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[chriswhat]

Hi! This is Super Magneto Kart. You're a car. With a stick. It is magnetic. You solve light puzzles with it. Please don't beat any of my highscores -- but if you do, grab a screenshot!

Any feedback is welcome, but I'm really interested to know:

• Are you using keyboard, controller, or both? Did it work well? If both, which do you prefer? How long time did it take to get comfortable with the controls?
• Which elements did you like? The racing part (replay and practice to beat scores)? The puzzle part (figuring out how to get to the end)?

Thanks!





Extra unimportant info: Each time a new version of a level is released I add an o in the top right corner of the end platform (as seen in pic above).

[jiitype]

I think you forgot the link

[chriswhat]

Thanks. Here's the LINK

[Quicksand-S]

There was something really wrong when I started. Turning right with my gamepad kept rotating my "car" the wrong way. When I eventually fell off and respawned, control was suddenly fine.

Getting into the levels through those joystick-shaped doors is really annoying.

I really disliked the camera. I felt like I couldn't properly see what was coming up next. Also, like many people, using rotational controls from a top-down perspective without the camera rotating too feels really weird/wrong/bad. I could get used to it, but it's the sort of thing that makes me not really want to play long enough to get used to it.

In level 2, I knocked the second block off the platform and it looked like it fell endlessly (which would probably be bad). On a related note, I REALLY think blocks should respawn. It's a pain to have to redo an entire course just because the magnet gave out and dropped the block too early or something.

That stick is really helpful. I liked that I could right myself if I'd flipped over and that I could use it to climb over ledges.

I really think that springs should look different from switches. I also think that there should be some visual indication that the magnet works on blocks. The stick turns red when the magnet is on, which made me think at first that it was supposed to be used with red objects somehow...yet there weren't any red objects to use it with. Visually, nothing makes the boxes seem like anything more than things to push around.

The gamepad needs a "reset" button.

Despite the camera, I felt like the car handled pretty well. The steering might be a little too sensitive for such small paths, but it wasn't too bad. I tried the first four levels and didn't really enjoy any of them. The "??" secret level was interesting, but not that fun for me either (although seeing that the ledge-climbing was actually intentional was cool).

In the third level, am I really intended to fling the box to the switch? The first time, the magnet gave out when I pulled the stick to the right and the second time the box just fell into the pit nowhere near the switch. It felt like maybe I was trying something that I wasn't meant to do.

[chriswhat]

@Quicksand: Brutally honest and very helpful. Thanks a lot. I'll reply only to some of your points, but I've read and taken in all of them.

I've never seen the "turning" bug in the beginning and couldn't reproduce it. What controller do you use? On a related note: the controller has a reset button. X on PS, A on Xbox, or similar on other controllers. I changed the text indicating this above the game window.

Camera is a tough thing to get right and the solution I have right now is the simple one (inspired by Micro Machines for PS1). I should try having the camera behind the car in 3rd person as in Trackmania. But I like how having the camera far away makes the car seem small.

About level 03: Yes, the intension is to throw it. Another tester was stuck on this for 15 minutes which -- in that situation -- was hilarious, but also an indication that I should make it easier or teach the player to throw in an easier setting. Once you learn the trick to it then it's fairly easy, but it requires some experimentation (couldn't find a spoiler tag, so pm me for throwing tips).

[Quicksand-S]

What controller do you use?

It's a wired 360 gamepad.

On a related note: the controller has a reset button. X on PS, A on Xbox, or similar on other controllers.

Really? I'm pretty sure I pressed every button on my controller when I was trying to figure that out. Weird.

Camera is a tough thing to get right and the solution I have right now is the simple one (inspired by Micro Machines for PS1). I should try having the camera behind the car in 3rd person as in Trackmania. But I like how having the camera far away makes the car seem small.

I think the camera's actually too zoomed-in for this sort of angle. You can't see what's to the left and right very well. Personally, I feel like if you want these controls with a non-rotating camera, then I'd rather view the car and surrounding area from higher up.

[chriswhat]

I only have a PS controller, but will borrow an Xbox controller to test with. I'll check both the reset and turning.

I'll experiment with the camera. I can see one potential problem with having the camera behind the player. What happens if the player trips and rolls down the stairs? "Behind" will then change a lot within a short amount of time making the camera movement odd. I wonder if only changing the direction of the camera when the car is grounded will solve this. This should work when doing tricks in-air as well.

Edit: In any case it's important that the camera is predictable.