He Watches

[Snake]

Spoiler

How do I pick up the candle holder in the kitchen so I can carry some damn light around with me?? If it's not meant to be picked up then PLEASE... make it not look like it's got a handle

[close]

Otherwise, great fun so far

[mkennedy]

You might want to change the tech interface for one that looks more gothic/antique. Was the part with the volume supposed to be inspired by the silent hill games where your radio would pick up static when there were spooks nearby?

[WHAM]

@Snake: Cool avatar, dude! And no, no matter how much people want to, there will be no way to carry light sources while moving. You can use the lighter at any time, though, to create light for as long as you are standing still.

@mkennedy: I actually have something like this in mind for the full game. Don't worry. 

[Snake]

@Snake: Cool avatar, dude! And no, no matter how much people want to, there will be no way to carry light sources while moving. You can use the lighter at any time, though, to create light for as long as you are standing still.

Oh... well that explains a lot. I guess I can get my head back on straight and continue the game

One question though, why did you choose not to allow the character to carry light? Surely, if she can drive a car, then she can carry a lit candle/lighter and walk at the same time... Sorry but I find that a bit strange.

I was actually thinking that (after I figured out how to do it) you could only carry a lit candle with you for a limited time before having to put it down due to the burning wax. I was also trying to use the lighter sparingly in fear of wasting the fluid. Will these things take part in the final game?

Anyway, I am enjoying it so far. I like the sound effects. I also love how I'm scared to walk across the hallways without the light on

Now, to download the newer version and play from the start with my new found knowledge.

PS

Cool avatar, dude!

Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

[WHAM]

I made a design choise not to include light sources you can carry on with you when you move. Some explanations I thought of were: "candlewax is hot and uncomfortable on hand" but you could just wear a glove or wrap the candle in something. "Candle burns out" but then that would make it too easy for the player to run out of candles and the candles will indeed be a limited resource in the final game. Then I decided on "cannot carry the lighter when moving because the light is not strong enough and goes out with the movement of air around it". It's good enough for Sarah.

Another, better, reason is that I just didn't like the look of the light when Sarah was moving around with it. Since the light is created with transparent layers drawn over other graphics, I always had a little lag between how Sarah moved and how the light moved. Moving light also makes the lack of realistic shadows from characters and objects far more obvious.

And most important of all: if you can just walk around the rooms with an active source of light all the time, then there would not be dark places in the game by default, and that wouldn't be scary. Now that I know the light is off by default and has to be requested by the player, I can better manage how things react to the light and using the light to spot items, hotspots and such that are hidden in the dark becomes a valid gameplay mechanic.

Come on, in what horror movie do you see the main character in a dark place with a steady source of light? There is also a flickery flashlight or something!

[mkennedy]

It would be nice to be able to give names to the save game files, and have more than 3. Maybe allow preview screenshots  for save games though this isn't as important as the ability to name them.

[WHAM]

@mkennedy

Why do you need to name them? And why do you need more than three?

The reason so far I've limited the number of saved games is to at least slightly prevent save scumming and backtracking through saved games. If I could, I would limit saved games to one per user, but as that is a bit too difficult to do, I have decided to go with 3 saved games.

[Dualnames]

I have to say I'm immensely pleased with the game direction in the demo, apart from the lack of replies on certain interactions.

[Grim]

I thought the graphics were quite nice, but I felt really lost... I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing, there was very little happening in terms of story and I found myself repeatedly lighting candles all over the house, which after a while became quite a chore, because there is to much clicking involved when you want to use an inventory item. Also I felt like the only items I could find were those candles...

  There were some nice touches, like the sound of the car engine playing in the start menu ( which by the way in the final game could do with something more than a black background), then the shot of a car with its engine dying. I liked that. Also- very good, atmospheric music and sounds. I don't know if it's my pc or something... but every time I open the door the sound plays several time like it's stuttering, for some reason...Was that intentional or is my sound card playing up? Other sound play fine and they're very nice.

  I didn't finish it but I played enough to get a good idea of what it's about. And overall it's good and I will give finished game a try. Just needs more polish and some tlc here and there, and that inventory needs fixing, mate. I'd suggest that it closes once the player has selected the item.

[Snake]

I have to agree with Grim about the inventory. When I opened it up for the first time, I was a bit confused and it still gets the best of me every now and then. In a whole it is very nice, I like how it is your cell phone, but there is a lot of clicking and it's kind of awkward looking at it sideways... OH! And don't forget that the phone has no signal so there should be no bars, not all of them

It would be nice if the candles had their own little spot up on the top of the screen (and maybe a number to show how many you have) like the lighter does since they are the two items that are mainly used. That would eliminate all that clicking, and like Grim said, make it less of a chore to take one out and light it.

Also, I downloaded the new version and started again and have noticed that the inventory screen is now green? Is this intentional?

One last thing, and this is strictly my opinion, but I don't like it when I try to do something and Sara responds, "Wait, what?" - it almost makes me feel like an idiot for trying.

Please don't get defensive with what I've said above, the game is only in it's early stages and even at this point it is still shaping out to be a good game. I'm looking forward to the final release.

I have not yet finished the demo so I will report back when I do

[WHAM]

@ Grim: I implemented some keyboard shortcuts in the latest version, those should make the inventory at least a little bit easier to navigate (there are quick buttons to open and close the inventory).

The green inventory screen is a mistake, I will reupload a new version right-friggin-now. It seems I keep forgetting to remove my debug features from the demo every now and then, this is one of those.
EDIT: reuploaded now, no more green debug-screen... Sorry about that!

@ Snake: I'll darken the bars on the signal part. I tried to make them darker than the basic colour because at least on my cell all the bars show all the time, but only the correct amount of bars is highlighted. I tried to replicate that, but maybe it's not clear enough.  

[ferrara]

As for the music, it makes me feel really happy to know you've enjoyed the way the soundtrack complements the atmosphere of the game.
Please, keep the feedback coming in as all communication is duly noted. I thank you for all the comments and I hope I can top myself with the game's final soundtrack. 

[mkennedy]

The ability to give the save files names would help you be able to tell the difference better between the saved games. If there are multiple endings or solutions to problems then you could name your game based on which solution you chose or the ending you are trying to achieve. This could really come in handy if the player fails in a task, but still wants to see if the game can still be completed.

[WHAM]

@mkennedy: I can see what you are getting at, but I don't quite agree.

I want to make it so that no matter what the player chooses, the game should still be possible to complete and a valid ending should be available. If the player can just use saved games to see where all the choises go and can then pick the one the player likes the most, that just diminishes the importance of the choises the player gets to make and deduces from the atmosphere.

I am intentionally trying to make the game so that the player has to make decisions and so that the results of those decisions can be seen only after some time to discourage trying to see everything in one play through. There will be multiple endings, but only one of them is true for YOU. It's the one you encounter on your first play through and it was formed from YOUR decisions, be they good or bad ones.

Well, at least that's the theory and that's what I am aiming for.

[Tabata]

I broke through the bal... game-demo!  8)

As bg's already promised it (to be seen in the critics-forum), it is very nice to watch and explore. Since the puzzles are missing „to interrupt“ the walking and lightening of candles, it's a looong way through the mansion, but it's a nice demo to get an impression of the feeling. I like it - well done! 

The only things I prefer to be changed (only for me in personal) is the amount of clicks necessary to light a candle and the „Wait, what?“-response. 
So I am now eagerly waiting for the release 

[WHAM]

Thanks for the feedback, Tabata!
I've always used the "Wait, what?" response as a default "no interaction available, try something else" -response, but apparently some people dislike it quite a bit. I'll probably change it into something a little more neutral.

I might also end up combining the candle and the lighter into a separate item you can use to set and light the candle with only one visit to the inventory. This should make things a little neater and easier to use.

[Snake]

I've always used the "Wait, what?" response as a default "no interaction available, try something else" -response, but apparently some people dislike it quite a bit. I'll probably change it into something a little more neutral.

Yay! Please use something a little less "smart-assed" 

I might also end up combining the candle and the lighter into a separate item you can use to set and light the candle with only one visit to the inventory. This should make things a little neater and easier to use.

Not a bad idea, WHAM, but why would you do that when you could (like I suggested) put the candles up on the top of the screen next to the lighter? This way you aren't forcing the player to repeatedly open the inventory for something that the game revolves around in the first place. Have the inventory exclusive to other items you pick up which may or may not be puzzle related.

I have to apologize, though, I do not mean to step on your toes with all these suggestions, it is your game. But these are things I would do if it were mine And since you've released a demo I would automatically assume that you are open to and/or requesting suggestions from the players, which could only make the experience of the game better for them.

[WHAM]

...but why would you do that when you could (like I suggested) put the candles up on the top of the screen next to the lighter?

I try to avoid putting items up at the top of the screen, because of the situation we already have at a smaller scale. "If you put one item available at the top of the screen, why not put that, that and then that?"

Due to the number of different inventory items available in the final game, I need a bigger inventory screen than I can, or want to, fit at the top of the screen. Several different items will have multiple uses in different situations, and I wan't to avoid any confusion. The lighter is at the top of the screen because it is a very common action. I almost expect the player to often use it to help them scan the room on first arrival to help notice hidden hotspots, thus I wanted to help the player by giving them a separate button for this item.

It's a fine balance, but the lighter is the only item I really feel needs to have it's own button outside of the main inventory GUI.

[WHAM]

Over 150 downloads, but so far only a few people have sent me feedback. Does it mean that people are not finishing the demo, or are you just lazy? 

Whichever the case, if you did play the demo but did not finish it, feel free to send me feedback via the following link (will also edit this into first page) and tell me what you thought of the game!

http://whamgames.com/feed/back.php

[Cogliostro]

WHAM -


Okay, I'm going to go through this as I would a story.  The first set of comments are the impressions I get at the EXACT MOMENT I HAVE THEM.  This bit is important because these things are easy to forget later, yet, can influence the feel and atmosphere of the game directly.  After that I'll comment on the game as a whole.



Dropping the player into the game and leaving the back-story to the README file... Not the choice I would have made, but what the hell.

I like the gamma setting feature on the page.  Well thought out and technically critical.

Cell phone as inventory... a novel approach, I like it. 

Get my mitts on a candle, there's a burning candle in the room, yet I cannot use the burning candle to light the unlit candle?!

Lunatic in the darkness.  The sound effects accompanying this are almost non-existent, sound is fantastically important in horror games.  Either this is an oversight, or you're saving the more sinister sound effects for later.

Honestly, the voice that told me he was waiting upstairs, prompted me to save the game on the spot. 

I'm playing this game in the bright hours of the morning in a window rather than full screen.  I'm going to have to reconsider that choice. 

Love use of the SD card and having to ration out your candles?!  The idea has such an phenomenal creep factor. 

Turned off the lights, playing the game full screen now.  A different experience!

Got the house key, and got outside... beautiful fog.

Too many clicks to get the candles lit.

Opened the door on the upstairs... conservatory/green house/whatever, experienced the first ending.  Anti-climactic.  It looked like it was just a "wow, was that all a dream" endings.

Giving it another go.

The baby's room is damn creepy.

From main entrance, go left, open the draw, and there are - "Candles covered in GOBWEBS"

I started lighting candles in every room where there was a candle holder, just to see what kind of difference it made.  I was rather shocked to discover that I COULD light two candles in the same room.  How many different times did you have to draw the same background? 



Okay, my opinions about the game overall...

I'm assuming that the wake up in your own bed is the only ending that currently exists, after all this is a beta. 

Work the information from the README file into the game.  Sarah narrates when she's in the car, a few more sentences and the background given in the README file become unnecessary.

I was quickly willing to accept the game-logic of leaving a burning candle in each room, but having the character comment on not taking the candle with her might be appropriate.  (I may be scarred on this regard, since I have had it out with too many fire inspectors not to be squeamish about leaving burning candles unattended.)

The cut scene for the ending seemed like the time to pull out the best graphics, not use some so grainy.  I thought it was well framed and laid out, but the resolution was at an all time low.

I said it before and it bears repeating.  There are several points where whisperings come out of the darkness.  The accompanying sound effects need to be louder.   You're clearly going for a game heavy on atmosphere, but Sarah's footsteps are louder than the monsters in the dark.

After reloading the game I rushed into the waiting arms of the shadowy figure and... I'm teleported away?  If I do something phenomenallly stupid, I expect a suitably gruesome death.   (Yeah, you don't want unforeseeably and random death to mess with the players experience, but just have Sarah some to a complete stop and say something so the player realizes what is going on.)  Right now the specter of death is lurking in the shadows of the mansion, and if you bullrush him, he just teleports you around the mansion, and if you fall through the fall, he takes you home and tucks you in bed, neat as you please.

The music and lighting and atmosphere create a wonderful CREEP OUT.  The villain, however, is a wuss.

Also, the help and question button seemed ill-explained.  I happened to experiment with them and get the specter of death to deliver his lines.  I suspect most people will have stopped using them by that point.

This game has great potential to creep out and scare everyone who plays it.  Take the time you need to get it right.

- Cogliostro