you can kind of dance by mashing the down arrow or S key and walking left and right at the same time
It's fun to greet your birds when they come back, it immerses you a lil(bonus points if you greet them by name)
you can stand on the roof of your tower to wait for your birds or just enjoy the background art
you're completely free to make up your own lore for the MC!! go crazy, have fun with it. (mine is crushing on the queen and wants to capture her interest with the post[they definitely haven't been sending her anonymous love letters hehe])
Very sorry for that! The game has some bugs left, but we didn't get around to making a patch. It was just a jam game and never intended to have a playtime of 2 hours, so it's a bit problematic. I hope we can get around to adding a save system eventually.
I love this game so much -- and you used actual raven calls! Not crow caws! I'd really really love a version with the bugs ironed out, save feature, and maybe expanded a bit more. Easily drop 10-20$ on it on Steam depending on how much content gets added. It's so full of charm and quite elegant yet simple.
You know what? You should definitely commercialise this game! Go on Steam! I'm sure many would love to pay the dollars for a longer journey with the charming little birds.
Amazing Game! Loved it. It crashed an hour in, so I didn't get to finish it, but close. If you improved stability and maybe a more rigorous auto saved system, you could easily throw it up on steam.
Is there a list of known bugs somewhere? Because like... I'm very charmed by this game, and I'd like to try to finish it, but I've had to start over a couple times now because it froze or crashed, both times pretty late in the game.
The first time, it froze right after I accepted Silvermane Trading as a patron, while playing it in the browser.
The second time, it crashed right after I accepted the Silvermane Trading parcel contract for the first time. I'd already done their letter contract a few times at that point, and I was playing the Windows desktop post-jam version.
I kind of still want to try to get to the end, but like.. It'd be nice to have a list of common causes of crashes so I know what actions to either avoid, or try to get out of the way early so if it is going to crash, it'll at least do it early in a playthrough.
EDIT: Ok, I've had the game crash out on me 5 times now.
I'm not sure it's worth trying again until the next build release, but I think I'm at least *starting* to notice a pattern; it only ever happens after I unlock Silvermane Trading as a client. It doesn't happen *every* time I unlock them or sign contracts with them, but every time it's happened, it's been a fraction of a second after I close the contract window; it lets me move for a couple frames, then I hear the squeaky pulley sound, and it freezes. And I *think* it might have to do with the parcel contract specifically.
EDIT 2: Ok, I tried a seventh time and I just decided to skip out on Silvermane Trading as a client entirely; this time I got a lot farther, but I'd accepted Queen Isadora as a patron, and I was gearing up to finally accept Queen Isadora's contract when it crashed AGAIN when I accepted a variety of contracts from other clients.
is it just me? I got the bug that my bird just glitches while on a run and doesn't deliver the letter but also not coming back. I tried selling that bird to buy a new one, but this does not work. So I'm stuck with a bird that I can't use. it's been with all birds since I restarted and played a lot but still get the issue and I have no idea how to fix it. Even when I sleep the bird doesn't come back or when the delivery fails.
{EDIT} The game freezes up for me every time around day 17 and 20. I don't know why. This sucks because I have to restart even when I'm on a great run. The furthest I have gotten is day 26 before it froze.
I love this game but this hinders me from continuing in the game since I can't get as many functioning birds and get fined for birds not finishing a task because they are frozen. Please tell me how to fix this because this game is so good!! it's one of my favorite games.
Wow! This game was so much fun! I would love to play an even longer version.
I did find a bug. It seems like upgrading the maximum stock charges me more than it should and puts me into debt. (e.g. I click the "Pay 500" button and it ends up deducting 1000 from my bank.
Perfect game! The amount of management and choices was pretty broad - which I love. I messed up some time later, because I didn't know contracts' time gets shorter even when you take them later.
I was looking for unique management games and this one became one of my favorite ! It's simple yet fascinating, I've been playing at my own pace for 2 hours now !
I'm on the browser version for now, and I just wanted to ask if it was normal that I can't move the birds ? I wanted to make some space for more nests, so I waited for the merchant to come and I clicked the "move for 50 currencies" button. But my cursor highlights the tiles on the wall and not the nests, and clicking on them does nothing. Do I have to wait for the birds to be in them first or is this a bug ?
This seems to be a hidden gem after scrolling through thousand horror games here. I love this game, the design, the music, the game play, everything. Thank you for creating this.
Btw, somehow my character kicked parcels and letters into the contract room or departure hall, I couldn't pick up these parcels to deliver so I had to pay the penalties many times. Hopefully the developers will take note of this point
No. If you don't feed them, you will automatically buy the necessary seeds at the end of the day at whatever the market price is. Always best to keep an eye on it and buy low so you aren't forced into buying at an expensive time!
To add to the other comment, when you're forced to auto-buy seed, you can go into debt, negative money value. The only penalty to debt is that you can't buy things. You have to work off the debt until you're in the positive to begin buying things again.
It only works for single deliveries that have multiple letters, e.g. some of the Irongate Blacksmith deliveries. It won't let them do two different single-letter deliveries at once.
men, I'm not blind to not see it, I wait but my bird does not take the second letter, my bird has that ability but it does not work. If it works why do I need to ask
If you're selecting a letter from a multi-letter delivery request, and your bird can carry multiple letters, it will. I haven't seen anyone else post a bug about this and it's working fine for me. So this is a PEBKAC issue, afaict. You wouldn't have to wait, it happens the instant you send the bird off with a letter from a multi-letter delivery request. The bird doesn't fly down to pick up the other one, it just goes with them without any visuals other than the second one disappearing along with the first.
Sometimes on itch.io I find deep strategy games with cool concepts but lacking charm. Sometimes I find games that are very polished visually but that lack content.
More rarely I find game that do both, and today was one of these days. Thanks a lot for this game, I love every minute I spent on it!
I installed the PostJam version (dated: 2023-05-23) using the itch.io app on Windows 10.
First general comments: WOW, this is way different from the previous version... a lot more streamlined and with some information management made significantly easier, though I will note that the extra information and how some of the old information now matters more means the information handling load is pretty heavy, though due to the extended play time (WITH NO SAVE) caused by the need to get each patron on the list rather than skipping some is useful for teaching more about how the system work and working on that muscle memory but also makes it less likely that I have a play session long enough to finish the game... so the end game will not get play tested or only one or twice I'm afraid.
I'll also add that the absolute need to get the range numbers right due to tightening up the speed and distance requirements make it possible to stuff yourself going onto a new patron... I couldn't deliver anything for the smiths for ages because I had to save up for birds that could do the work and the fastest apothecary note was also a long term saving project (made worse because I over committed due to not realising that one of my crows didn't have the range and not correctly sequencing things).
I appreciate being able to see how my birds are flying as well as being given times for sleep and return though the jump in speed of sleeping between minimal and short is rather big, no? It definitely makes getting some birds to minimal or just not bothering to upgrade that at all and going for speed as long as they have enough range. I think overall this part of the game is the hardest as I've already had to sell one bird (and extend my playthrough) because the upgrades I made didn't match what I later needed from said bird - I like that it was feasible to do this but maybe not the reason (a lack of information about what ranges are actually needed - can I suggest that either the birds' and delivery items' range be listed in the same way as sleep and not to require exact numbers (do these birds really count the exact kms they fly?? or change the patron list to include a maximum range in numbers for them?) Also see below...
Bugs:
I can no longer get trapped in the shop thanks to every overlay screen properly pausing the action and time and note being able to click on the shop once it is leaving *yay* but I did get trapped in the shop when I went to sell a bird, then hit cancel without selecting a nest (I planned and then decided against selling a bird right then) the overlay screen went away but I could not click on anything or us keys when later started causing beeping, as if they were being queued? However I accidentally pressed right click and everything started working again... so not a soft lock unless you don't know to press a button never used in the game! ;)
The predicted arrived time for one note said I would be late but my bird made it anyway... I sent it just after it ticked over from being unlikely to arrive in time but never-the-less it made it just fine... so the predictor is inaccurate despite having three possible outcomes; arrives in time, might arrive in time, definitely won't - I didn't have a choice with that one as I had a spare bird and it would be late with any other I might send it with hence sending it anyway...
I went into debt by almost a 100 credits when I bought the kernel silo upgrade for 500 credits when I had over 850 credits... it looks like it charged me for the grain I already had in the silo as well as the silo upgrade?
I ran out of time to test more but I am worried that I will have to sink a lot of time in to discover why herons have such long ranges even though so far that is useless as the only long range deliver is a note that has to go super fast (and therefore by pigeon).
Anyway, the PostJam version is way better overall even though it might have become worse in one or two ways and also exacerbated the lack of saving quite a bit!
Best wishes and although I hope for more updates to this I am just happy that you appear to enjoy your work here enough to stay in contact with your players! :) - it seems to be a little rare and unfortunately a lot of those who do also don't seem to have the time to do much about bugs (especially in anything but their most recent game *sigh*).
Thank you so much, wow! It is rare to get this extensive feedback, i appreciate it. The save function is dearly missing, i agree. We love Ravenhaul and would like to continue with it and improve it, but right now we don't have the time to do it. Just too many games on our plate. We do this for a living, and we take the freedom to make a jam game for a week 2-3 times a year, but we can't put in much more time because they are free games and we can't work extended periods for free. So, i can empathize with devs needing to move on to their next game. We have 18 games on itch and 2 more on steam, and even if i love them all, we can't keep working on them all.
To the feedback: don't worry, without a save and some bugs around the later stages can be a bit straining to reach. I'd love for you to be around if we eventually can continue working on the game (making it into a full release). My hope is that we can do that next year, but plans change a lot over time.
I really like the suggestion of not having a numeric value for the distance. That would make it a lot more accessible i think, easier to understand, while providing the same challenge. It is a direction question too, whether it is a more hardcore management game or more on the cozy friendly side.
I do like that you met some challenge with finding or training the right bird - this is exactly what i wanted from the patrons, to pose a challenge to your birds. Some later patrons have long ranges or big parcels as delivery, which you need the herons for.
You are welcome to the feedback... I generally try to give feedback to all the devs of games I try and especially ones I play regularly, especially in the review but sometimes in the comments too if there is a lot but some of it might be easy to change. I'm happy to help out as I myself would love to develop games and contribute to a few but I have so little time and my origin was as an alpha tester of computer games so this is just a little light exercise for my mind (I am genuinely suprised I missed reporting the source of my copy of the game and not checking the version! But at least that little wrinkle is easy enough to fix :)
I didn't realise you had so many games but then there are always more platforms, right?
As to you feedback responses; I'm glad I was able to suggest something helpful and maybe these bug reports might make it a little easier to put in fixes. As for the patrons, I like the mechanic but I found it harder to stomach because I just don't have the time to dedicate to a whole run through, especially with the increased time due to having to mess a little to get exactly the right bird... I suppose over time as I play again and again I will develop a more streamlined understanding of the game systems and so not have so much trouble but by then I guess I will be much worse at spotting issue and wrinkles in the game since I'll be accustomed to them :/ - this is what always causes issues towards the ends of games if one is not careful with ones testing (as so many AAA titles can atest!)
All the best with your new projects and I'll just hang a little hope that some of the issues with this one can be ironed out in time :) <3
Right, this is an amazing game but could be so much better if there were not so many weird GUI issues, bugs and two odd choices.
GUI: Mixing the mouse and keyboard feels weird to start with and gets downright horrible later on with lots of birds, even the keyboard is objecting since pressing two keys at once often/always locks the vertical movement out and you slide awkwardly along the horizontal. Having to go to the bottom and then to each bird (especially pigeons) for each message (even when messages are grouped) is cute to start with but gets frustrating fast with lots of messages and birds... I spent more time giving messages than I did anything else in the game and paying attention to deadlines was not worth it beyond half-way through the game... make sure your birds are upgraded and just send them with the right size package plus don't take on the apothacary or the other short deadline patron... not worth the trouble because there is too much time just trying to get message to birds in the roost.
Bugs: Upgrades to birds cost nothing despite what it says. Birds taking twice as long as they should (occassionally but impactfully in the case of multi-parcel deliveries, especially with the queen given the hit to reputation is at least twenty well sent packages... plus the time it takes to do so given the decline in reputation over time. Looking at the bird seller screen when they leave the page makes it so you can't leave that page ever again... this is a HARD RESET BUG. Kernels seem to jump in price by ten times once you go into buying them individually (whatever the price marked) - I was within days tens of thousands in debt due to having run out of kernels... no the price being charged for kernels was not matched by what was being charged automatically. Going into debt doesn't end the game? It is not possible to leave debt though as the cost of kernels far outstrips your ability to make money.
Design choices: keyboard plus mouse. no save function. little to no information on the main stat in the game (reputation), it seems to be impacted by debt status, failed packages (by a huge degree) but not improved for delivering early or for larger deliveries (because four stork delivery a day ahead of time is entirely normal for a forge!?! Never mind four note deliveries over 1400kms on the same day - and that wasn't even a short deadline!?!?)
I have to say this feels a lot like a game that was always playtested from beginning to end (given the lack of saving this is even less surprise) and therefore the start of the game experience is very good and then the end of game experience is a terrible mishmash because little problems magnify to become big problems because the choice of "difficulty" curve was "all of them" (more packages, more reputations to maintain, more birds, less time (caused by a slow and inefficient UI) and way too much information that just can not be parsed in time... I would challenge you to create an automated bot to play this game to the end without having the same issues as human players (which given their speed suggests that the mechanics of the game themselves are the problem, not human skill).
Anyway, I have to say that this game starts out great and I could see it doing well in competitions where completion is not necessary but remember that fans will complete your games and may not stay fans if the game drops off in quality as one progresses through it... this is a real problem in clicker games, time blocking games and AAA games that playtest only the first few hours of their games because after that no refunds are possible.
Thank you so much for the extensive feedback! Just so i can understand the feedback correctly: Which version did you play? browser or downloadable? Post jam or jam submission? We made the game in 3 days and then took a few days of that week to balance, polish some things and fix some bugs. From the description it does sound a bit like you played the jam submission.
Apologies for entirely forgetting to specify my system information. I installed the game using the itch.io app in Windows 10 which I believe usually makes it the latest available version of the app... but I've just double checked and it looks like it defaulted to the Jam version, so yes, I will need to double check this lot - apologies... I be back to you with what I can find once I've played the latest version. I have to say I'm a little perturbed as every time I've had reason to check previously it was indeed the lastest version installed by default, I wonder what happened this time?
Okay I've found why the PostJam version is not the default to install. The Jam version's data file lists the Jam version as having been updated 26th November, 2023 but the PostJam version is listed as having been created and updated at 23 May 2023 so the app finds the latest version to be the Jam submission and therefore installs that by default and it is not obvious from the interface that there are other versions... indeed the "Install" button is visible once seeing the very top of the page so someone my never see the list of versions before deciding to install the programme and then the drop down for other versions exists whether there are other versions in that dropdown or not and so it is not clear if a programme has an alternate version without active clicking on the dropdown to find what other versions there are.
All this means that since your latest updated version (according to the metadata the app uses) is the Jam version that was "updated" 26th November 2023 and so that is given as the default (by the looks of it). I presume that, if nothing else, you "update" the PostJam version this issue will be fixed nd you'll stop getting so many reports about the Jam version! ;) <3
Ah, now i understand the logic behind it. The installer will probably choose the first entry in the list that matches your OS. The jam build was older than the post jam (which makes sense), but it was listed as the first build. I fixed that, thank you for the info! That should make many player experiences better.
Amazing game! I wish it had a save system as it did take me three hours to complete, but I had a very good time :D The update system for the birds is very well though out in my opinion and the art style is absolutely wonderful!
I love this game, it's relaxing and the art and soundtrack are so beautiful and lovely. Perfect to play while waiting something, or when you want to relax. It makes me feel cozy <3
Really the only thing I can say I missed a bit is what everyone already suggested, a way to save the progress, but tbh not finishing it will make me play more so I won't complain lol
What an unforgettable work in "gaming as art" this birdy arcade management game was ! Totally deserves some "unique game concept" award on indie games events )
Absolutely love the game!! It's so entertaining without having to be overwhelming, having a comforting feel to it. As I've read from other comments, you've got your hands full now, but I would love to see more things (a full version & a saving system) added in the future!
Until then, I'll keep enjoying it as it is (´ ε ` )♡
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fun facts about this game:
have fun!! :DD
my game froze :( and i was almost ready to accept the queen's patronage too D:
PS this has happened a few times, and my progress doesn't save when i reload or close the tab
Very sorry for that! The game has some bugs left, but we didn't get around to making a patch. It was just a jam game and never intended to have a playtime of 2 hours, so it's a bit problematic. I hope we can get around to adding a save system eventually.
cant sell or move my ravens/pigeons
I love this game so much -- and you used actual raven calls! Not crow caws! I'd really really love a version with the bugs ironed out, save feature, and maybe expanded a bit more. Easily drop 10-20$ on it on Steam depending on how much content gets added. It's so full of charm and quite elegant yet simple.
This game has such a vibe to it, great work!
This game is adorable !
You know what? You should definitely commercialise this game! Go on Steam! I'm sure many would love to pay the dollars for a longer journey with the charming little birds.
Amazing Game! Loved it. It crashed an hour in, so I didn't get to finish it, but close. If you improved stability and maybe a more rigorous auto saved system, you could easily throw it up on steam.
Brilliant game, but strangely laggy! I know you guys probably didn't have much time for optimisation, but I feel like I really have to mention this.
aw im playing broswer and it didnt save my progress, i totally lost the urge to keep playing after that.
Is there a list of known bugs somewhere? Because like... I'm very charmed by this game, and I'd like to try to finish it, but I've had to start over a couple times now because it froze or crashed, both times pretty late in the game.
The first time, it froze right after I accepted Silvermane Trading as a patron, while playing it in the browser.
The second time, it crashed right after I accepted the Silvermane Trading parcel contract for the first time. I'd already done their letter contract a few times at that point, and I was playing the Windows desktop post-jam version.
I kind of still want to try to get to the end, but like.. It'd be nice to have a list of common causes of crashes so I know what actions to either avoid, or try to get out of the way early so if it is going to crash, it'll at least do it early in a playthrough.
EDIT: Ok, I've had the game crash out on me 5 times now.
I'm not sure it's worth trying again until the next build release, but I think I'm at least *starting* to notice a pattern; it only ever happens after I unlock Silvermane Trading as a client. It doesn't happen *every* time I unlock them or sign contracts with them, but every time it's happened, it's been a fraction of a second after I close the contract window; it lets me move for a couple frames, then I hear the squeaky pulley sound, and it freezes. And I *think* it might have to do with the parcel contract specifically.
EDIT 2: Ok, I tried a seventh time and I just decided to skip out on Silvermane Trading as a client entirely; this time I got a lot farther, but I'd accepted Queen Isadora as a patron, and I was gearing up to finally accept Queen Isadora's contract when it crashed AGAIN when I accepted a variety of contracts from other clients.
Are you playing the web build or the downloadable? It seems like the web build is a little more unstable, unfortunately...
It might be related to accepting many contracts at once? I'm not sure. But I did at least manage to finish on my third try. Sorry you couldn't
hi, I play this in the browser version I got a glitched I can't play because I just buy a bird, and it now suck in pause I don't know what to do
BROWSER VERSION
is it just me? I got the bug that my bird just glitches while on a run and doesn't deliver the letter but also not coming back. I tried selling that bird to buy a new one, but this does not work. So I'm stuck with a bird that I can't use. it's been with all birds since I restarted and played a lot but still get the issue and I have no idea how to fix it. Even when I sleep the bird doesn't come back or when the delivery fails.
{EDIT} The game freezes up for me every time around day 17 and 20. I don't know why. This sucks because I have to restart even when I'm on a great run. The furthest I have gotten is day 26 before it froze.
I love this game but this hinders me from continuing in the game since I can't get as many functioning birds and get fined for birds not finishing a task because they are frozen. Please tell me how to fix this because this game is so good!! it's one of my favorite games.
Wow! This game was so much fun! I would love to play an even longer version.
I did find a bug. It seems like upgrading the maximum stock charges me more than it should and puts me into debt. (e.g. I click the "Pay 500" button and it ends up deducting 1000 from my bank.
I was looking for unique management games and this one became one of my favorite ! It's simple yet fascinating, I've been playing at my own pace for 2 hours now !
I'm on the browser version for now, and I just wanted to ask if it was normal that I can't move the birds ? I wanted to make some space for more nests, so I waited for the merchant to come and I clicked the "move for 50 currencies" button. But my cursor highlights the tiles on the wall and not the nests, and clicking on them does nothing. Do I have to wait for the birds to be in them first or is this a bug ?
Yeah, you cant move the nests until the bird returns
love it!
how do you load the saved game instead of starting all again?
Sadly there is no save currently. See: https://itch.io/post/10230462
This seems to be a hidden gem after scrolling through thousand horror games here. I love this game, the design, the music, the game play, everything. Thank you for creating this.
Btw, somehow my character kicked parcels and letters into the contract room or departure hall, I couldn't pick up these parcels to deliver so I had to pay the penalties many times. Hopefully the developers will take note of this point
I believe the location of the parcel/letter doesn't matter. You just land on the bottom floor and press E
do the birds die if you dont feed them
No. If you don't feed them, you will automatically buy the necessary seeds at the end of the day at whatever the market price is. Always best to keep an eye on it and buy low so you aren't forced into buying at an expensive time!
To add to the other comment, when you're forced to auto-buy seed, you can go into debt, negative money value. The only penalty to debt is that you can't buy things. You have to work off the debt until you're in the positive to begin buying things again.
the game have save?
No, not currently, see comments below where the dev has responded to previous request for it: https://itch.io/post/10230462
ty
i don't know how to carry two letters, pls someone teaches me how to do it
You can upgrade your birds to gain the ability, or you can buy one from the seller who has the ability
I upgrade my bird to carry two letters but I give it a letter, my bird just flies away, I can not give it another letter
It has to be a letter from a contract with multiple letters. Give the upgraded bird one of the letters, and it will take a second one on its own.
It only works for single deliveries that have multiple letters, e.g. some of the Irongate Blacksmith deliveries. It won't let them do two different single-letter deliveries at once.
men, I'm not blind to not see it, I wait but my bird does not take the second letter, my bird has that ability but it does not work. If it works why do I need to ask
If you're selecting a letter from a multi-letter delivery request, and your bird can carry multiple letters, it will. I haven't seen anyone else post a bug about this and it's working fine for me. So this is a PEBKAC issue, afaict. You wouldn't have to wait, it happens the instant you send the bird off with a letter from a multi-letter delivery request. The bird doesn't fly down to pick up the other one, it just goes with them without any visuals other than the second one disappearing along with the first.
Sometimes on itch.io I find deep strategy games with cool concepts but lacking charm. Sometimes I find games that are very polished visually but that lack content.
More rarely I find game that do both, and today was one of these days. Thanks a lot for this game, I love every minute I spent on it!
New comment for new version! :)
I installed the PostJam version (dated: 2023-05-23) using the itch.io app on Windows 10.
First general comments: WOW, this is way different from the previous version... a lot more streamlined and with some information management made significantly easier, though I will note that the extra information and how some of the old information now matters more means the information handling load is pretty heavy, though due to the extended play time (WITH NO SAVE) caused by the need to get each patron on the list rather than skipping some is useful for teaching more about how the system work and working on that muscle memory but also makes it less likely that I have a play session long enough to finish the game... so the end game will not get play tested or only one or twice I'm afraid.
I'll also add that the absolute need to get the range numbers right due to tightening up the speed and distance requirements make it possible to stuff yourself going onto a new patron... I couldn't deliver anything for the smiths for ages because I had to save up for birds that could do the work and the fastest apothecary note was also a long term saving project (made worse because I over committed due to not realising that one of my crows didn't have the range and not correctly sequencing things).
I appreciate being able to see how my birds are flying as well as being given times for sleep and return though the jump in speed of sleeping between minimal and short is rather big, no? It definitely makes getting some birds to minimal or just not bothering to upgrade that at all and going for speed as long as they have enough range. I think overall this part of the game is the hardest as I've already had to sell one bird (and extend my playthrough) because the upgrades I made didn't match what I later needed from said bird - I like that it was feasible to do this but maybe not the reason (a lack of information about what ranges are actually needed - can I suggest that either the birds' and delivery items' range be listed in the same way as sleep and not to require exact numbers (do these birds really count the exact kms they fly?? or change the patron list to include a maximum range in numbers for them?) Also see below...
Bugs:
I can no longer get trapped in the shop thanks to every overlay screen properly pausing the action and time and note being able to click on the shop once it is leaving *yay* but I did get trapped in the shop when I went to sell a bird, then hit cancel without selecting a nest (I planned and then decided against selling a bird right then) the overlay screen went away but I could not click on anything or us keys when later started causing beeping, as if they were being queued? However I accidentally pressed right click and everything started working again... so not a soft lock unless you don't know to press a button never used in the game! ;)
The predicted arrived time for one note said I would be late but my bird made it anyway... I sent it just after it ticked over from being unlikely to arrive in time but never-the-less it made it just fine... so the predictor is inaccurate despite having three possible outcomes; arrives in time, might arrive in time, definitely won't - I didn't have a choice with that one as I had a spare bird and it would be late with any other I might send it with hence sending it anyway...
I went into debt by almost a 100 credits when I bought the kernel silo upgrade for 500 credits when I had over 850 credits... it looks like it charged me for the grain I already had in the silo as well as the silo upgrade?
I ran out of time to test more but I am worried that I will have to sink a lot of time in to discover why herons have such long ranges even though so far that is useless as the only long range deliver is a note that has to go super fast (and therefore by pigeon).
Anyway, the PostJam version is way better overall even though it might have become worse in one or two ways and also exacerbated the lack of saving quite a bit!
Best wishes and although I hope for more updates to this I am just happy that you appear to enjoy your work here enough to stay in contact with your players! :) - it seems to be a little rare and unfortunately a lot of those who do also don't seem to have the time to do much about bugs (especially in anything but their most recent game *sigh*).
<3
Thank you so much, wow! It is rare to get this extensive feedback, i appreciate it. The save function is dearly missing, i agree. We love Ravenhaul and would like to continue with it and improve it, but right now we don't have the time to do it. Just too many games on our plate. We do this for a living, and we take the freedom to make a jam game for a week 2-3 times a year, but we can't put in much more time because they are free games and we can't work extended periods for free. So, i can empathize with devs needing to move on to their next game. We have 18 games on itch and 2 more on steam, and even if i love them all, we can't keep working on them all.
To the feedback: don't worry, without a save and some bugs around the later stages can be a bit straining to reach. I'd love for you to be around if we eventually can continue working on the game (making it into a full release). My hope is that we can do that next year, but plans change a lot over time.
I really like the suggestion of not having a numeric value for the distance. That would make it a lot more accessible i think, easier to understand, while providing the same challenge. It is a direction question too, whether it is a more hardcore management game or more on the cozy friendly side.
I do like that you met some challenge with finding or training the right bird - this is exactly what i wanted from the patrons, to pose a challenge to your birds. Some later patrons have long ranges or big parcels as delivery, which you need the herons for.
You are welcome to the feedback... I generally try to give feedback to all the devs of games I try and especially ones I play regularly, especially in the review but sometimes in the comments too if there is a lot but some of it might be easy to change. I'm happy to help out as I myself would love to develop games and contribute to a few but I have so little time and my origin was as an alpha tester of computer games so this is just a little light exercise for my mind (I am genuinely suprised I missed reporting the source of my copy of the game and not checking the version! But at least that little wrinkle is easy enough to fix :)
I didn't realise you had so many games but then there are always more platforms, right?
As to you feedback responses; I'm glad I was able to suggest something helpful and maybe these bug reports might make it a little easier to put in fixes. As for the patrons, I like the mechanic but I found it harder to stomach because I just don't have the time to dedicate to a whole run through, especially with the increased time due to having to mess a little to get exactly the right bird... I suppose over time as I play again and again I will develop a more streamlined understanding of the game systems and so not have so much trouble but by then I guess I will be much worse at spotting issue and wrinkles in the game since I'll be accustomed to them :/ - this is what always causes issues towards the ends of games if one is not careful with ones testing (as so many AAA titles can atest!)
All the best with your new projects and I'll just hang a little hope that some of the issues with this one can be ironed out in time :) <3
begging for a save function 🙏 i LOVE this game
Right, this is an amazing game but could be so much better if there were not so many weird GUI issues, bugs and two odd choices.
GUI: Mixing the mouse and keyboard feels weird to start with and gets downright horrible later on with lots of birds, even the keyboard is objecting since pressing two keys at once often/always locks the vertical movement out and you slide awkwardly along the horizontal. Having to go to the bottom and then to each bird (especially pigeons) for each message (even when messages are grouped) is cute to start with but gets frustrating fast with lots of messages and birds... I spent more time giving messages than I did anything else in the game and paying attention to deadlines was not worth it beyond half-way through the game... make sure your birds are upgraded and just send them with the right size package plus don't take on the apothacary or the other short deadline patron... not worth the trouble because there is too much time just trying to get message to birds in the roost.
Bugs: Upgrades to birds cost nothing despite what it says. Birds taking twice as long as they should (occassionally but impactfully in the case of multi-parcel deliveries, especially with the queen given the hit to reputation is at least twenty well sent packages... plus the time it takes to do so given the decline in reputation over time. Looking at the bird seller screen when they leave the page makes it so you can't leave that page ever again... this is a HARD RESET BUG. Kernels seem to jump in price by ten times once you go into buying them individually (whatever the price marked) - I was within days tens of thousands in debt due to having run out of kernels... no the price being charged for kernels was not matched by what was being charged automatically. Going into debt doesn't end the game? It is not possible to leave debt though as the cost of kernels far outstrips your ability to make money.
Design choices: keyboard plus mouse. no save function. little to no information on the main stat in the game (reputation), it seems to be impacted by debt status, failed packages (by a huge degree) but not improved for delivering early or for larger deliveries (because four stork delivery a day ahead of time is entirely normal for a forge!?! Never mind four note deliveries over 1400kms on the same day - and that wasn't even a short deadline!?!?)
I have to say this feels a lot like a game that was always playtested from beginning to end (given the lack of saving this is even less surprise) and therefore the start of the game experience is very good and then the end of game experience is a terrible mishmash because little problems magnify to become big problems because the choice of "difficulty" curve was "all of them" (more packages, more reputations to maintain, more birds, less time (caused by a slow and inefficient UI) and way too much information that just can not be parsed in time... I would challenge you to create an automated bot to play this game to the end without having the same issues as human players (which given their speed suggests that the mechanics of the game themselves are the problem, not human skill).
Anyway, I have to say that this game starts out great and I could see it doing well in competitions where completion is not necessary but remember that fans will complete your games and may not stay fans if the game drops off in quality as one progresses through it... this is a real problem in clicker games, time blocking games and AAA games that playtest only the first few hours of their games because after that no refunds are possible.
All the best and keep on improving :)
Thank you so much for the extensive feedback! Just so i can understand the feedback correctly: Which version did you play? browser or downloadable? Post jam or jam submission?
We made the game in 3 days and then took a few days of that week to balance, polish some things and fix some bugs. From the description it does sound a bit like you played the jam submission.
Apologies for entirely forgetting to specify my system information. I installed the game using the itch.io app in Windows 10 which I believe usually makes it the latest available version of the app... but I've just double checked and it looks like it defaulted to the Jam version, so yes, I will need to double check this lot - apologies... I be back to you with what I can find once I've played the latest version. I have to say I'm a little perturbed as every time I've had reason to check previously it was indeed the lastest version installed by default, I wonder what happened this time?
Okay I've found why the PostJam version is not the default to install. The Jam version's data file lists the Jam version as having been updated 26th November, 2023 but the PostJam version is listed as having been created and updated at 23 May 2023 so the app finds the latest version to be the Jam submission and therefore installs that by default and it is not obvious from the interface that there are other versions... indeed the "Install" button is visible once seeing the very top of the page so someone my never see the list of versions before deciding to install the programme and then the drop down for other versions exists whether there are other versions in that dropdown or not and so it is not clear if a programme has an alternate version without active clicking on the dropdown to find what other versions there are.
All this means that since your latest updated version (according to the metadata the app uses) is the Jam version that was "updated" 26th November 2023 and so that is given as the default (by the looks of it). I presume that, if nothing else, you "update" the PostJam version this issue will be fixed nd you'll stop getting so many reports about the Jam version! ;) <3
Ah, now i understand the logic behind it. The installer will probably choose the first entry in the list that matches your OS. The jam build was older than the post jam (which makes sense), but it was listed as the first build. I fixed that, thank you for the info! That should make many player experiences better.
Guys this is amazing but im begging for a save game mech!! (and maybe more content because this I the perfect cozy game).
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Absouloutely perfect!
Very nice.
love the game! unfortunately, it always freezes up after I unlock the queen
Amazing game! I wish it had a save system as it did take me three hours to complete, but I had a very good time :D The update system for the birds is very well though out in my opinion and the art style is absolutely wonderful!
Love the game so much (honestly i wish there was a save button) but it's really nice love it pls expand more
:D
there was a bug were a letter got stuck on the wall and i couldn't pick it up?
I love this game, it's relaxing and the art and soundtrack are so beautiful and lovely. Perfect to play while waiting something, or when you want to relax. It makes me feel cozy <3
Really the only thing I can say I missed a bit is what everyone already suggested, a way to save the progress, but tbh not finishing it will make me play more so I won't complain lol
I love this game so much, I would love it even more if you could save your progress! Other than that, I love it!
i really like this and would love to see a save function
One of the best games I ever played. I would love to see updates!
What an unforgettable work in "gaming as art" this birdy arcade management game was ! Totally deserves some "unique game concept" award on indie games events )
Absolutely love the game!! It's so entertaining without having to be overwhelming, having a comforting feel to it. As I've read from other comments, you've got your hands full now, but I would love to see more things (a full version & a saving system) added in the future!
Until then, I'll keep enjoying it as it is (´ ε ` )♡
Add a save system