kspes
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Post by kspes on Oct 21, 2023 9:50:14 GMT
Hi Everyone,
I've recently made changes to a game we've released a few months ago, called "Fuzzy Flip". It's a match-2 game that has a lot of levels and finite moves that force you to develop intricate strategies in order to win or if you want to get max stars on each level.
After reading user reviews on various stores, it has become apparent that people would like a "relaxed mode", where you could play with unlimited moves. I was reluctant to implement this at first because I feared it would make the game too easy and boring, but after a lengthy discussion with some users on Steam forums, I decided to give it a try. Rather than choosing a fixed mode (limited or unlimited moves), players can go back and forth between these modes, as if they're separate player profiles. So when they feel like a challenge, they can play with limited moves, and when they feel like zenning out, there's relaxed mode.
However, I am still on the fence about this, fearing that new players would get the wrong first impression of the game in they only play relaxed mode. So I would like to hear your opinions on the matter. The game is available on steam and there are freemium versions available on iOS, Mac and Android as well (freemium meaning first 30 levels are free, after that you have to unlock the rest with an in-app purchase)
You can check the game info and download links in this thread.
Also, would love to hear feedback on other aspects of the game. We regularily update our games with bug fixes, and ocasionally like this time - new features! So your feedback may result in interesting changes to the game.
PS: To celebrate this new feature, we're giving away 5 free copies on Steam via promo codes (if you use a promo code please reply in this thread which one you activated)
- E4XQ7-VHH29-P0DLG (taken)
- G6X9I-3ZW56-CX7EP (taken)
- EQYH6-CFGVL-RW0P8
- HTREP-QFMG4-P3BCI
- B3XLC-Z8G4F-E0XCL
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Oct 21, 2023 10:59:23 GMT
Wouldn't it be better to have a mode that appeals to both types of players? Why would you want to potentially cut out sales from a giant chunk of Relaxed players? Some casual gamers always play in relaxed mode, and you'll never convince them to play otherwise.
I can't tell you how many reviews I've read where they say, "It doesn't have a relaxed mode, so I refuse to buy it" (and there are more than you'd think!)
I think most M3/2 players are used to seeing several modes, and I think the player is smart enough to bump up the difficulty mode if the relaxed mode isn't challenging enough.
Better yet, if you ADD a Steam achievement that requires the player to either "try" the limited-moves mode OR require the player to complete the game in both modes, etc. Most Steam players are anal about Achievements and will do whatever the achievement requires so they will get a "perfect game"
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kspes
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Post by kspes on Oct 21, 2023 14:35:55 GMT
Wouldn't it be better to have a mode that appeals to both types of players? Why would you want to potentially cut out sales from a giant chunk of Relaxed players? Some casual gamers always play in relaxed mode, and you'll never convince them to play otherwise. It's not as simple as that, the problem is that games these days have to have a perfect launch to succeed, the first reviews have to be good, otherwise it gets burried fast. The golden rule on Steam is, as soon as the game reviews drop down to "Mixed", the sales crawl to a halt. It can be quite ruthless and disheartening out there for devs. So we need to make sure the first impression of a game is as good as possible. Opening up the game with multiple modes on one hand can be great for those not even willing to consider a game with limited moves. But it also may appear boring at first, since to win any level, all you have to do is match-away until all the goals are met. And a game misunderstood as boring does result in poor reviews. So either way we go, it's a gamble. And since the game already launched a while ago, it's now not as risky to introduce this new mode now. Better yet, if you ADD a Steam achievement that requires the player to either "try" the limited-moves mode OR require the player to complete the game in both modes, etc. Most Steam players are anal about Achievements and will do whatever the achievement requires so they will get a "perfect game" That's true, I'll probably do that, at least a few achievements towards completing both modes :) |
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Post by metmichallica on Oct 21, 2023 21:03:01 GMT
Thanks for the game. I like the game and I always play in relax mode if there is one. I am reluctant to buy a game if there isn't one, because I'm slow and I am no getting anyy younger. That's why I always play in relax mode. I don't see the big problem in this.
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Oct 22, 2023 13:36:06 GMT
kspes, the more I think about this, the more I see your point. Limited Moves is different than having a Limited Time limit, assuming you can take all the time you need to strategize. Can you just add a "Casual" mode that gives twice the amount of moves or something similar?
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Post by SynthpopAddict on Oct 22, 2023 17:33:49 GMT
I don't have this game, but a lot of M3 players these days expect a relaxed mode as a basic provision. Even though Fuzzy Flip is a pop to match style and not a "typical" M3 game, I'd still think there are people who don't want a moves counter or timer. For me personally, I don't use relaxed mode at all, but you don't want to cut out part of your fanbase.
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kspes
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Post by kspes on Oct 23, 2023 8:57:37 GMT
Thanks for the game. I like the game and I always play in relax mode if there is one. I am reluctant to buy a game if there isn't one, because I'm slow and I am no getting anyy younger. That's why I always play in relax mode. I don't see the big problem in this. Thanks for the feedback! It's no problem, I'm just trying to understand different points of view. I certainly understand having a time limit would be stressful (I hate time limits in games unless they're for achievements etc). In a game like this, where you could now go back and forth between relaxed mode and a mode with limited number of moves, if you get sufficiently skilled at the game, would you be tempted to try a few levels where moves are limited or would you prefer to play strictly in relaxed mode? |
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joybelle
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Post by joybelle on Oct 23, 2023 10:10:29 GMT
Being able to toggle difficulty level is always great in a game. You can try your skills at a harder level but need not sit for days building up frustration. We can all set our limits of how many times we will try it at a skilled level before we wish to move on by toggling to relax and tackling the next level. It does give us much more personal choice about how much determination we are prepared to do. And I do take on your point about 'becoming more skilled' as the game goes on. I don't like games that save progress seperatley and you have to start all over again if you want to change modes. Give me the 'toggle' choice always  And if there is a toggle...a harder choice other than just relaxed would be great. I won't buy a game unless it either has a timer or a challenge level of play. I NEVER buy games that are just 'relaxed' only. |
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Oct 23, 2023 10:31:57 GMT
I'm with joybelle, I only play in a timed or limited moves mode (but understand others wanting this option) I only like Limited Moves if the game involves strategy and you have to think about your next move which could have consequences. The Steam version should definitely have an achievement for playing both modes or one for "trying" the opposite mode toggle |
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Oct 23, 2023 14:45:57 GMT
kspesI personally like challenge modes but I have a problem giving up. If I get stuck on a level, I'm gonna spend an unhealthy amount of time trying to finish it. And paying in mobile match games to pass the level doesn't cut it. i HAVE to pass it myself or DIE trying  I replayed Cradle of Egypt (my favorite M3 series) over & over for a year and I sware I got all the achievements but I get to the end, and it tells me I didn't complete the city. Took me a year to finally give up (I even consulted with a professional... SynthpopAddict /Hilarious.gif) ) |
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Post by SynthpopAddict on Oct 23, 2023 15:25:07 GMT
kspesI personally like challenge modes but I have a problem giving up. If I get stuck on a level, I'm gonna spend an unhealthy amount of time trying to finish it. And paying in mobile match games to pass the level doesn't cut it. i HAVE to pass it myself or DIE trying I replayed Cradle of Egypt (my favorite M3 series) over & over for a year and I sware I got all the achievements but I get to the end, and it tells me I didn't complete the city. Took me a year to finally give up (I even consulted with a professional... SynthpopAddict ) LOL kspes, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has this disease! (rofl)
pennmom: That's weird about not having the city done in Cradle of Egypt if you got all the achievements in the trophy screen. I do remember seeing posts in the old BF forums from people who had the same experience, and it was because they ran out of resources to buy the last few buildings. Usually that's caused by having to buy time too often, because that sucked up your resources in a huge way after a while, but maybe you just didn't bleed the early levels enough for the treasure chests? Or you flew through the first sections of the game super fast instead of utilizing the extra time to make some random matches to pile on resources. Haven't played in years and don't have the game currently installed, but I think to get a treasure chest you had to make 4 matches of the same tile type in a row and then click on the treasure chest that appears to collect it for the bonus resources. It's not enough to just get the trophy for 100 chests; I would bleed the first 25 levels all the time for chests and that always let me get half the city built by level 25, so I never had any problems finishing the city even with the final pyramids costing something like 100K of everything to build. The further along you go, the harder it is to make treasure chests, but they are worth more in resources as you progress. One time I deliberately bled the game like crazy where I got as many treasure chests as I could AND ran the timer down to the red on as many levels as possible to see how fast I could get the city done, and made Pharaoh rank by level 51 or something like that...made the rest of the game super boring because when there are no more buildings to buy, the game just keeps going to the next level without stopping!
Now, if anyone knows the secret to triggering "arrow frenzy" in the survival mode on hard...I got permanently stuck at level 108 and never could earn the last 2 bonus trophies for my city's pedestal...
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Post by purrplecat on Oct 24, 2023 16:26:48 GMT
I have a GamePass at GameHouse and I uninstalled Fuzzy Flip after about 25 levels because I found it too difficult, I redownloaded it today but noticed that there was no relaxed mode in the GameHouse version, could you please add that there too :)
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moni
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Post by moni on Oct 25, 2023 3:26:04 GMT
On the first note, kspes,  for the key, the first one was taken already, I took the second (after playing the demo on BFG)... I'm kinda hooked, actually. I like the limited turns in these type of games. I can't see how the objective remains an objective with unlimited turns in this game.  The game always offers a best possible next move, which s not always in tandem with the objective, (for example: objective is to collect a certain amount of yellow fuzzs, but the largest amount of tiles for one click are the pink fuzzs, so the "hint" is for the pink ones) but that didn't bother me. The game plays fast if you have a fast finger syndrome, or slow, if you are more of a thinker than a clicker. It also offers extra moves if one would run out. First, I didn't understand the star system: why would I get less stars when I complete a level with less moves (?), but then I got it: the stars for points collected for the total captured fuzz, and I get rainbow balls for the unused turns to collapse more tiles after the round has concluded - then those are added to the total, more or less reaching max. stars.
I don't like the monsters showing up and eating up the fuzzs if I cannot destroy them on time Big Fish Eats Little Fish I have OCD, it seems: I cannot concentrate on the objective until I have killed every last one of them - then I run out of turns for the objective, lol It is more amusing than upsetting, though.
I'm not sure what I would change on this game - nothing, really. It is a very cute, well thoughtout game, with good game engine; got me glued to my laptop for hours. !
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kspes
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Post by kspes on Oct 25, 2023 9:03:46 GMT
moni, Thanks for your detailed feedback :) Glad to hear you like the game! As for the game hinting the next move, yeah, it's designed to get you unstuck if you do, not to point you to the best possible move, that would've been much more difficult to do. Hehe, I have the same thing, but I really hate the mosquitoes in the game, I have to get rid of them first before continuing the level, even though it may not be the best move at the time. It does add challenge and variety to the game though. I love the animations in the game, I personally spent an unhealthy amount of time doing them. I did the main menu animation where fuzzies are jumping eagerly in the bag, cracks me up every time I open the game up :D
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Oct 25, 2023 11:17:19 GMT
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kspes
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Post by kspes on Oct 25, 2023 14:24:25 GMT
There's a difference between OCD and not being able to give up :) For example I'll cut a slice in the middle of a pizza, (if nothing else than to just annoy OCD people on purpuse hehe). But when I'm struggling with something, regardless if it's a work relatead thing, some stubborn weed in my garden, or a game level. Giving up is not an option :D And yes I am fully aware that's a destructive character trait, but I can't help it. I may leave it alone for a day or two, but until it's done, it does not leave my mind. |
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Post by SynthpopAddict on Oct 25, 2023 15:52:12 GMT
There's a difference between OCD and not being able to give up  For example I'll cut a slice in the middle of a pizza, (if nothing else than to just annoy OCD people on purpuse hehe). But when I'm struggling with something, regardless if it's a work relatead thing, some stubborn weed in my garden, or a game level. Giving up is not an option  And yes I am fully aware that's a destructive character trait, but I can't help it. I may leave it alone for a day or two, but until it's done, it does not leave my mind. I don't think everyone has that syndrome...a lot of people just want to zone out while gaming which is one of the reasons why relaxed mode is so popular to begin with? Many gamers don't finish all their games either.
kspes , geeze, you took the best part of the pizza?! Yeah, that would annoy me so I guess I have both OCD and perfectionist syndrome.  |
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for the key, the first one was taken already, I took the second (after playing the demo on BFG)... I'm kinda hooked, actually. I like the limited turns in these type of games. I can't see how the objective remains an objective with unlimited turns in this game. 
For example I'll cut a slice in the middle of a pizza, (if nothing else than to just annoy OCD people on purpuse hehe).
And yes I am fully aware that's a destructive character trait, but I can't help it. I may leave it alone for a day or two, but until it's done, it does not leave my mind.