It's a fine concept, and I like detective games - but it relies on moon logic a bit too much, and the intro is... well... I mean, it's probably okay if you've VERY new to detective games, but it also feels very obvious.
The writing feels a bit rushed, and it definitely feels railroady, where you need a set sequence of events to happen in order to progress. And the events themselves are... very obscure. Almost feel like old point-and-click adventures and not like a modern detective game. Which would be fine - but I don't think RPG Maker is great for those kinds of games.
In any case - it was fun for what it is. It's an okay start.
The puzzle text is misleading and has been fixed (haven't updated the download) The thing that tripped you up is that there's only one of each. So there has to be one explosive, one non explosive and one both. If you check the chest that says explosive you can not know if it has both or just-non explosive inside. Just to simplify let's call them A, B, and AB
Chest says A, gives B. Can either be B or AB. Chest that says B gives A, so it can either be A or AB.
You have to check chest that says AB. It gives B so it can only be B. Then the chest that says A has to be AB, and the chest that says B has to be A.
I tried the game, it's an interesting premise worth exploring. I think I got stuck at the chest puzzle, I swear I have tried every combination possible, even though I've checked every chest before hand I still get the explosion. When I open each chest (saving before the puzzle) : Chest #1 has explosives.
Chest #2 has Non-explosive.
Chest #3 has Non-explosive.
Yet when the guy asks me about the chests, if I give him the answers: explosive, non-explosive, non-explosive. It still gives me the explosion game over, is it a bug or am I doing something wrong? (I did try other answers but nothing is working).
Thanks for the feedback, it is clear i haven not made the puzzle explanation clear enough. There is only 1 of each, your answer is wrong because you say there are 2 non explosives. When you pull an item from the chest, even if the chest has both, you will still only pull one item.
I've managed to get to the end. It's a mixed bag, I believe there's a market for that, people do like a good detective story, but in my experience this very audience detests puzzles forcing you to bruteforce solution, or succumb to moon logic. There's no telling which objects are interactable which forces you to press space next to any object that's not wall - computers, books, npcs. I've managed to solve the bomb puzzle, but checking all those chests once again to find library card was not very intuitive.
Invert - it was such a peculiar thing, I do think that idea of learning detective skills from books is great, but why did we unlock 'Invert' as a Testimony and question? Maybe there could be a collection of techniques you learn through the game and can use on testimonies, questions and evidence?
The general idea is great, but it certainly needs work.
Thank you, good feedback. I think I will implement what you said about invert being in a fourth category of techniques. As for what's interactable, I am kind of stumped as to how to walk the like between clear and too obvious. I tried to make it so pickupables glow but then I felt like it took exploration out of it. If you have a suggestion I'd like to hear.
I recall RPG maker games did those glowing starts but that'd be an overkill. LA Noire did gentle piano note when you were nearby interactable which is more subtle but still might be too much for some. Maybe some suggestion from the suspect, who happens to know that the victim hid something behind the mirror, in another line he could mention number of rooms of his flat to let player know that there might be a hidden one.
Made it all the way to the end. It took me a while to realize I had to smash the mirror in the bathroom with the rock (I actually just discovered that by chance). I also kept dying at the explosive chest puzzle, I only finished it via trial-and-error. When I visited the library, it kept telling me to "invert" things, but I didn't realize I needed to open my inventory (is that what the "Primate Island" book was for?). Maybe have a sound effect or something that plays when your inventory gets updated.
Comments
Please don't take this VOD too harshly or too seriously, we definitely had fun, but maybe for all the wrong reasons lol.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2766992407
It's a fine concept, and I like detective games - but it relies on moon logic a bit too much, and the intro is... well... I mean, it's probably okay if you've VERY new to detective games, but it also feels very obvious.
The writing feels a bit rushed, and it definitely feels railroady, where you need a set sequence of events to happen in order to progress. And the events themselves are... very obscure. Almost feel like old point-and-click adventures and not like a modern detective game. Which would be fine - but I don't think RPG Maker is great for those kinds of games.
In any case - it was fun for what it is. It's an okay start.
Thank you very much. Had a good time watching. Will apply feedback.
The puzzle text is misleading and has been fixed (haven't updated the download) The thing that tripped you up is that there's only one of each. So there has to be one explosive, one non explosive and one both. If you check the chest that says explosive you can not know if it has both or just-non explosive inside. Just to simplify let's call them A, B, and AB
Chest says A, gives B. Can either be B or AB. Chest that says B gives A, so it can either be A or AB.
You have to check chest that says AB. It gives B so it can only be B. Then the chest that says A has to be AB, and the chest that says B has to be A.
I tried the game, it's an interesting premise worth exploring.
I think I got stuck at the chest puzzle, I swear I have tried every combination possible, even though I've checked every chest before hand I still get the explosion.
When I open each chest (saving before the puzzle) :
Chest #1 has explosives.
Chest #2 has Non-explosive.
Chest #3 has Non-explosive.
Yet when the guy asks me about the chests, if I give him the answers: explosive, non-explosive, non-explosive. It still gives me the explosion game over, is it a bug or am I doing something wrong? (I did try other answers but nothing is working).
Thanks for the feedback, it is clear i haven not made the puzzle explanation clear enough. There is only 1 of each, your answer is wrong because you say there are 2 non explosives. When you pull an item from the chest, even if the chest has both, you will still only pull one item.
I've managed to get to the end. It's a mixed bag, I believe there's a market for that, people do like a good detective story, but in my experience this very audience detests puzzles forcing you to bruteforce solution, or succumb to moon logic. There's no telling which objects are interactable which forces you to press space next to any object that's not wall - computers, books, npcs. I've managed to solve the bomb puzzle, but checking all those chests once again to find library card was not very intuitive.
Invert - it was such a peculiar thing, I do think that idea of learning detective skills from books is great, but why did we unlock 'Invert' as a Testimony and question? Maybe there could be a collection of techniques you learn through the game and can use on testimonies, questions and evidence?
The general idea is great, but it certainly needs work.
Thank you, good feedback. I think I will implement what you said about invert being in a fourth category of techniques. As for what's interactable, I am kind of stumped as to how to walk the like between clear and too obvious. I tried to make it so pickupables glow but then I felt like it took exploration out of it. If you have a suggestion I'd like to hear.
I recall RPG maker games did those glowing starts but that'd be an overkill. LA Noire did gentle piano note when you were nearby interactable which is more subtle but still might be too much for some. Maybe some suggestion from the suspect, who happens to know that the victim hid something behind the mirror, in another line he could mention number of rooms of his flat to let player know that there might be a hidden one.
Made it all the way to the end. It took me a while to realize I had to smash the mirror in the bathroom with the rock (I actually just discovered that by chance). I also kept dying at the explosive chest puzzle, I only finished it via trial-and-error. When I visited the library, it kept telling me to "invert" things, but I didn't realize I needed to open my inventory (is that what the "Primate Island" book was for?). Maybe have a sound effect or something that plays when your inventory gets updated.
thank you for thorough feedback
thank you for including gameplay. seems like I should clarify there's only one of each