Hey everyone, this is Zodiac GameLab. The incremental game Crystal Ascend has made some progress!
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
Balance
Gameplay
addedAfter many iterations, I’ve given the floating crystals variations in shape and size, and their movement now feels like they’re being carried by aether currents. When attacked, they display cracks based on damage taken, and upon destruction, fragments and absorption light bands are added.
addedI’ve also added some randomly generated little sparkles to the crystals themselves, making them look shinier.
addedAnd it’s not over yet. The next headache is this: my crystals are currently just plain white ones. Higher‑level crystals need different colors. But when I change a crystal’s color, I have to modify the crystal’s base color, highlight color, crack color, fragment color, and the sparkles’ color at the same time. Each new color means tweaking all these parts. Because each part has different requirements for brightness and texture, I can’t simply use one color for everything – I have to try them one by one until the result looks good.
changedIn the end, I released all the color‑tuned crystals, and suddenly the screen became a riot of color. Of course, during actual gameplay, not that many colors will appear at once – crystal colors change as the talent tree upgrades, and at most three tiers of crystals will appear simultaneously in a single wave.
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
addedAfter many iterations, I’ve given the floating crystals variations in shape and size, and their movement now feels like they’re being carried by aether currents. When attacked, they display cracks based on damage taken, and upon destruction, fragments and absorption light bands are added.
addedI’ve also added some randomly generated little sparkles to the crystals themselves, making them look shinier.
addedAnd it’s not over yet. The next headache is this: my crystals are currently just plain white ones. Higher‑level crystals need different colors. But when I change a crystal’s color, I have to modify the crystal’s base color, highlight color, crack color, fragment color, and the sparkles’ color at the same time. Each new color means tweaking all these parts. Because each part has different requirements for brightness and texture, I can’t simply use one color for everything – I have to try them one by one until the result looks good.
changedIn the end, I released all the color‑tuned crystals, and suddenly the screen became a riot of color. Of course, during actual gameplay, not that many colors will appear at once – crystal colors change as the talent tree upgrades, and at most three tiers of crystals will appear simultaneously in a single wave.
addedThis won’t be the final version—there are still plenty of effects to add, but I’ll stop here for now.
After many iterations, I’ve given the floating crystals variations in shape and size, and their movement now feels like they’re being carried by aether currents. When attacked, they display cracks based on damage taken, and upon destruction, fragments and absorption light bands are added.
I’ve also added some randomly generated little sparkles to the crystals themselves, making them look shinier.
Such a small crystal requires so many details – making a game really is a lot of work.
And it’s not over yet. The next headache is this: my crystals are currently just plain white ones. Higher‑level crystals need different colors. But when I change a crystal’s color, I have to modify the crystal’s base color, highlight color, crack color, fragment color, and the sparkles’ color at the same time. Each new color means tweaking all these parts. Because each part has different requirements for brightness and texture, I can’t simply use one color for everything – I have to try them one by one until the result looks good.
In the end, I released all the color‑tuned crystals, and suddenly the screen became a riot of color. Of course, during actual gameplay, not that many colors will appear at once – crystal colors change as the talent tree upgrades, and at most three tiers of crystals will appear simultaneously in a single wave.
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.
