free in my head ever since. The Bazaar is one of the coolest autobattlers I've ever played. I enjoy playing it a lot, but of course sometimes I do find some design decisions confusing. That's when I remembered I'm a game design student, so why don't I try to make a game that would be just like The Bazaar, but without all the issues I had with the game?
So I did try.
And that made me respect the game design team behind The Bazaar even more.
Despite having a good baseline, making numbers feel just right, the event system feeling fun, even the game feel of how you interact with the game — literally every single little thing many people take for granted was a hell of a challenge. Discussing someone's design and coming up with your own... there surely is a difference.
I'm grateful The Bazaar's given me the courage to challenge myself. I will never even come close to the quality they have, but I try to bring my own vision and make a unique experience for people like me who just want some "more" and "different" Bazaar. The game now has a Steam page and I will be opening the playtest soon.
Here's a few things that are different from The Bazaar:
- Backpack Battles item management with The Bazaar player board
- PVE-first experience. No server lags, can play offline, pick the right level of difficulty. All that without sacrificing replayability (I hope)
- Kingdom builder roguelike instead of a Hero builder roguelike
- Heavy accent on spatial positioning of your items (Image if rug in The Bazaar was closed in the beginning of the fight and would open gradually with time)
- Turn-based like Battlegrounds!
(also, IGN just published our announcement trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJrzsXF6luE )
I started a youtube channel just under a year ago posting content on this game. I try to be daily with uploads, and everyone is incredibly supportive. In the short time I’ve been posting I’ve made a bunch of new friends and already collaborated with larger names in the space. I just want to sing the games praises, TempoStorm, you rock. Thank you for an awesome past year!
Anyway here’s the birthday card my gf made me for my birthday this year. It was amazing
I first noticed that Honing Steel would apply twice to a single weapon. Figurehead... okay, time to double down on the strange. Got a lucky Shiny enchant on the weapons upgrade event (double damage). Then got "One Shot, One Kill" skill on day 9. Freezing skills came after. With these buffs/skills, Bilge Worm would quickly get over 2k damage after Honing Steel activates once. Rage and further Honing Steels would get to 3k soon after.
My run ended with a 30k health Vanessa and Soul of the District placed leftmost; I might've had a chance if they had Dive Weights on the left instead. Nearly all players seemed to be aware of not placing spammy items on the left.
It would be nice if Bilge Worm could activate more reliably but, whatever, this run was fun.
Restorative Bootstraps is so freakin strong man.
Full run below :)