I finished the demo last night. I am REALLY liking this and that's why I want to provide my feedback.
The reason I like it so much is for all the reasons I
commented on Bad Trouble in the Red Desert.
- Graphics and animation are SUPERB. They really match the context of the type of movie you are portraying. This is both for in game action and cutscenes.
- In game hint system is a great idea.
- The story is intriguing and compelling
- LOTS of puzzles packed into the game. More about this later.
- All those extras such as the arcade sequences and the flight simulator. Ok, I tried it 3 times and crashed each time but still....lol
Overall I had a great experience playing. I think this game can match or exceed the quality of the Bad Trouble and the reason I'm commenting is because you released the demo for player feedback. It goes without saying that as the author you can dismiss all or some of what I say. Maybe other players will completely disagree but here's my personal opinion:
First, anyone reading this, please play the demo first OR wait till the full release. Otherwise, there will be some spoilers!
My first comments are things that probably everyone would agree with.
I don't know if the reason for the following is because it's a demo and you intended to change them for the release but I do want to mention:
- Using the default font really does not do justice to the stunning graphics. I did notice another font in the boat-down-the-river scene and I think that worked well. Either way, please change the font
- The text in the Game section of the guide spills past the bottom of the page. That should be corrected.
- When the player dies in the last arcade sequence, the game crashes.
- I think that when the game starts it should load the menu instead of going to the opening scene. I know you can easily skip it but especially if you can die in the game.
- There are so many spelling errors in the game that it really diminishes the overall polish. I can give you a list of those that I've found but I strongly recommend that someone proofreads the script.
Next set of comments will not be universally agreed on but they are my opinion
Let's talk a bit about why we adventure game addicts will stay up till 2 am or later, forgo food, drink and bathroom facilities for indefinite lengths of time to play a game. One of the most important elements to creating an awesome adventure game is the pacing of the story and the puzzles. If not for the puzzles, we can just watch a movie that tells a story. If you just have a series of puzzles, well, that might be ok for a short game and a few good MAGS entries are like that, which is ok, BECAUSE it's a short game. But you are producing a full length to-be classic so the balance and pacing has to be right. The compelling aspect of a good adventure game is that the plot is gripping but instead of just watching a movie unfold, we want to INTERACT with the plot and our decisions and skill at solving the puzzles is rewarded by proceeding with the next segment of the plot.
Before I get back to that, I have to issue a disclaimer that I am not a fan of object puzzles. What I mean by that term (I think I made it up so I don't expect anyone to use it) is the "move the tiles around", "spin the dials till something happens", "connect the gears to get the machine going" where you use a bit of logic and trial and error to figure out what's supposed to happen. These object puzzles have their place in adventure games and obviously different players will like them to varying degrees. They are just not my thing.
So, the problem I'm getting at is that I think that unless someone REALLY likes object puzzles, they will find the pacing in the game to be less than compelling.
Example:
Objective: Solve the girl
Solution: Solve an object puzzle to open a door, to be rewarded with 4 MORE object puzzles to open 4 MORE doors to save the girl, then ANOTHER object puzzle to get out followed by a lengthy cutscene that progresses the plot
So, what's wrong with that? I feel that a well paced game will balance the progress of the plot with the puzzles so the player is rewarded for solving a puzzle by more story rather than more consecutive puzzles. Cutscenes are a great way to advance the plot but there has to be judicious spacing.
I would rather see a better balance between inventory puzzles, dialogue puzzles, object puzzle, toss in your arcade sequences and flight simulator and you have a winner!
I do realize that you have all of the above. I'm just commenting on the game pacing and balance.
Some little things:
- The room with the crazy flying things was just TOO crazy and felt really out of place with the rest of the game.
- The rotating star puzzle assumed that the player realized that one arm of the stars is a different colour or something than the others. I think
As the author, it's up to you to define your audience but be aware that about 10% of players have some sort of colour vision deficiency. Using colour to define something visually will not work for us. I could have spun those for the next hundred years and not realized that one is different. IF you use colour to define something, try to make the colour definitions REALLY stand out taking this into account. As I said, you can ignore this point and develop excellent games for 90% of players who have no problem but considering that the game is in progress I thought I'd throw this out there.
In conclusion, I'm really excited for the release! Judging by the demo, I know this is going to be an awesome game! If you or others disagree with my evaluation, then don't worry about it and just continue. Everything I said is completely my own opinion and experience and other people might say "what?? Give us MORE object puzzles!" and that's fine. I'm just expressing one voice.
SHADOW
