That is really helpful. You are definitely trying a lot of things to get past the enemy, but not the "right" thing. Perhaps the best thing to do think of it less as an enemy to defeat and more along the lines of what you'd do if you encountered a scary girl lugging a big knife...
It's actually the easiest enemy to get by in the entire game, but I guess that is only if you do the "right" thing... :-/
Anyway, I should probably give some thought to an alternate solution for those who are having trouble figuring her out. I'll start another thread discussing the solution and possible alternate solutions, so I guess if you want to give up, you can always check that out.
Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
-
InfinitapJoe
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Jan 27, 2014 12:45 pm
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
Hey everyone,
This is Joe Grabowski, the lead artist on Neverending Nightmares. I just want to remind everyone that we really love seeing your gameplay videos after each new build. Not only are they awesome, but they help us see what is working and what is not working. So if you get the chance post a link to them in this thread.
Thanks everyone!
This is Joe Grabowski, the lead artist on Neverending Nightmares. I just want to remind everyone that we really love seeing your gameplay videos after each new build. Not only are they awesome, but they help us see what is working and what is not working. So if you get the chance post a link to them in this thread.
Thanks everyone!
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
In that case, now that I've found the right balance for audio, I'll start recording my first time through when a new build comes out.
EDIT: just finished the new nightmare and I have to say I LOVE it, I feel you really struck the sweet-spot when it comes to enemy placement, the slow build up of tension, and the release of said tension. Especially that hand reaching up from the darkness on that one staircase. I have to say, I was not expecting it even though I suggested something like that. Great job on that.
For those interested, here is the footage I recorded:
http://youtu.be/BR6FZRj9TVQ
EDIT: just finished the new nightmare and I have to say I LOVE it, I feel you really struck the sweet-spot when it comes to enemy placement, the slow build up of tension, and the release of said tension. Especially that hand reaching up from the darkness on that one staircase. I have to say, I was not expecting it even though I suggested something like that. Great job on that.
For those interested, here is the footage I recorded:
http://youtu.be/BR6FZRj9TVQ
Last edited by nsane on Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:33 am, edited 3 times in total.
-
verbalfallacy
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 10:22 pm
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
Okay, I'm just going to write this now while I still have the hairs on my arms raised because I just finished the new level.
This level was absolutely brilliant. I loved the use of darkness in this level and having to rely solely on the candle that you held (which eventually became useless later). I especially loved the soundtrack for this one - so perfectly eerie that I was terrified as soon as I left the room Gabrielle was in to go and find some milk to "calm" myself. (Which, let's be honest, probably just made his perception of reality even worse.)
I honestly have nothing but praise for this level:
- Opening scene with the dialogue was great! Loved the confusion it caused, ahahah!
- Loved the new enemy addition, the smiling girl with the butcher's knife (or whatever it was). I loved that when I was doing the same tactic of running away from her in a particular room, I nearly ran right into her coming at me from the other direction.
- Loved, loved, loved the complete darkness at the end of the level and the brief flashes of images in the light. Made me jump each time, not to mention the part where the asylum patient appeared right in front of me, listening intently.
- The ending was brilliant as well - just when you thought you would just keep running into endless darkness, BAM. Great job.
Not sure if there are any bugs, should replay to check it all, but honestly, after that first run through, I think the level was fantastic overall. And, like many others, I'm eager to see when the VOs will be polished.
Keep it up guys!
EDIT:
Funnily enough, I had no difficulties with the new enemy. I actually found it the easiest out of the enemies so far. I have already spoiled it enough though above so, I won't say more on the tactic I used.
Also, just replayed the first three levels. Nice job on adding the staircases to those too and the additional scene in the dark basement in Lost Child (although I wonder what prompts this to occur? I did enjoy it, yet it did seem a bit out of the blue).
This level was absolutely brilliant. I loved the use of darkness in this level and having to rely solely on the candle that you held (which eventually became useless later). I especially loved the soundtrack for this one - so perfectly eerie that I was terrified as soon as I left the room Gabrielle was in to go and find some milk to "calm" myself. (Which, let's be honest, probably just made his perception of reality even worse.)
I honestly have nothing but praise for this level:
- Opening scene with the dialogue was great! Loved the confusion it caused, ahahah!
- Loved the new enemy addition, the smiling girl with the butcher's knife (or whatever it was). I loved that when I was doing the same tactic of running away from her in a particular room, I nearly ran right into her coming at me from the other direction.
- Loved, loved, loved the complete darkness at the end of the level and the brief flashes of images in the light. Made me jump each time, not to mention the part where the asylum patient appeared right in front of me, listening intently.
- The ending was brilliant as well - just when you thought you would just keep running into endless darkness, BAM. Great job.
Not sure if there are any bugs, should replay to check it all, but honestly, after that first run through, I think the level was fantastic overall. And, like many others, I'm eager to see when the VOs will be polished.
Keep it up guys!
EDIT:
Funnily enough, I had no difficulties with the new enemy. I actually found it the easiest out of the enemies so far. I have already spoiled it enough though above so, I won't say more on the tactic I used.
Also, just replayed the first three levels. Nice job on adding the staircases to those too and the additional scene in the dark basement in Lost Child (although I wonder what prompts this to occur? I did enjoy it, yet it did seem a bit out of the blue).
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
Okay, here are my usual stream-of-thought comments on the game as I play it. Please simply disregard what seems irrelevant for you or ask me what I meant exactly or what have you. Note that this is basically a "play by play"-commentary, so it'll be full of even very specific spoilers, ramblings and might even seem nonsensical to people who are not aware of the level's layout. Also, because I don't want to grow tired of the earlier levels, I only continued from where I stopped last time (just outside the asylum) rather than going from the beginning. In one of the future releases I'll play from the start again, but if I go through these levels too often, I might not enjoy them as much in their final form anymore. So, I'll take a break of the first four this time around. 
- Woah, talk about an unexpected ending to the asylum level.
- Did you speed Thomas up? Even while walking normally, he moves about very quickly in 0.4; is that just for testing purposes?
- The ambient sounds/music track are top-notch yet again, especially with the strange noises here and there, including... snorting? Sometimes it also sounds like tiny footfalls on stone floor, which seems odd considering we're in the wood-floored mansion. It adds to a feeling of displacement, at least for me, because it sounds like we should be inside a dirt-floored cave or cellar at times. The percussion sounds, too, seem somehow "wild" in some parts, albeit distant and quiet, like listening to somebody drumming in the dark in a distant tunnel. Intentional or a complete misreading by me?
- Nice recall to the family photo, now changed to fit the new story!
- When I saw the Latin Bible, I expected a different passage to be honest, but it still seems to be the part about "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". That said, I only recognize that part of it ("...dereliquisti me..."), so you could probably sneak who-knows-what in there as long as it's in Latin. Just sayin'.
- Whose unmade bed is that (right after the side area with the Bible in it)? According to the photo, only Thomas and "his wife" Gabby live here. That's... odd. Who else is here?
- I really like the slight lighting effect on those windows. Even at night, there should be some light coming in from the outside, so this works well. Plus, we couldn't see the twisting tree limbs otherwise.
- Huh, it sure is far to the kitchen or wherever we keep our milk. Ah, here we are. Somebody left the turkey out and it's gonna get really dry, though, that's a shame. Well, here's the kitchen then. Thomas sure gulps down the milk, doesn't he! Seems a bit too fast (maybe part of the same overall "speed-up" that I noticed).
- Wait, who ate the turkey? This is exactly the sort of mind-screw I was looking for. Small changes to imply things are... happening, just out of the corner of our eyes or just beyond our field of vision. Love it! I hope there are many more touches like these (and there probably are, I just didn't see them all yet).
- Clock's still not chiming? Okay, everything must be fine then.
- Oh. Hello, dolly on the stairs... hello.
- Wait, weren't there windows before? Didn't the stairs go a different direction? Am I still in the same place? I don't think I'm retracing my steps, I think I must've gotten turned around somewhere...
- Gabby's gone. I think I'm glad, actually.
- Wait. Another double bed?
- I'm looping. Gotta turn back.
- No, nothing has changed. Maybe I should continue in the first direction after all. Let me see. Yes, yes, this leads elsewhere. A bathroom. But with no other exit. Damn. Gotta go back. Again. I can't see anything in the mirror, so I'll just leave. Back in the corridor. Where am I going?
- Giant bear! But it's stuffed. Not to worry.
- I don't know where I'm going. This place makes no sense. Good thing!
- Oh. Sparks? Oh man. Girl with knife and bloody grin and no eyes/completely black eyes? Is this a doll?
- Just a quick suggestion: If possible, have the sparks (which show up in the utter darkness) create a quickly expanding and receding "pool of light" in the vein of the dim lighting that the dark windows provide. Okay, now back to the game. What'll happen if I...
- That's not a knife. This is a knife. Urgh.
- Okay, gotta pick up the candle. Hm. The fact that I could leave it might be relevant. Maybe I need to crawl past her in the dark? But I'll try it with the candle again for now, let's see what happens. That said, the fact that she has no eyes/black glass eyes would suggest that she's blind.
- Running past her is impossible, like with all the monsters so far. Maybe I'll try it without the candle now.
- No, walking past her in the darkness doesn't work either. I'll try walking towards her in the darkness, then stand still and see if she passes me by.
- No. She can sense me in the dark even while standing still. Okay, I'll take the candle again.
- Now that I can see again, I also see that she has a bloody blouse, kind of reminiscent of the intro video where the viewpoint character stabs young Gabby. Maybe this creature is young Gabby rather than her doll. That doesn't help me get past her, though, so I'll try drawing her towards the door.
- Well, she killed me near the door instead, so that wasn't it. I wonder if this monster has a hint built-in already because I might qualify for it considering I've died so often. Didn't find a hint as yet.
- Okay, leaving the room with her near the door just resets her position, so that's not it, either, even when you manage to draw her towards the door and survive.
- She killed me while going through the door (the screen had already turned dark for the scene transition). I guess unlike the Baby I'm not safe from that with her.
- Okay, let's try it without light again... no, even if I stop moving the instant I hear anything from her knife-scraping, she still finds and kills me in the dark. Hm. Maybe running past her in the dark? No, that ain't it, either. I doubt the darkness really helps here. Must be something else.
- Avoiding her path with one of the "alcoves" free from furniture doesn't work, either, with or without the candle. She just homes in on Thomas.
- Maybe there isn't actually a way to get past her. Considering how much changes there were in the layout while backtracking from the kitchen, maybe that's the solution: Trigger her, then leave through the way I came in and go past the bear and see where else I can go from there? Trigger a change in level layout, basically? I'll draw her towards the door and then, with her near, start backtracking.
- Hm, no. The bear's there, alright. Everything else seems the same, also, including the dead-end bathroom. Backtracking isn't the answer here, either.
- Maybe I need to die, drop the candle, go towards her in the dark and draw her towards the door while in darkness, haven't tried that yet.
- Okay, I attract her in the dark, then run back to the door. Right, the sounds are getting quieter. Wait, now they're suddenly gone? Is she gone?
- I'm running along the corridor in the dark. I don't hear the scraping start up again. And now I'm on the other side of it? She just vanished?!
- Okay, I made it past her, but now I'm just blindly feeling my way around the corridors beyond where she was. This can't be what it was supposed to be like, because there's no indication of where the next door is, not even the dimmest of light sources/dark windows. I gotta go back and get that candle now.
- Huh?! I was suddenly killed upon reentering the corridor with the monster? What killed me there?! Did she respawn right next to the door?
- Okay, let's do that again: Attract her in the dark, run away, make her vanish, then get that candle and move on.
- Wah! After I made her vanish and left the corridor to get the candle, then went back in, she came back! Gotta run away again and hope she vanishes even when I have the candle.
- Oooh. Yeah, she vanishes if you run away. It has nothing to do with leaving the candle and tricking her when it's dark. You just run away and that makes her disappear? That's... not what I expected the solution to be. Well, moving on. And with light this time, so I can actually see where I'm going/where the doors are.
- Maybe you should force Thomas to pick the candle up upon respawning/carry it automatically after death, otherwise people like me might think we have to leave it behind to solve the puzzle, like I did?
- Well, now this monster is really, really easy. All you have to do is to make sure you're not out of breath when encountering her. I'm not sure how I feel about it. We'll see whether the level design forces you to be out of breath/almost so when encountering her and some stage or whatever else there might be to make encounters more difficult now. Maybe something as simple as having two or more encounters in the same corridor? But that may not be enough.
- Considering she vanishes, I wonder whether this is the "being haunted"-level, by the way! Unlike the other monsters, we don't leave individual creatures behind as such as we leave; this creature vanishes. So all the encounters may be that one, singular creature, be it young Gabby back for revenge or one of the dolls come to bloody life.
- Very nice effect on the stairs there. Also a number of nice set designs in the safe areas afterwards, like the return to the dining room, the other kitchen and its storage room.
- Ah, nice. Two monsters from opposite sides. So it was kind of what I expected you folks to do in order to make it more challenging. It's still really easy once you know the trick, though. One could obviously overdo this with a sequence of spawning monsters on either side at smaller and smaller distances, "closing in on you" repeatedly. So far this encounter only had two spawns, but maybe there'll be more later on? Yeah, she's haunting us. She needs to get ever closer, even more aggressive, with very rapid spawning and despawning as we run the other way (otherwise she'll simply close in and kill us rather than allow us to live while also coming ever closer and worrying the player/causing a stressful but survivable encounter).
- Oh, you turned off the lights? Bah. I tried avoiding this monster while walking blindly a lot on the first encounter, this isn't sca-... *light flashes* ... oh. Yeah, I expected to see sparks coming my way in the dark, not... that. Kudos.
- And here are the sparks in the dark then. Well, as I said, I have experience avoiding this creature in the dark, so I'm not worried. Maybe this setup makes it all the more important to force Thomas to pick up the candle after respawning during the first (and presumably the other) encounter(s), lest we get used to dealing with her in pitch darkness (accidentally) like I did...
- Ah, the mash-up begins. Nice. Although these are just flashes, not an actual mash-up level. Might easily be a preview for that, though.
- Gabby's position in that particular chair with legs up and blood on her groin... okay, this is an even clearer hint that this story is about pregnancy/death during or after childbirth/forced abortion/miscarriage or something along those lines. Unless that's another misdirection like the family photo with her as sister/her role as psychiatrist would be, of course. Neither her nor Thomas are reliable witnesses in this, so she could be anything, including a complete figment of Thomas' imagination/representative of some completely different conflict.
- Damn you, young Gaby, that's spawn-camping!
And that's it. Here are a few more notes I also put in the survey:
"The mechanic for the new monster is a bit too simplistic for my liking. I enjoy how you mixed it up with the spawn behind us as we run away from the one in front of us and I think putting one of them in the dark is a good idea, but there needs to be something else to change it up more. Compared to the enemy mechanics from Insanity, this is too simplistic.
Force Thomas to pick up the candle/have him carry the candle as he respawns from a death, otherwise players will think that leaving the candle behind is part of solving the first encounter.
Maybe have the monster spawn in front and behind us, but exaggerate the current setup (have, I dunno, 5 subsequent spawns, 3 in front, 2 in the back and have each spawn be a bit closer to the current location of the player without auto-killing them) to make it more tense or try and add some other gimmick into it (again comparing it to insanity, using the broken glass to draw them away comes to mind; I'm not saying the new monster needs some "drawing away"-mechanic but it needs something different on top).
Sound design and ambient music are excellent once again. I like revisiting the mansion in its less decrepit state, especially as the "mash-up" later on throws that under a massive bus in a really good, really contrasting way.
Add an expanding and diminishing "lighting-effect" to the sparks on the monsters' knives if possible.
All in all - while I really like the dark story aspects, the messing with the level layout during the early backtracking and the monster aesthetics, I prefer Insanity over this one solely for the gameplay/enemy mechanics. Stylistically I prefer Together at Last, mechanically Insanity seems superior to me for now."
- Woah, talk about an unexpected ending to the asylum level.
- Did you speed Thomas up? Even while walking normally, he moves about very quickly in 0.4; is that just for testing purposes?
- The ambient sounds/music track are top-notch yet again, especially with the strange noises here and there, including... snorting? Sometimes it also sounds like tiny footfalls on stone floor, which seems odd considering we're in the wood-floored mansion. It adds to a feeling of displacement, at least for me, because it sounds like we should be inside a dirt-floored cave or cellar at times. The percussion sounds, too, seem somehow "wild" in some parts, albeit distant and quiet, like listening to somebody drumming in the dark in a distant tunnel. Intentional or a complete misreading by me?
- Nice recall to the family photo, now changed to fit the new story!
- When I saw the Latin Bible, I expected a different passage to be honest, but it still seems to be the part about "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". That said, I only recognize that part of it ("...dereliquisti me..."), so you could probably sneak who-knows-what in there as long as it's in Latin. Just sayin'.
- Whose unmade bed is that (right after the side area with the Bible in it)? According to the photo, only Thomas and "his wife" Gabby live here. That's... odd. Who else is here?
- I really like the slight lighting effect on those windows. Even at night, there should be some light coming in from the outside, so this works well. Plus, we couldn't see the twisting tree limbs otherwise.
- Huh, it sure is far to the kitchen or wherever we keep our milk. Ah, here we are. Somebody left the turkey out and it's gonna get really dry, though, that's a shame. Well, here's the kitchen then. Thomas sure gulps down the milk, doesn't he! Seems a bit too fast (maybe part of the same overall "speed-up" that I noticed).
- Wait, who ate the turkey? This is exactly the sort of mind-screw I was looking for. Small changes to imply things are... happening, just out of the corner of our eyes or just beyond our field of vision. Love it! I hope there are many more touches like these (and there probably are, I just didn't see them all yet).
- Clock's still not chiming? Okay, everything must be fine then.
- Oh. Hello, dolly on the stairs... hello.
- Wait, weren't there windows before? Didn't the stairs go a different direction? Am I still in the same place? I don't think I'm retracing my steps, I think I must've gotten turned around somewhere...
- Gabby's gone. I think I'm glad, actually.
- Wait. Another double bed?
- I'm looping. Gotta turn back.
- No, nothing has changed. Maybe I should continue in the first direction after all. Let me see. Yes, yes, this leads elsewhere. A bathroom. But with no other exit. Damn. Gotta go back. Again. I can't see anything in the mirror, so I'll just leave. Back in the corridor. Where am I going?
- Giant bear! But it's stuffed. Not to worry.
- I don't know where I'm going. This place makes no sense. Good thing!
- Oh. Sparks? Oh man. Girl with knife and bloody grin and no eyes/completely black eyes? Is this a doll?
- Just a quick suggestion: If possible, have the sparks (which show up in the utter darkness) create a quickly expanding and receding "pool of light" in the vein of the dim lighting that the dark windows provide. Okay, now back to the game. What'll happen if I...
- That's not a knife. This is a knife. Urgh.
- Okay, gotta pick up the candle. Hm. The fact that I could leave it might be relevant. Maybe I need to crawl past her in the dark? But I'll try it with the candle again for now, let's see what happens. That said, the fact that she has no eyes/black glass eyes would suggest that she's blind.
- Running past her is impossible, like with all the monsters so far. Maybe I'll try it without the candle now.
- No, walking past her in the darkness doesn't work either. I'll try walking towards her in the darkness, then stand still and see if she passes me by.
- No. She can sense me in the dark even while standing still. Okay, I'll take the candle again.
- Now that I can see again, I also see that she has a bloody blouse, kind of reminiscent of the intro video where the viewpoint character stabs young Gabby. Maybe this creature is young Gabby rather than her doll. That doesn't help me get past her, though, so I'll try drawing her towards the door.
- Well, she killed me near the door instead, so that wasn't it. I wonder if this monster has a hint built-in already because I might qualify for it considering I've died so often. Didn't find a hint as yet.
- Okay, leaving the room with her near the door just resets her position, so that's not it, either, even when you manage to draw her towards the door and survive.
- She killed me while going through the door (the screen had already turned dark for the scene transition). I guess unlike the Baby I'm not safe from that with her.
- Okay, let's try it without light again... no, even if I stop moving the instant I hear anything from her knife-scraping, she still finds and kills me in the dark. Hm. Maybe running past her in the dark? No, that ain't it, either. I doubt the darkness really helps here. Must be something else.
- Avoiding her path with one of the "alcoves" free from furniture doesn't work, either, with or without the candle. She just homes in on Thomas.
- Maybe there isn't actually a way to get past her. Considering how much changes there were in the layout while backtracking from the kitchen, maybe that's the solution: Trigger her, then leave through the way I came in and go past the bear and see where else I can go from there? Trigger a change in level layout, basically? I'll draw her towards the door and then, with her near, start backtracking.
- Hm, no. The bear's there, alright. Everything else seems the same, also, including the dead-end bathroom. Backtracking isn't the answer here, either.
- Maybe I need to die, drop the candle, go towards her in the dark and draw her towards the door while in darkness, haven't tried that yet.
- Okay, I attract her in the dark, then run back to the door. Right, the sounds are getting quieter. Wait, now they're suddenly gone? Is she gone?
- I'm running along the corridor in the dark. I don't hear the scraping start up again. And now I'm on the other side of it? She just vanished?!
- Okay, I made it past her, but now I'm just blindly feeling my way around the corridors beyond where she was. This can't be what it was supposed to be like, because there's no indication of where the next door is, not even the dimmest of light sources/dark windows. I gotta go back and get that candle now.
- Huh?! I was suddenly killed upon reentering the corridor with the monster? What killed me there?! Did she respawn right next to the door?
- Okay, let's do that again: Attract her in the dark, run away, make her vanish, then get that candle and move on.
- Wah! After I made her vanish and left the corridor to get the candle, then went back in, she came back! Gotta run away again and hope she vanishes even when I have the candle.
- Oooh. Yeah, she vanishes if you run away. It has nothing to do with leaving the candle and tricking her when it's dark. You just run away and that makes her disappear? That's... not what I expected the solution to be. Well, moving on. And with light this time, so I can actually see where I'm going/where the doors are.
- Maybe you should force Thomas to pick the candle up upon respawning/carry it automatically after death, otherwise people like me might think we have to leave it behind to solve the puzzle, like I did?
- Well, now this monster is really, really easy. All you have to do is to make sure you're not out of breath when encountering her. I'm not sure how I feel about it. We'll see whether the level design forces you to be out of breath/almost so when encountering her and some stage or whatever else there might be to make encounters more difficult now. Maybe something as simple as having two or more encounters in the same corridor? But that may not be enough.
- Considering she vanishes, I wonder whether this is the "being haunted"-level, by the way! Unlike the other monsters, we don't leave individual creatures behind as such as we leave; this creature vanishes. So all the encounters may be that one, singular creature, be it young Gabby back for revenge or one of the dolls come to bloody life.
- Very nice effect on the stairs there. Also a number of nice set designs in the safe areas afterwards, like the return to the dining room, the other kitchen and its storage room.
- Ah, nice. Two monsters from opposite sides. So it was kind of what I expected you folks to do in order to make it more challenging. It's still really easy once you know the trick, though. One could obviously overdo this with a sequence of spawning monsters on either side at smaller and smaller distances, "closing in on you" repeatedly. So far this encounter only had two spawns, but maybe there'll be more later on? Yeah, she's haunting us. She needs to get ever closer, even more aggressive, with very rapid spawning and despawning as we run the other way (otherwise she'll simply close in and kill us rather than allow us to live while also coming ever closer and worrying the player/causing a stressful but survivable encounter).
- Oh, you turned off the lights? Bah. I tried avoiding this monster while walking blindly a lot on the first encounter, this isn't sca-... *light flashes* ... oh. Yeah, I expected to see sparks coming my way in the dark, not... that. Kudos.
- And here are the sparks in the dark then. Well, as I said, I have experience avoiding this creature in the dark, so I'm not worried. Maybe this setup makes it all the more important to force Thomas to pick up the candle after respawning during the first (and presumably the other) encounter(s), lest we get used to dealing with her in pitch darkness (accidentally) like I did...
- Ah, the mash-up begins. Nice. Although these are just flashes, not an actual mash-up level. Might easily be a preview for that, though.
- Gabby's position in that particular chair with legs up and blood on her groin... okay, this is an even clearer hint that this story is about pregnancy/death during or after childbirth/forced abortion/miscarriage or something along those lines. Unless that's another misdirection like the family photo with her as sister/her role as psychiatrist would be, of course. Neither her nor Thomas are reliable witnesses in this, so she could be anything, including a complete figment of Thomas' imagination/representative of some completely different conflict.
- Damn you, young Gaby, that's spawn-camping!
And that's it. Here are a few more notes I also put in the survey:
"The mechanic for the new monster is a bit too simplistic for my liking. I enjoy how you mixed it up with the spawn behind us as we run away from the one in front of us and I think putting one of them in the dark is a good idea, but there needs to be something else to change it up more. Compared to the enemy mechanics from Insanity, this is too simplistic.
Force Thomas to pick up the candle/have him carry the candle as he respawns from a death, otherwise players will think that leaving the candle behind is part of solving the first encounter.
Maybe have the monster spawn in front and behind us, but exaggerate the current setup (have, I dunno, 5 subsequent spawns, 3 in front, 2 in the back and have each spawn be a bit closer to the current location of the player without auto-killing them) to make it more tense or try and add some other gimmick into it (again comparing it to insanity, using the broken glass to draw them away comes to mind; I'm not saying the new monster needs some "drawing away"-mechanic but it needs something different on top).
Sound design and ambient music are excellent once again. I like revisiting the mansion in its less decrepit state, especially as the "mash-up" later on throws that under a massive bus in a really good, really contrasting way.
Add an expanding and diminishing "lighting-effect" to the sparks on the monsters' knives if possible.
All in all - while I really like the dark story aspects, the messing with the level layout during the early backtracking and the monster aesthetics, I prefer Insanity over this one solely for the gameplay/enemy mechanics. Stylistically I prefer Together at Last, mechanically Insanity seems superior to me for now."
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Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
Hi Joe! You guys are nailing it with the art, it's looking fantastic.
I forgot E3 was this past week, hope everything went well there!
The new level was great. It was good to see lots of darkness used on the player again, it's very effective wandering around that weird nightmare house layout in the dark with the creepy music. It's kinda confusing but I didn't feel lost or anything, it's a good balance.
I forgot E3 was this past week, hope everything went well there!
The new level was great. It was good to see lots of darkness used on the player again, it's very effective wandering around that weird nightmare house layout in the dark with the creepy music. It's kinda confusing but I didn't feel lost or anything, it's a good balance.
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
Thanks for all the feedback! It seems like I still have some work to do with the enemy. :-/ I wrote a bunch of stuff about that in the other thread, but I'll respond to a few questions.
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions!
Not to my knowledge. Did anyone else notice him going faster?Did you speed Thomas up? Even while walking normally, he moves about very quickly in 0.4; is that just for testing purposes?
The music is crazy and creepy and there are all sorts of sounds in there.The percussion sounds, too, seem somehow "wild" in some parts, albeit distant and quiet, like listening to somebody drumming in the dark in a distant tunnel. Intentional or a complete misreading by me?
It is indeed a different passage, but as you mentioned, there is still something similar. I'm sure someone will go through and figure it out, so I don't want to spoil it.When I saw the Latin Bible, I expected a different passage to be honest, but it still seems to be the part about "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". That said, I only recognize that part of it ("...dereliquisti me..."), so you could probably sneak who-knows-what in there as long as it's in Latin. Just sayin'.
If I get a chance, I can try to change that and see how it works. I have a lot of work to do though with the new level and the enemy rework so it might be a while before I get a chance. :-/- Just a quick suggestion: If possible, have the sparks (which show up in the utter darkness) create a quickly expanding and receding "pool of light" in the vein of the dim lighting that the dark windows provide.
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions!
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
I definitely did, he seemed to go slightly faster in each level, starting at the asylum level. I can upload snippets of the video I recorded last night comparing the different levels if that would help.matt wrote:Thanks for all the feedback! It seems like I still have some work to do with the enemy. :-/ I wrote a bunch of stuff about that in the other thread, but I'll respond to a few questions.
Not to my knowledge. Did anyone else notice him going faster?Did you speed Thomas up? Even while walking normally, he moves about very quickly in 0.4; is that just for testing purposes?
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
Sure that would be helpful. I can honestly think of no reason why he would be going any faster. It might be worth comparing a video of his speed walking if you play up to the level and if you load the level from the menu... Maybe it is some cumulative thing? I've played a lot of Neverending Nightmares, but I've never noticed it... Weird!
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Re: Alpha 0.4 discussion [SPOILERS]
I was initially gonna make a video impressions but when I rendered it, it come out at like 1.6GB
Trying to upload that on a UK connection is not good times so I'll just type it out instead hahaa
Level 1
- Nothing really changed except for the addition of that one backer portrait
- Something I did note however is that when you view the portrait in "Closer look mode", the background behind the painting looks blurry (Picture of this: http://i.imgur.com/EVZnEUf.jpg). I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, to create a blur effect or something, but I just felt like pointing it out in case it was a mistake.
Level 2
- Largely unchanged for the most part
- That new scene that comes after the basement came outta nowhere! I was not expecting that, pretty gruesome stuff
Level 3
- Something I generally wanted to note. I feel like in certain instances when running that it can be hard to hear Thomas breathe over the music, I noticed it especially on this level. It could just be my audio setup however so I don't know, anybody else have this sometimes?
Level 4
- Mainly a large amount of polishing and art fixes in this level
- The hand jump scares: First one = Great - Second one = Alright - Third one = Ehhhh. I feel like you should probably just cut it to one as it happens too often and seems a little cheap (At least in my opinion)
- There's also a bug in this level with two of the cell doors near the end of the level, I included a video highlighting what I mean (Some of the salvaged original video that I couldn't post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKQ4_A1 ... e=youtu.be) Of course I could be dumb and they aren't actually interactable, if so oops
hahaha
Level 5
- Alright the big new level of the build
- Love the opening dialogue between Thomas and Gabby, adds a new dimension to the potential relationship between them both (Siblings, doctor-patient, lovers, who knows!)
- Love the new track as well, very ethereal and almost alien like. Fits in brilliantly!
- Good lord this level is the most nerve racking one yet, just being surrounded by darkness is just suffocating. Like not knowing what could be ahead makes everything so tense, so when those few moments do kick in it makes them a lot more poignant
- The repeating rooms bit was brilliant, I was like "...Wait a minute" and it caught me off guard. Just the layout of this place combined with the pitch blackness makes everything so topsy turvy, yet I never felt frustrated at being lost within it. Well done guys
- New enemy! Love the design of them and how its introduced. Just off in the darkness and when you get a closer look when it comes within your light, I was just like "Ohhh lord no I'm outta here"
- I will admit yes that I had trouble with the enemy at first, although I've spoken my mind about that in other threads so it's no good bringing it up here
- The final sequence is fantastic and topped off the level brilliantly. As soon as that candle went out I was just like "Oh god no..." and everything after that only got worse and worse. I'll tell ya some of those visions, they uh...ain't pretty hahahaa
Overall a great build! I mean it must be good if I got stuck on a level and still thought it was great by the end hahaha
My only curiosity now is how it will all end of this playthrough and how you'll top the previous level with this last one, so no pressure
Trying to upload that on a UK connection is not good times so I'll just type it out instead hahaa
Level 1
- Nothing really changed except for the addition of that one backer portrait
- Something I did note however is that when you view the portrait in "Closer look mode", the background behind the painting looks blurry (Picture of this: http://i.imgur.com/EVZnEUf.jpg). I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, to create a blur effect or something, but I just felt like pointing it out in case it was a mistake.
Level 2
- Largely unchanged for the most part
- That new scene that comes after the basement came outta nowhere! I was not expecting that, pretty gruesome stuff
Level 3
- Something I generally wanted to note. I feel like in certain instances when running that it can be hard to hear Thomas breathe over the music, I noticed it especially on this level. It could just be my audio setup however so I don't know, anybody else have this sometimes?
Level 4
- Mainly a large amount of polishing and art fixes in this level
- The hand jump scares: First one = Great - Second one = Alright - Third one = Ehhhh. I feel like you should probably just cut it to one as it happens too often and seems a little cheap (At least in my opinion)
- There's also a bug in this level with two of the cell doors near the end of the level, I included a video highlighting what I mean (Some of the salvaged original video that I couldn't post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKQ4_A1 ... e=youtu.be) Of course I could be dumb and they aren't actually interactable, if so oops
hahahaLevel 5
- Alright the big new level of the build
- Love the opening dialogue between Thomas and Gabby, adds a new dimension to the potential relationship between them both (Siblings, doctor-patient, lovers, who knows!)
- Love the new track as well, very ethereal and almost alien like. Fits in brilliantly!
- Good lord this level is the most nerve racking one yet, just being surrounded by darkness is just suffocating. Like not knowing what could be ahead makes everything so tense, so when those few moments do kick in it makes them a lot more poignant
- The repeating rooms bit was brilliant, I was like "...Wait a minute" and it caught me off guard. Just the layout of this place combined with the pitch blackness makes everything so topsy turvy, yet I never felt frustrated at being lost within it. Well done guys
- New enemy! Love the design of them and how its introduced. Just off in the darkness and when you get a closer look when it comes within your light, I was just like "Ohhh lord no I'm outta here"
- I will admit yes that I had trouble with the enemy at first, although I've spoken my mind about that in other threads so it's no good bringing it up here
- The final sequence is fantastic and topped off the level brilliantly. As soon as that candle went out I was just like "Oh god no..." and everything after that only got worse and worse. I'll tell ya some of those visions, they uh...ain't pretty
hahahaaOverall a great build! I mean it must be good if I got stuck on a level and still thought it was great by the end hahaha
My only curiosity now is how it will all end of this playthrough and how you'll top the previous level with this last one, so no pressure
"Always look on the bright side of life"
Check me out on Steam if you like! - http://steamcommunity.com/id/JPrice321/
Check me out on Steam if you like! - http://steamcommunity.com/id/JPrice321/