Test my game!

[Muchoman1]

How many times did you play the game? 5

 

How many times did you die? 5

 

Was it easy to understand and use? If not, why? easy to use, yes. understand, no

 

Were there any issues with the interface? it doesnt support eyefinity =P

 

What kind of mood/atmosphere do you think I was trying to portray? Did I succeed? looks like a scary atmosphere. no you didnt succeed

 

Did the sound add or detract from the game's enjoyment? Was there too little, too much, or just the right amount? too little and too much. any soundtrack to a move or game has sound inbetween the "main" sounds like the screaming.

 

Did the story keep you engaged? Did you want to keep playing even after you died? not really

 

Was there enough content or did it leave you wanting more? meh

 

Did you find the hidden button? Before or after you read this question? On your first playthrough or not? Did you like that it was hidden or did that frustrate you? Did you start scouring other scenes for more? i found the stick if thats what your asking. first playthrough.

 

Did you realize there was no winning condition? How long did it take to realize that? Does the fact that you cannot win frustrate you? after the 5th time i got eaten i gave up. it annoyed me a bit

 

What is your overall opinion of the game? meh

 

How can it be improved? backround sounds etc

 

Did you pass the game on to a friend? no

 

Where did you find out about this game and survey? occ

[GabrielT]

I have the stick let me defend myself!

[Deathmineral]

How do you know it wasn't a tiger that killed you?

I actually did consider that, mainly because of the slashes that kill the player.

 

Originally I didn't take this too seriously, as I'm sure you guessed with my typical tiger response. However I did fill the survey in a more serious manner so that's why make the tiger joke.

 

On a more serious note, I actually like the aspect of not being able to win the game. It's always been my belief that games are an art form, just like books or movies.

 

I read a story the other day called "The Cough" which had a pretty interesting idea and reading further through this thread I was reminded of that story by some of the discussion about not being able to win the game. In the story there is a plague going around, and the only way someone could tell if someone else had caught the sickness was by coughing, that was literally the only warning sign. It revolves around some characters that are locked inside of a building or room of some sort, one of them coughs and the group, including the cougher, agrees a sacrifice must be made for the sake of the group's survival. So the kill the one that coughed and after that the story simply ends with one line: "In the darkness, someone coughed"

 

To me both that story and your game are very similar in the idea that they present nothing but despair to the audience, and I really like that idea. So personally, I think the idea that the player can't win is actually a lot of fun, the problem is that the game would certainly need to be able to really get the player into it, it would need great immersion. That's what was lacking for your game, which is fine because you're just using it as a test.

 

Personally I really love games like the one you created, adventure games are one of my favorite genres, games like AlternativA, that's a big favorite of mine. Also your games reminds me of the developer/publisher Tale of Tales, who created The Path and The Graveyard. Those two games present a very similar idea, the idea that you can't really win but you don't necessarily lose either. I haven't actually played The Path yet, mainly because I believe it would be a terribly time consuming game and I just don't want that at the moment, but The Graveyard I have played, the best I can do to sum it up would be to simply copy and paste the description for it.

 

"The Graveyard is a very short computer game. You play an old lady who visits a graveyard. You walk around, sit on a bench and listen to a song. It's more like an explorable painting than an actual game. An experiment with poetry and storytelling but without words.

 

Buying the full version of The Graveyard adds only one feature, the possibility of death. The full version of the game is exactly the same as the trial, except, every time you play she may die."

 

So that's The Graveyard, all you can do in the game is die, however it's also your goal in a way, so dying could be considered winning the game.

[HarryTaco]

How many times did you play the game?>>> A Dozen times.

 

How many times did you die?>>>A Dozen Times.

 

Was it easy to understand and use?>>>Simple Enough. If not, why?

 

Were there any issues with the interface?>>>Not Really

 

What kind of mood/atmosphere do you think I was trying to portray?>>>someone hurt, scared and Lost in the Woods. Did I succeed?>>>Yes.

 

Did the sound add or detract from the game's enjoyment?>>>the sound was okay. Was there too little, too much, or just the right amount?>>>Probably a music theme would have helped.

 

Did the story keep you engaged?>>>>Just so so. I really only did it for you.

 

Did you want to keep playing even after you died?>>>> For awhile yes but then I was frustrated and quit.

 

Was there enough content or did it leave you wanting more?>>>> Definately need more.

 

Did you find the hidden button?>>>No. Before or after you read this question?>>>Not at all. On your first playthrough or not?>>NO Did you like that it was hidden or did that frustrate you?>>>Frustrating. Did you start scouring other scenes for more?>>>No

 

Did you realize there was no winning condition?>>>I kind of guessed. How long did it take to realize that?>>>I played a dozen times. Does the fact that you cannot win frustrate you?>>>Not if the game was designed that way.

 

What is your overall opinion of the game?>>>Just so so Really, but hey you are not a pro.

 

How can it be improved?>>> Depends on what you want to do with it. Im not that imaginative anyway.

 

Did you pass the game on to a friend?>>>Honestly? No.

 

Where did you find out about this game and survey?>>>>Here on OCC.

Edited November 10, 2011 by Kwok

[Kamikaze_Badger]

Not too bad of a game, but after playing through a few times and then reading on the survey that there was no winning, I didn't continue to play. I didn't realize any of that before reading the survey. After the first few games, I kept on going because I thought it would be a very challenging game, similar to I Wanna Be The Guy. IWBTG is insanely hard, but there is a winning condition, and that's what keeps me playing through it despite all the frustrating moments. I do look forward to playing any future versions you may produce, as it's got the potential to be a really fun game .

[ciddono]

How many times did you play the game? A dozen or so.

 

How many times did you die?As often as I played :|

 

Was it easy to understand and use? If not, why?Yes, but with no story, gameplay and objective were vague.

 

Were there any issues with the interface?Nah.

 

What kind of mood/atmosphere do you think I was trying to portray? Did I succeed? Creepy, with death at every turn. And yes.

 

Did the sound add or detract from the game's enjoyment? Was there too little, too much, or just the right amount? Sound was fine. More ambiance would be nice, music, forest sounds, ect.

 

Did the story keep you engaged? Did you want to keep playing even after you died? I died early and often, so yes.

 

Was there enough content or did it leave you wanting more? The end was only seven or eight pages in, so yeah, I felt like there should be more.

 

Did you find the hidden button? Before or after you read this question? On your first playthrough or not? Did you like that it was hidden or did that frustrate you? Did you start scouring other scenes for more? No. And knowing about it didn't help find it either.

 

Did you realize there was no winning condition? How long did it take to realize that? Does the fact that you cannot win frustrate you?I realized there was no winning condition by reading here. That doesn't bother me, it actually prompted me to go back and venture to the end of progression and meet my death, once again.

 

What is your overall opinion of the game?Clever, but I think with little or no rewards for a safe choice, replay value is minimal.

 

How can it be improved? additional content, more variety of choices or directions, rewards for good choices, since bad ones result in death.

 

Did you pass the game on to a friend?No.

 

Where did you find out about this game and survey?Recent topics at OCC main page.

[ClayMeow]

Again, MUCHO GRACIAS to everyone who has posted in this thread and/or completed the survey.

 

 

I actually did consider that, mainly because of the slashes that kill the player.

 

Originally I didn't take this too seriously, as I'm sure you guessed with my typical tiger response. However I did fill the survey in a more serious manner so that's why make the tiger joke.

 

On a more serious note, I actually like the aspect of not being able to win the game. It's always been my belief that games are an art form, just like books or movies.

 

I read a story the other day called "The Cough" which had a pretty interesting idea and reading further through this thread I was reminded of that story by some of the discussion about not being able to win the game. In the story there is a plague going around, and the only way someone could tell if someone else had caught the sickness was by coughing, that was literally the only warning sign. It revolves around some characters that are locked inside of a building or room of some sort, one of them coughs and the group, including the cougher, agrees a sacrifice must be made for the sake of the group's survival. So the kill the one that coughed and after that the story simply ends with one line: "In the darkness, someone coughed"

 

To me both that story and your game are very similar in the idea that they present nothing but despair to the audience, and I really like that idea. So personally, I think the idea that the player can't win is actually a lot of fun, the problem is that the game would certainly need to be able to really get the player into it, it would need great immersion. That's what was lacking for your game, which is fine because you're just using it as a test.

That sounds like an interesting story. As I mentioned in one of my responses here, this was a loose interpretation of the first chapter in a story I wrote, so it certainly was more about telling a story than playing a game. I could have easily made it simply a story with no choices, and it may have actually been a better experience for most people, but unfortunately I then probably wouldn't get a very good grade on my midterm since I had to introduce interactivity. I am working on some ideas to actually make a winning condition, or at least bring some closure to it. I can't promise when that will come with the other work I have to do, but it is certainly something I'd eventually like to "finish".

 

Personally I really love games like the one you created, adventure games are one of my favorite genres, games like AlternativA, that's a big favorite of mine. Also your games reminds me of the developer/publisher Tale of Tales, who created The Path and The Graveyard. Those two games present a very similar idea, the idea that you can't really win but you don't necessarily lose either. I haven't actually played The Path yet, mainly because I believe it would be a terribly time consuming game and I just don't want that at the moment, but The Graveyard I have played, the best I can do to sum it up would be to simply copy and paste the description for it.

 

"The Graveyard is a very short computer game. You play an old lady who visits a graveyard. You walk around, sit on a bench and listen to a song. It's more like an explorable painting than an actual game. An experiment with poetry and storytelling but without words.

 

Buying the full version of The Graveyard adds only one feature, the possibility of death. The full version of the game is exactly the same as the trial, except, every time you play she may die."

 

So that's The Graveyard, all you can do in the game is die, however it's also your goal in a way, so dying could be considered winning the game.

Interesting. I haven't played any of those three games. I thought I actually owned The Path, but I just checked my Steam account and it's not there. I'll have to keep my eye open during the Black Friday or Holiday sales

 

 

Not too bad of a game, but after playing through a few times and then reading on the survey that there was no winning, I didn't continue to play. I didn't realize any of that before reading the survey. After the first few games, I kept on going because I thought it would be a very challenging game, similar to I Wanna Be The Guy. IWBTG is insanely hard, but there is a winning condition, and that's what keeps me playing through it despite all the frustrating moments. I do look forward to playing any future versions you may produce, as it's got the potential to be a really fun game .

Thanks, KB! I haven't heard of that game before, I'll have to check it out...it looks interesting and funny.

[Onion]

As far as I've gone, every wrong choice ended up with me being mauled by an animal.

[GabrielT]

I just want to be able upgrade the stick I found so I can fight that thing. It should be as follows.

 

You Found pointy rock and twine. Stick + Pointy Rock + Twine = Super Killy Death Stick of the Slaughter it could look like this ------------------------------------------->

[ClayMeow]

I just want to be able upgrade the stick I found so I can fight that thing. It should be as follows.

 

You Found pointy rock and twine. Stick + Pointy Rock + Twine = Super Killy Death Stick of the Slaughter it could look like this ------------------------------------------->

 

Lol, that sounds interesting. Maybe I can do the next iteration like that...would make it more of a point-and-click adventure game than what I was going for though.

[ClayMeow]

Figured I'd post this in case you guys were interested...I had to summarize the test results and post it online for my professor/class, so here it is.

 

Thanks again to everyone!