+DZ-Jay Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 15 minutes ago, cmadruga said: On the message about who's ripping the shield. No, it was not Tyler. It could have been made clearer, but either way, as you play the game it will become clearer the relationship between the creatures you will find and radiation. I got that already (hehehe). Still, I think then that the second turn of phrase I offered may help be more explicit and dramatic ("did not get thru"). I do not think that being ambiguous in this message has any narrative advantage. 15 minutes ago, cmadruga said: Hopefully the game will clarify the reason for creatures trying to rip the reactor shield, and the consequences of that action. It did, yes. The narrative so far works rather well so far. I am quite impressed. I am merely offering suggestions on the nuance of the text, to increase its effectiveness and make it more professional and polished. 2 minutes ago, cmadruga said: About the "danger" message on the wall, on the post-contest version we are interested in adding a cut scene to show the corpse in more details and possible have some reaction from Ellen. But it didn't make it for this version. Got it. I'm excited to see that in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 By the way, the world-building employed in the dialog boxes and terminal notes work very well in providing context to the Pandora universe. Of course, it helps that a lot of it is taken from sci-fi tropes, and specifically, from the Alien movie lore; but that's not a bad thing. It works. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 World building in Inty games, who knew? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthompson Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 I haven't checked in on this game in a bit, but I just played a few times and Wow! This is really imaginative and engaging. I like everything about it, and I wanted to contribute a bit, if that's OK. (I'm better at proofreading than playing video games, so this is in my lane. ?) On this first screen, the usual phrase would be "In the year 2105" but maybe "the" won't quite fit? Maybe "It's 2105, and cargo ship Costaguana…" would work. Or how about "April 2105 – Cargo ship Costaguana…" On the screen above, there should be a space before "while." If you add the space and move "while" to the next line, that will likely fix the other issue of the period after "team" being on the wrong line. I might also add "and" before "good luck." On this screen, "urgently" isn't quite right in the context of the message. "Promptly" would be a good substitute. "Please schedule it promptly. Thanks." Finally, the screen above should have the period after "reactor" inside the bracket. [Both near the reactor.] I'm OK with the prompt to call the elevator, even if it's disabled. It's like pushing the call button on a real elevator. You won't know it's not working unless you give it a try. Great job on this game! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 Thanks for the revisions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 Video demonstrating some features of the upcoming release: revamped intro, new cut scenes, etc. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Steve Jones Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Looks amazing, she certainly looks like “Ellen” in the intro scenes ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, cmadruga said: Video demonstrating some features of the upcoming release: revamped intro, new cut scenes, etc. Phenomenal work, @cmadruga and Team Pandora! That looks exceptionally good. I love the longer intro and the short interstitial "closeups" as Ellen encounters the warning written in blood, and the first monster. The graphics updates look considerably better than earlier builds; as well as the atmospheric tension built up by the play between the monster music and the sound effects. It's those little subtle details that elevate a game. Well done! I am liking this game more and more, and I really can't wait to play it. Just make sure that you maintain that level of quality and polish throughout -- and don't skimp on a good and satisfying ending!! Since the deadline for the contest has been moved a little, would we get another "beta" to test? I really hope so! Great job! ? -dZ. Edited February 3, 2021 by DZ-Jay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 Thanks for the feedback! As long as @artrag will keep pulling rabbits out of his hat to find us more space, we will keep plugging more graphics from our talented @Black_Tiger. There will be at least one more release before the new deadline. We already incorporated a lot of the feedback and suggestions received so far. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, Steve Jones said: Looks amazing, she certainly looks like “Ellen” in the intro scenes ? Doesn't she? Also Norbert was modelled after "The Man Who Fell to Earth". If one day we are all allowed to have androids, mine will certainly look like David Bowie ? Edited February 3, 2021 by cmadruga 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 7 minutes ago, cmadruga said: Doesn't she? She does. Even my wife said "That's the girl from Alien, right?" 7 minutes ago, cmadruga said: Also Norbert was modelled after "The Man Who Fell to Earth". If one day we are all allowed to have androids, mine will certainly look like David Bowie ? That's exactly what I thought: Sigourney Weaver and David Bowie! 25 minutes ago, cmadruga said: Thanks for the feedback! As long as @artrag will keep pulling rabbits out of his hat to find us more space, we will keep plugging more graphics from our talented @Black_Tiger. There will be at least one more release before the new deadline. We already incorporated a lot of the feedback and suggestions received so far. Don't rule out bank-switching as an alternative for extended storage. Although, if you haven't segregated your data and code accordingly, it may not be worth the trouble to do it now. By all means, let me know if there is anything at all that I can assist with. I'm fairly handy with low-level stuff, and I want to make sure this game includes as many bells and whistles as you guys can imagine -- it will surely be a classic! ? -dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 1 hour ago, DZ-Jay said: Don't rule out bank-switching as an alternative for extended storage. I suppose you mean for a future, commercial version of this game? The contest rules specifically state that bank switching is not permitted, so the contest entry must not be much bigger than it already is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) Yep. Not using bank-switching yet due to contest restrictions. I initially thought we could use it, but after checking with Nano I got that clarified. Anyway, we have been floating the idea of a post-contest version that would incorporate bank-switching. At a minimum, that would allow us to have more cut scenes and end game sequences, and include animation in them. Could also do other things like an auto-map, and with JLP support we could also do save games. It doesn't look like the way we have organized the data and code would present a big challenge, but then again we haven't looked in detail. I appreciate your offer! We are looking into text and cut scene compression/encoding to free up more space. @artrag is the man on that job, so please feel free to reach out to him if you have any ideas or suggestions. Edited February 3, 2021 by cmadruga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 42 minutes ago, carlsson said: I suppose you mean for a future, commercial version of this game? The contest rules specifically state that bank switching is not permitted, so the contest entry must not be much bigger than it already is. Ah yes, I guess. I haven't read the contest rules. I suppose that it's because it is not directly supported by IntyBASIC and requires assembly language. As I remember, the only assembly directive supported is "ASM ORG". 42 minutes ago, cmadruga said: Yep. Not using bank-switching yet due to contest restrictions. I initially thought we could use it, but after checking with Nano I got that clarified. Anyway, we have been floating the idea of a post-contest version that would incorporate bank-switching. At a minimum, that would allow us to have more cut scenes and end game sequences, and include animation in them. Could also do other things like an auto-map, and with JLP support we could also do save games. Yes! I hope those plans come to fruition. :) 42 minutes ago, cmadruga said: I appreciate your offer! We are looking into text and cut scene compression/encoding to free up more space. @artrag is the man on that job, so please feel free to reach out to him if you have any ideas or suggestions. I'll help if I can, although I know that Arturo is a star in that, so you're in good hands. -dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 Updated version posted! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 1 minute ago, cmadruga said: Updated version posted! Woo-hoo! Just in time for the week-end! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 11 minutes ago, DZ-Jay said: Woo-hoo! Just in time for the week-end! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peripheral Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 Looking great! Just a few nits. None of these are a big deal, but could improve the polish. The "y" overlaps the "O" in the attached screenshot. Perhaps separate them with an empty line. Also, this doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes when I exit an elevator, or a terminal, I'm immediately asked if I want to request the elevator or open the terminal. So I have to respond "no" before I can continue. With some terminals/messages, it seems I can press either a side action button or Enter to skip through quickly. But Enter doesn't always work, for example in the long discussion when Ellen first finds her injured pal. Would be nice if Enter was useful consistently. It might be a bit late for this request, but I'd like to push a button to summon an elevator, instead of answering a question. Then, that button could blink if the elevator is on its way. Just like a real elevator control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 Thanks for the feedback! That issue with being asked yes/no again at elevators and terminals... when it does happen, is it always at the same places? Button consistency is a good catch, will look into it. About the elevator idea, is your suggestion to automatically call the elevator whenever the player would walk by a button on the wall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 51 minutes ago, cmadruga said: Thanks for the feedback! That issue with being asked yes/no again at elevators and terminals... when it does happen, is it always at the same places? It may be related to the issue I reported the last time about the sprite moving "into" the wall where the elevator is on. 51 minutes ago, cmadruga said: Button consistency is a good catch, will look into it. About the elevator idea, is your suggestion to automatically call the elevator whenever the player would walk by a button on the wall? Personally, there should be some agency left to the player, so perhaps require the player to press an action button when in front the elevator. One concern that I have about the elevator prompt now is that, if I just happen to move to it by chance, it stops me until I respond. So having the player press the "call button" of the elevator when he is in front, avoids this, and only executed it when he wants it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmadruga Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 2 minutes ago, DZ-Jay said: It may be related to the issue I reported the last time about the sprite moving "into" the wall where the elevator is on. No, that particular bug was fixed. It's probably something different. Will investigate. 2 minutes ago, DZ-Jay said: Personally, there should be some agency left to the player, so perhaps require the player to press an action button when in front the elevator. One concern that I have about the elevator prompt now is that, if I just happen to move to it by chance, it stops me until I respond. So having the player press the "call button" of the elevator when he is in front, avoids this, and only executed it when he wants it. So how would this work in practice? Suppose the player is fighting a monster and trying to call an elevator at the same time. You guys just want to be able to get near the elevator and press the lower action button (or some other button) while continuing to shoot with the upper action one? Would the game still somehow let you know that you are close enough to call the elevator? Not with a question that stops everything (as currently done), but through some other message? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 1 minute ago, cmadruga said: No, that particular bug was fixed. It's probably something different. Will investigate. Ah, OK. I'll test today and see if I can reproduce it too. 1 minute ago, cmadruga said: So how would this work in practice? Suppose the player is fighting a monster and trying to call an elevator at the same time. Good point. The top buttons are reserved for firing the gun, and it appears that the lower buttons are treated as "contextual action," so that when pressed they do the most expected action (e.g., exit inventory, execute selection etc.) I guess the same thing would apply to the elevator, so that the "most expected action" is to call it. 1 minute ago, cmadruga said: You guys just want to be able to get near the elevator and press the lower action button (or some other button) while continuing to shoot with the upper action one? Since the action button codes overlap, I do not think you can do both at the same time. Moreover, considering the ergonomics of the controller (or the lack thereof), it's not easy to press both upper and lower buttons at the same time either. However, I can imagine running and shooting at the monster, making my way to the elevator (still shooting), then press the call button briefly, and resume shooting. 1 minute ago, cmadruga said: Would the game still somehow let you know that you are close enough to call the elevator? I think you can keep the message similar to how you have it, but without making it "modal" with a prompt: When the player is in range, just display "Press button to call elevator" or something like that. I would do the same with the terminals. 1 minute ago, cmadruga said: Not with a question that stops everything (as currently done), but through some other message? Yes. The automatic "modal" prompts when you get near actionable elements are a bit cumbersome. In some classic adventure games, you can just get near objects and press "action" (a generic "do-all" button) to search them, take them, use them, etc. Then the text bar at the bottom becomes sort of like a "status bar": it tells you what the object is, or what the action will accomplish. Just a thought. -dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peripheral Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 I tried reproducing the issue with being immediately prompted to call the elevator, or open a terminal. But no luck this time. It is sporadic, after all. Perhaps if my first disc movement after exiting is left or right, instead of backwards, that triggers it? I seem to recall it happening frequently after I open the escape pod hatch to let Newton in. But, that might have been in some earlier roms. BTW, I just noticed another escape pod issue. Let's say I get Newton into the escape pod. And sometime later I revisit that room and open the escape pod hatch again ... I was surprised to see Newton's farewell message again! As far as the elevator button, I assume it would work the same way the elevator query works now. Not simply by walking by it, but rather, by walking into it. Is there any harm in accidentally bumping into it when doing something else, like battling a monster? I wouldn't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 2 minutes ago, Peripheral said: As far as the elevator button, I assume it would work the same way the elevator query works now. Not simply by walking by it, but rather, by walking into it. Is there any harm in accidentally bumping into it when doing something else, like battling a monster? I wouldn't think so. I wouldn't think there would be "harm," but it would be weird to the player that, all of a sudden, the elevator door opens. It may just look random and weird. Besides, it's not consistent with the way other things work. -dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peripheral Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 1 minute ago, DZ-Jay said: I wouldn't think there would be "harm," but it would be weird to the player that, all of a sudden, the elevator door opens. It may just look random and weird. Besides, it's not consistent with the way other things work. -dZ. I don't think it would be "all of the sudden". Touching the elevator button causes the button to light up (or blink) ... indicating you've bumped into it. But the elevator still takes a while to arrive. That all seems natural to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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