Various A 20+ year game player, leveler and modeler veteran speaks...

A very, very long time ago I was highly active in the Unreal Tournament and Morrowind gaming communities. I released many levels and mods. I learned 3DS Max, then, towards the end of my mapping days, I learned the basics of Blender. It is from this experience that I wish to speak. Mekorama has drawn me back into video games, given me something I have been missing for some time, and I would like to see it improve. So here goes...

First and most importantly, get rid of the 3D Isometric camera. Leave it as an option, turned off by default, for those who want it. But make the game and the editor operate in a free view. And not the free view it already operates in when that option is selected as the game is now. It is still 3D Isometric focused. You are looking down at an angle at everything. We need the Y, or up and down axis, especially for mapping. This is most important! You will be amazed to see the levels that will emerge once mappers can precisely place their blocks.

Secondly we need an unlimited undo/redo. I don't recommend complicating the interface. It should remain very simple, just as it is. That was one of the mistakes that Epic made with UnrealED. The best version of that editor came with Unreal Tournament. It was the best because it was simple, yet powerful. I HIGHLY recommend you pick up a copy of UT on Steam or somewhere and try the editor out. In studying it you will gain invaluable information for your own game and its editor.

My advice is maybe a bar along the bottom or side, depending on how the phone is held. The bar would contain undo/redo, maybe a screenshot button, maybe a zoom slider. Nothing complicated. It would hide automatically by default unless players enabled an "Always Show On" option.

I love the slideout tray for the addable elements! But you might tweak it so when you click on a pipe, for example, it places all the pipes in front, leaving the view where the player has slid it, making the rear items accessible without adjusting. This is only a minor thing.

As for the game itself, it would greatly benefit from jump pads and teleporters. Maybe create jump blocks that could be added to a lift to make jump lifts. Also water should be able to fill any space without overflowing everywhere. Finally adding lights, or light blocks, and/or allowing the sun/master light position to be adjusted, this would add a lot to the game. That covers it for now, but I may add more.

Thank you for making this game, and releasing it the way you did. Awesome job on its design, its tools, its ability to import/export levels, its very nice level editor, keeping things simple, the nice, atmospheric music and sounds. I could go on and on. I am just really enjoying it right now.

Have you told us yet if your choice of payment method has yielded desirable results or not?

 

Well I have donated some money for this excellent title, and intend to donate more. I hope it at least encourages him. I wish others would donate who have played the game for a while and are still playing it. I mean every dollar helps by at least showing support.

Checking out your links, thank you!

 

Couple more things...

Instead of lots of pre-rotated objects, how about adding rotation to objects? Then you just need one object that can be rotated as the mapper wishes. Have it rotatable in 90 degree increments along the x and y ( up and down) axis. Myabe also a move tool for movement of an object.

To do this, say you add a bar as I suggested earlier. Then all you need is a move button/tool and a rotate button/tool. The user places an object, then clicks a button, and as the user clicks or drags on the object, it is moved or rotated.

Two block suggestions... A flying block and a magnetic block with a magnetic disc on one face. Or you could just have an arrow on the side, showing the direction of the magnetic face.

For the magnetic blocks, make it so that when two pads are placed facing each other the top block, and all connected to it, is pushed away a short distance, 1-2 blocks perhaps. If the two pads are not facing, it snaps into place. A magnetic block will attract any metal object to it's pad within the same 1-2 block distance.

Magnetic blocks will allow bots to walk up walls and on ceilings, opening up all sorts of interesting level design possibilities. But we need the y-axis rotation first, both in the editor and in the game.

 

If you can port Blocksworld to the Android, I will definitely check it out!