next »

[Beyond]

Loving the music in the youtube videos

[Roel]

I love the backgrounds, I can't get convinced by the characters (yet). I'll need more thought about it to be more precise about why.

If you manage to work it out, I'd love to know. It might help me improve.

Loving the music in the youtube videos

Glad to hear it, and I'll pass it on to the composer!

[Roel]

Hi everyone!

We've planned a live stream on Kickstarter to help promote Intrepid Izzy (PC/PS4/Dreamcast), and we'd like to welcome you all to tune in!



We'll answer your questions, draw some art (suggestions welcome) and of course play the game.

What will it be like? No idea, it's the first time we've ever done this!

You'll be able to watch it here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/senileteam/intrepid-izzy-pc-dreamcast-ps4



(P.S. I hope I got all the times right! Time zones are a pain in the pooper sometimes.)

[PypeBros]

I love the backgrounds, I can't get convinced by the characters (yet). I'll need more thought about it to be more precise about why.

If you manage to work it out, I'd love to know. It might help me improve.

I think the animation is what feels weird to me. You have impressive animation tool, and pushed a lot of effort into making details move as well. Hats off for that. But you also animate almost only through stretch and rotate, and in my eye of developer/pixeler, it is obvious. It always make the character feel a bit like a puppet, which goes against the amount of realism the art has. That part could imho be fixed if you have some spare sprites to use as alternative, for blinking eyes, Z-axis movement of the shoulders when punching, the hair when idle, etc.

The other thing that feels weird is that the movements your characters do are pretty generic. Like this bopping-idle stanza. This is a missed opportunity to give your heroine some character of her own. Is she stressed ? Is she angry ? bored ? rushing ? confident ? Same goes for wizard-NPC. The motion of that wizrobe wobbling is wonderfully done, but it doesn't make the sprite look old, or wizard or anything.  

That being said, good luck with the kickstarter campaign. There is a potential wonderful gem to appear here.

PS: I'd like to point out Shantae and Giana Sisters as possible source of inspiration for girl character with character, but to be honest, I haven't checked back whether their animation has something conveying this character or if it's something my mind made up from memories of the gameplay.

[Roel]

Thanks PypeBros! I think your critique is fair and useful. I will keep it in mind as I further refine the animations.

[Roel]

A playable demo is now available for Windows! Yaaay!



Get it here: http://intrepid-izzy.com/demo.html

I hope you will enjoy it and look forward to your feedback!

[freank]

the style used is great!!

[io3 creations]

As mentioned by others, they style is great!

I'm curious, how would you rate the difficulty of the game?  I'm just wondering because after dying three times in the room where you are locked in and have to face multiple heats of appearing enemies, I almost didn't feel like starting again from the beginning.  Granted, my approach was in part checking out the gameplay and mostly providing feedback.

After taking a little break, I passed that section, but some aspects of the gameplay still remained "strange" and made gameplay difficult.  I didn't use the fireball thingy, but since this was only the beginning, I didn't think it'd be needed yet.

Overall, the combat felt strange.  The character size seemed "large" from the screenshots and also seems like that as I was playing the game (compared to other games), but got used to it quickly.

However, the short range of punch attack still feels strange.  It feels like you have to be really close to the enemy to hit it.  Actually, it's not just that, but perhaps the movement (and stopping) also feels different from other games somehow.  Overall, those made me a lot more apprehensive when I got close to enemies.

I might get used to it after a while, but it might be either that it's been a while since I played similar games or the ones that I played were different.


I was playing with keyboard and the controls themselves seemed responsive so I don't think that played a role.


A slight visual issue: in the cave there was a section where some platforms were close enough and as Izzy was standing on the lower platform, her hair seemed to contact the enemies moving on the platform above.

[Roel]

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm curious, how would you rate the difficulty of the game?

I'd say "mildly challenging", but what I've noticed from earlier tests is that how players judge the difficulty is strongly influenced by their age and recent play history. Also a good gamepad (or arcade stick) helps.

After taking a little break, I passed that section, but some aspects of the gameplay still remained "strange" and made gameplay difficult.  I didn't use the fireball thingy, but since this was only the beginning, I didn't think it'd be needed yet.

This seems consistent with some other feedback I've had. It may have to do with the fact that it is actually not the beginning. The real beginning of the game is currently being built, taking this feedback into account. Starting with a level that's specifically designed to ease new players into the gameplay should help eliminate the feelings of "strangeness" you describe.

A slight visual issue: in the cave there was a section where some platforms were close enough and as Izzy was standing on the lower platform, her hair seemed to contact the enemies moving on the platform above.

Thanks for spotting that. You have a keen eye!

[io3 creations]

Thanks for the feedback!

You're welcome!

For some reason, I had a feeling that perhaps that wasn't the "true beginning".  After thinking about it more, I also remembered that I just accidentally figured out some of the moves e.g. that Izzy can slide when I wanted to drop down to the button after the "difficult" locked in room.  If there was a tutorial section and I had been familiar with the moves and controls then the game would've likely been easier.

Oh, another strange aspect was that Izzy's horizontal speed would slow down instead of immediately changing to the opposite direction.

A slight visual issue: in the cave there was a section where some platforms were close enough and as Izzy was standing on the lower platform, her hair seemed to contact the enemies moving on the platform above.

Thanks for spotting that. You have a keen eye!

Overall, I was checking out the game both from a gameplay experience and providing feedabck.  Having made a few similar platform action games years ago (and plan to make more "soon-ish" ), I'm quite aware of certain aspects/issues.   Also, accidentally, I figured out that Izzy can punch up the enemies and managed to place I managed to punch up two other enemies next to the one already on that platform.

[Roel]

Oh, another strange aspect was that Izzy's horizontal speed would slow down instead of immediately changing to the opposite direction.

I take it you're referring to the momentum while jumping. It's better this way, trust me.

Overall, I was checking out the game both from a gameplay experience and providing feedabck.  Having made a few similar platform action games years ago (and plan to make more "soon-ish" ), I'm quite aware of certain aspects/issues.

Ah, I see! Well done and good luck with the soon-ish games!

Also, accidentally, I figured out that Izzy can punch up the enemies and managed to place I managed to punch up two other enemies next to the one already on that platform.

That's fun, isn't it? When you've got them up there, try finishing off the lot of 'em with a single energy burst!

[io3 creations]

Oh, another strange aspect was that Izzy's horizontal speed would slow down instead of immediately changing to the opposite direction.

I take it you're referring to the momentum while jumping. It's better this way, trust me.

Some say it's better to drive on the wrong side of the road  *cough* left side *cough* 

Ah, I see! Well done and good luck with the soon-ish games!

Thanks!

Also, accidentally, I figured out that Izzy can punch up the enemies and managed to place I managed to punch up two other enemies next to the one already on that platform.

That's fun, isn't it? When you've got them up there, try finishing off the lot of 'em with a single energy burst!

Yeah, now that I am familiar with some of the moves, I can imagine more possibilities.

Q: is there a bonus for killing multiple enemies at the same time?


Just remember one more thing.  I wonder if you received any feedback regarding the "plant-snake" attack speed.  When the "plant-snake" enemies noticed me and moved toward me really quickly, it was difficult to hit them.  After more practice it got easier but I wonder if there could be different kinds of enemies i.e. slower in the beginning, then faster ones later on.

[Roel]

Some say it's better to drive on the wrong side of the road  *cough* left side *cough* 

According to a 2009 research paper, the left side is actually the safer side to drive on (if only by a very small margin).

But to get back on topic, I consider jumping with momentum better for this game than dead stops because it suits the fighting system, as well as some moves that are unlocked later in the game.

Q: is there a bonus for killing multiple enemies at the same time?

No score bonus (there is no score), but it will probably earn you a trophy/achievement.

Just remember one more thing.  I wonder if you received any feedback regarding the "plant-snake" attack speed.  When the "plant-snake" enemies noticed me and moved toward me really quickly, it was difficult to hit them.  After more practice it got easier but I wonder if there could be different kinds of enemies i.e. slower in the beginning, then faster ones later on.

Yes, and all positive so far! Of course I could slowly build up the speed, but I think that would be a huge mistake. It would dilute or even neutralise the sense of surprise and excitement.

[io3 creations]

According to a 2009 research paper, the left side is actually the safer side to drive on (if only by a very small margin).

I've tried it, but it seemed quite dangerous ... agains all that oncoming traffic.

But to get back on topic, I consider jumping with momentum better for this game than dead stops because it suits the fighting system, as well as some moves that are unlocked later in the game.

Of course, my comments about the controls being "strange" was more of a first impression based on my experience and I know that different ones work for different games and I have to adept.   The experience could be useful for my and others' games as well.

Are there any other games that use a similar kind of momentum based movement?

Just remember one more thing.  I wonder if you received any feedback regarding the "plant-snake" attack speed.  When the "plant-snake" enemies noticed me and moved toward me really quickly, it was difficult to hit them.  After more practice it got easier but I wonder if there could be different kinds of enemies i.e. slower in the beginning, then faster ones later on.

Yes, and all positive so far! Of course I could slowly build up the speed, but I think that would be a huge mistake. It would dilute or even neutralise the sense of surprise and excitement.

That's good that the feedback has been positive so far.

I was thinking more in terms of the speed being constant during the entire travel but earlier/easier enemies would have say half the speed of the difficult ones.  That would give a little more reaction time.  Plus, it seemed that my lack of familiarity with the attack range was also an issue as I often punched "early" and didn't hit the enemy. That suggestion was also based on the "mildly challenging" difficulty intent of the game.

I hope those comments didn't come from the "difficulty fetishists".  On second thought, those people would would've suggested *cough* demanded *cough* higher difficulty.

[Roel]

Are there any other games that use a similar kind of momentum based movement?

Sure, loads! The classic Sonic games would be the most obvious example, but some others that spring to mind include: The Adventures of Batman & Robin, Captain Lang (a.k.a. High Seas Havoc), and Streets of Rage 3.

That's good that the feedback has been positive so far.

I was thinking more in terms of the speed being constant during the entire travel but earlier/easier enemies would have say half the speed of the difficult ones.  That would give a little more reaction time.  Plus, it seemed that my lack of familiarity with the attack range was also an issue as I often punched "early" and didn't hit the enemy. That suggestion was also based on the "mildly challenging" difficulty intent of the game.

I hope those comments didn't come from the "difficulty fetishists".  On second thought, those people would would've suggested *cough* demanded *cough* higher difficulty.

Haha, not at all. And the snakes are actually super easy once you get over the initial scare. Just keep punching and they run right into your fists, what could be simpler?

[io3 creations]

Are there any other games that use a similar kind of momentum based movement?

Sure, loads! The classic Sonic games would be the most obvious example, but some others that spring to mind include: The Adventures of Batman & Robin, Captain Lang (a.k.a. High Seas Havoc), and Streets of Rage 3.

Ah, that explains it.  I've been mainly playing PC games and in the arcade/console game you couldn't control movement after the character has started jumping.  Or maybe I just didn't notice it.

That's good that the feedback has been positive so far.

I was thinking more in terms of the speed being constant during the entire travel but earlier/easier enemies would have say half the speed of the difficult ones.  That would give a little more reaction time.  Plus, it seemed that my lack of familiarity with the attack range was also an issue as I often punched "early" and didn't hit the enemy. That suggestion was also based on the "mildly challenging" difficulty intent of the game.

I hope those comments didn't come from the "difficulty fetishists".  On second thought, those people would would've suggested *cough* demanded *cough* higher difficulty.

Haha, not at all. And the snakes are actually super easy once you get over the initial scare. Just keep punching and they run right into your fists, what could be simpler?

Yeah, but that's the "poorly skilled man's way"  i.e. people who don't care about their stats/rating.  That reminds me, is there rating in the game at the end of levels (based on accuracy, time, etc)?

[Roel]

Yeah, but that's the "poorly skilled man's way"  i.e. people who don't care about their stats/rating.

That reminds me, is there rating in the game at the end of levels (based on accuracy, time, etc)?

No, there isn't. The demo is pretty linear so it would seem to make sense there, but in the completed game you will likely move back and forth between levels via various exits, so there isn't really such a thing as "the end of the level". I might record the time taken for boss fights though.

[bramenjam]

Since Roel is busy with Intrepid Izzy 24/7, I (as his team mate) have taken it upon myself to show you some progress.

First of all, a very cool town level where you can talk to NPC's, enter houses and change your power-enabling costumes.




One of these new costumes is the ninja costume, which grants you some very cool special moves.




Another new level is the East Pole with some very cool arctic vibes!