My New Project

Really liked what you have so far.

I got the keycard, but couldn't interact with the keycard reader. I'm not sure if I'm at the wrong place, or if that part is not done yet.

Interesting premise, of course adding sound will help a lot to set the mood, but I really liked it so far, specially the opening puzzle. Perhaps you could add a shortcut with the keyboard, where you press a key, and next time you click with the mouse it automatically checks or interacts with the environment (and have an indicator on the HUD showing which one is active). I understand the need for a mouse-only setup, but adding this shortcut could speed up things a lot.

Also, and most importantly, you need to revise the opening text. There are typos and some missing words, and you don't want this type of mistake at any point in the game, much less in the opening.

Thanks. You need to do something with the keycard before you can use it.  Maybe that puzzle needs something to guide teh player a little better.

The keyboard shortcut is a great idea. I'll look at implementing that.

Hi Jeffrey,

i am a bit late to it but i like it a lot. The visuals are as ususally "your style" and fresh.
The gameplay is fun and i realy like the vibe of the game.

Some usability minor observations:

• I would love to walk diagonal. It feels weird that i cant.
• The screens do not change when i walk towards an arrow tro the end of a screen without releasing the arrow button.
• Maybe you want to add a system which makes it easier to understand whats interactive and what not (like highlighting the items a bit on touch) - might also make it to easy

Cheers!
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Hi Jeffrey,

i am a bit late to it but i like it a lot. The visuals are as ususally "your style" and fresh.
The gameplay is fun and i realy like the vibe of the game.

Some usability minor observations:

• I would love to walk diagonal. It feels weird that i cant.
• The screens do not change when i walk towards an arrow tro the end of a screen without releasing the arrow button.
• Maybe you want to add a system which makes it easier to understand whats interactive and what not (like highlighting the items a bit on touch) - might also make it to easy

Cheers!

Hi Bombini,

Thanks, though that was the first one. The most recent game has changed a lot. It's now quite different.
http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/40137

Added another feature whereby when you look at certain objects, you see them rather than just getting a text description.  It doesn't just make things a bit more interesting but I think it can be used to make things creepier.

http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/40137

Updated to the latest version.  Lots of smaller improvements such as adding extra items to inspect and graphics improvements.

People have mentioned that they'd like some sort of hint system, but I don't know what form this could take. Maybe some sort of internal dialogue of the player character, but it would require some complex logic to check which combination of puzzles have already been solved. There are at least 40 puzzles to solve in this game and if you're looking at combinations of puzzles it quickly runs into hundreds of possible combinations so I don't think that approach is workable.

Another method might be for the items you pick up to give you a hint as to how you could use them though I've already avoided using "moon logic" and tried to provide visual and textual clues in objects. For example, one item you pick up is a statuette which could seem a bit random until you find the fireplace with two identical statuettes on the mantle.  Then it's not a huge leap to figure out that you must place the third statuette on the mantle.

The item hint method won't be much use if you're not carrying anything though.

I'm working on Luyren's suggestion to have a look/interact toggle which you'll have the option of deactivating if you'd prefer to use just the mouse.

UPDATES
+ Graphics changes/improvements
+ Intro/outros rewritten
+ Object descriptions updated
+ Additional objects added. Mainly for visual interest.
+ Map is now working
+ Menus completed

QUESTION:
How can I make this seem less flat and more alive?

EDIT:
Luyren's suggestion has now been added! The icon is in the status bar and you can click it to cycle through LOOK, USE or MANUAL/TOGGLE DEACTIVATED (manual brings up the original UI for looking and interacting.) It can also be switched by pressing Z, X, C or SPACE.

http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/40137

UPDATES
+ Graphics updates
+ Grain effect added to make the scenes feel less static
+ Expanded the 'Look' feature so you can actually look at more items rather than just get a text description. I think this is really going to make things creepier. For instance, you can now see the faces of the spirits.

Very cool progress!
The grain effect makes me feel a bit dizzy after a while.
Please let me turn it off. You could also use an interlace style if you want (not sure how it looks though and might only be me).
Cheers!

Thanks Bombini.

You can now adjust/turn off the grain. I'll consider an interlace style and see how it looks.

Thanks Bombini.

You can now adjust/turn off the grain. I'll consider an interlace style and see how it looks.

Is it the SFX button? I did not work when i tried it.

Being able to remove the grain is nice. I was having the same problem as Bombini. The effect is neat, but maybe when used more sparingly.

I enjoyed the game so far. I definitely like the Spectrum aesthetic. My only complaint would be the number of "Nothing Happened!" responses. After a while they break immersion in the game. It'd be nice if something happened when I try to use a painting, clock, etc... even if it was of no consequence.

I enjoyed the game so far. I definitely like the Spectrum aesthetic. My only complaint would be the number of "Nothing Happened!" responses. After a while they break immersion in the game. It'd be nice if something happened when I try to use a painting, clock, etc... even if it was of no consequence.

+1

Ok, thanks. I'll write some different text for the failed responses.

NEXT:
Some sort of hint system.

Hint system implemented.
The hints are linked to the current scene, and a couple don't have hints as there's no need.

Hints are tucked away in the pause menu because I don't want people to just be tempted to keep checking hints for every scene. The game will also record hint usage so at the end I can tell players how many times they used them!

NEXT:
Change 'Nothing Happened!' responses to something more interesting.

Maybe you add a tiny collection system. You are able to collect something (i dont know..gems?) whenever (or sometiems) when there is no interaction. Still gives me a reward. Try to tie it into the theme of the game...
just a crazy idea...

I've had a think about your idea. I could use spirit orbs that are attached to certain objects, and I could even have a few just free floating on certain scenes. Trying to think if there could be a use for them rather just for the sake of collecting them all.