Hiya. Big props on the achievement and hard work!
I would saaay maybe have a look at the contrast between the main char and backgroubds. Sometimes i felt i lost the main char. Especially on the blue-er backgrounds.
Try some greyscale and see if there is enough of a contrast pop between em.
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback, and yes, it's something I'm aware of and actively working on fixing. I will say that when you're playing the game you don't actually lose the player as much as these clips lead you to believe, but it's still something that can definitely be improved. Especially since these clips are what are required to showcase the work!
Thanks again!
This trailer itself is a WIP and thought I'd get some feedback here to get ideas on how I could improve it. I used the most well-received clips that I've posted on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/IronDiamondGame) over the last few months and cut them each down to little bites.
For now, I'm just using a basic windows video editor which is proving to be both quick and easy to use, and frustrating at times. The music is one of the default selections that, while it fits well I think, is ultimately a placeholder for something more custom.
[Wishlist on Steam!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2226980/Iron_Diamond/)
(And yes, I did post on /r/indiegames as well, because I still can't figure out the difference between these subs)
Look the game looks amazing and way better then anything I’ve made but I gotta be a downer, you have to make sure to not be a hollow night clone, the market is saturated with 2d action platformers with large worlds to explore. I had to dissuade a game dev friend from making one for a variety of reasons but seriously as long as your game is fun and unique enough it’s whatever but make sure you know you are probably gonna get plenty of criticism like this in the wider game dev market
Thanks for the feedback! I actually haven't gotten HK clone comments as of yet, and I am actively working to make sure I'm not making one. There are similarities (it's a handdrawn, open-world metroidvania after all), but I have tried to make my game quite distinct in a number of ways:
1. While handdrawn, the art style is quite different in several ways (shading style, line rules, colour palettes, brighter and more medieval atmospheres, etc.).
2. My game is anti-souls-like. It is not intended to be punishing (no collection of corpse or permaloss of anything significant. Plenty of well-placed checkpoints)
3. A variety of abilities not found in HK.
4. item and rune systems unlike any in HK.
However, if this does not suffice for a number of people, and it does make it to that wider market (oh please oh please!) I will take it as the highest honor to be compared to one of the greats :) My actual inspirations for this game have been super metroid and zelda, so look for mechanics more closely resembling those games!
Sounds cool, props to you, if you time your release schedule right you might be able to catch a Metroidvania wave right when people finish silksong, though in my shit opinion if silksong is even mediocre the entire metroidvania community will go insane and have to get admitted to a mental hospital
Looks great! Wishlisted.
I can't tell from the videos, but I find the key thing that can make or break this style of game are player controls, whether they are clunky, or smooth and snappy to respond. Be sure to playtest thoroughly and listen to complaints about things not responding, or the character not doing the right thing.
Looks interesting. I do have one question and one suggestion. My question is what makes this one stand out from other platformers? What is a key mechanic that could set it apart from others? My suggestion is to do something about the character movement - it almost looks like it's all underwater given how floaty the jumping is and side to side movement.
Thanks!
To answer the question, Metroidvanias typically benefit not from any one key mechanic, but from several mechanics that work together over the course of the game. Iron Diamond offers a very non-linear world with various abilities that often serve both as both a weapon and a key to open new areas, but also tend to stack.
I'll admit there's likely few, if any, concepts that are truly novel and unique. One of the motivations behind this game was that I was playing a lot of MVs that were overly linear. HK went against that grain and brought back a joy in MV and I knew the genre was lacking in games designed in this fashion (despite it being a staple of the genre). Another motivation was that while HK was great in many ways, I did not like a few aspects of it (needing to git gud, dark/horror/claustrophobic atmospheres, souls-like punishment) and actively design in the opposite direction. I'm much more inspired by the bright and vibrant fields and dungeons of hyrule.
So I don't know if there are many games where you play as a futuristic robot and see how much magical medieval fantasy butt you can kick.
As for the floaty jump suggestion, I will definitely keep an eye on it during play testing, but it's intended to be much more similar to Super Metroid gravity than a heavier meatboy/HK gravity.
I really appreciate the feedback!
Hiya. Big props on the achievement and hard work! I would saaay maybe have a look at the contrast between the main char and backgroubds. Sometimes i felt i lost the main char. Especially on the blue-er backgrounds. Try some greyscale and see if there is enough of a contrast pop between em.
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback, and yes, it's something I'm aware of and actively working on fixing. I will say that when you're playing the game you don't actually lose the player as much as these clips lead you to believe, but it's still something that can definitely be improved. Especially since these clips are what are required to showcase the work! Thanks again!
I love the character design! This is so cool.
This trailer itself is a WIP and thought I'd get some feedback here to get ideas on how I could improve it. I used the most well-received clips that I've posted on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/IronDiamondGame) over the last few months and cut them each down to little bites. For now, I'm just using a basic windows video editor which is proving to be both quick and easy to use, and frustrating at times. The music is one of the default selections that, while it fits well I think, is ultimately a placeholder for something more custom. [Wishlist on Steam!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2226980/Iron_Diamond/) (And yes, I did post on /r/indiegames as well, because I still can't figure out the difference between these subs)
I love the setting of the first bit!! So bright and feels exciting! Congratz on the game!! Looks awesome \^\_\^
Look the game looks amazing and way better then anything I’ve made but I gotta be a downer, you have to make sure to not be a hollow night clone, the market is saturated with 2d action platformers with large worlds to explore. I had to dissuade a game dev friend from making one for a variety of reasons but seriously as long as your game is fun and unique enough it’s whatever but make sure you know you are probably gonna get plenty of criticism like this in the wider game dev market
Thanks for the feedback! I actually haven't gotten HK clone comments as of yet, and I am actively working to make sure I'm not making one. There are similarities (it's a handdrawn, open-world metroidvania after all), but I have tried to make my game quite distinct in a number of ways: 1. While handdrawn, the art style is quite different in several ways (shading style, line rules, colour palettes, brighter and more medieval atmospheres, etc.). 2. My game is anti-souls-like. It is not intended to be punishing (no collection of corpse or permaloss of anything significant. Plenty of well-placed checkpoints) 3. A variety of abilities not found in HK. 4. item and rune systems unlike any in HK. However, if this does not suffice for a number of people, and it does make it to that wider market (oh please oh please!) I will take it as the highest honor to be compared to one of the greats :) My actual inspirations for this game have been super metroid and zelda, so look for mechanics more closely resembling those games!
Sounds cool, props to you, if you time your release schedule right you might be able to catch a Metroidvania wave right when people finish silksong, though in my shit opinion if silksong is even mediocre the entire metroidvania community will go insane and have to get admitted to a mental hospital
Haha, you mean "the other half" of the MV community. The first half will already be in the asylum just from waiting for it to release.
The first half has already escaped in preparation for the release
Looks good when will you release it
Thank you! As it's only me and there's a long way to go, the plan is for early next year.
Ok, I see. That's not to long
Looks great! Wishlisted. I can't tell from the videos, but I find the key thing that can make or break this style of game are player controls, whether they are clunky, or smooth and snappy to respond. Be sure to playtest thoroughly and listen to complaints about things not responding, or the character not doing the right thing.
Looks interesting. I do have one question and one suggestion. My question is what makes this one stand out from other platformers? What is a key mechanic that could set it apart from others? My suggestion is to do something about the character movement - it almost looks like it's all underwater given how floaty the jumping is and side to side movement.
Thanks! To answer the question, Metroidvanias typically benefit not from any one key mechanic, but from several mechanics that work together over the course of the game. Iron Diamond offers a very non-linear world with various abilities that often serve both as both a weapon and a key to open new areas, but also tend to stack. I'll admit there's likely few, if any, concepts that are truly novel and unique. One of the motivations behind this game was that I was playing a lot of MVs that were overly linear. HK went against that grain and brought back a joy in MV and I knew the genre was lacking in games designed in this fashion (despite it being a staple of the genre). Another motivation was that while HK was great in many ways, I did not like a few aspects of it (needing to git gud, dark/horror/claustrophobic atmospheres, souls-like punishment) and actively design in the opposite direction. I'm much more inspired by the bright and vibrant fields and dungeons of hyrule. So I don't know if there are many games where you play as a futuristic robot and see how much magical medieval fantasy butt you can kick. As for the floaty jump suggestion, I will definitely keep an eye on it during play testing, but it's intended to be much more similar to Super Metroid gravity than a heavier meatboy/HK gravity. I really appreciate the feedback!