First Impressions / Feedback
I'll be fishing around the forums and posting feedback and thoughts throughout, but I thought I'd just post my feedback in my own separate thread as I think I have quite a bit.
I'll start off to say that I'm an automation/systems engineer in the industry and have a ton of respect for the small hints of how the game was built and developed in the blog posts. I hope that some day we can get past the browser limitations, but I would understand if it didn't happen. This inspired me to learn a ton more about HTML5 and CoffeeScript in the hopes of building something half as cool as Atlas some day. I'd be interested to know more details about the development and deployment of this game in your blog or here on the forums, but I would understand if you wouldn't want to divulge too much more.
For general positive feedback:
-The art style is very cool. The UI is simple and effective, it fits well
-The non-big-ball army engagements for gems feels awesome and is a large change from what I'm used to
-I love the merge of MOBA mechanics that I love, such as towers/"Nexus" and items, with RTS elements of expanding, building units, etc
-Having the ability to use all squad abilities from the same box select is AWESOME and is my favorite thing about Atlas so far. I play a lot of Chen-like heroes in DoTA 2 or other MOBAs, which requires more miscellaneous micro to use your "squad"'s abilities in a proficient manner
-Atlas ran well at 4K at around 80 FPS max graphics and my PC isn't the hottest thing around. Obviously the system requirements may change as more is added, but it was cool to have a pre-alpha game run so well
-I love the macro of the game. I feel like it's approachable and not overbearing. Its presence is well balanced with the other mechanics of the game
-I like the constant entanglements on the map. The small choices of getting gems that just spawned, helping an ally with neutrals, or defending makes it fun to prioritize my poor micro skills
As for what could be improved upon:
-The collision for some units, particularly Hydros's scuttleguard, seem to be too big. It was frustrating to lose units or engagements trying to get around the scuttleguard's collision box. This also could be an issue with pathing as units could get "stuck" running into walls or other units. I know I could play better and micro worth a damn, but I thought I'd point out my first impression experience
-Compared to Smite or other MOBAs with tower mechanics, I had a jarring experience with the visual ring around an enemy tower, as I didn't realize that it was the healing radius of the tower and not the attacking radius. I'd suggest the visual rings around enemy towers become the attacking radius, and the rings around friendly towers remain the way they are
-The charms (MOBAesque items) that are available are awesome, but I would love even more choices, especially non-AoE ones. I'm sure there will be more, but I love the idea of customizing an RTS build that much more via MOBA/WC3 mechanics
Overall:
I can't wait for the day that I can play this with my friends. I think the game is in a great state and I have faith that the team behind it will continue to take it in the right direction.
Thanks for the opportunity to test Atlas! Unfortunately I can't participate in the PvP timeslot due to other plans, but I look forward to playing competitively in the future.
Comments
Thrilled that you're enjoying Atlas so far! Thanks for posting feedback too
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Though you cant play in PvP this weekend, I hope you'll come back for TW3!! PvP is a WHOLE different game from PvBots. Bots frankly are boring and dumb and do dumb things. Hopefully we'll see you soon! :D