Thank you to everyone for trying my game and giving all the wonderful feedback!
I've been overwhelmed by all the interest in Super Fantasy Kingdom. But I've seen many questions about the future of the game, so I want to provide some information and context about my plans. I want to be very transparent about where we stand, so you can understand what's going to happen next.
Super Fantasy Kingdom is a very personal project. I spent the last four years making it. It is my first game, so I had to learn a lot. There was one moment, a few weeks after I first started, where the whole concept came together and I realized how it should play and feel, and how the progression would continuously change how you build your city. It was a crazy feeling. I was never so sure of anything before. And since that moment, I did nothing but work on realizing that. It just had to be done. I adjusted my sleep rhythm and eating habits while working in a small kitchen, all to make sure I'd have enough time to complete that vision. I'm not saying that to get pity, but I want you to understand how much work and love went into this game.
And then came the release with a crazy amount of players (up to 12,500 players at the same time!). I thought they'd all enjoy what the game has to offer. Such a big release could cause hype, good word of mouth, and lead to coverage of the game.
But then the first progression and balance problems turned up. Deservedly, the reviews started to reflect that. I will admit, I was surprised by how some players felt. For example, the game was never intended to feel overly grindy. It is supposed to be a challenge. I have purposefully avoided any systems that reward doing the same thing over and over again, but that means when you are stuck (because of the difficulty problems, or just because something was not explained properly by the game) and do not progress, it does feel as if there is only one path to victory and you just do not find it.
After fixing many of those problems, more and more people were able to really get into the game. The ratings climbed, and some reviews even switched from negative. The playtimes are also crazy so soon after release. I'm happy to see that many players report how experimentation was key to their first victory now. I've even heard from some who are still feeling that excitement of discovery and learning after playing the game for over 120 hours. THAT was my vision, and I feel so proud that it works and you are enjoying it.
Many of you are hoping for new content fast, but the first priority for me will be polishing and improving in response to feedback. After so much time working on it in isolation with a few testers, the game does need some time to be refined with the community. I have noticed how even the smallest problems can irritate people greatly, even if they love the whole game otherwise. And this game has so many gameplay elements. Each of those needs time to find its place.
If the big goal is producing more content, I also need to stop sprinting and learn marathon mode. I want to keep up this motivation for the years to come, so I do need to take better care of myself. For that, I'm also thinking about growing my studio and hiring a dedicated programmer to assist me, so I can concentrate more on the creative side.
Considering all that, it makes it very clear what I need to do: I will use the early access period to make this game as great as it can possibly be. I want to openly work together with the community on refining the existing content and adding more heroes, units, relics, items, or even buildings to complement that. I know many developers say that but have everything planned out already and only make small adjustments. I don't. It will be a real collaboration. You can come into Discord or the Steam forums, suggest something, and if I like it, you could potentially see me testing it out on the very next day. If that sounds cool to you, please join in the process!!!
Remove the need to play both kingdoms
Rework game progression to be smoother
Improve clarity and tutorials
Add more variety
Give the player more agency (targeting items for example)
Undead kingdom needs more love
Reduce frustrations
Endgame
Add the remaining character art
And of course the hero evolutions
Since release, I've worked hard on the patches, and I will keep improving the experience for all of you. I think even players who have beaten both kingdoms now, just waiting for new content, will be happy about this "foundation work" in the end. I also want to rework how the endgame plays, with the intent that it becomes the real meat of the game someday, where you can apply everything that you learned now. That would be very cool. Again, if you have any ideas on that, please share them!
Again, thank you so much for being part of my journey and for playing my game. I could not have imagined this kind of interest when I started working on this game.
Feryaz (and Mio)