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Vostok Inc. - a twin stick.......clicker?

danowat

Banned
Anyone else played this?

I was watching this video this morning over breakfast, and it piqued my interest.

The reviews on steam are positive and the idea of a twin stick shooter (a genre I like) combined with an idle clicker, a genre that, despite being a pure psychological hook, I still find quite compelling.

I can't figure out if it's a genius or a terrible idea.......
 

vix

Member
I watched the same video and it looks like something I would really enjoy too. The price tag is keeping me from getting it at the moment though. 15 bucks feels a little high maybe. Not sure. Maybe I'll pick it up after I finish off FFXII:ZA.
 

KDR_11k

Member
Yeah, playing it. Nice game but the weapon balance feels a bit odd, until you get the three-part weapons all except the Ion Accelerator feel really anemic.

Also your assistant really needs to shut up with his stupid puns.
 

danowat

Banned
I watched the same video and it looks like something I would really enjoy too. The price tag is keeping me from getting it at the moment though. 15 bucks feels a little high maybe. Not sure. Maybe I'll pick it up after I finish off FFXII:ZA.

Yeah, I think that the price point is a touch high, that said, there is plenty of content, loads of minigames, and it's actually quite a funny game.

Certainly unique!
 

vix

Member
I caved and bought it. Knew I wouldn't make it the weekend without buying it. I think I'll end up playing it on the nights where I'm too tired to focus on an rpg or anything story heavy.

Is there a screen adjustment anywhere? Parts of the edges are cut off for me.
 

Shifty

Member
Hm. I can't tell if having a game component to do while you idle is smart, or totally ruins the point of the thing.

Isn't there a Russian wristwatch company called Vostok? I wonder if there's any relation.

More likely the Vostok space programme, first manned spaceflight in history. Yuri Gagarin and all that.
 

Lego Boss

Member
Bought this game yesterday. Lost an entire day to it. Just can't stop playing and I need that next gun/power station/upgrade.

The money is just astronomical, but it's NEVER enough. The psychological balance of game design is both brilliant and frightening.

It deserves an article as a parable on capitalism (it is also very funny).

Don't buy this if you don't want to kiss goodbye to forever.

Do buy this game to support the brilliant devs!
 

danowat

Banned
Bought this game yesterday. Lost an entire day to it. Just can't stop playing and I need that next gun/power station/upgrade.

The money is just astronomical, but it's NEVER enough. The psychological balance of game design is both brilliant and frightening.

It deserves an article as a parable on capitalism (it is also very funny).

Don't buy this if you don't want to kiss goodbye to forever.

Do buy this game to support the brilliant devs!

Yeah, it's scarily compelling!
 

danowat

Banned
This game is scaring the fuck out of me
I would lose hours to this

I wonder just how far the combination of twin stick shooter and clicker game could actually go with a bit more of a budget.

Could you imagine if the graphical style was a little more like a Housemarque title?
 

danowat

Banned
What does "Clicker game" mean? Having a hard time looking up that definition.

Essential this, except this game replaces the "clicking" with a twin sticker shooter

Incremental games, also called idle games, clicker games or clicking games, are video games whose gameplay consists of the player performing simple actions (such as clicking on the screen) repeatedly to gain currency. This can be used to obtain items or abilities that increase the rate at which currency accrues.
 

MaLDo

Member
What does "Clicker game" mean? Having a hard time looking up that definition.

los-simpson-springfield-012.jpg
 

Lego Boss

Member
Can someone assist with the weapon upgrades?

I have a multi shot machine gun (I am Level 10), but see lots of nice shiny weapons in the reviews (I'm reading about this game when I'm not playing it, a very bad sign) but don't know how to access.

Do you assign to a new slot and that unlocks the new arsenal?
 

danowat

Banned
Can someone assist with the weapon upgrades?

I have a multi shot machine gun (I am Level 10), but see lots of nice shiny weapons in the reviews (I'm reading about this game when I'm not playing it, a very bad sign) but don't know how to access.

Do you assign to a new slot and that unlocks the new arsenal?

The two slots below the first weapon are for new weapon types that you buy (on the same screen), you assign them with the d pad.

I think more weapon types open up later, maybe when you move to different galaxies or defeat certain bosses?
 

dadrester

Neo Member
Can someone assist with the weapon upgrades?

I have a multi shot machine gun (I am Level 10), but see lots of nice shiny weapons in the reviews (I'm reading about this game when I'm not playing it, a very bad sign) but don't know how to access.

Do you assign to a new slot and that unlocks the new arsenal?


Hello. One of the devs here. Thank you so much for kind words. The weapon system is un-necessarily complicated, mainly because of my love of Gunstar Heroes.

Basically you have 3 base weapon types, Guns, Lasers, Missiles. And you have 3 slots in which (once bought) you can place these weapons. So if in slot 1 you have machine gun, it will give you the basic machine gun. If you then add a second machine gun, you'll get the shotgun, add another gun in the 3rd slot and you get the minigun. If you then switch one of the slots to be a laser (the order doesn't matter - except for upgraded weapon power) you'll get an electricity gun.

The d-pad favourites the weapon.

As an aside, Patch 1.02 "Shut up, Jimmy" is hopefully going into QA on the weekend, so should not be too far away. It's got quite a lot of changes. If anyone's interested I can paste a tentative list here...
 

danowat

Banned
As an aside, Patch 1.02 "Shut up, Jimmy" is hopefully going into QA on the weekend, so should not be too far away. It's got quite a lot of changes. If anyone's interested I can paste a tentative list here...

Please.

The team have made.......quite a game here.........

I am still on the fence as to whether it's genius, or terrible!, I am leaning towards genius, it could have quite easliy been terrible, considering one of the source genres, but I think you've managed to cram enough gameplay, humour and content to push it towards genius!

If I can ask one thing, can you please tone down the frequency of the CEO popping on the screen and chatting rubbish!!!
 

dadrester

Neo Member
Thank you :D means a lot!

If I can ask one thing, can you please tone down the frequency of the CEO popping on the screen and chatting rubbish!!!

Copy pasted changelist

TODO:
Allow keyboard remapping on PC
Add more TERRIBLE jokes for Jimmy!


DONE (NT=Needs thorough testing):
Patch 1.02 “Shut up, Jimmy!” Notes:
Fixed a bug where buying multiple buildings at once would not tally correctly which meant Liquid processor and atmosphere plant didn’t unlock correctly.
Fixed a bug where buying multiple buildings at once would not tally correctly meaning cross building bonuses weren’t correct.
Fixed Objectives 525, 526 and 527 not unlocking.
Fixed currency out of range bug that would break the game when the player had a high enough income. (need to test ps4 cloud save)
Fixed a bug where the unlock criteria for unlocking Casinos was referencing the wrong weapon.(NT)
Fixed turret in Vent not damaging player.
Fixed a bug where some objectives that had been completed weren’t showing correctly.
--------------
It’s possible to shut Jimmy up, from the settings menu.(NT)
Jimmy’s call frequency dialed down from every 30 seconds to every 2 minutes.
Added the ability to adjust the volume of voices individually.(NT)
[PS4] Added the ability to adjust the volume of voices on the controller.(NT)
Added effect to manager indicator to make it more obvious when they spawn.
Halved executive consumption, meaning they take twice the time to consume items.
Added a cool video glitch effect to changing solar system in the galactic map.
After level 20 enemies do incrementally more damage to the player. (NT)
Tweaked the time between groupings of enemies so things are a little less hectic. (NT)
Late game economy smoothed out. Buildings after the School are now cheaper to buy or give greater returns. (NT)
The targeting computer toggle state is now saved into the player profile.(NT)
If the player flies over a dead exec remove them from the radar(NT)
 

Lego Boss

Member
Hello. One of the devs here. Thank you so much for kind words. The weapon system is un-necessarily complicated, mainly because of my love of Gunstar Heroes.

Basically you have 3 base weapon types, Guns, Lasers, Missiles. And you have 3 slots in which (once bought) you can place these weapons. So if in slot 1 you have machine gun, it will give you the basic machine gun. If you then add a second machine gun, you'll get the shotgun, add another gun in the 3rd slot and you get the minigun. If you then switch one of the slots to be a laser (the order doesn't matter - except for upgraded weapon power) you'll get an electricity gun.

The d-pad favourites the weapon.

As an aside, Patch 1.02 "Shut up, Jimmy" is hopefully going into QA on the weekend, so should not be too far away. It's got quite a lot of changes. If anyone's interested I can paste a tentative list here...


Hello dadrester! I saw your comments from Christian's wonderful EG review (which incidentally made me buy the game).

Thanks for the info, that's really helpful. Please relay to your team what a wonderful game you have all made. It just oozes shine and polish and I'm having a blast playing it: sometimes I feel that games are so difficult to make and so much of a task that they become reflective of the processes that are involved and they lack soul. This doesn't. Somehow, even though it's got that cold capitalism to it, it feels more like an evolution of Smash TV which wears its cynicism as humour rather than as a continuation of a franchise, which is so professional there is no character left.

Anyway, that's enough from me. Great job, great game. I hope you make lots of moolah from it!
 
I'm interested in this game due to my dangerous addiction to clickers/incremental games, but seeing that it's coming to Vita I think I might hold off and get it there. Seems like the perfect platform for such a game! Hope it'll be out soon on it.
 

vix

Member
Still enjoying this. I play it on the nights I'm too tired for an rpg or anything story related or heavy. It's crazy how the hours tick by though. I'm losing the whole night to this. Love the game. Got a crazy blue laser gun that just destroys everything.
 

Nintendad

Member
Did anyone else pick this game up? I'm getting about 9 Billion Moolah a second now. This game is a lot of fun for me still. Here's a gif I made of me playing.

giphy.gif
 

vix

Member
Every time I start up the game, I get the same objectives popping up and objectives I've completed (some for trophies) don't show as complete. Anyone else having issues like this?
 

JPS Kai

Member
I saw review requests pop up for this but I didn't think much of it. After seeing the hype and a bit more explanation, this might be right up my alley.
 
Every time I start up the game, I get the same objectives popping up and objectives I've completed (some for trophies) don't show as complete. Anyone else having issues like this?

Yeah, it seems like the latest patch introduced that issue.
 

HotHamBoy

Member
I wonder why more games haven't incorporated idle/clicker game aspects into them?

Like, instead of clicking you are actually doing something engaging like fighting enemies with a good core battle system. But the progression elements and idle mining is the same. And you could use currency to purchase bigger and better weapons and abilities to fight off horades, use tower defense elements, AI companions etc.
 

daevv

Member
Great game! Very addictive. It's the kind of game I was looking for and hope more people play it. If you are on the fence definitely watch the vid in the OT.
 
Every time I start up the game, I get the same objectives popping up and objectives I've completed (some for trophies) don't show as complete. Anyone else having issues like this?

An update is out now that fixes this, on Xbone at least; I assume PS4 too. Unfortunately, you have to reobtain the affected objectives.

I beat the final boss today, meaning I have all the achievements except the "platinum trophy" achievement for getting all the other achievements. I guess it's tracking the obtained achievements through the game instead of looking at the actual achievements, and the "make a billion dollars on Sunday" objective was cleared by that bug. Luckily that's the only one it affected. I would have been very sangry if I had to chop 222 logs again.
 

dadrester

Neo Member
Every time I start up the game, I get the same objectives popping up and objectives I've completed (some for trophies) don't show as complete. Anyone else having issues like this?

There's a fix for this on PC, XB1 and US PS4, but EU PS4 didn't get patched for some unknown reason. We're subbing a rapid patch today or tomorrow. Apologies. Been away at Gamescom so have missed bug reports etc.
 

dadrester

Neo Member
Also... Thank you everyone for the super kind words! It's been a really fun game to work on (genuinely the best in 16 years) so it's lovely when people are positive about it :')
 

dadrester

Neo Member
Is this still coming out on Vita? Been wanting it but was planning to get it there, since it seems to rather fit the platform.

Yes, it's still coming. It's in QA at the moment. I'll be doing a PlayStation blog post when we have a date. Will make sure to post on here too.
 

Basically you have 3 base weapon types, Guns, Lasers, Missiles. And you have 3 slots in which (once bought) you can place these weapons. So if in slot 1 you have machine gun, it will give you the basic machine gun. If you then add a second machine gun, you'll get the shotgun, add another gun in the 3rd slot and you get the minigun. If you then switch one of the slots to be a laser (the order doesn't matter - except for upgraded weapon power) you'll get an electricity gun.


.

WUT!! Just bought this yesterday and didn't understand this!
Also, for the guys playing, is there a easier way to collect money down the line?
 

vix

Member
I cannot for the life of me chop those damn logs. Or get 100 in aquatic attack. Or kill 99 undead in zombie combat. Those three mini games keep kicking my ass.
 
Whoah going to have to check this out...this definitely seems like an untapped genre blend of a game. Someones going to end up making a lot of moolah off this type of game some day.
 

daevv

Member
I cannot for the life of me chop those damn logs. Or get 100 in aquatic attack. Or kill 99 undead in zombie combat. Those three mini games keep kicking my ass.

I breezed through all the mini games except the logs one. It's like my brain cannot grasp the left/right aspect. Shooting and dodging things I find easy but going left to right makes me lockup. Some games I get 40-60 chopped then I'll get 1-10 for a few games.
 
I eventually got the logs achievement but it definitely gave me the most trouble. I was constantly swapping one step too early or one too late because it wasn't clear how far I went with each move, until I hammered away at it long enough to internalize it. I think it might help if each piece of the tree was separated by a single pixel line so you could clearly see where each step would put you.
 

vix

Member
I breezed through all the mini games except the logs one. It's like my brain cannot grasp the left/right aspect. Shooting and dodging things I find easy but going left to right makes me lockup. Some games I get 40-60 chopped then I'll get 1-10 for a few games.

I get pretty far in the aquatic one and kind of far in the zombie one but man the logs is killer.

I eventually got the logs achievement but it definitely gave me the most trouble. I was constantly swapping one step too early or one too late because it wasn't clear how far I went with each move, until I hammered away at it long enough to internalize it. I think it might help if each piece of the tree was separated by a single pixel line so you could clearly see where each step would put you.

Same here. I'm almost always too early I think.
 

dadrester

Neo Member
I eventually got the logs achievement but it definitely gave me the most trouble. I was constantly swapping one step too early or one too late because it wasn't clear how far I went with each move, until I hammered away at it long enough to internalize it. I think it might help if each piece of the tree was separated by a single pixel line so you could clearly see where each step would put you.

You'd be surprised how much of a difference moving the branch up by a single pixel makes. For ages it felt too easy, then I moved the branch right into the middle and soon as I did that I started making mistakes. It the psychology of it that got to me. Always my own mistake, never the game's fault.

Some tips to get 222 (office high score is over 800 by the way).

  • Use two hands, one finger on each side of the dpad
  • Relax your eyes
  • Don't look directly at Woodguy
  • Turn the Music off (The beat is a fraction of a second too slow - I'd love to say that's intentional)
  • Speed up on sections where there are a lot on one side
  • Practice yoga and get into a zen like trance
  • Realistically it won't take more than 15-20 minutes to get the trophy/achievement but because you're restarting every 10 seconds it feels longer.
 
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