Info about Stone Story RPG:

Official game description:
DISCORD AND FAQ
===============
Join our to chat with the community or read the to find out more.
About the Game
==============
_In a realm of perpetual evil, a single stone could change everything..._  
**Stone Story** is an RPG set in a dark and ominous world. Monsters and mysteries plague the realm. Embark on a quest to unite 9 magic Soul Stones and restore the light.  
The game takes elements from various genres and repackages them into a wholly unique experience. One of Stone Story's defining mechanics is that you have **no direct control of the player character**, as an A.I. does all the exploring, combat and looting. Though this is an auto-RPG, that doesn't mean it's an idle game. Potions and special abilities are maximized by good timing. Boss fights are intense, requiring quick item swaps if the boss changes patterns.  
Your natural curiosity will be your greatest tool as you delve into the game and discover there's more beneath its **deceptively simple surface**.  
FEATURES
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*   Stunning ASCII animation and gorgeous music
*   Robust player A.I. that combines with other game systems to offer a unique experience for gamers of all types
*   8 unique Locations, each with their own meticulously detailed environments and intense boss fights
*   Simple, but deep crafting system
*   Dozens of items that can be combined to facilitate new strategies
*   A rich fantasy world with eccentric enemies, amusing NPC encounters and engaging lore
*   8+ hours of main story gameplay, in addition to procedurally generated content
*   Plenty of secrets!
PROGRAM TO PERFECTION
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A game about automation would not be complete without Stonescript, the built-in scripting language used for modifying the character's AI. Easy to use yet powerful, scripts can be as simple as automating potions if your health gets low or optimizing combat to super-human levels.  
Stonescript can also be used to manipulate a number of in-game elements, like the UI or player cosmetics. Put your avatar in a flying mecha, give them a fancy hat, or create a dynamic healthbar!

Release date: Jul 26, 2023

Categories: Auto-battler, Crafting, Automation Game, Procedural Generation, Programming Logic, Idler, Elemental Combat System, Boss Fights


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The overwhelming sentiment among reviewers is that the $30 price is too high for the content and depth offered. Many recommend waiting for a sale, and some even find it overpriced with a discount. The fair base-game price range reflects what players consider reasonable for the amount of gameplay—typically around half the current price or less. The positive reviews are a minority, and even they often mention sale purchases. Thus, the community perceives a fair price between $10 and $15, where the game feels worth its cost.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 103.0h
  - Story completion: 10.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The first quote explicitly reports 103 hours for 100% completion, providing the game completion metric. The second quote indicates that the main story/campaign content ends after about 10 hours of play, as the reviewer notes that only 10 hours of content exist within their 30-hour total. The third quote supports the 10-hour figure by describing the first 10 hours as a period of unlocking new features, implying that this covers the initial story progression. No reliable evidence for session length or endgame hours was found in the reviews, as mentions of idle hours and grind times are either vague or not directly attributable to typical values.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game offers immediate enjoyment through its visual charm, early progression, and relaxed combat, but fun diminishes sharply after a few hours due to repetitive content, limited depth, and grinding, leading to a 'fun then drops' profile.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Initial gameplay start
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: lack of choices, items, and skills after initial hours; repetitive dungeons and gameplay; tedious crafting and chest opening animations; cumbersome equipment re-forging for elemental weaknesses; grind-heavy late game
  - Unlock drivers: novelty of visual style and character progression; early story and new area discovery; relaxing and chill early game pacing
  - Conditions: solo play (implied by idle/RPG nature); mindset of relaxed exploration initially
- Player Archetypes:
  - Automation Programmer (buy)
    - Motivation: Programming challenge and optimization of automated grind
    - Playstyle: Writes scripts to automate level runs, gears up for efficiency, and leaves the game running for extended periods to gather resources.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: coder; script-writer; automation enthusiast
    - Reference games: Candy Box; Bitburner; incremental/idle games with scripting
  - Chill Aesthetic Explorer (sale)
    - Motivation: Exploration of a charming world and appreciation of its unique visual style
    - Playstyle: Plays at a leisurely pace, enjoys reading lore, experimenting with gear casually, and may stop playing once the grind becomes heavy.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: old-school fan; MUD lover; aesthetic appreciator; chill gamer
    - Reference games: MUDs; ASCII games; Dwarf Fortress (ASCII mode)
  - Idle Game Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Steady passive progression and strategic loadout planning
    - Playstyle: Selects weapons and armor, then lets the character auto-run levels; optimizes gear for efficiency without writing scripts; often leaves the game running to gather materials.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: idle game fan; passive player; auto-battler enjoyer
    - Reference games: Clicker Heroes; Cookie Clicker; other idle/incremental games
  - Grind-Averse Active Player (no buy)
    - Motivation: Initial curiosity or love for the aesthetic, but ultimately deterred by lack of engaging active gameplay
    - Playstyle: Plays actively early on, enjoys exploring and simple combat, but stops when the grind plateau hits; dislikes scripting or passive play as a solution.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: active player; grind-hater; action-oriented gamer
    - Reference games: traditional RPGs with active combat; games without forced automation


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- ASCII art praised (weight 0.51): Players consistently praise the ASCII art style, describing it as beautiful, well-implemented, and vivid. The aesthetic is considered a standout feature that scales well and is uniquely recognizable.
- ASCII animation excellent (weight 0.44): The ASCII animations are highly regarded as smooth, rich, and nostalgic, especially for those familiar with BBS styles. Players note the quality despite the limitations of ASCII graphics.
- General enjoyment (weight 0.36): Players find the game fun, interesting, and content-rich, with many recommending it after thorough enjoyment.
- Music and soundtrack good (weight 0.34): The music and soundtrack receive positive feedback for being beautiful, fitting, and impressive. This enhances the overall experience for players.
- Unique idle RPG blend (weight 0.29): The game is seen as a unique and interesting take on the idle game genre, blending RPG elements with idle mechanics. This sets it apart from other idle games.
- StoneScript powerful (weight 0.28): StoneScript is highlighted as powerful and well-documented, allowing for scripting and automation. It adds a programming layer that some players find engaging.
- Crafting system satisfying (weight 0.27): The crafting system is described as simple yet satisfying, with players enjoying the mechanic for its cool factor and effectiveness.
- Community active (weight 0.21): The community is described as very cool and active, with events that players appreciate. This contributes to a positive social aspect.
- Gameplay with coding (weight 0.2): The programming function makes the game interesting, adding fun and automation that enhances the idle and RPG elements.
- Story engaging (weight 0.2): The story is considered fun and interesting, though simple, providing a compelling narrative alongside gameplay.
- Weapon variety good (weight 0.2): There is interesting weapon variety and a synthesis system that allows players to upgrade favorite weapons, adding depth to combat.
- Content abundant (weight 0.12): Players note a ridiculous amount of content, indicating the game offers substantial depth and longevity.
- Worth the price (weight 0.12): Players feel the game is worth every penny even at $29.99, indicating strong value for the content provided.
- Fun idle with autobattler (weight 0.11): The game is described as a fun idle game with an autobattler option, appealing to those who enjoy hands-off progression.

Common complaints:
- High price not justified (weight 0.83): The game is widely criticized for being overpriced at $30, with many reviewers noting that the cost does not match the content, especially when compared to the free mobile version.
- Excessive grinding required (weight 0.8): Players consistently report that the game demands heavy grinding, especially in the endgame, with low drop rates and exponential resource requirements making progression tedious.
- Short and thin story (weight 0.54): The story is considered too short and lacking depth, with reviewers noting that the main campaign can be completed quickly and the narrative feels incomplete for the price.
- Poor programming language StoneScript (weight 0.54): StoneScript is criticized as a terrible programming language with awful documentation, confusing syntax, and bugs, making it frustrating for players trying to learn or use it.
- Idle and automation issues (weight 0.49): The game is still essentially an idle game where players have little control over combat, and automation through coding is only available near the end, leading to boredom and frustration.
- Lack of content for price (weight 0.48): Many players feel the game offers very little content relative to its cost, with limited areas, short playtime, and insufficient post-game activities.
- Repetitive gameplay (weight 0.36): Gameplay is highly repetitive, with similar dungeons, endless loops of stronger foes, and tedious crafting and inventory management that quickly becomes boring.
- Low weapon variety and balance (weight 0.35): Weapon selection is limited, with few types and poor balance (e.g., two-handed weapons are often useless, one-handed overshadows others), reducing strategic depth.
- Poor inventory and UI design (weight 0.35): Inventory management is cumbersome due to limited space, unskippable animations, and a clunky UI that hinders efficient gameplay, especially during high-volume farming.
- New content is scarce (weight 0.33): After the main story, there is very little new content, with no new areas and limited post-game activities, making the game feel unfinished.
- Mobile monetization in premium game (weight 0.27): The Steam version includes mobile-style monetization features like referral codes, daily quests, season passes, and microtransactions, which feel out of place for a $30 premium title.
- Misleading demo and expectations (weight 0.24): Several players felt misled by the demo, which promised a different game (e.g., action RPG) compared to the actual idle/grind gameplay, leading to disappointment.
- Grinding for rare drops is tedious (weight 0.24): Low drop rates for materials, runes, and rare chests force players to grind extensively, which is frustrating and time-consuming without meaningful rewards.
- Limited post-game content (weight 0.18): Once the story ends, there is little to do besides grinding, and bonus missions are regarded as uninteresting, leading to a quick loss of interest.
- Poor documentation and tutorials (weight 0.18): Documentation for programming is incomplete or in English only, and tutorials are few, making it hard for new players to learn the coding mechanics.
- Not suitable for non-programmers (weight 0.15): The game heavily relies on programming for automation, which alienates players not interested in coding, making it less accessible.
- Bugs and stability issues (weight 0.13): Some players encountered bugs, such as imported functions failing or behaving differently, which add frustration to the gameplay experience.
- Game feels like work, not fun (weight 0.12): The heavy grinding and programming requirements make the game feel like a job rather than an enjoyable experience, leading to a loss of motivation.
- Progression stalled by exponential costs (weight 0.12): Exponential upgrade costs for resources cause progression to stall, especially if players cannot defeat bosses, forcing repetitive grinding to advance.
- Real-time gating and events (weight 0.12): Quests and events are gated by real-time, forcing players to wait days or hours, which disrupts immersion and feels unfair in a paid game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Unique programming and automation (weight 0.68): The game centers on a programming mechanic using the custom StoneScript language, allowing players to write scripts for automation and optimization. This core feature is highlighted across multiple clusters, emphasizing its significance in gameplay.
- Idle game with AI control (weight 0.63): Players do not directly control their character; instead, an AI controls movement, combat, and gathering. The player's role is to equip gear and use items, creating an idle/incremental gameplay loop.
- Crafting and equipment system (weight 0.45): The game features a crafting system for weapons and shields (sword, crossbow, staff, etc.) with upgrading and synthesis mechanics. Players can optimize equipment using elemental stones.
- ASCII art visual style (weight 0.27): The game uses ASCII art and text-based graphics, with praise for good animation. This aesthetic is a distinctive and frequently mentioned characteristic.
- Elemental weaknesses and resistances (weight 0.27): Combat relies on elemental weaknesses and resistances (e.g., poison, physical), requiring strategic equipment choices.
- Player actions limited to equipment and potions (weight 0.21): During gameplay, players can only change equipment and use healing items, reinforcing the idle/AI-controlled nature.
- Exploration and hand-crafted levels (weight 0.21): The game features exploration of hand-crafted levels with a story, distinguishing it from rogue-likes.
- Events and daily quests (weight 0.17): Daily quests, weekly events, and missions provide ongoing content and rewards, supporting progression.
- Grinding with automation (weight 0.17): The game involves grinding, but the automation features reduce manual effort, making progression smoother.
- Weapon switching for bosses (weight 0.13): Boss fights require switching weapons due to weaknesses, adding strategic depth to automatic combat.
- Inspired by Candy Box 2 (weight 0.12): The game is graphically similar to Candy Box 2, indicating a text-based/idle game influence.

Performance notes:
No performancepoints

Recommendations:
- Wait for sale, not worth full price (weight 0.55): Multiple players strongly advise waiting for a significant discount before purchasing the game, with some specifically saying to avoid it at full price.
- Recommended for idle RPG fans (weight 0.5): The game is strongly recommended for enthusiasts of idle games and RPG progression, indicating it appeals to a specific niche.
- Requires programming and automation interest (weight 0.39): The game is heavily focused on programming and automation, so it is not recommended for players who dislike coding or find it repetitive.
- Free mobile version available instead (weight 0.34): Multiple players suggest not buying the PC version and instead playing the free mobile version, noting it may offer similar content.
- Recommended for programming enthusiasts (weight 0.3): Conversely, players interested in programming and automation find the game deeply rewarding and engaging.
- Strongly recommended by some fans (weight 0.28): A subset of players found the game excellent and worth every penny, particularly those who enjoy its genre.
- Unique gameplay and art worth trying (weight 0.24): Some reviews highlight the unique art style and gameplay as reasons to try the game, even if it is not for everyone.
- Worth trying for curious players (weight 0.24): Several reviews encourage giving the game a shot, especially if it sounds interesting, without strong commitment.
- Try before buying on mobile (weight 0.22): A common advice is to try the free mobile version first to see if the game is enjoyable before purchasing the PC version.
- Not recommended for non-programmers (weight 0.22): Players who are not interested in coding or automation are advised to avoid the game, as it may be boring or frustrating.
- Perfect for specific game tastes (weight 0.2): The game is tailored for fans of niche genres like Screeps, Zachtronics, or ASCII art, and fits well within those preferences.
- Demo differs from full game (weight 0.17): Some reviews caution that the demo does not accurately represent the full game, leading to potential disappointment for players expecting similar manual control.
- Not for average players, niche appeal (weight 0.17): Several reviews explicitly state that the game is not suitable for average players, targeting a very specific audience of idle game and programming fans.
- Community is helpful and active (weight 0.12): Players note that the community, especially on the game's Q group, is supportive and actively helps with code and new content.
- Watch out for price changes (weight 0.12): A few reviews mention that the game was worth it at a previous price but not at the current higher price, suggesting price sensitivity.
- Not recommended for story or art seekers (weight 0.07): Players looking for a strong story or visually rich art may be disappointed with the game's focus on mechanics and programming.
- Compare with cheaper alternatives (weight 0.06): Some players recommend cheaper alternatives like Melvor Idle for more depth at a lower cost, indicating the game may not offer enough value compared to others.
- Mixed feelings about supporting developer (weight 0.06): Some reviews are conflicted, not wanting to reward certain behaviors but acknowledging enjoyment, leading to cautious recommendations.
- Good for programing learning? Not really (weight 0.06): One review suggests the game is not effective for learning programming, recommending traditional methods like Python or C instead.

Other player notes:
- Kickstarter sequel backer question (weight 0.06): A user mentioned backing a Kickstarter campaign, likely for a sequel or related game, expressing interest or expectation regarding the project.
- Stone Story Ascension DLC inquiry (weight 0.06): A question was raised about whether 'Stone Story Ascension' is a DLC, indicating confusion or need for clarification about the game's content or release structure.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.14): Players are frustrated by the game's reliance on real-time timers for quests, aggressive grind and monetization, and cumbersome mechanics like unskippable animations and complex crafting. High price, slow development, and confusing bugs further contribute to this negative experience, with many citing a feeling of forced, meaningful playtime and poor value for cost.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Players enjoy the game for its unique blend of ASCII art, music, and core gameplay, with particular praise for the coding and automation features. The ability to write scripts and optimize battles provides a creative challenge, while the overall experience, including the story, boss puzzles, and relaxing progression, sustains long-term engagement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.1): Satisfaction stems from successfully mastering the game's coding and strategy systems, leading to efficient progression and offline progress. Players appreciate the game's depth, quality, and fair value when on sale, along with its engaging progression, responsive community, and developer support.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Disappointment arises from a mismatch of expectations, as the game is not a story-driven RPG but a grind-heavy programming game. High price, short content, lack of depth, and mobile-like monetization patterns in a paid title leave players feeling the experience is incomplete and overpriced.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Appreciation is focused on the game's unique ASCII art style, the ability to code AI, and the developer's dedication to adding new content. The supportive community, charming lore, and focus on gameplay over graphics are also highly valued.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement is driven by the upcoming Ascension DLC, the unique programming features, and the anticipation of many planned updates. The creative animations, engaging events, and the thrill of mastering game systems add to this positive emotion.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration is expressed for the game's beautiful and unique ASCII art style, the quality of its programming and RPG elements, and the overall game design. The ability to create a rich experience despite graphical limitations is particularly noted.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Players anticipate future updates and the Ascension DLC, believing the game has strong potential to become a masterpiece. The Early Access status is seen as a promise of more content and refinement.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia is triggered by the game's ASCII art and BBS animation style, which reminds players of classic DOS games. The early playing experience and the game's art and character evoke fond memories of older gaming eras.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise comes from the game's ASCII graphics being unexpectedly effective and visually appealing, surpassing AAA titles in entertainment value. Discovering the depth of Stonescript programming and its features also pleasantly surprises players.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement arises from the game's novel concept, such as comparing crypto mining to in-game grinding and the author's ambition. The humorous idea of 'not having to play' the game is also noted.
- Love (weight 0.02): Love is expressed for the game's overall style, including its art and music. The old-school graphics and the game being a personal favorite contribute to this strong positive feeling.
- Amazement (weight 0.02): Amazement is directed at the game's creative visualization and smooth ASCII animations, which bring the world to life despite the simple graphics.
- Delight (weight 0.02): Delight comes from the beautiful ASCII art, charming animations, and the enjoyable idle/incremental gameplay loop. The sound design and music also add to the pleasant surprise of this experience.
- Tedium (weight 0.02): Tedium is caused by repetitive grinding, exponential upgrade requirements, and long, unskippable animations for item combination and chest opening. The overall repetitive content wears down player patience.
- Fascination (weight 0.02): Fascination is generated by the unique idle mechanic that rewards effort with automation, the wild artistic approach, and the innovative scripting feature that combines genres in a way not seen before.
- Impression (weight 0.02): A strong impression is made by the game's high quality, which reflects years of development, and its brilliant graphics and unique gameplay that stand out in the genre.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy is experienced during the first few hours, engaging with the visual style, exploring maps, and optimizing equipment. Completing all achievements and the overall fun of the game are also sources of happiness.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Interest is piqued by the concept of optimizing loops through programming, which becomes a main draw after unlocking. Learning about enemies, bosses, and the unique combat system also holds player attention.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is high for this gem of a game, which is praised for its great art, gameplay, and writing. The scripting potential and a lack of boring moments lead to strong recommendations from players.}