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[Radiant]

SubTerra is a Windows puzzle game that I and some friends created back in 2001, using Visual C++. Since it became freeware, it has been floating around the web, it was a top dog on Home of the Underdogs, and and has recently gotten an entry on TigSource, here.

Players familiar with Boulder Dash, Chip's Challenge, or Supaplex will undoubtedly recognize the genre: you run through a large cave collecting gems, while avoiding (or pushing) falling boulders, collecting tools to bypass fire and ice, and tricking monsters into moving some place useful for you. The game stays (mostly) away from invisible walls, hidden passages and random behavior, instead focusing on puzzle potential. It comes with about a hundred game objects, 600+ levels, an editor, and a regular level design contest.



Now I'm sure some of you know the feeling that you have made a playable game but forever find things to improve in it. SubTerra is like that. It has gotten a lot of feedback over the past years, but never from a dedicated developer's community (in part because, to my best knowledge, in 2001 there was no such community yet). So, I would appreciate feedback, and based on that I will likely do another update.

In particular, the review of this game on TigSource points out that the graphics and music are amateurish, unsubtle, and overall lacking. It strikes me that this may well be correct. Thus I would like to know if people agree with that, if they feel it interferes with gameplay, and what I might do to make it better. Thank you for your time!

[pnx]

Oh, oh god. I spent MONTHS playing this game, I've seriously spent far more time playing this game than I have any other game. It's seriously one of my all time favorite games.

Did I mention there were only 4 levels that I couldn't complete once? And I manage to complete all but one of the tutorial levels on hard. I remember I actually taught myself how to take a screenshot just so I could screenshot the lock combination thingemy in that tutorial thing so I could figure out the right moves.

I honestly think it's fine as a game by itself, there isn't really anything to improve, again it's been a while since I played it.

The only flaw I can think of is I remember being slightly frustrated by the portals being somewhat arbitrary in destination.

[Radiant]

Thanks!

If you send me your player file I can add you to the high score list.