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[Trane]

This game, tentatively titled Smoke and Mirrors, is a 3D puzzle platformer where the player uses mirrors to solve puzzles. The "Mirrors" in the game only reflect certain objects, and under the right circumstances, those objects can affect the real world.

Smoke and Mirrors





-Move with WASD
-Interact with the left and right mouse buttons
-Hold R: restart current level
-Hold K: go back to previous level
-Hold L: skip to next level

There are 25 levels in this build. Once you beat Level 25, you'll just get warped back to the beginning of the room.

That's hopefully all that needs to be said at the outset. I've tried to make the game explain itself (although, if anything is unclear, I'd definitely like to have feedback on that).

Here's the sorts of things I'd like feedback on:

- Is it clear how mirrors work in this game, and which objects have reflections?
- Is it clear what abilities the player has, and how they affect the world?
- Were there any rooms in particular you found challenging, clever, or fun?
- Do you have any ideas for how the mirror-based mechanics could be expanded, or built upon?
- Did you finish all 25 rooms? If not, did you get stuck? Or just bored?

The textures and sounds are all placeholders at this point, but if you have an opinion on them, you can let me know. Thanks in advance!

[desdinova]

Didn't get much of a chance to play but I like the idea

- Is it clear how mirrors work in this game, and which objects have reflections?
I found the use of mirror's to be clear although sometimes they felt unnecessary (like puzzle six where you can just place the two boxes on the crosses and ignore the mirror - this puzzle would have been best as the first introductory white-box puzzle instead of puzzle five)

In puzlle 8 you can cheat by standing where the 2x box spawns and then turn on the fire for the mirror and then you can just jump up through the boxes - perhaps when the box spawn the player actor should be pushed out of the way so that they can't use clipping bugs
- Is it clear what abilities the player has, and how they affect the world?
I think that the puzzles give the player enough flexibility to be able to explore the abilities.  Wheneber I got stuck I just had to explore the room a little
- Were there any rooms in particular you found challenging, clever, or fun?
- Do you have any ideas for how the mirror-based mechanics could be expanded, or built upon?
- Did you finish all 25 rooms? If not, did you get stuck? Or just bored?
stopped playing at puzzle 10 - feel sick gonna sleep

[nebuch]

- Is it clear how mirrors work in this game, and which objects have reflections?
yes. concept is clear.
- Is it clear what abilities the player has, and how they affect the world?
yes its clear.
- Were there any rooms in particular you found challenging, clever, or fun?
+16 rooms are challenging
- Do you have any ideas for how the mirror-based mechanics could be expanded, or built upon?
illuminate darkness with some light angles.
- Did you finish all 25 rooms? If not, did you get stuck? Or just bored?
I'm about stuck and realize i'm bored. I need a background.

[Trane]

In puzlle 8 you can cheat by standing where the 2x box spawns and then turn on the fire for the mirror and then you can just jump up through the boxes - perhaps when the box spawn the player actor should be pushed out of the way so that they can't use clipping bugs[/color]

Good catch.

- Is it clear what abilities the player has, and how they affect the world?
I think that the puzzles give the player enough flexibility to be able to explore the abilities.  Wheneber I got stuck I just had to explore the room a little

That's good to hear.

stopped playing at puzzle 10 - feel sick gonna sleep

Aw! Feel better. Thanks for playing!

- Were there any rooms in particular you found challenging, clever, or fun?
+16 rooms are challenging
- Did you finish all 25 rooms? If not, did you get stuck? Or just bored?
I'm about stuck and realize i'm bored. I need a background.

Thanks for the feedback. So you stopped after level 16?

What do you mean when you say you "need a background"?

[joe_eyemobi]

First of all, great original mechanic Trane!  I haven't much similar apart from perhaps Portal.

- Is it clear how mirrors work in this game, and which objects have reflections?

>> Yes very clear

- Is it clear what abilities the player has, and how they affect the world?

>> Yup, the signs were more than adequate

- Were there any rooms in particular you found challenging, clever, or fun?

>> The first level or 2 were pretty cool - I thought that the whole idea was pretty novel and original at that point.  See my final answer for other thoughts.

- Do you have any ideas for how the mirror-based mechanics could be expanded, or built upon?

>> I think what you have now is pretty good, but you need to wrap another game mechanic around it to give the player some sense of urgency and progression

- Did you finish all 25 rooms? If not, did you get stuck? Or just bored?

>> I got bored by level 8 for a few reasons:
- The puzzles were far too easy and ramped up too slowly
- There was no pressure to carry on (no time limit or danger)
- The environments became too bland

My recommendation as above is to make the game more exciting.  For example if you're going with your funhouse setting, have a back story that you've been teleported into an actual haunted house in a demented carnival or something similar.  You are being pursued, so not only do you have to hide from creatures, you have to use your wits to solve puzzles to progress.  You could even use the mirrors to kill creatures and defuse traps.

I guess this also depends on your target demographic.  If it's hardcore gamers like myself you'd have to make the game ramp up much faster, if it's casuals, then it's probably ok the way it is.

As another suggestion, you could time each round behind the scenes, and if a player completes rounds very quickly, you could jump levels for the player.

Cheers,
Joe

[Trane]

- Did you finish all 25 rooms? If not, did you get stuck? Or just bored?

>> I got bored by level 8 for a few reasons:
- The puzzles were far too easy and ramped up too slowly
- There was no pressure to carry on (no time limit or danger)
- The environments became too bland

My recommendation as above is to make the game more exciting.  For example if you're going with your funhouse setting, have a back story that you've been teleported into an actual haunted house in a demented carnival or something similar.  You are being pursued, so not only do you have to hide from creatures, you have to use your wits to solve puzzles to progress.  You could even use the mirrors to kill creatures and defuse traps.

Good feedback, thanks.

I like that you picked up on the "funhouse" idea. I tried to get that across with the low-budget environment design. The idea of being trapped in a funhouse certainly lends itself to horror, but adding creatures - along with the modeling, animations and AI they'd require - would increase this project's scope considerably. It's not a bad idea, it's probably just more than I have time for.

I am taking to heart your suggestion about the need for some kind of tension or danger, though. I'll try and think up some ways that could be integrated into the game without increasing the project's scope too much. Traps are certainly a possibility, and a game based around mirrors certainly lends itself to having dangerous lasers (although lasers aren't a common sight in funhouses...).

You've definitely given me something to think about. Thanks for playing!

[PompiPompi]

It's a bit boring, there was no puzzle challenge and I gave up where you need to right click on the mirror behind to generate the cube stairs... was not worth the effort :/

[braddev]

Yes it was intuitive.  I really like the "tutorial" poster as you enter the level.  I also really like the wood creaking sound effects...it makes it spooky but its awesome.

I had a little problem with the mouse at first, but it fixed itself when I entered the 2nd level...I'm not sure if its to do with Unity or the game, but my mouse wasn't attached the the center dot.  Maybe my mouse is too sensitive?  Or because I don't have enhanced pointer precision on?  (The game still worked, it just was a little hard to click the box before it normalized)

Keep it up!