23 replies to this topic

[Charmeleon]

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Edited by Charmeleon, 03 April 2012 - 10:52 PM.

[Spyro Conspiracy Theorist]

Alright, I played through it. What I really liked were the graphics. You did a good job with the minimalistic style. The clouds were a nice touch. There was one little spot where the platforms weren't tiled correctly, though. The bottom part of the ground wasn't placed, it was just the middle of the platform texture and then sky. Otherwise I didn't notice any technical issues, so good on that.

That said, I do have three major problems with this game. First, and most importantly, the gameplay isn't interesting. And mind you, this is coming from someone who loves interactive fiction and point-and-click games (heck, I loved Quintessence, which is almost a 16-bit anime fantasy movie, except three times longer). But here you just walk around, agonizingly slowly, picking up apples and giving them to moose. There is no payoff and no motivation to do it in the first place. And even though I can usually look past less-than-stellar gameplay for what else the game has to offer, the gameplay here really bogs everything down. Maybe it wouldn't have been so annoying if the character had been able to move more quickly, or if everything hadn't been so spread apart. I understand that you were going for a very passive gameplay style, but the most exciting point in the game still shouldn't be a tie between a wall of text and the ladder of platforms at the end of the level.

The second problem is the story. I know you know this, because I've seen you beat other games down for it, but walls of text aren't 'hooks.' Show don't tell, better yet do don't show. ...But, really, this wouldn't be so bad either if the story was good (or funny!). I get that you weren't trying to make a serious story, and I appreciate that you were trying to parody a genre that normally doesn't get parodied, but it really was just kind of stupid and unfunny. This could just be a matter of taste, I suppose, but I personally don't think that irreverence relieves you of the responsibility of telling an interesting or funny story. And no, I'm not saying every game has to have a great story, but if you're going to spend my time on one, it has to be more than "Apocalypse! Moose! Warrior! Moose! Moose! Angel! Sudden twist that has no effect because everything so far and including this has been incomprehensible and meaningless!" (and, just so you know, I'm a huge Invader Zim fan. I've nothing against irreverence or moose themselves).

The smallest issue with the game would be the sound. Again, I get that this wasn't an attempt at a serious story, but... Ninja Gaiden? ...Why? It didn't match the tone of the game, and it was basically the same measure just repeated ad infinitum, with the unfortunate addition of a fade out and fade in whenever the track actually looped.

Sorry if this review sounded overly harsh, I'm not trying to be mean. Perhaps I just didn't "get" it. I do like the graphics a lot, and I think that if either the gameplay or story had been more compelling, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. As it is, though... the gameplay's just a chore of a vessel for the story, and the story's a meaningless, unfunny mess.

Edited by Spyro Conspiracy Theorist, 01 April 2012 - 03:05 PM.

[Charmeleon]

Thanks for the review, Spyro. I really enjoyed reading it, and I gave you a rep point.

However, I am offended that you didn't like the story. Like, what's your problem, dude? I'm just a pretentious indie developer trying to express his creativity. How dare you?

I liked your gameplay joke though. We all know that no one plays games for the gameplay, but for deep and immersive experiences.

[YellowAfterlife]

I am not a person that writes long reviews, so this.

* Judging from description here and in 'Readme.txt' that comes from game, I assumed that this is a two-button moose-feeding simulation game, and was surprised slightly by need to walk manually later in game.
* Near end of the game, I started thinking, why is the sky green. Maybe it was related to story, but I missed relation anyway.
Screenshot below features bug that Spyro Conspiracy Theorist have described, and an example of re-colored sky.

* As stated above, music did not loop too good.
* Graphics are simple and pleasing.

Overall a rather nice game, which teaches a solution to solving any problem.

[Charmeleon]

Thanks for the feedback.

Is this an April Fool's joke? I went to that same spot and didn't see anything.

Also, I think I prefer the sky being green. It's more creative. But thanks for your input!

[YellowAfterlife]

Is this an April Fool's joke? I went to that same spot and didn't see anything. :cool:

To discover that, come down to area with moose and than back up. Since camera doesn't focus entirely on character, additional areas can be seen if not going too much 'upwards'.
A common approach to avoiding such minor visual glitches is to add a 4x4-sized tile to your tileset, which would be used to fill all these areas (via shift+select in tileset representation while in room editor).
I hope that made sense.

[CaptainLepidus]

The graphics were pretty, but the gameplay didn't work. I thought you were going for a calm, relaxing feeling but then there were pixel perfect jumps which threw it all off. It was far too short for any enjoyement. The text didn't print fast enough (make z skip to end of text if not at end yet rather than always skip) for me to bother reading the story, and this is coming from a guy who's currently developing an interactive fiction game.

Anyway, basically, it was boring. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. It was slightly interesting but not at all fun.

[Charmeleon]

Pixel perfect jumps?

I was going to rep you but then I saw that you're CaptainLepidus

Edited by Charmeleon, 02 April 2012 - 03:18 AM.

[CaptainLepidus]

Pixel perfect jumps?

Eh, bad wording. What I meant was jumps that presented a challenge, however small (IE switching direction in the air) in a game that seemed to go for the "calm" sensation. It just felt a bit odd.

I was going to rep you but then I saw that you're CaptainLepidus

I gave the time to review your game because I feel it's the games that matter, not the person. Clearly you disagree. Where's the minus rep button?

[Charmeleon]

Wow you're persistent... okay fine, I repped you.

btw this game was an April Fool's joke, anyway I gotta go

gotta go fast

[CaptainLepidus]

Really? I don't see anything funny about.

[Charmeleon]

Yo I just got a free mozzerella stick

oops wrong window

Anyway, I'm not surprised the parody went over your head, considering your extreme ignorance of game design and video games in general. Did "Arkiji" really not ring any bells in your head?

Edited by Charmeleon, 02 April 2012 - 04:31 AM.

[FamousJellyfish]

Really? I don't see anything funny about.

Probably not directly, but I thought this game was a genius parody. Every other April Fools joke today has been awful. I've seen half a dozen "rick rolls", some "Skyrim Port", and some other junk.

This game is like a celebration of how Charmeleon abstains from the typical indie game trappings. In many ways it should be enlightening to people. You do not need narratives or stories or plots to make a game "work", and Omniomus demonstrates this by making the story irrelevant in a blatant way. Other games try to pretend that the story is relevant... it never is. That's why I reject the idea that video games are a "storytelling medium". Charmeleon gets this. It's why Omniomus makes no logical sense in its concept --- a story about a warrior who never appears in the game itself beyond mere text.

You might think it to be absurd. But this is exactly what I want to start seeing more of : A parody that shows others what not to make. There is always a disconnect between reading text and playing a game, because one does not require the other. You should consider media based on the jobs they do. Books provide stories, movies can provide drama... games provide a fun interactive experience. But games should never try to be books.

So many games do try though, and we end up with garbage that can't be played more than once, and is barely playable the first time. This sick obsession with interjecting a half-baked story at the last possible moment of a game's development (or otherwise, even worse, trying to make it the focus) is hurting the video game industry in many ways. It needs to stop. I believe that parodies like this, showing how ridiculous it is, can only help.

EDIT : Changed the post's layout.

Edited by FamousJellyfish, 02 April 2012 - 03:46 AM.

[CaptainLepidus]

Pfft. That's ridiculous. Games can tell stories, the challenge is just making it a good story that makes use of game's potential for interactive storytelling. This game, yes, shows what not to do; but only bad games do this, so we're good. And, I'm sorry, but I've got news for you; chances are nothing you make, especially on the GMC, will change the industry one tiny bit. I apologize, but you need to understand this. So don't set out to make a difference to gaming trends. Just try to make an enjoyable game.

[Charmeleon]

Look who's trying to cover for the fact that he got Fooled by my game

[FamousJellyfish]

Excuse you, but you've either misinterpreted my post or decided to distort my words intentionally. Either way, you've messed up. Let me clarify for you, as I don't want another jealous wannabe coming in here and dealing with misconceptions.

Pfft. That's ridiculous. Games can tell stories, the challenge is just making it a good story that makes use of game's potential for interactive storytelling. This game, yes, shows what not to do; but only bad games do this, so we're good.

Are you seriously --- *seriously* --- claiming that no game in the history of the entire world has been of good quality and also has an irrelevant storyline? And I quote, "Only bad games do this"... what about at least half of the NES' library of good games? I certainly don't think Contra's storyline had anything to do with the game itself. Or any good NES game which had a mistranslated storyline. I mean, what are you trying to say here? Can you reword that?

And, I'm sorry, but I've got news for you; chances are nothing you make, especially on the GMC, will change the industry one tiny bit. I apologize, but you need to understand this. So don't set out to make a difference to gaming trends. Just try to make an enjoyable game.

The concept of an "April Fools joke" goes way over your head. Charmeleon's game was enjoyable to me and several other people who played. And my post mentioned nothing about trying to "change the industry" or "gaming trends". Since you obviously don't know what you're talking about, here's my exact words :

"This sick obsession with interjecting a half-baked story at the last possible moment of a game's development (or otherwise, even worse, trying to make it the focus) is hurting the video game industry in many ways. It needs to stop. I believe that parodies like this, showing how ridiculous it is, can only help."

CAN ONLY HELP. Not "will definitely change things for the better!" or even "this might make a big difference in the world, guys"... I'm not even sure how you managed to warp my words so badly in your own mind that you seriously thought I considered this game an attempt at changing the video game industry. But please do me a favor and never respond to me again if this is how you're going to do it.

[comediante]

So if that is what the author is trying to say, what does "Path to the Sky" have to do with it?

[CaptainLepidus]

Look who's trying to cover for the fact that he got Fooled by my game

Oh, you're one to talk about "covering" for mistakes

Excuse you, but you've either misinterpreted my post or decided to distort my words intentionally. Either way, you've messed up. Let me clarify for you, as I don't want another jealous wannabe coming in here and dealing with misconceptions.

Pfft. That's ridiculous. Games can tell stories, the challenge is just making it a good story that makes use of game's potential for interactive storytelling. This game, yes, shows what not to do; but only bad games do this, so we're good.

Are you seriously --- *seriously* --- claiming that no game in the history of the entire world has been of good quality and also has an irrelevant storyline? And I quote, "Only bad games do this"... what about at least half of the NES' library of good games? I certainly don't think Contra's storyline had anything to do with the game itself. Or any good NES game which had a mistranslated storyline. I mean, what are you trying to say here? Can you reword that?

Now who's the one misinterpreting? What I meant was that injecting a silly story that is just walls of text like in this game, makes a game worse. I did not meant to imply that the quality of the game was directly dependent on the quality of it's story.

And, I'm sorry, but I've got news for you; chances are nothing you make, especially on the GMC, will change the industry one tiny bit. I apologize, but you need to understand this. So don't set out to make a difference to gaming trends. Just try to make an enjoyable game.

The concept of an "April Fools joke" goes way over your head. Charmeleon's game was enjoyable to me and several other people who played. And my post mentioned nothing about trying to "change the industry" or "gaming trends". Since you obviously don't know what you're talking about, here's my exact words :

"This sick obsession with interjecting a half-baked story at the last possible moment of a game's development (or otherwise, even worse, trying to make it the focus) is hurting the video game industry in many ways. It needs to stop. I believe that parodies like this, showing how ridiculous it is, can only help."

CAN ONLY HELP. Not "will definitely change things for the better!" or even "this might make a big difference in the world, guys"... I'm not even sure how you managed to warp my words so badly in your own mind that you seriously thought I considered this game an attempt at changing the video game industry.

Again you're the one misinterpreting my words. I merely meant that parodies like this aren't really going to change anything, because not many people will play them. (Key parts of that quote are bolded) I think it's better to concentrate on fun then some misguided idea of "helping" gaming trends..

But please do me a favor and never respond to me again if this is how you're going to do it.

Seems you two really can't take criticism.

[Charmeleon]

So if that is what the author is trying to say, what does "Path to the Sky" have to do with it?

Who gave you permission to advertise your game in my thread? Also, your game looks awful.

[CaptainLepidus]

So if that is what the author is trying to say, what does "Path to the Sky" have to do with it?

Who gave you permission to advertise your game in my thread? Also, your game looks awful.

Much as I hate to say it, you do have a point. It is a similar graphic style but far from identical. Although, if his game looks awful, yours looks worse.