This is the calmest baby I've ever met. Maybe having your charge be possessed by the King in Yellow isn't all that bad.
On a more serious note, this is an interesting mix of horror and comedy. It's not something you see too often in games, and when you do the comedy tends to be a bit heavy-handed. I feel it was handled well here.
Honestly, it's not all that great. Other than the novelty of having Siren Head slowly meander after you, there is nothing more to this game than walking down a path and then walking back.
A shame, as Modus Interactive really makes some terrific experiences. However, this is not one of them.
Though, I do appreciate the death animation. It's a nice detail that most people aren't going to see.
Then in that case you have a modified version of Linux. This means that in order to play this game you either need to:
(a) Install a Virtual Machine and have it run Windows/Mac.
(b) Use a bunch of third-party programs that allow you to run Windows/Mac programs. Just Google, "how to install windows games on chromebook" and you'll find dozens of options.
(c) Beg the developer to create a version for Chrome OS.
This is quite an entertaining game. It was somewhat hampered by my limited Spanish vocabulary, but it was still a fun--if slightly broken--experience.
Sadly I was not able to finish the entire game. I encountered a softlock where my only option was to restart the entire game, and considering I spent the last 2 hours getting there, I was a little discouraged.
It occurred when I died in the area where you have to jump on the mushrooms to progress. I was jumping from the first to the third mushroom and fell, and upon respawning I was in the void, falling to my death over and over again.
1. Download the game for your platform (if you have Windows, download the PC version, if you have Mac OS X, download the Mac version).
2. (If you have a Mac, you can skip to step 3) Make sure you have WinRAR, 7-Zip, or a similar archive software installed.
3. Open up the .zip file.
4. Now either drag-and-drop or extract the folder inside anywhere you want.
5. Finally, run the .exe file called, "The Notzing Project (1.0)".
The image link just leads to a 404.
Since I can't see the image, I can only offer general advice. Make sure you're using the latest version of this mod (1.6.1 at the time of writing) and also that you get GZDoom 3.7.2. This is the version Lithium 1.6.1 was designed for, so it's possible the latest releases break it.
You can also get the latest version of Lithium linked by the Github page, which should run with the latest version of GZDoom. You'll have to compile it yourself, though.
Did it only say the files were "forbidden" after downloading the file for awhile, or did it say it as soon as you tried to download it?
If it is the first, it means there was a network error while trying to download the file. You just have to try and download it again.
If it is the latter, I don't know how to help you, but I can point you to a discussion on Google Support, where someone was having a similar issue. Here it is.
The game was rather unplayable for me because of performance issues. I'm not surprised though, considering my hardware is rather old at this point. It's honestly a credit to yourselves that it runs at all, since Unreal 4 games rarely do on my dinosaur of a gaming laptop.
You mentioned you wanted hardware settings if it didn't perform well, so here's a link to a pastebin.
I cut out all the information I felt wasn't relevant, so if something's missing just let me know.
...Wow. That was an experience. I gotta say, I wasn't expecting anything like this when I went in.
I thought it would be a quick game with a bit of a creepy atmosphere, maybe a bit of existentialism, and a lot of stylized art. I was not prepared for an emotional rollercoaster discussing the fears humans face and how it can shape our very perceptions of reality, filled with intriguing characters and diverse personalities.
I don't really know how to best describe this game. I guess it is a bit of Undertale, OneShot, Yume Nikki, and a sprinkling of Toilet in Wonderland all ground up together and made into one strange dish, but even that doesn't do it justice.
If you want to spend 2 - 4 hours of your life playing something delightfully, distressingly strange, then this is the game for you. I give the game my unofficial seal of approval.
This is nothing I haven't seen before, with the psychedelic nature of the game and the strange warping environment, but what really sets Ode to a Moon apart is how beautiful it is. This experience perfectly encapsulates how something strange and unsettling can also be awe-inspiring and beautiful. This isn't a game, this is a work of art.
All Day Dying is a very interesting game. The gunplay and unique health mechanics take a lot of getting used to, but once the player does it is a blast. The music is decent and fits the feel of the game, the level design--though a little rough--is solid, and the parkour works pretty well. However, the trial courses suck. An overall solid, if very repetitive, experience.
The parkour mechanics are smooth, reminiscent of games like Dirty Bomb or even its predecessor, BRINK. They can be a little janky though, and the system could certainly be improved. There are a number of details that just make it slightly weird, such as an inability to kick during a slide, or how some of the momentum feels artificial, such as the player reaching the edge of something while sliding and suddenly stopping dead in their tracks on a surface a few inches below.
As for the guns, I really do appreciate the limited number of weapons available in the game. Each serves their purpose, one more suited to certain situations than others. The pistol is good for close to mid-range combat against a couple of enemies; the shotgun is useful in close-quarters, particularly against a group of clustered enemies or an enemy within jump-boost range; the rifle is useful for ranged combat against a single enemy; etc. There could be a couple more though, or at least some more fine-tuning done to the current ones or to the levels they belong to. As an example, the rifle on the train level is next to useless, the pistol better served for every situation on that level. It's only purpose is for that one sniper in the starting area and to achieve the diamond score. Also, the kick-back for the pistol is just a little too strong. It feels like it is meant for rapid-fire at mid-range, yet the huge kick-back makes the weapon only a little more useful in that regard than the machinegun.
Moving on to the basic game mechanics, the things that really try to get the main idea of the game across, there is the timer and the medals. Now, the timer is a bit of a mixed-bag. On the one hand, it makes the player try to optimize their routes to accommodate it, and for the majority of levels the timer really works to push the player without deciding the routes for them. But on other hand, it can negate the whole idea of "finding the most optimal route," particularly in the later levels, since the only one there is time for is running around firing like a mad-man, allowing "gamer instinct" rather than logical reasoning and experiments to decide the best route.
As for the medals, for the most part they are fine-tuned to the levels, fair yet challenging and making sense for the levels they appear in (though this is not always the case; e.g. "platformer" on Factory). I really appreciate that not every medal has to be earned on the same run, or has to be earned individually: A player can get a really low score and still get a context medal, and a player can—usually—complete every medal on the same run if they are good enough. A notable exception to the latter rule is the train, where the player has to complete the level once without firing a single shot, and then again by getting 8 headshot kills in a row. However, this is not really a bad thing, since these "forced multi-run" levels are handled tastefully and used sparingly. Overall, the medals are actually fun, very few of them feeling like a chore or repeated from earlier levels.
The levels themselves tend to be well-designed and work with the mechanics of the game to create a fluid experience. The levels can be a bit rough around the edges, such as platforms being just a little too high to jump up to or a little too far for a long-jump, though there is nothing specific I can really point out. As for the style of the levels, this could do with some variety, as the orange and black aesthetic can get tiresome after a while. It feels like a color scheme that works for something artificial, like it was crafted not to look pretty but to be practical, such as for a training course.
The only aspect of the game I really have no positive feedback on is the trial courses in the prologue. The player can only really use a pistol or a kick to take them down, as the only other weapon that can knock targets down is the shotgun's secondary fire. This on its own would not be a problem, but then every target has to be shot multiple times before they go down, and the number of times is inconsistent. This would also not be too big of an issue, but then the type of targets are also randomized, meaning there is no way to memorize which to shoot. This is a huge issue, as it goes against the very design philosophy of the game: No procedural generation or random spawns. It does not matter if the positions of the targets are still the same, the fact that the type of target changes means there is no way to plan an optimal route. It is impossible to work on muscle memory, as the trial courses randomization requires the player to stop and check. The player just has to go in and hope for the best.
As a whole, All Day Dying has an interesting premise with a good game to back it up. I look forward to seeing how this game develops in the future.
It works well by successfully building tension, and using sprites to represent apparitions was a nice touch. It gives them this "unreal" quality.
My only real gripe is that one screamer. The voice saying all that stuff to the player was creepy, but the jumpscare directly after was just funny with how obviously placed it was, and ruined the feeling of dread that had been building, as well as any immersion.
Still, only a single gripe is really good for any game, much more so for a horror game. Looking forward to seeing what else you guys come up with.
The art style is nice, the music -- while not memorable -- is well-done, and the slightly sarcastic tone throughout is welcome. As for the gameplay itself, while I like the basic premise of the game, it could do with some improvements; primarily to the combat system.
For example, for a rhythm-based combat system it seems weirdly out-of-sync. I think my biggest problem is that the enemies do not follow this rule, attacking after a set amount of time rather than on the beat.
One other thing is the conversation aspect during combat. It is not particuarly engaging, just throwing a line of dialog at you and that's it.
All-in-all, a solid premise with a solid demo.
I also have to say, bravo on the name of the game. The title combines the prefix "under" --meaning "less than" or "beneath" -- and hero, creating a name that means, "The lesser hero", but considering the word "understudy", it's more exact meaning is, "The substitute hero".
I'm decently surprised. I expected a small, 30 minute or so project with maybe one or two things going for it, but nothing special.
Instead, I got a really good game, with tight controls, cool game mechanics, an interesting setup, and good music and sound design.
I would pay money for something like this.
Hooh boy. Okay, so as a game this is absolutely abysmal. However, for the first project you've ever created, this is actually okay, considering you've had absolutely no coding experience or training before.
The first thing I notice is the Field of View. It is extremely low, even making me a little uncomfortable, though I usually don't notice nor care what the FOV is at.
The next thing is collisions. I have colisions with only three things: the ground, the trees, and a rock. I move right through characters, walls, etc.
Next, the monsters are just standing there in a circle around the player. No context, no reaction, nothing.
Upon heading down the path to the right, an image, more specifically the thumbnail for the game, pops up. This is called a "screamer", and is a very cheap jumpscare. This kind of jumpscare should never be used in a horror game, never mind the fact this particular jumpscare had no context or reason for being there.
It is not only possible, but very easy to leave the map. I just walk up the hills and jump right off.
The sounds in the background have no reason for being there. Just adding in some screams, moans, beeping, and chain rattling, then putting it all on a loop is not scary nor creepy. There has to be a reason for the sound to be there. Sound may very well be the single most important aspect to a horror game, so it is doubly important to get it right.
The player walks extremely slow. No one walks that slow, unless taking a leisurely stroll. The sprinting speed is fine though.
The gravity is good. There is actual momentum, something most people don't get right on the first project.
The characters have animations, even if it is only a basic idle animation.
The sprinting is nice. It zooms out the FOV, giving an additional sense of realism and speed.
I have a few suggestions to improve your skills as a developer.
Make a few little projects just to get some practice coding. Practice makes perfect, and coding is no exception.
Try watching a few tutorials on programming with Unity or talking with some people who have used Unity.
Play or watch someone play horror games --preferably the "good" ones-- and take notes. See what the games do, what gets the best reaction from people, and what people react negatively to.
This game was excellent. By all rights the game should be horrible, however everything comes together in a way that is an absolute blast to play.
Before I continue I would like to note this game has a lot of flashing lights and colors. If you have epilepsy or are prone to epileptic attacks, play this game with caution.
The first thing that struck me was how good the gunplay is. The guns sway with movement, have fairly accurate recoil, and for the most part are very satisfying to use.
The game has memes that flash across the screen everytime an enemy is killed. Rather than being annoying, the memes feel more like background noise, hardly noticed yet greatly adding to the chaos. Sadly most of the memes are outdated, though that is to be expected of a game made in 2014.
There is music that plays throughout the game. It is very techno/dubstep like. I am normally not a fan of that kind of music, but in this game it works so well, making me feel pumped up for whatever is next. I believe there are only two soundtracks, yet they don't get old after a while. This is likely helped by the game's short length.
There are a couple of slow-motion sections in the game, much like Call of Duty's "breach and clear" moments. Slow-motion is also activated for a few brief seconds when an explosive "barrel" is shot.
The controls are alright, but are fairly basic.
The game has very sporadic controller support. Sometimes a controller works, and other times it doesn't. From what I've seen attempting to use a Playstation 4 or Xbox One controller is practically guaranteed to not work.
All-in-all the game is explosive, fast-paced fun. 9/10.
This one, while not quite as charming as the previous installment, is still well-done. The characters continue to be memorable, and even get more complex. The music as always is pleasant to listen to. Nami seems to be getting better at estimating the amount of time the game will take. It took me an hour, just like it says it will.
