Is there going to be something random in the boxes? I think I smashed them all then found a circle that needed something heavy putting on it to open a gate. At that point I couldn't find a broken column either.
I didn't think the health bar was very clear. It was difficult to gauge how much damage I was taking when fighting and how much health I got when I picked one up.
In a later tutorial maybe mention the floating cubes that explode? I thought the first one that I encountered was something to collect. Until it blew up!
I might have missed which button was 'jump'? I got stuck in part of a room with different height 'squares' being attacked from one side and stabbed by something in the dark at the other. Then it restarted from the beginning. I was at least 15 minutes into the game. Maybe it could restart from the beginning of the unfinished room?
But it was fun and I will play more to see if I can get further.
Thanks for taking the time to play the game and provide feedback!
The room that you are describing with the big circle is the only puzzle in the level. There is a block on top of a platform. You use the tractor beam to pull that block and then place it on the circular button. Then the gate opens.
You jump by pressing the left joystick.
I might rethink how I display the user's health.
It is frustrating to start over at the beginning when you die. The reason I don't have save points along the way is that I am not sure if the final game is going to have permadeath. I'm still planning on having short, randomly generated levels. That said, my original idea for the game was more ambitious where there was one massive level (Metroidvania) with save points, but at some point I started to feel that was unrealistic.
As for the floating cubes, Maybe they should look more menacing so it is clear that you aren't supposed to touch them.
I keep forgetting about the teleport ability! Maybe you should use it to get the other objects at the start rather than being able to just pick them up all up? Maybe not all the objects are available at the start?
In the end I used a broken column to put on the circle. I did try to shoot the big cube down but it got stuck. Once I opened the gate, I then got stuck getting passed the lasers. I shot at them and fired arrows but they didn't explode. Do you have to do a dance around the beams? I ended up just running through them and taking damage.
The gun is a bit too useful. I found myself shooting everything rather than using the other weapons and the shield never really gets a look in. Maybe have less bullets to make you use the other weapons?
I did notice that the boxes do give you something when you break them but it happens so fast you don't really notice what it is.
There is a black cube carried by one of the characters but I feared picking it up as it was making a noise and I thought it would explode. I haven't found out if it is useful yet.
When I fell in the spike pit my right hand disappeared and so I couldn't climb out. I held onto the ladder and the spikes didn't get me. When I let go and fell to the floor, my hand appeared again so I could run across to the other side and climb out.
The objects at the start are supposed to be things you collect throughout the beginning of the game. For a few reasons, including the fact that this is a short demo level, I just give them to you at the start. In the final game it won't work like this. Note this is not all the items. There are 3 other types of gun in the level that are not at the beginning, and grenades.
I'm not sure what broken column you speak of. To get the cube down you use the tractor beam to pull it and then place it on the circle button (see attached image). You shouldn't have to shoot at it.
I see what you are saying about the gun being too useful. The difficulty of this level is supposed to be like level two or three in a full game since I wanted to get a feel for how the gameplay works in the middle of the game. By that point in the game you would probably be using the gun. You are right about the shield, it hardly has any use in the game which is something I need to think about.
A few people have told me to take the guns out and just make it bow and melee. I'm considering taking out most of the guns and just leaving one slow, powerful gun.
The black cube is a bomb. After you kill the minion that carries it, you can carry it and place it somewhere and then blow it up by shooting it. It has a "fuse" sound so you can hear the minion coming and that is a video game trope that alerts the user that a bomb is nearby. That said, the fuse sound doesn't make any sense in this context since the bomb is not on a timer. I'll probably just make the minion tell and take the fuse sound out.
The right hand disappearing thing is likely a known bug that happens sometimes when you climb while still holding a weapon. The hand gets stuck on the ladder rung. This is something I have to fix.
By teleport, I think you mean the tractor beam? Originally the game did have standard VR teleporting but I took it out because it allowed the player to circumvent too many traps and platformer elements.
I forgot to mention the lasers. They are indestructible. The only way to really get around them is to physically duck under them close to the walls. It's a poorly designed obstacle. I didn't really think it through. Your approach to just run straight through is what I do. I'll think of another way to use them.
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Nice work.
Is there going to be something random in the boxes? I think I smashed them all then found a circle that needed something heavy putting on it to open a gate. At that point I couldn't find a broken column either.
I didn't think the health bar was very clear. It was difficult to gauge how much damage I was taking when fighting and how much health I got when I picked one up.
In a later tutorial maybe mention the floating cubes that explode? I thought the first one that I encountered was something to collect. Until it blew up!
I might have missed which button was 'jump'? I got stuck in part of a room with different height 'squares' being attacked from one side and stabbed by something in the dark at the other. Then it restarted from the beginning. I was at least 15 minutes into the game. Maybe it could restart from the beginning of the unfinished room?
But it was fun and I will play more to see if I can get further.
Thanks for taking the time to play the game and provide feedback!
The room that you are describing with the big circle is the only puzzle in the level. There is a block on top of a platform. You use the tractor beam to pull that block and then place it on the circular button. Then the gate opens.
You jump by pressing the left joystick.
I might rethink how I display the user's health.
It is frustrating to start over at the beginning when you die. The reason I don't have save points along the way is that I am not sure if the final game is going to have permadeath. I'm still planning on having short, randomly generated levels. That said, my original idea for the game was more ambitious where there was one massive level (Metroidvania) with save points, but at some point I started to feel that was unrealistic.
As for the floating cubes, Maybe they should look more menacing so it is clear that you aren't supposed to touch them.
Hi,
Thanks for the info.
I keep forgetting about the teleport ability! Maybe you should use it to get the other objects at the start rather than being able to just pick them up all up? Maybe not all the objects are available at the start?
In the end I used a broken column to put on the circle. I did try to shoot the big cube down but it got stuck. Once I opened the gate, I then got stuck getting passed the lasers. I shot at them and fired arrows but they didn't explode. Do you have to do a dance around the beams? I ended up just running through them and taking damage.
The gun is a bit too useful. I found myself shooting everything rather than using the other weapons and the shield never really gets a look in. Maybe have less bullets to make you use the other weapons?
I did notice that the boxes do give you something when you break them but it happens so fast you don't really notice what it is.
There is a black cube carried by one of the characters but I feared picking it up as it was making a noise and I thought it would explode. I haven't found out if it is useful yet.
When I fell in the spike pit my right hand disappeared and so I couldn't climb out. I held onto the ladder and the spikes didn't get me. When I let go and fell to the floor, my hand appeared again so I could run across to the other side and climb out.
I'm not sure what broken column you speak of. To get the cube down you use the tractor beam to pull it and then place it on the circle button (see attached image). You shouldn't have to shoot at it.
I see what you are saying about the gun being too useful. The difficulty of this level is supposed to be like level two or three in a full game since I wanted to get a feel for how the gameplay works in the middle of the game. By that point in the game you would probably be using the gun. You are right about the shield, it hardly has any use in the game which is something I need to think about.
A few people have told me to take the guns out and just make it bow and melee. I'm considering taking out most of the guns and just leaving one slow, powerful gun.
The black cube is a bomb. After you kill the minion that carries it, you can carry it and place it somewhere and then blow it up by shooting it. It has a "fuse" sound so you can hear the minion coming and that is a video game trope that alerts the user that a bomb is nearby. That said, the fuse sound doesn't make any sense in this context since the bomb is not on a timer. I'll probably just make the minion tell and take the fuse sound out.
The right hand disappearing thing is likely a known bug that happens sometimes when you climb while still holding a weapon. The hand gets stuck on the ladder rung. This is something I have to fix.
By teleport, I think you mean the tractor beam? Originally the game did have standard VR teleporting but I took it out because it allowed the player to circumvent too many traps and platformer elements.
Thanks again for all of the feedback!
I forgot to mention the lasers. They are indestructible. The only way to really get around them is to physically duck under them close to the walls. It's a poorly designed obstacle. I didn't really think it through. Your approach to just run straight through is what I do. I'll think of another way to use them.