Riders of Asgard - Steam Greenlight Successful
Vote for us on Steam Greenlight
@karl182 and I have been getting ready to release Riders of Asgard to Steam Greenlight. We however wanted to give everyone here an opportunity to take the game for a run and give us any feedback that you can. This is the same version of the game that I will be taking to the Durban meetup later on this month.
Riders of Asgard is a fun and challenging Viking BMX game. Unlock new maps and gain access to previously unreachable places by completing Challenges and earning Stat points to upgrade your rider. Riders of Asgard will feature a full single player campaign as well as local mutli-player modes to take on you friends.
Riders of Asgard is much more than your average run-of-the-mill, Viking BMX game. It’s a historically correct Viking BMX game, with historically accurate Viking bikes and locations.
So go ahead! Be the Biking Viking!
Choose Your Path - Play the level as you see fit and choose your own path to pull off the best tricks and unlock the special bar.
Choose Your Style - Use the gold you earn while playing the game to upgrade your bike and viking.
Choose Your Tricks - While you play, choose your trickset and use those tricks to earn more points and climb the leaderboard.
Choose Your Opponents - One of the later releases will include full multiplayer support, take on your friends and out trick them.
Choose Your Control - The game has full support for game controllers and the developers actually reccomend playing the game using a controller.
IndieDB Page - http://www.indiedb.com/games/riders-of-asgard
Game Jolt Page - http://gamejolt.com/games/riders-of-asgard/179184
Itch.IO Page - https://gobbogames.itch.io/riders-of-asgard
The game is going to be released on PC and we will provide packages for Windows (32 and 64), Linux, and Mac. We are currently just finalising the items needed for Steam Greenlight and we will then put the game there and see what happens.
Here are some screenshots.
Comments
-Controls are very awkward, not sure why you went with WASD+NUM while having the primary key be NUM0. Maybe something a bit more traditional would be more appropriate, WASD+QE+Space or allowing the player to map the keys maybe.
-Tutorial is very helpful, but due to the pausing and the control scheme, it's very easy to miss what you are supposed to do. For instance you need NUM0 pressed, and then do a trick with NUM7+NUM9, but the tutorial requires ENTER to proceed, so it's either pressing the NUM-ENTER and then re-positioning the right hand or taking the left hand to the normal ENTER, which requires you to adjust the left hand back during the trick. Using space bar instead of enter for confirmation might be more comfortable as it's just the free left thumb that needs to move.
-Nothing happens after time has expired, the character and level just stay there, I was expecting a 'replay' button instead of having to go back to the main menu.
-Score increases if you jump when not moving, it's possible to get a high score by just staying on the start line and jumping.
The game looks very nice, it screams of polish, from sound to the levels to the UI. It's just that the keyboard controls are very non-standard, I didn't even get past the first 'depth' maneuver (when you move into the 3d world) because of the controls. Not sure if you require all the NUM keys, but WASD+QE+SPACE+ARROWS somehow seem more appropriate. I also kind of wished that I didn't need to do so much work, was hoping that the path would be predefined in 3D space and that I only had to do tricks.
Thank you very much for giving it a try and for your feedback! We really appreciate it a whole lot.
We have tried a bunch of different control schemes for the keyboard and on each type we had different players like another type better. The current controls are based a lot on the earlier Tony Hawk games. You make a lot of very good points and we are aiming to eventually have a control customization system in place, or at least allow the player to select from a few different control schemes.
As for the tutorial, we tried a few things from a timing running down, to pressing the correct button to unpause and do the current action, but people often accidentally pressed the button and missed the instructions. so we settled on having to press enter. on a controller you press A which is much easier, but I don't know why we didn't think of having the player press SPACE! :) it is an excellent idea and it will be going to the top of the To-Do list.
After the timer runs out you can press R or Backspace to start a new run.(another thing we can easily just add a prompt. This is an excellent example of why we are doing the Alpha demo release :))
Mmm I never realized you could rack up a score by just pumping in place. We should keep that on the down-low...(until we fix it) :)
Leaving the depth movement to the player allows the player to find his/her own paths through the level, and opens up a world of possible routes. Once you get the hang of it it really deepens the gameplay a lot.
Thank you very much for the kind words and your valuable feedback. We are taking it all to heart and will be trying-out and implementing every bit of feedback we get, so that the game can truly be the best it can be.
Thanks again!
Karl
If will mainly stick to specific critical feedback here, since it's obvious that the game overall is very polished in terms of look and feel. It fully supports controller play, which is great. I think if you deal with some of the specific pain points, you'll be in a very good position.
1.
I find it strange that releasing the accelerate button would also automatically then perform a jump. It might be one of those mechanics where you as the developer understand the reasoning behind it, but it's not obvious to the player. Or, the player is missing something they're not aware of.
2.
The "Transfer Direction" mechanic is probably meant to give some depth or multiple paths to a level, not sure. But I find it gets in the way and I don't know when I'm supposed to transfer where. I think for accessibility, just having a linear path would be better - at least for a starter level where the player has no idea what's going on. Or, instead of the "choose transfer direction" mechanic, why not just push the stick in a particular direction to go there, with a pop-up on the screen showing the possible directions when you enter a particular zone.
Overall I think the majority of issues to potentially resolve have to do with controls and control mechanics like the transfer thing.
Will give it another shot now.
Thank you very much for trying it out.
The accelerate/jump setup was implemented after a few other options was tried. the reason to do it this way was to avoid having 3 different buttons for accelerate, jump and dive. On the gamepad we could make A jump, but the keyboard was making things a bit tricky. So we decided to go for the Tony Hawk Pro Skater approach of releasing the button to jump. But I think we will definitely give players more control options in later releases to suite all different play preferences.
The transfer mechanic is also a bit of a tricky one. I think it should be explained better in the game, as we are so used to it by now that it all feels natural, but new players seem to struggle a bit.
You will see the lane transfer arrows on the bottom left of the screen. If there is an up or down arrow, it means you can transfer "inward" or "outward" in the level. We did it this way to allow the player to cue up the transfer and then have their hand free to do some cool tricks as soon as they leave the ramp.
We will try to make this clearer in the game, and maybe even wait to introduce the mechanic a few levels into the final game, to give the player some time to learn the basics before adding more.
Thanks again for the feedback and for trying it out!
We really appreciate it!
Karl
Great reading all the positive comments :)
Obviously if the comment is in breach of Steam Guidelines then it will be removed ... so far my policy seems to be working and we are making good progress.
And thanks @quintond for the awesome way you are handling all the comments and promotional stuff!
It is really awesome to see how people react positively when treated with respect.
Well done!
Choose Your Path - Play the level as you see fit and choose your own path to pull off the best tricks and unlock the special bar.
Choose Your Style - Use the gold you earn while playing the game to upgrade your bike and viking.
Choose Your Tricks - While you play, choose your trickset and use those tricks to earn more points and climb the leaderboard.
Choose Your Opponents - One of the later releases will include full multiplayer support, take on your friends and out trick them.
Choose Your Control - The game has full support for game controllers and the developers actually reccomend playing the game using a controller.
So we are going along nicely and the two main issues that have been raised are:
1). The keyboard controls.
2). The tutorial pausing.
We are going to look at addressing these and they should be as simple as changing the bindings and moving the tutoiral triggers to a different location.
Here is another video of the game being played by Cryptic Hybrid:
We have also just finished with the Mac build and that will be uploaded later on this evening.
@karl182: Has also recorded an awesome tutorial video for us that takes you through the tutorial and then he proceeds to show off his moves in the game ... makes me realise how much I suck at this game. 8-}
The video will be uploaded later on today.
Randomise User has also recored his game play in a video.
I also received a message on Facebook from a representative of CHIP magazine in Poland, they want to include Riders of Asgard on their FREE DVD for the 11/2016 edition of the magazine. More publicity for us ... 8-}
The Steam Greenlight votes are coming in again after stagnating over the weekend. We still have a fair way to go but the comments are mainly positive, so the team is optimistic and remaining positive.
I will leave you with some more screen-shots, compliments of @karl182 as well as him showing us how the game should be played.
We have updated Riders of Asgard!
Alpha v0.0.2.1 is now available on our website at www.ridersofasgard.com
We have improved the tutorial, added an additional keyboard control scheme(that can be selected in the options menu), and fixed various bugs that was reported by the community.
We are doing well on Greenlight but we still need you votes, so please go support us on Steam Greenlight!
Thanks again for all your feedback and support so far!
Karl
Yahoooooooooooooo ... we have been greenlit ... 21 days in and with 793 Yes votes (55%), 604 No votes (42%), and 55 Ask Me Later votes (4%) ... total votes was 1 452 and unique vistors was 1 876.
We have 52 followers, but our biggest page hits were on Game Jolt (13.4k views, 4.8k plays, 41 ratings, and 188 followers).
Makes me think that we should also look at providing a version for Game Jolt as we seem to have a nice following there as well.
Itch did not perform as well and I am in two minds about using them again.
IndieDB also performed well and remained consistent throughout the process but still didn't come close to the Game Jolt stats.
So now it is time to do all the paperwork, integrate the Steam Works API and get the next build ready ... exciting times. 8-}
Good luck with finishing up the rest of your game!
It is already a lot of fun riding around with another player and trying to knock them off their bike. :)
We will keep you updated.
Thanks again for the support!
Karl
We have released Version 0.0.4 of Riders of Asgard.
Download it for FREE here: http://ridersofasgard.com/download.php
We added a lot since the previous release, including Online Leaderboards, a new Girl Viking character and bunch of new tricks!
We also now have an Auto-Transfer-Assist system, that can be enabled in the Options Menu.
This helps the player by following a set path through the level and allowing them to concentrate on the tricks and controls. Players can then deactivate the system when they are ready to take transferring into their own hands, and find their own unique lines through the levels.
We have also added a Leaderboard that allows players to compete online for the highest score.
Each new Character will have their own set of 4 Advanced tricks as well, and Ula brings with her the Suicide No-Hander, Double Seatgrab, Barrel Roll and the Nothing Front Bike Flip!
Thank you very much for your continued support!
We really appreciate it a whole lot!
Have an awesome day!
Karl
Do you mind If I play this on my Youtube Channel ?
Love the game GOOD LUCK !
We have a Durban meet up soon ? Cant wait to break this game again xD
You are more than welcome to play this on your Channel! :D
Thank you very much!
Just hit me up with the link when you are done so I can add it to our playlist here (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsuHFnEJ65WzXdJJufmdLhIUw1rGFozOV) and do the social media thing on Twitter on Facebook. 8-}
Keen to get you guys trying the split-screen multiplayer at the meetup ... see what you guys think.
Free Ride:
Take your time and practice your skills - there is no time limit but you can't complete challenges or beat high scores.
Timed Run:
You only have 2 minutes to get the highest score you possibly can, and get your name on the leaderboards.
Challenge:
Take on challenges - this time try to complete them all as quickly as possible to get your name on the leaderboards.
Survival:
Survive by performing tricks to keep your special bar filled up and if you crash or it runs out your attempt is over.
The new version builds on the new female character from v0.0.4 and more tricks by adding the new Hammer Throw special and the ability to upgrade your hammer. The hammer is used to destroy parts of the level that are destructible and thus enables you to reach parts of the level you couldn't before.
Finally, this release will also include not only the leaderboards for the new game modes but also the ability to share your high scores on the Riders of Asgard Twitter page (@ridersofasgard).
This version will be one of the last versions we release before we start the work of Steam Integration in preparation for the final release in the first quarter next year. Along the way, we may release some more updates that include new maps and items during this period, but as the game stands now it is feature complete and now needs to content to make it a complete game.
Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoyed the update.
We are working hard on getting the game ready and will be releasing an updated Demo soon! :)
@bischonator haha nice, I am glad you think so! :D
We are working a a whole bunch of new features as well so it might just get even juicier! :D
Here are some screenshot of the new Shipyard Level.
We went vertical with this one, and it makes for some really awesome new ways to play!
Thanks for the comments and have an awesome day!
Karl
This level forced us to implement a few new mechanics like Boosters and stuff, but it ended up making the game even more fun, and trying out the near endless possibilities that the verticality of the level brings is awesome! I can't wait for people to try it out.
Thanks again!
Karl
The game is coming together very well, good job guys :D
It is the first more vertical Level, so later levels will combine the more lane driven and vertical levels to make even crazier and more awesome levels! :)
Thanks again for the support!
Have an awesome day!
Karl