Hey folks, I just pushed a new update for my little chaotic project A Survival Game (a survival card game with clueless stickmen). This time I focused on pacing and new systems:

Shorter Map → players were walking too long before hitting events. Now chaos kicks in faster.

Expedition Boat 🚤 → new system to send stickmen away for loot (high risk, sometimes no return).

Radio 📡 → call for resources (or just static). Simple mechanic but adds a nice “desperate communication” flavor.

+4 Stickmen → bringing the total of new recruits to 8 since last updates.

Shop Upgrade 🛒 → cards finally have descriptions, because apparently stickmen can read.

Visual polish ✨ → more effects, outlined texts, flashy cards.

Better Save System 💾 → now more reliable across HTML5, mobile, and desktop builds.

On top of that, I experimented with monetization:

PRO Mode DLC ($2.50) → lets players customize runs (extra cash, days, stick levels). Basically legal cheating.

Mercy DLC ($1) → adds 4 cards including one that lets you roll back to your last save after a bad decision.

Dev thoughts

The biggest design call was shortening the map. Initially I wanted long runs for tension, but players got stuck in “walking simulator” mode. Compressing it made the game more chaotic and fun — curious to see if players miss the old pacing.

Also, adding the radio was fun because it’s a very simple UI change, but thematically it feels huge (players love pressing buttons that might do something).

Questions for you

Have you ever shortened a game/map for pacing reasons? Did it improve retention or just upset players?

Any tips on balancing optional DLC in a small indie project without making the base game feel lacking?

👉 If you want to check out the game: A Survival Game on Itch.io