[Prototype] Sense v0.01

farsicon

Hey guys

I started this last week for Ludum, but got side tracked on something else. So I decided to continue working on it this weekend and share it with you...

My take on the theme was: Beneath the surface.... there is nothing...

This is a simple FPS puzzle game which focuses on spatial orientation and memory. The instructions are in-game - I'm hoping that there is enough information available to get the gist of what is intended.

Standalone | Web **note: it's very dark on purpose and the game will lock the mouse, please try the standalone in full screen if you have issues with the web player.



I'm considering taking it a bit further with the Oculus - once I can get my hands on a dev kit - it will make much more sense in a true immersive 3d experience.

Let me know what you think - as always, feedback is most welcome!

Cheers.

FanieG

@farsicon - Okay so I played this briefly (will definetly try to make more time to try this again later) and I have played that crate game you made a while ago and I have come to the conclusion...That you really like really hard puzzle games. But like REALLY hard puzzle games. I was completely disorientated when I first started. And that was after I had read the instructions in-game (which was done really well - 3D text is always cool, and kinda dead space like). The sense power was done really well too. After i plunged off the first platform, I had no idea how to get back up. This will most defineltly have given me motion sickness had it been with an Oculus. The amount of detail you can implement in such short periods really amaze me. Hope you work on this more.

farsicon

@fanieG: thanks man. I can't wait to try this on an oculus - just being able to see the particles in 3D would be awesome XD

Gazza_N

Gave it a shot as well. The way you spraypaint the level with particles to reveal it is very Unfinished Swan-y. It's been well implemented, but I found it difficult to see the transparent platforms when the background was also covered in dots. Larger dots, or some sort of occlusion might help - seeing theblack silhuettes of platforms against a starry background helps with puzzle solving, I think, rather than only having them being able to be made out with parallax when moving.

The "darksight" mechanic is a nice way to ensure you see platforms when you're stuck, but I wish it lasted a bit longer so I could take in more of the level.

I really dig the ability to set my own respawn points. That saved me a LOT of frustration.

I think the tutorial needs refinement. You certainly show the player everything they need to know, but I really feel this game lends itself well to learning as you play. Perhaps show a popup with mechanical explanations as the player encounters them instead? A popup with "Oh dear, you hit a red platform, so this has happened. Try again!" is more natural for a first-time player than a series of contextless diagrams and text blocks.

Otherwise, it's a kickass idea, and very slickly implemented. I think it can be expanded!

farsicon

@gazza_n: thanks for playing dude, appreciate the feedback! I'm a bit worried that making the platforms more visible will take away from the fact that are supposed to be invisible unless you 'sense' the crap out of them :P I'll definitely look into improving the training mechanics when I start building actual levels :) thanks again.

Gazza_N

No probs! Happy to help. ^_^

My issue was really that platform particles were blending with particles on the level bounds, affecting visibility really badly. Have you perhaps considered fading in the platform alpha as you cover platforms with particles? I think it's safe to say that once a fair amount of coverage is reached, the platform's been found. Then again, if you didn't allow particles to stick to the level bounds, that would alleviate a lot of the visual confusion....

farsicon

@gazza_n: Very useful feedback - thanks for explaining.

I sort-of get where you're going with it ... although the visual confusion you mention is by design (albeit terribly compounded on a PC screen because of lack of 3D depth).

It's not only about finding the platform, but also remembering where it is, mentally understanding the extent of its boundaries, and then orienting yourself around it - that is the game, not the puzzle itself (or that's what I'm hoping to achieve). I actually want and expect the players to get anxious / claustrophobic / disoriented and to train themselves to become more aware of the space around them - to the extent that the end of the level comes with a sigh of relief :)

It's difficult to extract that kind of emotion from within a game without it being frustrating as heck, so I'll need some time to mull over this... maybe I can come up with something a bit more satisfying with the next iteration...