Hey everyone, this is Zodiac GameLab. The incremental game Crystal Ascend has made some progress! View on Steam This time, I’m mainly doing some detail optimization.
In this update1
Full notes
Full Crystal Ascend update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
Repeated intro
Hey everyone, this is Zodiac GameLab. The incremental game Crystal Ascend has made some progress!
What changed
0 fixes6 additions1 change0 removals
Performance
Gameplay
changedThis time, I’m mainly doing some detail optimization.
addedI’ve already added plenty of animations and effects for the crystal’s spawn, disappear, and movement. But there’s still a long way to go before it’s perfect. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the absorption ring (i.e., the player’s mouse) and the crystal have zero interaction. This means there’s no feedback on whether the crystal is being boxed in or attacked, making the feel quite airy and insubstantial.
addedTo solve this, the first thing that came to mind was adding a hit feedback – when the crystal is attacked, it flashes white with a shake effect.
addedBut that alone isn’t enough. Without clear feedback that the absorption ring has boxed in the crystal, the gameplay experience feels unnatural. So I also added a shake effect when the absorption ring touches the crystal. If you swipe the mouse around quickly, you’ll see the crystal start to wiggle like crazy. Even though this makes the crystal less “crystal‑like” (real crystals shouldn’t have such bouncy motion effects), I think immediate response to player input is more important.
addedThis won’t be the final version—there are still plenty of effects to add, but I’ll stop here for now.
addedAbout this GameA simple incremental game where you nurture crystal elementals by destroying floating crystals and harvesting aether. Upgrade the skill tree, unlock new abilities to gather resources faster, and build your ultimate crystal companions.
Crystal Ascend changes
changedThis time, I’m mainly doing some detail optimization.
addedI’ve already added plenty of animations and effects for the crystal’s spawn, disappear, and movement. But there’s still a long way to go before it’s perfect. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the absorption ring (i.e., the player’s mouse) and the crystal have zero interaction. This means there’s no feedback on whether the crystal is being boxed in or attacked, making the feel quite airy and insubstantial.
addedTo solve this, the first thing that came to mind was adding a hit feedback – when the crystal is attacked, it flashes white with a shake effect.
addedBut that alone isn’t enough. Without clear feedback that the absorption ring has boxed in the crystal, the gameplay experience feels unnatural. So I also added a shake effect when the absorption ring touches the crystal. If you swipe the mouse around quickly, you’ll see the crystal start to wiggle like crazy. Even though this makes the crystal less “crystal‑like” (real crystals shouldn’t have such bouncy motion effects), I think immediate response to player input is more important.
addedThis won’t be the final version—there are still plenty of effects to add, but I’ll stop here for now.
This time, I’m mainly doing some detail optimization.
I’ve already added plenty of animations and effects for the crystal’s spawn, disappear, and movement. But there’s still a long way to go before it’s perfect. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the absorption ring (i.e., the player’s mouse) and the crystal have zero interaction. This means there’s no feedback on whether the crystal is being boxed in or attacked, making the feel quite airy and insubstantial.
To solve this, the first thing that came to mind was adding a hit feedback – when the crystal is attacked, it flashes white with a shake effect.
But that alone isn’t enough. Without clear feedback that the absorption ring has boxed in the crystal, the gameplay experience feels unnatural. So I also added a shake effect when the absorption ring touches the crystal. If you swipe the mouse around quickly, you’ll see the crystal start to wiggle like crazy. Even though this makes the crystal less “crystal‑like” (real crystals shouldn’t have such bouncy motion effects), I think immediate response to player input is more important.
This won’t be the final version—there are still plenty of effects to add, but I’ll stop here for now.
About this Game
A simple incremental game where you nurture crystal elementals by destroying floating crystals and harvesting aether. Upgrade the skill tree, unlock new abilities to gather resources faster, and build your ultimate crystal companions.
