next »

[Lo-Fi]

Hey everybody!

I'm new here, and I thought I would start with a feedback thread for my game.

The Fourth Wall

The Fourth Wall is a puzzle platformer that focuses on using screen wrap as the main puzzle-solving mechanic. The player has the ability to lock/unlock the screen, which will enable/disable screen wrap.


Images:








Download
Newest Version
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/580413/the_fourth_wall_releases/the_fourth_wall_v2.38.exe

Note: you can press K at any time to restart the current level.



What I'm looking for in feedback
-How often did you die? I want to avoid forcing the player to learn through death.
-Glitches. Please let me know about any glitches, no matter how minor.
-Handling. How does it feel to control the character?
-Screen lock. Does the current locking control scheme work, or would you prefer a toggle?
-Performance. I don't have access to many different computers, so I assume that the game runs fine, but I can't be too sure. Let me know how it runs.
-Level design. Is the game fun the whole way through? Let me know about every part that you were bored/frustrated, well-designed levels/puzzles are crucial for this game.


Thanks!

[starsrift]

Hey everybody!

I'm new here, and I thought I would start with a feedback thread for my game.

You poor bastard. Not only is it TIGsource approved method to start with -anything- other than a feedback thread, you're posting in the week after a Ludum Dare and tons of people have gams to show.

Platformers have bored the shit out of me since the 90's, but given that you're an unfortunate bastard by way of the reasons above, I went to give your game a try on my laptop (onboard video, limited memory, fairly decent processor).

Your game froze with the tiny little splash screen. It did not start. By the time I got into task manager to kill it, it had absorbed 420 MB of memory, or as much as a AAA title in 2004. I'm not bashing you here, just saying it needs some optimization.

And, uh, the splash screen should be a little larger, I didn't even know what it was the first time it popped up on my screen. Unfortunately, I can't offer feedback more than that.

... And welcome to tigsource!

[John2s]

Very good game, I've really liked playing it. And runs flawlessly for me 

I've made some gameplay video -

[Lo-Fi]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback so far.

starsrift, thank you for giving the game a try. The game should start at full screen, I don't know why it would be a tiny splash screen. I will have to look into that and the freezing.

John2s, that video's pretty cool, thanks for showing it. I noticed some jumpiness in the video, is that the game, or the video itself?

Edit: and, somehow, your gameplay video has more views than this thread 

[John2s]

Jumpiness because of fraps, and video have more views because I've posted your game on some site 

[GLaDOS]

well i loved the game and would like to see more, a great concept and some very good puzzles but it could be expanded a bit. i finished it in about 10 minutes and it ended just as i was mastering the mechanics, maybe a level editor(with online sharing) or more levels with new mechanics(only up/down or left/right?, buttons and boxes physical objects to interact with)

[starsrift]

I'm glad it's my computer, not your code - more or less. :D

[Noyb]

I like the concept! Good and puzzly. Scattered thoughts below:

In "And Yet It Moves," it feels too early to be introducing time pressure of a forced scroll level. Wasn't quite used to the controls or concept by that point. The first time I tried that level, I somehow missed the door in the center of the screen, waited at the bottom-right safe point as the lava came closer, jumped off the left side of the screen at the last minute and was left falling through an infinite void. I expected the door to scroll onscreen. It didn't.

I like how the steam both visually indicates the lava, and slows down the player to reduce danger.

Holding to lock the screen works fine. I think I'd be likely to forget which state I was in if I didn't have the tactile feedback of holding down a button.

I was very confused why the cannons started firing more and more bullets in a row when I locked the screen. Both as a player (no visual change in the cannon to indicate this), and as a game designer (why is this even necessary?)

The part with the first (?) moving platform had a really tedious wait if the player fails. Slow moving platform plus large rooms equals a long wait.

The persistence of the upper parts of the laser even after it's blocked leads to some unnecessary finicky timing as you wait for it to fade.

I was also confused when the lasers shot themselves. The puzzle basically solved itself, and there was so much going on visually that I didn't notice the small sprite change when that happened. I honestly thought it was a bug until I went back to that level on a second playthrough.

One part where you need to jump off a platform to get high enough to lock the screen with the lava just off the bottom of the screen felt like it needed pixel-perfect precision and was really a crapshoot whether or not I was able to pull it off.

[GLaDOS]

the cannon didnt fire more bullets they just looped onto the other side of the screen then the cannon fired another one

[Noyb]

That... actually makes sense. 

[Lo-Fi]

Hey Noyb, thanks for the feedback. I'll address each point in bold below:

I like the concept! Good and puzzly. Scattered thoughts below:

In "And Yet It Moves," it feels too early to be introducing time pressure of a forced scroll level. Wasn't quite used to the controls or concept by that point. The first time I tried that level, I somehow missed the door in the center of the screen, waited at the bottom-right safe point as the lava came closer, jumped off the left side of the screen at the last minute and was left falling through an infinite void. I expected the door to scroll onscreen. It didn't.

Yeah, this level has probably been my largest annoyance throughout development. I really like the idea of this type of level, as do most people that play it, but everyone misses the door, and it's just too difficult for such an early level. I need to redesign it.

I like how the steam both visually indicates the lava, and slows down the player to reduce danger.

Thanks, do you mind if I ask how far into the game it took you to understand that it does both of these things? It is difficult to convey it to the player without directly telling them.

Holding to lock the screen works fine. I think I'd be likely to forget which state I was in if I didn't have the tactile feedback of holding down a button.

I was very confused why the cannons started firing more and more bullets in a row when I locked the screen. Both as a player (no visual change in the cannon to indicate this), and as a game designer (why is this even necessary?)

You already got an answer for this, but this should be better communicated. I could possibly strip that first part down and make it visually simple, so that players understand what is going on.

The part with the first (?) moving platform had a really tedious wait if the player fails. Slow moving platform plus large rooms equals a long wait.

Yeah, I'll see what I can do to make that a short wait. Any suggestions as to how I could fix this? I could bump up the platform speed, but that would make the jumps more difficult. I'll try just making that area more confined.

The persistence of the upper parts of the laser even after it's blocked leads to some unnecessary finicky timing as you wait for it to fade.

Thanks for letting me know. I had seen this in effect, but I didn't know how much of a problem it was. I will fix this.

I was also confused when the lasers shot themselves. The puzzle basically solved itself, and there was so much going on visually that I didn't notice the small sprite change when that happened. I honestly thought it was a bug until I went back to that level on a second playthrough.

Yeah, not really sure what to do about this. Everyone else basically has the same reaction. I bet an explosion effect on the cannon, plus a sound would help. Also, visually cleaning up that area is a priority.

One part where you need to jump off a platform to get high enough to lock the screen with the lava just off the bottom of the screen felt like it needed pixel-perfect precision and was really a crapshoot whether or not I was able to pull it off.

Could you clarify this? I think I know what you are talking about, but I'm not sure.

[Noyb]

Thanks, do you mind if I ask how far into the game it took you to understand that [the smoke] does both of these things? It is difficult to convey it to the player without directly telling them.

Sometime during the first level after you get the screen-locking power. I jumped into the first pit since there weren't any other options and was surprised when I started falling slower.

The part with the first (?) moving platform had a really tedious wait if the player fails. Slow moving platform plus large rooms equals a long wait.

To clarify, my complaint was with the first two "safe" rooms in the level that introduces the lasers, not the first level with moving platforms.

One part where you need to jump off a platform to get high enough to lock the screen with the lava just off the bottom of the screen felt like it needed pixel-perfect precision and was really a crapshoot whether or not I was able to pull it off.

Could you clarify this? I think I know what you are talking about, but I'm not sure.

In this room, you need to freeze the scrolling just as you hit the ceiling. Feels like a small hit window. It's also possible for there to be a single pixel left of lava on the ground, which could kill an inattentive or imprecise player. Oh, and when getting to this point again, I was pinned by the moving platform in this room against the left wall, unable to move.

[ANtY]

Hi, so I tried it today and game idea looks fantastic. With better graphics and polish I'd buy this game.

I found out small movement bug: http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/1003/bugrw.jpg

Also in first map with lasers when you will travel with platform on the second side of wall and u will die there and respawn u wont have any platform in the starting room, also there is no restart level option and that made me to stop playing cause I'd have to play through all earlier levels to get there again.

[Lo-Fi]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

Noyb, I think you are "solving" that puzzle in an unintended way.

The intended way is to lock the screen a bit to the left from where you are in the image. You can then walk over to the alcove on the right without being hit by lasers. Then you unlock, and lock again, so that the moving platform can come through. You shouldn't have to worry about lava. I will change the layout to make this clearer.

Anty, there is a restart room button, it is 'K'. That's not the problem, though, the problem is that you were frustrated by the checkpoints not resetting everything. I will change this when I get the chance.

[Lo-Fi]

Hey guys, sorry for the double post, but I've got a new version ready.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/580413/the_fourth_wall_releases/the_fourth_wall_v1.15.exe

This version contains mostly technical fixes. The lasers now look/act better, and the moving platforms should work better as well. I haven't gotten around to changing level layout much, but that is my next task!

[Lo-Fi]

New version. This version contains level layout changes, as well as a new level altogether.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/580413/the_fourth_wall_releases/the_fourth_wall_v1.19.exe

edit: is it worth a new post when I have a significant new release out? Or should I just edit it into one of my older posts?

edit2: changed link to link to newest version

[clemzio]

Very good concept and nice ambience.
I agree on the fact that good graphics would make the game terrific ^^

However, I think there's too much similitude with Braid...
For instance :
- Tiny white logos at level start-up
- The cannon
- The "door" goal

You have a great game concept over here, keep going !

[Rikus]

Hi Lo-fi, excellent game! I loved it. I reviewed the game for you at:

http://www.indie-gamers.com/2011/05/review-fourth-wall.html   

[Lo-Fi]

Wow, Rikus, that's awesome! I guess I should specify that the game is not in a finished state, I will be working on it throughout the summer. Thanks for the review, though!

[Rikus]

No problem, I changed the title of the review to "In Progress", and referred the game as a beta version in the review. This way I can keep changing the review as the game continues its progress to completion I will continue to follow the progress of the game since I would love to see what changes and levels you will implement to make it even better.