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You should all play this immediately. I found it highly enjoyable. It could do with a little polish but it's still a great experience. I guess you could call it a mystlike since most of the puzzles are mechanical.

Unfortunately there's no way to save your game right now so make sure you've got some time to spare before you play.

FRACT (http://richardeflanagan.com/#17-fract-adventure-game-design)

(http://richardeflanagan.com/system/files/120/original/03_full.jpg?1294261121)

This is sex.

Downloading immediately.

EDIT:

Unfortunately, it runs much too slowly on my p.o.s. laptop, even on the lowest setting.

Yeah, it's crazy busy. I imagine there are some smart optimizations the developer didn't do.

Regardless of performance issues, the game itself is very intriguing. I got to the part where you enter inside the structure and play the music that makes everything move. I didn't figure out what to do past that, if there's anything.

i got there too, and figured out the code for it was on something in the first part, so i went back and hit esc (was in fullscreen) so i could copy it down into notepad or something, and it quit the game without asking for confirmation :(

Yeah, that is an issue with many Game Maker games as well. The engine defaults Esc to "CLOSE GAME NOW THERE'S NO TIME". Many devs don't bother changing.

Mac version! Everything about this is exciting.

this game was made in unity, the developers did this on purpose as there is no default quit button for unity games (other than alt+f4)

i put it on the lowest setting but after the first puzzle it lagged like crazy. wasn't very playable in that state so I quit. oh well, seemed nice though.

I know it was made with Unity (what with all the splash screens). I assumed that "ESC TO QUIT NOW" was a default of Unity, as it is in Game Maker, which is why I made the comparison.

With some work I think you could get this to run on a pretty weak computer. I think he's placed too many meshes in the scene without combining them at runtime or anything. If he built more of the scene in Maya or some 3d editor it would run a lot faster. Could combine segmens of the world at startup as well. This was what I referred to when I said it had some small issues. Nothing that can't be fixed.

Unplayably slow on my laptop, that's been able to handle most unity games I've played until now :(

Yeah, I imagine there's huge room for optimization here.

I talked to the developer a bit, he admits is more of an artist and not a programmer, I gave him some optimization pointers but I couldn't tell you the real reason without opening the project files and breaking out ..... the profiler ..... which is only in Pro ;_;

Hopefully there are no hard limitations, it looks like the ambiance of the game depends on far draw distances.

Darn. That was some experience, haha!

The puzzles were simple and easy to solve but the atmosphere and the world is so new to me that I was amazed by it. I wish there were more games like this. :D
I didn't figure that as well. :c

Thanks for sharing!

Man, this game is pretty incredible.  If it gets done this year, it will easily deserve a top spot on someone's 2011 list.  I hope it does well at the IGF!

And the last puzzle is apparently unfinished as well as some other stuff, so don't get too attached to it just yet.  Although I can see myself playing through this one again in a few months (not something I say often at all.)

Thanks for the tip! Somehow, I've got mixed feelings about it... (maybe because my exceptions were to high). One one hand, it has some special atmospheres in there, and interesting (visual) ideas too, but the gameplay didn't work for me for some reason... But I should try it again. (Is there an ending of some sort, after solving all puzzles? Just curious...) - Technically, it works fine here, BTW.

That was...really cool. Sorta reminds me of the Myst games. Hopefully that music room is the end, because I couldn't see any more puzzles.

Also for some reason this game really creeps me out. I'm not sure why. :-\

It's a stark atmosphere and a completely alien landscape filled with decaying structures, built for unfathomable reasons.

I can see why it would be creepy. The sound work really helps too.

Yep, the game is great. Although I do feel that the player should be guided on where to go or what to do. At least even a hint. Or maybe some visual cues or something.

Of course the main point of the game is to explore the alien world for yourself. I am afraid, however, that people might get too confused and exit the game long before they could experience its awesomeness.

that and the poor frame rate is why I gave up.

also the similar problem I had in Myst years ago. didn't know where to go, and gave up.

Yeah. Games like these should not be too obscure that people get lost in its obscurity.

It depends on the player. Some people crave games that dump them in a large alien world and tell them to get busy figuring out what they're even supposed to do. I had little problem with this game. It was a matter of identifying structures that looked more unique or interesting and running towards them to see if I could interact with them in some way. It didn't take too long to get to the part in which me and apparently many others got stuck, though I'm starting to think that's the actual end of the game.

I agree that it depends on the player. I just feel that by becoming too obscure, the game loses potential players who could have enjoyed the game. I mean, why cater to a few when you can make it accessible to all with a few minor changes/additions? :D

That's a good point, but a game also loses some of its unique feel once it starts making efforts to become more accessible. I think that the disorientation at the start is an integral quality of this game, and something would be lost if this world didn't seem so slien anymore, once you got an arrow pointing you to your next objective or something similar. And as minor a change or addition may be, they still have the power of deeply changing the experience.

I agree. An arrow pointing you to the next direction would ruin the experience. I am thinking something more subtle. Something like, i dunno, slightly visible road/foot path to show that you are free to explore or go to another puzzle if you can't solve the first one.

The reason why I'm so concerned is because of what I initially felt when I played the game. After finishing the first puzzle, I was taken by a hovering platform (or whatever it is) to an area near the big structure with debris falling. Since I was taken near there, my first instinct was to go there hoping to find the next puzzle. Since there were debris that were falling, I can't really get inside the big structure. So what I did was I went around the structure hoping to find a secret entrance, a button or something but didn't find any.

If you are an exploring type of person, your next instinct would be to check out the other areas of the map. But how about those who aren't? They would quit and give up since they were hoping that since the hover board took them there, it was there that they would find their next objective. Most of the time they wouldn't think of leaving that area because they think they're supposed to stay there and they don't know that they could actually leave.

I only got lucky because I was so amazed by the world that I tried walking around and I found the next puzzle. If I didn't do that, I might have quit.

I believe the developer assumed that players would look up and see the red beam, and how it was spawning the falling debris, and then follow the beam to those towers linking it. Walking around there they'd find the control room to divert the beam.

I think the key to the music room is the floating bars around the rotate-y structure outside. going back to check. It's also similar to myst in that once you know how to do things, it goes really fast.

Yeah, a big part of 'Myst-likes' is that a lot of the longevity comes from (at first) aimless exploration, trying to find and decipher clues to progress. If you know what to do you can complete the games in very little time.

oh, shit! i was right! it's the end of the game, though.

I don't think the music puzzle is working right. Whenever I try to put in the sequence I found, it doesn't work. Also, when I try to make the sequencer play nothing by setting all the boxes to blank, it will still play something on different "instruments" and at different times. I tried counting the difference between displayed silence on the console and actual silence played for each block to try to get it to work, and I still couldn't get it to work for some reason. Also could not figure it out by ear.

Yeah. I was stupid that I wasn't able to deduce that easily.

I guess it's because I'm new to such a game? I'm so used to game pointing me in the right direction that it has affected my actions towards this game.

Haha. Knowing me, I would never have arrived to such a conclusion. I would just explore that current room and would not think of venturing back to the previous level outside.

Oh, so the game really does end? :D

Hello everyone!

The developer here. First, thank you all for the kind words and fantastic feedback. This was a learning project for me and I’m blown away by the response so far. Keep the feedback coming: the more I get, the better the game can become!

An updated version is coming shortly. I almost uploaded it yesterday, but discovered a really nasty bug that makes it very difficult to finish the game. A few of you have alluded to it, but I managed to repeat it and can now attempt a resolution. It's kind of a miracle that some of you managed to complete the game at all! You've more patience than I! And for those curious, there most certainly is an end.

I nicked a few other little bugs that have popped up thanks to you all and have other resolutions (lower and 4:3 support) along with the much requested invert mouse option integrated. I hope to have it up by Monday or maybe tonight.

Keep an eye on my twitter feed for updates : http://www.twitter.com/phosfiend

I CANNOT THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH FOR PLAYING MY GAME AND GIVING ME THIS FEEDBACK. BOTH THE PRAISE AND CRITIQUES ARE EQUALLY VALUABLE, KEEP IT COMING!

Nice to see you around.

FLECT also looks interesting from screenshots. I'm downloading it now.

FLECT is pretty rough around the edges, but if you're in for a challenge definitely check it out

FRACT has been updated!
(http://richardeflanagan.com/system/screenshots/107/original/POSTER-FOR-BLOG.jpg?1294617569)

GET IT HERE: http://richardeflanagan.com/lab/10-fract-beta-come-and-play

Thanks again everyone!

I remember saying how I was gonna have to play through this game again one day.  Apparently, one week later, that day has arrived.  :whome:

So.  Awesome.  Thanks for keeping us updated!  :beer:

Finally finished it. Awesome experience.

The new version still ran pretty slow for me, but it was playable. But turning the res down to 640x480 for the slight improvement in fps made it look quite ugly and ruined the experience, I think. Since most of the game's appeal is the graphics.

Lol. Might try to play it again as I really want to solve the final puzzle and finish the game.  :laughter:

Great work, I hope you keep making games. The portals hurt my eyes and brain though--more unpleasant than challenging. Also maybe you could do more with the boundaries of the world, like having shapes or objects in the distance? Everything else was amazing.

http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2011/01/2011_independent_games_festiva_11.html

student showcase winner.

awesome, congrats.

Congratulations for teh win! Woot!

Yes, a new version.  :beer:

I liked playing exploring the world and how the puzzles were challenging but not impossibly difficult. The Tron-ish atmosphere was great, and it was this style that initially drew me to the game (I've been a fan of the move ever since I picked it out at our local rental store decades ago when I was 7).

After finishing the puzzles, I was able to slowly jump up the steep slope of the wall. There was no puzzle unfortunately (I was hoping for at least a non-interactive structure), but that's understandable.

I got stuck in some spawn/death loops with the gap around the first puzzle when I went back to it while see what kind of unintended things I could do in the game. Often, I would get spawned up to the platforms and sometimes back to where I had jumped from. But a correctly placed jump from the ground into the gap, it was possible to get stuck spawning above the gap into which I would fall again and repeat until I edged my way to the platforms.

I'm going to go play the new beta now, and I'll be sure to misplay it again to see what else I can find.

Just looking at that picture makes my computer squirm

I finally noticed the clues for the final puzzle and finished the game. Yesterday, I spent about 15 minutes having fun just playing around with the sequencer to see what kinds of mixes I could me before even trying to solve its puzzle. The first time I hit the play button was the biggest "Woah... This is awesome" moment in the game (discovering I could fall off the edge of the world and watch the beautiful structure of its lower half fly up comes in second).

I'm going to have to play around with this game some more, and I would love to play and explore more worlds like it.

More please.  :beg:

Also, I hope you notice PM I sent you about the bug I found in this new beta.

Can someone tell me how to beat the first puzzle? I thought I had it but then nothing.

Fill in the gaps. Hidden, more informative tip: There is a gap pattern you can find in the room to show you the 4 buttons you should press on the panel. Then click on the round button above the rectangle buttons.

What he said.  :eyebrows:

great!!

We've got an interview/post-partem/something with the developer, Richard Flanagan, over at the Mount Royal Game Society (http://www.montrealindies.com/?p=135), if anyone's interested.

Finally got some time to sit down and try this...

...geez, this completely obliterated my macbook D: I think I'm going to have to find another computer try this on :(

Coming from a Myst series veteran (I've played through the Cyan-developed entries in the main series, as well as the Uru base game), this is pretty awesome. Certainly a visual and aural feast.

I love the way your note-challenging abilities are tested because the objects you're observing are in motion. It was also cool being thrown off by the color shift. Apart from that, the puzzles were a little too straightforward. Guess it's a question of audience. Anyway, the sequencer-based main puzzle is cool as fuck, even if you got the idea from the Selenitic Age gate.

The ending is not rewarding enough. It was a nice show outside the yellow chamber, but I totally expected something big to happen once I clicked on the map.

Myst is a tough act to follow, and setting this game in an abstract world was a stroke of genius. I haven't seen another Myst-like do that.

looks like we will be seeing more fract:

http://www.fractgame.com

Congratulations on winning the Student Showcase.  :beer:

Now I owe Richard two beers.:facepalm:

But he's certainly earned them.:beer::handmetalR:

Hey everyone!

Thanks for the feedback and support, it's been great! With the IGF win, we're actually looking to expand FRACT out to its full intended glory over the next year (if you liked the beta, I think you'll enjoy what's to come next). As my technical abilities have reached their limit, we're looking to hire a programmer for a 6-month contract, starting in May. Preferably Montreal-based (though somewhat flexible should any genius programmers come our way).

We're looking for someone talented and versatile, with experience with Unreal (UDK) or Unity game engine, and atleast 1 published PC/Mac or console title (preferably - if not some equivalent bad-assery). Experience programming/working with sound is also a big plus.

If you (or someone you know) fits this profile, send us your details at fractgame[at]gmail[dot]com.

Thanks again!

I'm almost quite certain I've heard of a few Unity programmers who live in Montreal. Have you tried posting in their forums?

wait, I see that you have. maybe you should give the title a little more pizzazz, mention fract and igf in the title maybe? your thread kinda blends in with the rest, putting the game name/igf in the title would greatly improve its visibility.

good luck finding someone  :gentleman:

Good idea - duly noted sir, your suggestion has thus been incorporated!