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VDZ

Feedback comments for LD29

Timestamp	Since previous	Game	VDZ's comment
Apr 28 15:20:00		Behind Mirror	Great game as always. <br/> <br/>It might be helpful to some players if there was an alternate jump key, such as Z. I had to use numpad 8 to jump as I couldn't properly short hop using the up arrow key while simultaneously moving my character; it was a bit awkward to play that way. <br/> <br/>Also, I managed to reach a place that shouldn't be reached and ran into an invisible wall: http://i.xomf.com/wsrrk.png
Apr 28 15:32:00	12m 00s	Get High.	As you said, it's not very good. You press space to make two numbers go up, and that's it. It says 'press space to jump', but there is no jumping whatsoever going on. There's not even an increasing difficulty; you always have the same amount of time to pres space. This game is lacking in any kind or form of fun.
Apr 28 15:40:00	8m 00s	Die Backpfeife aus dem Nichts	Can't say I'm too impressed by this game. It's a very basic 'click before timer reaches 0' mechanic that does nothing to set itself apart from other games using such mechanics, and there's nothing to the game besides that. The random background noise does not really add to the experience in my opinion. Though the theme was used for the visual presentation of the game, it has no effect on the gameplay (and the 'possessed by the devil' flavor doesn't really have anything to do with the gameplay itself).
Apr 28 15:48:00	8m 00s	the Attack - Beneath the Surface	Extremely simplistic catcher game that adds a small extra mechanic to the usual formula (having to press a button to catch), but it's unfortunately not enough to make it interesting, especially with the lack of the increasing difficulty that makes catcher games at least somewhat interesting. The background music wasn't very good, but it was better than nothing. I failed to see any relation to the theme.
Apr 28 17:09:00	1h 21m	Theres's a Twist	Very interesting concept, it makes for some nice puzzles. I managed to get through a bunch of them through sheer trial and error, though.
Apr 28 21:29:00	4h 20m	Nereids' Sea	The atmosphere is great. Everything (circle as viewport, fog, audio, etc) works together to create an exciting atmosphere. <br/> <br/>Unfortunately, the gameplay keeps breaking the immersion so nicely built up by the graphics and sound. Enemies remain completely static until you attract their attention, and it is only after you attracted their attention that they decide to swim away - wtf? Why would you remain on guard until there's an intruder, then decide 'nah, everything's okay here' AFTER you spot your target? Rather than stealthily trying to avoid the enemies, the game forces you to attract the attention of enemies, but not too much or you'll die. This unintuitive style of play is not very fun (the 'wait' part of 'attract their attention and wait' isn't too exciting) but more than anything it does not at all fit the 'avoid the danger that is lurking everywhere!' atmosphere the visuals and audio build up. The fact that one mistake is instant death adds insult to injury; although it makes sure you want to be very careful, dying after getting pretty far doesn't really motivate you to do it all over again. In my last attempt I died right in front of the treasure, and although I'd really like to complete the game to better judge it, I just can't bring myself to go through all that again.
Apr 28 21:45:00	16m 00s	Daisy's dog is dead	The art is great. I'm a bit on the fence regarding the gameplay. As others have said, having to click a post-it to find out what it does doesn't really add anything to the game, and in fact only frustrates you when you want the arrow but instead accidentally grab the wall post-it because you can't see what they are. It's also trying to combine puzzling with quick placement, but I feel the latter drags the former down. If you'd given the player a pause button, you could create much more interesting puzzles without them feeling unfair. The fact that the physics were a bit wonky didn't really help with this - frequently Daisy gets stuck because she's unable to climb one pixel up onto the floor beyond the gap, stuff like that. (Not that I have any right to complain about wonky physics, as my game also clearly sucks in this aspect.) <br/> <br/>Also, the music got rather repetitive, and the game is a bit on the short side. I was ready for more complicated puzzles, but then it ended already.
Apr 29 20:36:00	22h 51m	Beneath Wireframe	It took me a while to truly understand the game (things like not being able to pass through the box, your character having to move towards the cursor, etc). Like Tifu mentioned, it was too difficult to distinguish between the cleared shapes and the shapes that will kill you; eventually you end up with a screen with lines all over it, and you have no idea whether a specific line is safe or not. I also didn't really see an relation to the theme; maybe it was just too abstract.
Apr 29 21:16:00	40m 00s	Mystic Castle	Great game, far better than I'd expect for someone's first LD. Though there are some technical issues, design-wise it's mostly flawless. <br/> <br/>The 'two worlds' mechanic was an obvious pick for the theme, but it was very well executed in this game; the environment-changing bubble is not unique, but it's definitely a fitting choice for overlapping worlds, and the way it was executed was really good; you really had to be careful about when and when not to activate the bubble. The level design was great and forced me to think about how to progress multiple times. The areas look a bit too similar, though; minor visual differences (paintings on the wall, sets of armor, other decorations) would make it easier to recognize where you are (and with that, whether or not you have visited that room before). The combat unfortunately sucked donkey balls, mostly because of the extreme slipperiness of the castle (seriously, what was it built out of?!). The death penalty is also rather severe; with no way to heal, your third time of accidentally running into a skeleton comes soon enough, and suddenly you have to walk back to where you were again - a lot less fun once you've finished solving the puzzles. In fact, I feel the combat didn't really add anything to the game, and it might've been better off without it. <br/> <br/>I also feel that sound would very much improve the game. When you flip a switch or press a button, you might not even notice that you did so, let alone know what happened from pressing the button/flipping the switch. A simple click sound would help recognize when you press a button/flip a switch, and things like sounds of doors opening (for multiple-use switches) or a you-solved-the-puzzle jingle (for single-use switches) would help hint towards what just happened because of the switch. Music would add a lot too; once I started playing 'Fearless Challenger / Guidance Gate' (from La-Mulana) in the background, the game got several times more awesome. <br/> <br/>Overall, great game, looking forward to seeing what you make after this LD.
May 2 16:49:00	67h 33m	Questionable Submarine	Hmm...this is going to be somewhat useless feedback, because although overall I think it's a nice game, I didn't have enough fun to go for a third try but I can't quite put my finger on what exactly is missing. <br/> <br/>The balancing act gameplay is well-executed; you're constantly running between your machines to make sure none of your problems escalate. The different forms of input make every activity feel different, and each activity has its own meaning and consequences on the gameplay. The graphics and sound are decent and functional. <br/> <br/>Some suggestions and things that bothered me while playing: <br/> <br/>- When firing at blobfish, you have to use your mouse to operate three buttons in a row. The fact that you have to use a mouse combined with the layout of the buttons (if the fire button were above the two others, for example, it would be less of an issue), you frequently click the wrong button. Although this makes the game more challenging, I feel it adds more frustration than it does challenge. <br/> <br/>- Similarly, misclicking the fuel rod feels frustrating. Widening the fuel rod's hitbox would make this happen less often, and giving audio feedback (like a metallic clunk) when you misclick might help you understand when you've misclicked (otherwise it's easily to subconsciously blame the game; you're sure you clicked right but it just didn't recognize the click or something, that's how it feels). <br/> <br/>- Audio feedback (and perhaps visual feedback) can also help the player to recognize when an activity is futile. For example, if your fuel is at 99%, dragging a fuel rod to the tank could make a 'tank now full!' sound or visual effect play. I found myself occasionally dragging fuel rods into the tank when it was already at 100% because I didn't see it was full already. <br/> <br/>- Different alarm sounds for different severities might also be useful. As it is now, you'll always hear an alarm sound later in the game because there's always a blobfish bothering you. There's however no way to distinguish the sound of a blobfish that just appeared and a blobfish about to end your game. You lose the game due to your not noticing a situation, rather than your inability to respond to it well enough.
May 2 17:49:00	1h 00m	The Gathering	Everything about the game is great, except it lacks replayability. Once you figure out the winning strategy, it's kinda pointless to play again. Then again, figuring out the winning strategy took longer than most LD games keep you entertained.
May 3 13:00:00	19h 11m	In Hiding	Good atmosphere, but other than that I didn't like the game very much. <br/> <br/>Though you'll inevitably screw up the first couple times, once you understand what to do there is no real challenge to the gameplay. Fetch food, alternate between hugging and feeding. At first I turned the light on and off, but eventually I noticed that it takes less steps if you just keep the light off. Once you get into the pattern that allows you not to get caught, it's just a matter of repeating it again and again and again without any variation. The people searching for you also keep doing the exact same things, which makes no sense and only adds to the repetitiveness. I finished the game, but only out of sheer coincidence - by the end I was so bored I just turned on the light again and decided if I didn't get the good ending before I'm found I'd just stop playing. <br/> <br/>I didn't like how you didn't get any context to the situation at any point in the game. I know imagination is the strongest context and blah blah blah, but you could also just give people a blank screen and tell them to imagine something exciting happening. I understand I'm in hiding, but why am I in hiding? And how does the husband returning solve any of it? (Wouldn't he just be executed/deported/whatever terrible fate awaits us as well?) Why would I meekly wait in a basement if people are trying to find me and I have no reason to believe this situation will end even if the husband returns? I at least wanted to reach the ending in hopes that it would explain at least something about the situation, but no such thing. <br/> <br/>The sound eventually felt very grating as well; there's no variation in the sound and the sounds aren't pleasant to listen to for long stretches of time.
May 3 13:33:00	33m 00s	Kinetectonic	Great concept, although I feel the game is far too easy once you get how it works. I feel the upgrades may actually detract from the game in this case; once you've upgraded a bit, you practically never run the risk of losing. I didn't understand how depth penetration worked at first, but since I figured that out I'm pretty sure it breaks the game as it allows you to skip any tile that could cause any risk (monster and earthquake tiles).
May 3 14:15:00	42m 00s	Dwarven Kingdoms	Very interesting strategy game. The interface (as a whole, graphics, audio, text) was a bit lacking, though; it was hard to differentiate between moving the king and spawning a soldier (you need to pay attention to the king otherwise you don't notice at all), there's no special attention to a player being wiped out (it sounds like a normal defeat, then you check the board to see a color missing), there's no quick way to check the number of coins/number of soldiers/number of areas of each player, there's no way to scroll across the map (only rotate the camera), it's not always clear which areas are linked to which areas...all kinds of minor issues that drag an otherwise great game down. <br/> <br/>The game is great, though, and I'd imagine it would be quite interesting (and a lot more diplomatic) if it were to be played against other players.
May 10 14:40:00	168h 25m	Rude Bear Revengeance	Let's get this out of the way first: The whip SUCKS. It never fires in the direction you want it to go, you're never quite sure if it's still going forward or already retracting, it clings to stuff you don't want it to cling to, and it pulls your character around like a puppet in unexpected ways and makes you feel like you're not in control of your character anymore. It's very awkward to use and IMO it detracts from the game. <br/> <br/>That said, everything else about the game is fucking awesome. It's awesome to run around and wreck stuff, it feels awesome to divekick the shit out of everything, it feels awesome to run past a dozen lasers and escape unharmed. Everything looks awesome, sounds awesome and feels awesome. The final boss fight in particular has you clearly kicking ass in a challenging way. The 'no whip' mode was even better, combining significant difficulty (but never to the point of frustration due to well-placed spawns) with kicking ass. <br/> <br/> <br/>Some suggestions: <br/> <br/>- There's a bug in the final boss fight in the third and second stage of the fight; touching the separated treads occasionally leads to a state where your jumps no longer function correctly (they become really short) and you can no longer divekick. Touching the treads again generally fixes the issue. <br/> <br/>- It's possible to die in the transition between the second stage of the boss and the third stage; if you are slowly falling towards the boss or are already hurt and fall towards the boss, you can receive lethal damage before you even get the chance to do something. (The boss's body doesn't hurt until the transformation, so suddenly receiving damage from something that dealt no damage until you hit it is a very lame way to die.) <br/> <br/>- It wasn't clear to me when I activated a spawn point. Maybe a change of spawn point color and/or a sound effect might make this more clear. <br/> <br/>- Similarly, it was frequently unclear to me whether I properly hit (and dealt damage to) an enemy or not. Making the enemy flash red or similar and/or playing a sound effect indicating a hit would help make this more clear. It might also have been a collision issue; particularly in the case of the big circles firing lasers and the second stage of the final boss fight, it felt like dive-kicks that should've dealt damage did nothing. If this was intended and I just attacked incorrectly, a sound effect or other form of feedback could tell me so, otherwise it feels like it's just bugged.
May 19 16:55:00	218h 15m	Color Graphics Adventure	I tend to really like TCGs and deckbuilding games, but that's mainly because the cards that tend to be so different in effect. Unfortunately, that isn't the case here, with all cards adhering to the same pattern and giving no surprises. And surprises is what I feel the game lacks; it felt like I was just grinding through the enemies and that there was no point to it all. You encounter treasure chests between battles, but I never felt excited by the treasure. I feel that adding some kind of progression, be it finding more interesting/unique cards, battling other monsters, arriving in different locations, and so on would make this game much more interesting. Then again, grinding games have been really popular on smartphones lately - maybe you're doing things exactly right and this just isn't my kind of game. <br/> <br/>As others have said, graphics are great, it should really have music and sound, and I couldn't see any relation to the theme.