Tiny Trenches

I am genuinely blown away. I have to be honest, I didn't expect to be so completely captivated by this game. After more than five hours of gameplay, I can say with confidence that you have the foundations of a masterpiece here.

For a long time, I've been searching for a game that truly captures the strategic depth of World War I, something I even attempted to create myself at a hackathon. You have succeeded where many have failed, creating gameplay that is not only engaging and strategically deep but also masterfully evokes the spirit of trench warfare. Playing this has sparked hundreds of ideas in my brain.

Suggestions for Future Development

Here are some broader concepts that I believe could elevate Tiny Trenches to an even higher level:

Faction Asymmetry: Introducing distinct choices between the Entente and the Central Powers would add immense replayability. This could manifest as unique units, different strategic doctrines, or unique tech trees that reflect their historical counterparts.

Narrative Campaign: I understand the immense challenge this presents for a solo developer, but a story-driven campaign would be a powerful addition. It could serve as an extended tutorial, add historical context to the sandbox, and breathe so much more life and emotional weight into the experience.

Barbed Wire: The absence of barbed wire is noticeable. As a symbol of WWI, it's an iconic element of fear and defence. Mechanically, it could introduce a crucial tactical layer for area denial, creating chokepoints and making frontal assaults even more costly without proper support.

Historical Technology Tiers (Tanks, Aviation & More): The Battle of the Somme introduced the tank, a terrifying machine that changed the face of warfare. I would love to see tanks and LAV make an appearance. A brilliant way to implement this would be a "Date" or "Era" selection at the start of a match (e.g., 1915, 1916, 1918). This would naturally gate technology, preventing ahistorical matchups like early-war cavalry fighting late-war tanks and ensuring a logical progression.

A Deeper Artillery System: I was most disappointed with the artillery in its current state. It feels imbalanced and has the impact of a grenade, which is perhaps more fitting for a mortar. Artillery was the "God of war" in WWI; it defined the landscape and the strategy. I expected 8-inch artillery to be a terrifying, game-changing force. I envision a system where artillery is a long-range, strategic weapon that reshapes the battlefield itself, creating craters that offer new cover, suppressing enemy positions, and truly clearing the way for an infantry assault. It should be a weapon that commands respect and fear. Or maybe it must cost less than 15 and be a mortar.

Personalization and Settings, I think it is must have for an any sort of games.

No man's land: It doesn't exit in game because there are no big gaps between the trench lines.

After-Action Report: At the end of a battle, I'd love to see a statistics screen. Data on total casualties, resources spent, and -- most importantly -- a "Top 3" list of my most effective units (in terms of enemy kills) would be incredibly satisfying. Especially after losing 2,000 soldiers to gain a few miserable meters of mud, that data would add a powerful narrative layer to the player's actions, because now I need to spot a screenshot in time of battle. 

Gas Attacks: Introducing chemical warfare would be a grim but historically accurate and strategically interesting mechanic, forcing players to adapt with new equipment and tactics.

The Road to Market & Multiplayer: This game is too good to remain a hidden gem on itch.io. It deserves a wider audience on Steam or even Google Play|App Store, the mobile market is starving for a strategy game of this quality. The ultimate dream, of course, would be multiplayer. The chance to recreate the hellscapes of Verdun and Passchendaele against other players is an incredibly exciting prospect.

Minor Nitpicks & Technical Feedback

• No project is perfect, and here are a few smaller issues I noticed:
• Animation: The death animation for cavalry units appears to be missing.
• Lighting: Units glow quite brightly at night. This is unrealistic and slightly immersion-breaking, as night attacks were often preceded by darkness and followed by a dawn barrage.
• AI Balance: The enemy artillery seems to be able to fire even when the AI has fewer than 15 points. This feels unfair and should probably be reviewed for balance.
• Controls: The control scheme is not immediately intuitive and could benefit from a significant rework. I fear this is currently the single biggest element that might turn away new players.
• Visuals: The Chromatic Aberration visual effect feels a bit too strong by default, so, I’m really not a big fan of this effect.
• Hit Registration: I occasionally observed the sniper's targeting beam hitting an enemy unit, but the hit itself would not register.
• Audio: There are some minor sound issues at >2x speed. Additionally, the firing sound of a unit cuts off abruptly the instant it dies, which can be jarring.

Final Thoughts

Thank you so much for creating this game. For me, it has earned a well-deserved #2 spot in my personal ranking of the best World War I games, right behind the atmospheric  AAA-powerhouse Battlefield 1.

As a fellow developer, I'm incredibly inspired by what you've achieved. If you ever need a hand with coding (it is Unity and I have a Junior level in this engine), QA testing, marketing, or just brainstorming fresh ideas, I would be honored to contribute to this project pro-bono (as I understand the game is non-profit at this stage). My contact information is in my profile.

Keep up the phenomenal work.

Sorry for GPT-style. I am not so fluent in English so, I use it to fix my errors.