Tomi on 26/4/2025 at 20:46
Congrats Henke! :)
Are you planning to release POGOPPL on any consoles?
Yakoob on 27/4/2025 at 01:05
Quote Posted by henke
But also for the first time in September Games history I did a proper launch party at the local gaming bar! I
Oh nice! You know I've always been hesitating to throw release parties for my own games cause I always worry "nah it won't do that well, I don't wanna celebrate yet" or "nah It's not that big of a game, nobody will care." but once it comes together it's actually pretty nice to see your friends come out and support you.
Got any pics from the event you can share? Might be also fun to post as a celebratory Steam Announcement to share with the fans :)
Malf on 28/4/2025 at 13:17
I've picked it up, but not fired it up yet. On the desktop, Deadfire, the Oblivion remaster and Clair Obscur are taking up my time.
But I suspect that once I finish my current Demolitionist run-through on Streets of Rogue on my Steam Deck, I'll be hopping into the land of POGO.
henke on 6/5/2025 at 07:58
Well, POGOPPL didn't set the world on fire. Not yet anyway. It's encouraging to see streamers getting hooked and playing it for hours on end, but no big names have streamed it yet so not much bump in sales. I've been patching bugs and putting up new builds. I intend to still add in a Speedrun mode and a One Team Mode(it's like a more lenient Ironman Mode), but I shall also start transitioning to working on the next game, which'll be a lot more...
dusty. :sly:
Quote Posted by Yakoob
Oh nice! You know I've always been hesitating to throw release parties for my own games cause I always worry "nah it won't do that well, I don't wanna celebrate yet" or "nah It's not that big of a game, nobody will care."
Hah, yeah, I know that feeling. But I'm starting to come around to that just being the default feeling when you release something you've worked on for really long. I normally wouldn't do a launch party, but a lot of people were urging me to do one, and I got to use the venue free so it was cheap, and POGOPPL having a strong local multiplayer side made it a good fit. :)
Malf on 6/5/2025 at 09:40
I'm gradually getting through it during my daily commute.
I will get around to reviewing it for you, but only once I've played through all the levels.
At the moment, while I love the core concept, here are my core concerns:
* I feel you ramp the difficulty up far too quickly and you could do with a smoother on-ramp explaining things like downforce earlier.
* It may also be a good idea to introduce an early level showing how forward-momentum can change trajectory, particularly at speed.
* Sometimes I feel you drop clutter into already difficult levels just for the hell of it; that level that starts with you having to knock down a pile of clutter before you can get to the main body of the level can go die in a fire.
* Some form of playground level where you get to try various techniques without the pressure of a timer would be a welcome addition. It would be even better if it showed predicted pogo trajectory in active lines and curves based on input.
* As it stands, it feels like it's a game made for people who are already experts at physics games, and not the general public.
On a more positive note, I love the characterisation and cutscenes, and the humour is spot-on. It's also incredibly polished and stable.
I'm trying to work out if any of the characters are based on people we know; there's a distinct Jesh-feel to Benny for example, and I reckon Henry = Henke.
henke on 6/5/2025 at 15:58
Haha. Henry does have some of 2008 hipster-era Henke in him. Benny was named after Benny in the Thief games. :)
Thanks for the feedback! Y'know, you don't need to make it to the finish before the timer runs out. You can still progress, you just don't get a medal. I was hoping that'd make it less stressful, but perhaps it still is. :erg:
A playground level is a good idea. Malf, I should've made you test the game earlier, these are some good points!
My philosophy behind delaying the tutorial till level 6 is I wanted to give the player a chance to flail around a bit first. The most magical parts of Stilt Fella was the beginning when you don't know what you're doing yet. If you iron out all the bumps it's gonna be boring.
Aja on 6/5/2025 at 17:27
I haven't played the full release yet, but I recall the demo was quite difficult until Henke made a physics adjustment that helped a bit. As I get older I'm starting to realize I *want* more friction in games, but I'm no physics game expert, so we'll see.
Thirith on 6/5/2025 at 17:29
I've not played enough of the game to give you the kind of detailed feedback that Malf gave, but there's one thing I would disagree with somewhat:
Quote:
As it stands, it feels like it's a game made for people who are already experts at physics games, and not the general public.
I absolutely suck at physics games and, as a result, barely ever play them, but even just looking at your physics games, henke, I found
POGOPPL easier to get into than, say,
Stilt Fella. Couldn't really explain why that is, though perhaps it's the 2D nature of it all, plus you can stay 'alive' more easily in
POGOPPL, but I found this one more welcoming to someone like me who usually starts having a panic attack when faced with physics-based games.
