Heed

[ThreeOhFour]

An encounter with a strange spirit and an even stranger fly leave a traveler with questions about purpose, fate and the source.

Follow this traveler as they seek to find something more from their life and find their true purpose.

Download now!


The following people have my sincere thanks for various reasons:

Sebastian Pfaller, for putting up with my erratic game creation habits and always being willing to make music.

Arj0n and monkey_05_06 for testing the game and giving me lots of feedback and useful suggestions about how I could improve the game.

loominous, Misj' and TheJBurger, for various pieces of advice, both big and small, that helped me make this game.

Peder Johnsen, for keeping me motivated and hosting my games.

Chris Jones, for his most wonderful engine.

And lastly, but not leastly, everyone who followed me on this experiment. I really do appreciate it.

[abstauber]

Yay, downloading

edit:
...and played. Well that was more like an art experience than a game, but a very lovely one.

Story and atmosphere are great, too bad that it' already over again.

[monkey0506]

So should I take a look at the final then Ben?

You're definitely welcome. My pleasure. Anytime.

[ThreeOhFour]

So should I take a look at the final then Ben?

You're definitely welcome. My pleasure. Anytime.

If you take pleasure in seeing your name in credits

But yes, there are some definite changes. And thanks - hopefully next time won't be too far away.

[arj0n]

But yes, there are some definite changes.

Then I definitely will play it again.

[Vukul]

Very nice work. Indeed, that's why sometimes we call games an "Art".
Purposeful, sourceful and essenceful... and leaves much to think over...

During the game a couldn't but think, that if the Myst were hand-drawn - it would have been something like this!

[kaputtnik]

Alright! Hooray for spiritual enlightenment and non-kafkaesque insect metamorphosis! And high five for temporal layers!

[Matti]

Cool!

I loved the backgrounds you posted in the critics lounge.. and now there's the game. Downloading!

[Babar]

I heeded.
Now I can see!
Or am I just showing the way for others to see?
Can they see?


Woah....interesting....game?

[Anian]

Wow, very good and very entertaining as always. I usually don't comment your games 304 but just to let you know, I do enjoy them.

Funny thing, the first thought I had when the music started was - that sounds like Fallout. 

[miguel]

Wow! Another game by Ben!!!
I'm downloading it! Can't wait to try it out!
--------------------------------------------------------------
I'm loving the game Ben, it's different in a good way and I'm already stuck on the 3 statue puzzle
Graphics are really beautiful and  considering the low res it was made it's a master piece!
I also like the concept and the philosophical approach works well with the atmosphere.
The music gets a bit in my head, not that its bad, I think you could have it fade and unfade.
Well, great job!
 

[TheJBurger]

Congrats on the release!

And thanks for mentioning my name in the credits, that's very nice of you. 

[Dualnames]

You're killing the competition on short based games competition, you know that?! 

[Matti]

Just finished it.

That was a strange experience... and a strange game, if you can call it that. But I like it, the atmosphere works well and I really dig these backgrounds.. and the characters as well. Most parts of the music added much to the atmosphere too. I also really liked the twist in the middle when the player becomes the fly.

As for the esoteriligiousophical context: ...well, it was interesting..

I'd like to see some kind of sequel (I really like that style) with more lenght and more puzzles.

[FrasierCrane]

Hey Ben, I just finished your game and I really loved it (as your other games). It was for sure a new gaming experience. It's a good thing that you always seek some new and fresh ideas for every game you make.
I found the atmosphere especially striking; it reminded me of Loom at the beginning (,which is a very good thing).  Another thing I really liked was the music: Remixing these old records of the 1900s is a wonderful idea (just listened to some of the original recordings on www.archive.org - it's a cool page).
Keep on making this fantastic games!

[Takyon]

Loved the art style although I feel the characters don't really match up with it but I hope there's more game with this style soon

[TheJBurger]

Rock Paper Shotgun wrote an article about you: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/07/16/take-heed/

Congrats. 

[Wayne Adams]

Masterfully done, dude.. my only small crit is that music began to scrape across my brain....

Other than that.. it was a wonderful presentation.

[GarageGothic]

Beautiful little game. I somehow missed the announcements on the forums and instead found it through its mention over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Loved the graphics (the development of which I've followed in the critics lounge), the use of turn-of-the-century music recordings, the priority of story over puzzles and just the atmosphere of the whole thing. Truly a unique experience. Will give your previous games a try when I have the time.

[monkey0506]

You've got yourself a nice, creepy little following there Ben. Reviewed on the same day as its release?

I definitely enjoyed this game, and as I said I would love to see more like this. Haven't checked out that music yet...I should really download this and play through it again.

By the way Ben I don't think I ever told you, but I didn't need the walkthrough after all. I did get a little stuck on some of the puzzles for a bit, but I was able to get through okay.

EDIT: Just played through for the third time. Nice to see that both of my valid points were properly addressed! And I don't know if the music was in the beta or not as I just discovered the speakers were apparently unplugged... ...but the music definitely did add..."essence" to the game...great work (again) Ben.

Y'know though...I keep up all this testing people might start to think that I've ever actually worked on a game...haha.

[Leon]

Very sweet!

[ThreeOhFour]

Abstauber: Thank you, sir. Yes, it's probably the least 'game like' game that I've created, but I am glad you enjoyed it nevertheless .

monkey_05_06: Yep, the music was in the beta . And yes, I am a little surprised about getting reviewed so early, but very grateful! Thanks again for your efforts, and I'm glad you're not too bored of the game that you're willing to play through another time . The non necessity of a walkthrough is always a priority when I create a game, so I am pleased to hear this point .

Arj0n: Again, thanks for your efforts, and I am pleased once again to hear you're still willing to play through the game.

Vukul: Thank you for playing, and I am honoured to hear that it gives you some things to think over. I never thought I'd get compared to Myst, but you are very kind to suggest such a thing .

Kaputtnik: Temporal layer five! I'll take it!

Mr Matti: Whilst I can appreciate that it comes off as very strange, it is good to know that you still enjoyed it. It is also nice to hear that my dabbling in other forms of illustration is well received. As for sequels... well, I've never made one yet, and I don't have any plans to start making sequels now, but I am glad to hear you feel it worthy of such a thing

Babar: I very much enjoy your short explanation of the game. I should have put that as the database text . Thank you for playing it, and also for commenting

anian: Very kind of you to say so . I also got the Fallout vibe when Sebastian started sending the music through, but when listening to Fallout music in my headphones, I don't constantly look around the room to see if someone is calling my name .

miguel: And thanks to you, sir . I hope you don't get too frustrated by being stuck, and am pleased to hear you have enjoyed what you've played so far

TheJBurger: Thanks for the heads up on the article and for commenting! Hopefully one day I won't need people to kick me in the bottom and say "Start writing proper stories, dangit!"

Dualnames: What can I say? I like making short games  

FrasierCrane: Most kind of you to say that! I am glad you enjoyed the music - I felt it added a very nice feel to the game, and I am always fond of Sebastian's soundtracks. I appreciate you taking the time to comment, and yes, I do plan to make more games (whether they are fantastic or not is not for me to judge ).

JJ: Thanks . I hope to release more soon as well... although, I don't plan on sticking to one art style at any point .

Wayne Adams: Thank you for playing and commenting. As for the music... well, I feel it fits the game well (and the game scrapes across my brain ). Good to hear you enjoyed it .

GarageGothic: And more thanks to you . I was a little concerned that the lack of focus on actual puzzles would be a sour note, but I am very grateful to hear that some enjoyed this! I hope you enjoy the others that you play .

Leon: Thank you once again, sir .



To all who have played the game, you have my sincere thanks. The response that I have recieved so far (it has not even been a day  ) has been very encouraging, and I really appreciate the nice comments I've read. Thanks to you all once more!

Edit: Also, sorry to anyone who has trouble downloading the game. You lot just destroyed my box.net monthly bandwidth, and I hope to have better hosting soon   

[Snake]

Benny, I think those are the most smilies I've seen in one post, ever, in the history of the AGS forums, heh.

I've got it downloaded, but haven't got a chance to play it yet - but will do!

[ravenfusion]

Damn, I was trying to keep up with your interactive demos! Nice to see it came out far sooner than I expected though. I've only played a little part of the game but so far it's nice, the painted backgrounds look great.

[blueskirt]

Great game! I somewhat miss the first demo's Lovecraftian ending however.

[Leon]

After playing it again (fourth time or so..) I just wondered:

When at the second pillar, realizing you missed your chance, why not have the chance of ending it all and never know what will be ahead (literally quit), or proceed as you have to do now?

About that quitting.. (and saving and loading...): a confirmation would be appreciated. Quit is very abrupt and did I really load/save?

[ThreeOhFour]

Snake: Hehe  - I didn't realize I had used so many until after I hit the 'Post' button. Sorry for breaking the record, and I hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to play!

Ravey: Sorry it came out too soon . I hope you enjoy completing the game, and am pleased to hear you like the new background style!

blueskirt: I am actually really surprised at how many different people played the early stages of the game. Nice to hear you enjoyed the final... thing... and although I remain sadly ignorant of anything Lovecraft ever did, I too was really quite chuffed at how the first part I posted worked as a whole. Thanks for playing!

Leon: Good Lord, man, what possessed you to sit through it that many times!? I did consider your suggestion, but felt that if I just ended the game there, the player who chose this path and might be interested in the other path would hesitate to do so because of the drudgery of sitting through the preceding parts. I understand where you're coming from, and as for the save and load and quit functions... I didn't really expect many people to use them. I'll consider doing an update of the game, but might wait a bit for any bug reports to come through . Thanks for sharing your thoughts, anyhow!

[blueskirt]

Well, I used "Lovecraftian" in a very loose way. If you only play the first demo, you get the impression it was a horror story, a man going on a walk, discovering a strange fly, being lured to a mysterious pillar by a collective of ghosts, before being presumedly swallowed by it, and the pillar remaining there, patiently waiting for its next victim. Add to this the very strange music, it certainly had a horror vibe to it. It also kinda tainted the way I played the final game since I was expecting a downer ending the whole time I played it.

[Ghost]

I am gender-confused now. Surely that's a *lady* in a green dress?

Also hearthfelt congrats on all the positiveness here, Ben. Heed defenitely deserves it. In all honesty it's not my favourite, but the most mature and deep game you've made so far.

[Kweepa]

Great wee game!
Normally I like AGS games of about this length, but I find myself wanting to see your concepts a little more thoroughly explored...

[mouthuvmine]

Wow. That really was fantastic. I really enjoyed the story, especially what I considered a twist, but the highlight for me was the backgrounds. I just played through Shifter's Box before this, and I like seeing you progress your art as you keep churning out games. Fantastic!!

[ThreeOhFour]

blueskirt: Ah, I see what you mean. Your imagination went that way! I can see how that would have worked really nicely as a story, actually .

Ghost: As for the gender of the main character... well... it isn't really important, is it ? Thank you for your congratulations - I can see why it is not your favourite, but I am glad I went for the experiment, as I learnt quite a lot doing this game and had a good time making it!

SteveMcCrea: Thank you, Sir! Yes, I know that all I ever seem to do are short games (blame it on my terribly short attention span, perhaps). I do hope to one day get around to making longer games, but because I've been learning so much I'll probably keep making short games for a little while yet. Thank you for playing anyway!

mouthuvmine: And more thanks to you. I have had a good time trying to learn more and more about illustration and the like this year, and I am also quite happy with the way things are coming along. Also glad to hear you enjoyed the story, and thanks for playing and commenting!

[cpage]

So first off... This is the first AGS game I have played in a couple years and it did not disappoint.
I just downloaded it after following all the progress in one of your recent painting threads in the critics lounge. The game is visually stunning. The background and character art mesh beautifully. Great work! I really enjoyed the story myself. I love how you appeal to the player by in the very first lines of the game you make the character seem human, wanting a better reality.
Excellent work.

[arj0n]

Ben, congrats with reaching the 1st place on "Most popular last week" in the games section!

[Peder 🚀]

Another brilliant game Ben! .
I really liked the last part of the game!

[Jeopardy]

I'm up to the little house, and all I have to say is, what a strange game you've made, sir. I love your style and the gameplay is absolutely adictive, but it's so strange.

Good Work.

Update: Just finished, absolutely fantastic, bravo.

[Wesray]

Loved the game, played it through in one sitting!

As always great graphics, superb use of color and the music was fantastic. Together with the creative story and gameplay these factors make this game a very special experience indeed. It's not a typical adventure game at all, and I mean that in the most positive sense.

[ThreeOhFour]

cpage: I'm interested to hear that you chose this game after not playing an AGS game for ages, but pleased nonetheless. I really appreciate your kind words about the graphics and story, and thank you for playing the game and taking the time to comment .

Arj0n: Thanks! It has been pretty surreal to see how popular the game has been, especially as I was a bit unsure as to how well it would go down. I'm really very encouraged by the response it has gotten!

Peder Johnsen: Cheers bro . I tried to build things up towards a nice finish, so it is good to see the last part of the game worked well. Thanks for playing, hosting, and patiently listening to me ramble on MSN .

Jeopardy: I can definitely see why you find the game strange, but am very pleased to see that you enjoyed it anyway! Thank you for playing and for your nice comments .

Wesray: Agreed, very much not a typical adventure game - especially the lack of inventory and single click interface. It is really good to see that these didn't detract from the experience too much, so thank you for your feedback, and for giving the game a whirl!

[kaputtnik]

A big barrel of 'awesome, thanks' to all the people who enjoyed the soundtrack - it was, as was Ben's whole effort, pretty much an experiment in which I wanted to try and see whether:

1. mixing completely different styles and periods of time in music always has to sound like Moby
2. it is possible to work some synthesizers around an actual song without changing the song structure
3. people could actually enjoy a soundtrack that is sometimes distracting and probably not a very typical "adventure game" soundtrack at all
4. I could match Ben's experimental design effort with my own experimental soundtrack

[arj0n]

You've created some really awesome tracks for this game Egalotron!
Question: is this score available for download?

[Buckethead]

I've said it before and will say it again: Your games are very nice but if you would spend a little more time on things it would be epic! But fair enough, short games are so much easier to finish.

[Groogokk]

You've created some really awesome tracks for this game Egalotron!
Question: is this score available for download?

The songs/tracks can be found on archive.org.

[Matti]

Your games are very nice but if you would spend a little more time on things it would be epic! But fair enough, short games are so much easier to finish.

Seconded! ..both points..

[arj0n]

You've created some really awesome tracks for this game Egalotron!
Question: is this score available for download?

The songs/tracks can be found on archive.org.

Thanx & Sorry Groogokk.
I can't find any of them on that site and if they are there I guess those are the originals.
I'm looking for the remixed soundtrack used in the game & mixed by Egalotron/kaputtnik.
Hopefully the soundtrack will be placed on the erdbeertelefon website like the soundtracks from the other Ben304 games...

[Groogokk]

Thanx & Sorry Groogokk.
I can't find any of them on that site and if they are there I guess those are the originals.
I'm looking for the remixed soundtrack used in the game & mixed by Egalotron/kaputtnik.
Hopefully the soundtrack will be placed on the erdbeertelefon website like the soundtracks from the other Ben304 games...

They are there (the nerve-racking "Llewellyn March" can be found on http://www.archive.org/details/edgm-8665, while "The Song of the Turn-Key" can be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/details/SongOfTheTurnKeyByNicholasScholl1898), but yes, they are the originals. I didn't listen to the tracks for a long time, but it seemed to me that they weren't altered too much for the game.

[arj0n]

Groogokk: thanx!
True, the song aren't really altered that much/remixed, just some synth reworks, but you can hear the difference.
And, as altered & used in Heed, very nicely done though [kaputtnik's version].

[kaputtnik]

They can now be found on my site, via the link Arj0n has already posted:

http://erdbeertelefon.net/en/soundflies

Yes, very true - the tracks aren't altered very much, but I have polished and filtered them before setting them into a new synth context, and as much as you might enjoy listening to the original tunes, I think mine are really something different. No offense to George Schweinfest, William Moriarty, Nicholas Scholl and Ruby Brooks, of course, I tip my edison cylinder before them in sincere appreciation.

Oh wait, you call these things top hats, right? And the whole joke goes down the drain. Anyway, enjoy. And thanks for your appreciation, Arj0n!

[arj0n]

Yes, now *that* was where I was waiting for.
I've checked your erbeersite some hours ago but for then the
"Olde Tyme Synthesizer Soundtrack" wasn't placed yet.
Thanx for the upload of the kaputtnik versions, kaputtnik .
I'm off now, listening to these 4 gems.

[ThreeOhFour]

Buckethead: Awww, I missed your comment in all the musical chats

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I like making short games 

I am slowly trying to increase the length of the games I make (although this was probably a step backwards) and the next one will probably have a bit more meat to it! But, because I'm trying to make games while also working full time, it's a bit hard to stay motivated on a project that is really big. So... while I hate to disappoint, I'll stick to short games for now and hope you'll still enjoy them . Thanks for playing, anyway!

[F1ak3r]

Quite nice. Personally, I preferred Annie Android and Shifter's Box somewhat, but that's just a matter of taste. My main complaint is that I had to turn off my computer's sound because the music really grated my ears, but once again, that's just a matter of taste.

The first half of the game didn't really excite me much, but I really loved the part after you became a fly. I've never seen anything like it in an adventure game before, good job!

Can't wait for your next game!

[ThreeOhFour]

Thanks, F1ak3r.

I've actually had the idea about having a fly as the player character kicking around in my head since I first started trying to make games, but hadn't gotten around to trying it until now. I'm glad I did try it, and also that you enjoyed it!

As for the next game - well, there's no telling when it will be, but I am looking forward to showing what I've been working on - I think it'll be a good one .

[SuperDre]

Just finished it, loved the graphix. The story was a bit flat IMHO, I don't know why but I kept thinking of Loom.. hehe.. Thanx for making these lovely games..

[Old skool rulez]

just finished it very nice although im not sure i understood it lol

[david]

Here is the review of your game Ben from czech community rate 7/10  with the title
Heed - seek the meaning of life
take a look :
http://plnehry.idnes.cz/adventury/heed-hledani-smyslu-zivota-dd0-/clanek.A090727_203437_bw-plnehry-adventury_var.idn

[ThreeOhFour]

SuperDre: Thanks, it is nice to see that my attempts to improve my graphics have not been in vain! I've never played Loom, but have seen it mentioned a couple of times in relation to Heed now, so I'm interested to play it!

Old skool rulez: Glad to hear you enjoyed it, even if you didn't understand it

david: Thanks for linking me! What I could understand of it (with the help of Google) was very interesting to read, so I appreciate you mentioning it to me

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Taken as an interactive story rather than a conventional game I found it a pleasant way to spend 10 minutes or so.  Nice work, Ben.

[Ultra Magnus]

Great graphics as always, and a nice little story too.
It's just a shame there weren't more... not necessarily puzzles, but puzzle elements.

[Frodo]

Playing now.

Love that music!   

[ThreeOhFour]

ProgZ: When I was making it, I definitely had more of an interactive story in mind than an actual game. Good to hear you enjoyed it! 

Ultra Magnus: I found myself quite hard pressed to incorporate more puzzle elements into the game - I felt that they would get in the way of the story and interrupt the flow. Besides, I put nothing but puzzles in Shifter's Box, so I thought a change would be nice . Thanks for playing!

Frodo: Thanks for playing, and glad to hear you like the music!

[virtualpsycho]

Well done with completing the game man. I enjoyed it tremendously. The puzzle solving elements of the game were very interesting and refreshing.

Keep em comin'

Nice one. 

[Ali]

I just realised that I forgot to post in this thread after playing Heed, what a dreadful oversight!

I enjoyed the game, the tone and atmosphere were very well realised. I loved the music, which had a charming music box feel and an off-kilter quality which reminded me of Tom Waits.

I didn't mind the simplicity of the puzzles, the measured pace or the shortness of the game. However I do think that the narrative and puzzles could perhaps have had greater impact if they had worked together more. The game felt like a series of stepping stones along a story, which was very pleasant. On the other hand, it could have been more effective if I had been learning things at each stage of the game, which I had to make sense of in order to complete the story.

You've created yet another charming world which I was drawn into by the graphics and sound. If the puzzles had helped draw me in to a greater extent, the story would have been all the more memorable. The unexpected...

Spoiler

...point where the character turns into a fly...

[close]

...felt like the beginning of that, but it wasn't exploited quite as much as it could have been.

I hope you appreciate that this criticism is in the context of me having enjoyed the game a great deal!

[ThreeOhFour]

Virtualpsycho: Thank you for your kind comments, and I am most pleased to hear you enjoyed it

Ali: And my thanks to you sir! I built the game room by room, and released each room as it was completed for people to play on my blog, so that they could follow the story chapter by chapter as it was being built - as a sort of experiment in writing and design for the game - which is possibly why it feels like a series of stepping stones.

I agree that it would have been nice if I could tie those puzzles to the story, and looking back I can see ways that I could have done this better (the puzzle with the three statues would probably have lent itself very well to this sort of thing), however at the time I was really quite stumped as to how on earth I was going to make puzzles with a main character that couldn't pick things up or talk or even step on a pressure plate (it seemed like such a good idea until I started trying to build the puzzles). Nevertheless, I appreciate your suggestions and agree with them, and I am most glad to hear you found the game satisfying!