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[Eigen]

In attempt to learn the ropes of Unity I decided to make a little game today. It's very simple and I mainly tried out particle effects and sounds. So far I like it. C# is somewhat new to me but it's managable.

It's yet another "walking simulator" in Unity, which I titled Follow.

You hear an harmonica in the distance and must follow it in a dense sandstorm. It's to be played with headphones (and in full-screen for full immersion) so you can locate the sound in 3d space. Some out of place sound effects play in the background.

Think of it as a soundscape visualization more than a game actually.

Download for Windows
Download for OS X

Don't expect much. It's over in a few minutes.

[Eigen]

OS X version is now available as well. And here are two screenshots, in case the banner didn't reveal enough.




I set up a little page for hopefully many to come little experiments. This could also be developed further I think. Add bit of a story and some puzzling elements perhaps.

[Connor]

the go back now sign looks a tad bit ominous, ._.

[Eigen]

Don't worry, there's nothing in there out to get you. It's just sounds. But it's their out of placeness that's spooky. Especially if you mange to find some of the secret locations.

[astralbyte]

I gave it a go, found the tall white marker with the sound.

The dusk effects are nice and has some nice potential to set a nice mood.

a few suggestions:

• Important - make a way to quit, Esc should always work.  I had to alt-f4 to exit when playing as requested in fullscreen
• Add some random blurry shapes that move in the dust, make it feel like something is out there
• Add some random clutter on the ground every now and then, like dead shrubs or trash/etc.  That way you feel that you are actually seeing new areas and not just walking in place
• The wind sounds are good, but some of the random sounds (birds and wolves) don't seem to fit and break the immersion.
  
• Add a sprint key or adjust the run speed, it felt too slow and sluggish
• Maybe have some random zones that trigger tense music?

It's a good start, with a few more additions it could be a lot of fun.

[Regniwekim]

 I realize you intend it to be played full screen but, I found it kind of odd that the mouse wasn't bound to the game in windowed mode.

The screen went black/static at one and made a weird scream-ish noise. That was not very nice.

Perhaps you could make the harmonica play a sort of tune, instead of just the two tones.

Other then that, I agree with what astralbyte had to say.

[William Chyr]

Hey, I just tested it out. Here are some thoughts:

• I actually found it really challenging. I've never been good at audio games, so I'm probably just bad at this, but even with decent headphones, I really couldn't make out how to "follow the sound". Would it be possible to turn the wind sound down just a little bit? Or at least provide a slider for people who are not as audio-sensitive.
• Like Regniwekim pointed out, the screen would go black with a static noise every now and then for no particular reason. Was this intentional? It wasn't particularly pleasant.
• I'd recommend having a few items that remain stationary, just so you have some way of referencing your position. I couldn't really tell how far I had walked away from my starting point and it would have been nice just to have a frame of reference in mind while playing. You can still make it so that you don't see objects unless you're really close.

Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck with your explorations of Unity.

[DarkUser]

This was great. The black screen scared the shit out of me.  I found it similar to slender while being more immersive. Had there been something moving in the dust I'd probably shit myself

[Eigen]

Great feedback, guys. Thanks!

Add some random blurry shapes that move in the dust, make it feel like something is out there

Had there been something moving in the dust I'd probably shit myself

Yeah, I thought it would be cool if there were some sort of shilouettes pop up in places and then fall to dust or see a face appear in the dust itself. I mean if you look at (any) pattern long enough you start to see all sorts of weird crap in it.

Like Regniwekim pointed out, the screen would go black with a static noise every now and then for no particular reason. Was this intentional? It wasn't particularly pleasant.

The screen went black/static at one and made a weird scream-ish noise. That was not very nice.

It was intentional. I admit it's a cheap effect but I thought if it worked on me even I knew to expect it, then it would work on unexpecting players as well. I'm not sure how much you were contcentrating but if you're paying attention to the sound and really looking into the dust, it's quite a jumpscare. But yeah, a cheap trick, sorry.

This was great. The black screen scared the shit out of me.

Hah, great! Thanks. As I said, it'd be a great addition if there were some shilouettes or faces appearing in the dust clouds.

I'd recommend having a few items that remain stationary, just so you have some way of referencing your position. I couldn't really tell how far I had walked away from my starting point and it would have been nice just to have a frame of reference in mind while playing. You can still make it so that you don't see objects unless you're really close.

In version 1.1 I added tracks that you leave behind as you walk. But yeah, a bit more decorations would help. But I'm not too keen on pre-made assets and I haven't done 3d modelling in years, I need to brush up first.

Add a sprint key or adjust the run speed, it felt too slow and sluggish

This was mostly done to simulate strong wind which prohibits you from running.

The wind sounds are good, but some of the random sounds (birds and wolves) don't seem to fit and break the immersion.

Interesting. I thought they fitted nicely for their out of placeness in that environment. It was supposed to be creepy in that way. Especially the children's laughter (not sure if you came across that point) which really creeps me out because that sound shouldn't be there. Basically I was trying to create a soundscape you really shouldn't hear in such a place.

I've been wanting to make an audio-based game for quite some time but a first-person-walker might not be the best genre for that. And I only have a couple of ideas for audio-only puzzles.

The harmonica tune was kept two notes only because I wanted it to be abstract. Adding a third note would already create a theme and a specific kind of sound that would start (mis)leading the player about what kind of an environment it is. With two notes it's unspecific enough to be whatever you feel like. If that makes any sense ... because I'm quite bad at explaing stuff..

[c023-DeV]

Nice test, thanks, now I gotta change my undies. 

Solid work.