PDA

View Full Version : Variance (Super Proto Edition)



Nandrew
23-05-2009, 06:11 PM
Hey all!

I hope y'all remember Variance back from when I posted it, like, a while ago. I've been hacking away a little since you last had a lookie, and have a heavily revised version up and running. Sorry, no cool graphics or sounds yet! Just a rather different play paradigm and other odds and ends to improve gameplay. I'm hoping to take the game concept further (hence why I have, in an unprecedented move, actually KEPT WORKING ON A GAME after the first release), so feedback would be muchly appreciated.

For those who aren't up to speed:

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/5619/screen1r.jpghttp://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8356/screen2zid.jpg

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/70/screen4azu.jpghttp://img39.imageshack.us/img39/4033/screen5etv.jpg

Variance is a humble little gravity-based, side-on proto-game-thing which has you controlling a scurrying little avatar who needs to push around a bunch of blocks to clear a way to each level's exit. Hey, it's Sokoban with perks!

The main factor which makes the side-on Sokoban paradigm feasible is the presence of a multitude of different "gravity blocks" which exert their own directional force on surrounding environs. Go up, down, left, right and wonkways while carefully considering how your actions affect the blocks, fields and obstacles that are placed in your path.

-----------------

LONG AND INVOLVED FEEDBACK CRITERIA:

Okay, now that the silly briefing stuff is over, kindly divert your attention to the feedback part. Because I'm nice (and really really really want your feedback), I'm going to point you to particular areas of the game which you can comment on and make decisions about. Consider the following as you play:

- I have a tendency to make mercilessly difficult puzzles. Several playtesters have already revealed this. Like, the most tricky ones that I've made in this proto represent me at about a 6. You totally don't want me to crank it up to 10. So give me an indication of your game's progression: does it go too fast? Too slow? Did you find any levels particularly difficult? Did you give up halfway through, and if so could you give me the level number and why? Did you skip any levels (yeah, you can totally do that)?

- Consider the puzzle features. There's quite a few of them, and I've done my best to explore all of them reasonably well within the 30-odd levels that I've provided here. Are there any particularly STRONG elements that you think should be introduced earlier on in the game?

- More importantly, what would you isolate as the WEAKEST puzzle feature? Don't be shy: if you were the game's designer and some sort of looming manager person forced you to cut out one of the puzzle features, which one would it be and why?

- Bonus points if you decide to be adventurous and hit the "random" button before starting a game! Play through the levels in a wonky order if you want, then note how you would re-order them.

- EXTRA SUPER BONUS POINTS if you decide to go into the game's editor, make a map and send it to me. It's really helpful getting other people's ideas and perspectives on the system, and you can make your ideas most tangibly known in a little offering that I can actually play through. I'd be permanently indebted to you. In fact, you could probably call in for sexual favours.

--------------

Oh, and hey, here's the download (http://www.box.net/shared/n3zidt8h1y).

Cloud_Ratha
23-05-2009, 09:07 PM
Pretty awesome. Iv got about 3 stages left. took me a while to figure out what each object does, seeing as i started with random :P
For some reason my PC wouldn't let me close the game. It was unresponsive, had use task manager. Unless your not supposed to be able to stop playing?

Cant wait to see this with actual graphics. \m/
Ps. never use the bright blinking strobe effect graphic animations. It makes my eyes rain T_T

dislekcia
23-05-2009, 10:19 PM
Ok, just ran into an incompleteable situation on lvl 11. I fell off the edge into the blue gravity after pulling the switch and I couldn't get back up... It didn't want to "amp" my fall to the point where I was doing 1 gridspace up/down, so I was just stuck floating.

Also, I finally noticed why I kept having trouble with the controls: Jump, the most used button isn't on my index finger. I keep wanting to jump and pushing instead ;) Any chance of putting jump on spacebar as well?

More feedback as I play the rest.

Nandrew
24-05-2009, 01:51 AM
Quick note: you can press "R" to easily reset a level. I forgot that in the original help file, I've just uploaded a version which does that now.

Cloud_Ratha: sorry about the inconvenience. I'm suspecting that you tried closing the game with the button in the window itself. Game Maker usually says "screw you" for some reason if you don't tick a little box in the game settings to let Esc immediately exit. What you should be able to do is press "ESC" to exit a level, then press it again at the menu screen to leave gracefully. I think, though, that I'll throw a button in there to clarify the issue.

dislekcia: situation on level 11 - ack, I actually should revisit that level and do some redesign. I've only fixed "momentum sticks" for shallower jumps, because I've thus far been unable to get a universal solution to the problem. My code has become so colossally messy by this point that fixing one thing breaks something else. :( I hold faith in the fact that the next iteration's code will be cleaner and more mindful of these problems cropping up. ;)

I'll make the spacebar an alt jump key.


In retrospect, I was in quite a rush to get this version out: lemme fix a few smaller things and I'll slip in a quiet update in an hour or two. ;)

Nandrew
24-05-2009, 02:17 AM
Okie dokes, ninj'd a new version onto Box.net

Umm, anybody who downloads it from now on should see a big red "QUIT!" button added to the main screen. If you don't see it, this means that it's an OLD version, and something has gone horribly wrong. Please tell me about it, so that I can blame my cellphone connection and get the new version up properly.

Thanks.

ShadowMaster
24-05-2009, 08:38 AM
Nandrew in the other tab of the events menu there is an event "Close Button" I believe that's what you may be looking for. I haven't tested it though...

I'll test your game later when I don't have 3 tasks and one day to do them in...

Kensei
25-05-2009, 01:09 PM
Currently playing through the game - I am your bestest playtester because I am not a puzzle genius (the fact that I finished Braid with one or two hints only was a miracle) So far, I am about to start level 4 and the rampup has been fine - I am always in favour of introducing a concept to a player one at a time :)

Nandrew (and others) have you seen a game called 'And Yet It Moves' on Steam? It's worth taking a look at, it also deals with directional movement, but in a different way to this game.

tvdbon
25-05-2009, 02:09 PM
I had some time and decided to give it a whirl - fun little game to play - can't wait to see what you do with the graphics and sound

Nandrew
25-05-2009, 08:48 PM
Nandrew (and others) have you seen a game called 'And Yet It Moves' on Steam? It's worth taking a look at, it also deals with directional movement, but in a different way to this game.

Yeah, I think somebody mentioned this the last time Variance was brought up. I played And Yet It Moves aaaaaaaages ago -- if I recall correctly, it was in last year's roundup of IGF entries, and I had a look at it then.

There was a flexi-directional gravity dynamic, but one which I was admittedly not in favour of AT ALL -- factors such as fall damage and a very heavy focus on action/timing as opposed to proper puzzle elements kinda got to me and just ended up making the game frustrating. Maybe it has evolved since then, idunno. But for me it served as an example of what road to not go down, even if the concept itself was pretty neat.

Kensei
25-05-2009, 10:26 PM
I am glad you didn't. Sorry to derail the thread but I am not in favour of its design mechanic. I am not saying that as favouritism to you but it just is, er, too alien for me to grasp. It is a case of timing rather than puzzle solving and I didn't even finish the demo :(

Back on topic, I am opting for playing as far as I can before uploading my comments and a few screenshots. So far it is presenting a decent amount of challenge for me to get through after a few runs Please don't laugh (too hard) but level 9 took me ages to figure out -_-* Even now I feel my solution was kinda messy... but in the spirit of T.I.M, (The Incredible Machine) it works :P

ShadowMaster
25-05-2009, 10:30 PM
For me the biggest problem is the control system. It needs more intuitiveness. For instance blocks not being pushable without using the action block got to me, but then again from your help file I can see just walking into blocks is suppose to push them.

I feel in general the movement speeds and stuff needs some tweaking.

What also got me is the fact that your directional keys don't change direction when your guy does. So I'm struggling a bit with the moving on the walls part. This should get attention as it might end up scaring away players, because if I understand your intentions, the emphasis is on puzzle solving not movement and currently too much of my mind is used to figure out the controls. My suggestion is to maybe rotate the map so the character is always standing upright, but rotation in this case should be fast but not instantanious as that would confuse players.

I'll try and complete the game and play through it again before I comment on the puzzle design and elements.

What you can do in the final version of the game is you can make a little popup before each level where you introduce a new element, giving the players who want to read about the puzzles a chance to do so.

Azraphael
26-05-2009, 02:46 PM
Yo dude I'm only about a third through your game and so far I think it rocks man, very cool concept with the gravity and all. Ive got a couple of my mates hooked on it too, we're all bored at work and this is providing plenty mental stimulation. Keep up the good work.

Nandrew
30-05-2009, 06:15 PM
Sweet, thanks for the feedback, people. This will come in handy.

* scurries away to continue devving

Kensei
02-06-2009, 04:53 PM
Ok, here is some of my feedback - I have not completed the game...yet...
I think I am on Level 15 -_-*

I mainly just made notes in bullet points, rather than in depth studies:


Level 9: Took me ages to figure out... and even still I think my solution was a bit messy
Level 9 - Nitpick:Suggest checking the depth of the line that is drawn to show the link between the circle and the associated 'gravity manupulator'. Otherwise the line in Level 9 looks broken because the moveable blocks are drawn over the line
Level 11 - Momentum FTW! How is that calculated? Gravity wizardry?
Level 14 - Love the solution, felt like Braid


Generally the game is very well done, Nandrew, I did not expect anything less from you. Having such amazing graphics and stellar sounds allows me to focus completely on the gameplay element.

The introduction of new concepts is good and I am assuming the time it takes to solve a level is intentionally short, to encourage 'just one more level' mentality?