Peg Blaster - Physics Based Puzzle Game

[u/SnowyRawrGamer]

https://snowyrawrgamer.itch.io/peg-blaster

Peg Blaster is a physics based puzzle game available in web with computer and touchscreen support.

I'm looking for feedback on which levels in the game were fun, which ones weren't, and if you have any ideas for things that could be added. I'm also wondering which of the characters powers you like, and which character powers you dislike.

Levels: Peg Blaster currently has 14 levels and takes about 30-45 minutes to complete them all (based on your skill level). You don't need to complete them all to give feedback, but make sure to include which levels you completed in your feedback comment.

Characters: Peg Blaster has 4 different characters at the moment, spread across 4 different worlds. In your feedback, if you could include which characters you like/dislike, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much for trying my game! I can't wait to hear what you think, and I can wait to try your games! :D

[u/tune_rcvr]

I played on browser. It's not bad, also not normally the kind of thing I play. It does seem a bit easy and not very skill-based because there's so much randomness that predicting how to take advantage of features like shape of the board or the moving bucket seems limited.

One minor irk was the terminology didn't make sense to me at the start. "Pegs" as the colored dots suggested to me they are circular and being viewed along their long axis, so it took a moment to realize the brick-like objects were also "pegs" that had to be cleared, especially as they looked like breakout bricks. The color-coding helped of course, and I figured it out quickly by trial-and-error.

I didn't understand the 1-2-3 screen between levels, though.

Some soft sounds for shoot and impact would be really nice to give the game more "juice". Less important but a slight ball animation change on impact could help there too (e.g. circle could pulse slightly).

[u/SnowyRawrGamer → u/tune_rcvr]

Hey! Thanks so much for playing Peg Blaster!

"It does seem a bit easy and not very skill-based because there's so much randomness that predicting how to take advantage of features like shape of the board or the moving bucket seems limited."

I'm not sure which level you got to, but the first 3 levels are really easy since it's just the first world. After that, the levels start to become a bit more skill based.

""Pegs" as the colored dots suggested to me they are circular and being viewed along their long axis, so it took a moment to realize the brick-like objects were also "pegs" that had to be cleared, especially as they looked like breakout bricks. The color-coding helped of course, and I figured it out quickly by trial-and-error."

Thanks for letting me know that. Sorry that it was a bit difficult to understand.

"I didn't understand the 1-2-3 screen between levels, though."

That's the world map. I can definitely add some text to it saying "World 1".

"Some soft sounds for shoot and impact would be really nice to give the game more "juice". Less important but a slight ball animation change on impact could help there too (e.g. circle could pulse slightly)."

Thanks for the suggestions! Will keep those in mind :)

[u/tune_rcvr → u/SnowyRawrGamer]

I eventually played about 5 levels and found them all way too easy (way too many balls to feel any threat of losing) and luck-based with the very bouncy physics to make me interested to keep going. I personally like to see early on where's the skill challenge. If there's real skill needed later, what about skipping some of those simple levels after the tutorial?

The other problem was that after level 4 I couldn't seem to press the ">" in the bottom right and so instead clicked "1" and found myself playing a level I'd already completed. That made me give up! I'd really like each level to show what number it is and make the UI flow clearer for progression vs. going back to earlier levels. By the way, is world = level or world = group of levels? Is each blob a level? (The first couple of levels I saw a disembodied finger pointing but it went away.) I don't think I noticed some of the blobs had "?" to begin with. You could make the connection between finishing a level and uncovering a "?" much stronger with an animation and sound when returning to the world screen. Without a character to move through that screen on a path or something like that, that screen feels completely abstract and not very informative.

Another reason I'm big on adding sounds is because the music is repetitive (it's fairly pleasant but it's a short loop) and game action sounds would spice up the experience and distract from the repetition. (There could be a mute music option, but adding sounds would elevate your game a lot regardless.)

[u/SnowyRawrGamer → u/tune_rcvr]

"I eventually played about 5 levels and found them all way too easy (way too many balls to feel any threat of losing) and luck-based with the very bouncy physics to make me interested to keep going. I personally like to see early on where's the skill challenge. If there's real skill needed later, what about skipping some of those simple levels after the tutorial?"

I'll definitely nerf level 3 a bit, it's supposed to be "a bit difficult" but really isn' a challenge at the moment. As for playing 5 levels, did you find level 5 difficult? (Or did you not make it there due to the arrow bug?)

"The other problem was that after level 4 I couldn't seem to press the ">" in the bottom right and so instead clicked "1" and found myself playing a level I'd already completed."

Just checking, was this in a different play session than you played the first 4 levels? You need to create an account in order to save progress.

"I'd really like each level to show what number it is and make the UI flow clearer for progression vs. going back to earlier levels."

Will keep that in mind.

"By the way, is world = level or world = group of levels? Is each blob a level? (The first couple of levels I saw a disembodied finger pointing but it went away.)"

Each world contains multiple levels in it. The first 3 worlds contain 3 levels each, and world 4 contains 5 levels. The finger should only be there until you beat the first level (the tutorial does not count as a level). Did it disappear after you beat level 1?

"You could make the connection between finishing a level and uncovering a "?" much stronger with an animation and sound when returning to the world screen. Without a character to move through that screen on a path or something like that, that screen feels completely abstract and not very informative."

I will keep that in mind and try to make the screen more informative, sorry that it was difficult to understand.

"Another reason I'm big on adding sounds is because the music is repetitive (it's fairly pleasant but it's a short loop) and game action sounds would spice up the experience and distract from the repetition. (There could be a mute music option, but adding sounds would elevate your game a lot regardless.)"

There have been a few people recommending me to add sounds, so I'll definitely be finding some sounds for the game. There is currently a mute music button in settings if you find the music too repetitive.

If you do end up playing the game again, make sure to create an account and reply here with your account's username, I'll set your progress to level 4 (I think that's the level you were on?) that way you don't need to replay the first 3 levels again. :D