Making a Video Game...
Out of context: Reply #18
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- mantrakid0
all amazing feedback and i thank you guys so much for caring enough to post on here.
the most important feeling i want to get across is that feeling of being lost right from the very start. It was a very conscious / philosophical decision to leave the 'language' directions to a bare minimum.. actually 'click to play' i think is the only time a direction appears with actual words, and im thinking of changing that to a 'play' button by the final release haha.
the thing is, i really want to make sure im not alienating people, which it sounds like i might be, but at the same time i truly think that feeling of 'learining what it is you're doing' really hits home once it clicks.. like there's something to be said for the emotional connection you gain once you actually discover what it is you're actually trying to accomplish -- it's the whole reason i didnt just give it away verbally in my initial post.. I feel like a decent part of the game is intended to be like a puzzle game - where youre presented with these relatively familiar mechanics (ala donkey kong run + jump alongside an Asteroids space shooter type thing) but you are not told what you're supposed to actually do with them. You end up noticing you have 1 seed (and I think that's an important graphical problem i need to solve - making it more obvious what it is you have there) and were sort of 'told' what to do with it (also feel i need to make that more obvious right from the start -- like im thinking maybe have a faded instructional animation / arrow / sequence appear above your head while you're standing on a planet... telling you what to do next. from that point on, you're on your own..)..
I cant stress enough - your feedback and interest is fuel to my fire, and I'll have a new version posted here within a week with some updates that i think should help with that initial game understanding. The problem is by the time i show you guys, the concept and initial understanding has already sunk in, so i lose that fresh introduction value, but i couldnt have asked for more thoughtful feedback, so i appreciate it so so much. THANK YOU.
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My most important note: this was never meant to be understood / able to be beaten on the first try. The game itself is like an exploration of the rules that ive put in place - learning how to exploit them, and by way of death, giving you a chance to strengthen yourself through the upgrades, which also require engagement to really understand what they do. I never intended any of the experience to be a passive one... which is a paradox with the art style, gameplay mechanics and music --- as pretentious as it sounds, deep down i want to connect with the player in the way of having them not be told what to do, but for them to slowly come to a realization and understanding of what my intentions actually were.
This is all coming after playing games like Candy Box / A Dark Room / Terraria / Proteus / Starseed Pilgrim / Castle Doctrine -- all games that start with zero direction, but have taken up a considerable portion of my consciousness because of that fact. I'd be delusional to list Sprout in with those amazing games, but it is certainly my intention to try to get others to feel that same feeling i got.
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