Demo Test

[PHOBIE]

- ship controls feel wonky and lifeless, the stern breaks out in curves, ship does not animate or interact with environment much, not much audio to help

- little water animation, which could have been a defining feature for the game with the right art

- UI/UX problems with held buttons. this could get a toggle in options.

- lacking mouse support and automation for shops, buttons do not stand out and it's not clear what everything does

- interface not optimized for the fastest way to get something done, leading to boredom and frustration

- no inventory auto-sort, several inventories with no clear reason given, requiring switching around, audaciously limited inventory, extremely short days, additional inventory limit via specialized equipment tiles, demo unavailable upgrades and research, making for very barebones RPG and progression showcase.

- lacking automation, outdated graphics, no notable interaction and character animations, lack of lighting and effects, lacking fog (lighting) effects, lacking explanation of fog effects and anti-fog measures, lacking feedback who buys or sells what and when, lacking feedback on what type an item is.

- map is used often while button M is straight from a 1990s RPG control scheme? it's nowhere near WASD, 2/3 of the keyboard is closer. map blocks out the whole game. would recommend having a look at ergonomics and immersion 101.

- no waypoints or highlighting of POI outside the map which has zero transparency btw, and no hold toggle

- if there should be a feeling of things moving slowly in a sleepy village then this can be done with slow moving animations, but using held buttons for this and holding UIX hostage for that seems the wrong thing to do.

- setting and concept is okay, so this should be acceptable to a larger audience while antics and antiquated design mistakes from 30 years ago should be put to rest instead of eternally repeated.

Hope this helps.

[bsg_joel]

Thanks for the detailed write-up!

[PHOBIE]

Awesome.

[Bodom Beach Terror]

I love the feel of this game, the way it is not bogged down with UI and unnecessary systems makes it a joy to play.

[PHOBIE]

Must be joking.

[Ira]

I don't agree with a number of these points:

- The boat driving does feel cartoony but I like it, if anything there could be more/better animation if you reel in a fish or hit a rock to create some more waves or rumble.

- Mouse and keyboard feel fine during my demo playthrough, menu options could often be done with either a click or a button...

- Inventory auto sorting would be a ridiculous hand holding feature. MAYBE it could work for the storage but for the active inventory the act of trying to keep it organized is a key part of the game

- I do agree that the map needs improving per above. Perhaps the game starts with "fog of war" that you need to explore. And also perhaps there is another ship item slot for a sonar or radar that helps lead you to objectives or specific fish you are looking for?

I downloaded like 20 demos today and so far this is the only one I'm very interested in. I hope it continues to get developed well and fleshed out more!

[gobydon]

Ooo weee... OP is high maintenance. LOL

I can only agree somewhat with improving inventory controls.

Otherwise, I think the game is charming. I'll buy this for sure.

[ToothpasteMain]

Originally posted by Ira:

- The boat driving does feel cartoony but I like it, if anything there could be more/better animation if you reel in a fish or hit a rock to create some more waves or rumble.

A note about the boat driving on the controller, the deadzone is really small. If you move the joystick in the slightest to the left or right, the boat is suddenly turning. This results in movement like this

[bsg_joel]

Originally posted by rampart main:

Originally posted by Ira:

- The boat driving does feel cartoony but I like it, if anything there could be more/better animation if you reel in a fish or hit a rock to create some more waves or rumble.

A note about the boat driving on the controller, the deadzone is really small. If you move the joystick in the slightest to the left or right, the boat is suddenly turning. This results in movement like this

I put a deadzone slider somewhere in the settings for exactly this reason! Did it help at all?

[Drip]

I LIKED THE GAME TOO

[Rubyko]

Why would the inventory have an auto-sort? As soon as I saw how it worked it became pretty obvious that its implementation, when mixed with the length of time of day, are meant to make the player manage time and space properly as a resource. That's something I find quite fun and what made me enjoy the demo. This entire list of feedback just outright feels like you walked across a product that's not up your alley and you wish it were, but we can't have it all I fear. I for one am quite content with the demo, my biggest criticism being that the night time doesn't feel as threatening as it could be.

[PHOBIE]

If you enjoy all those games with limited inventory and think it's a valid way to spend your time you are welcome. To me it's copying other people and their products in some sort of religious fever. Luckily, no product comes "as is" and the designer has the power to shape it.

I prefer products that raise IQ instead of lowering it.

[Rubyko]

Kinda weird to claim that removing an aspect of logistical management and decision making somehow lowers IQ. You do know you're free to simply claim this aspect of management is just not up your alley without making it out to be some deeper inclination right? The whole attitude of acting like you're the smartest in the room doesn't benefit you much, especially after complaining about management in a game that's very upfront about that management being a mechanic that feeds the decision making process and challenge of the game.

Do feel free to give me examples of all the games that fit into that "religious fever" by the way, I love it when games have inventory tetris into their resource management. And only Resident Evil 4 has crossed my path with this system in a way that pandered to me.

[PHOBIE]

I fail to see how a box of shapes in 2D is meaningful "logistical management and decision making". Here is a glorious example of a 3D one, though. I can see this cater to the needs of a young audience:

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1_skSNVXXXXb8XVXXq6xXFXXXo/13-Holes-Wooden-Shape-Sorter-Geometric-Sorting-Box-Cognitive-Matching-Wooden-Blocks-Shape-Color-Recognition.jpg

And yes, I think there is an unhealthy obsession with squeezing gameplay out of limited inventories, but it's a problem for the industry, this game just jumps onto the bandwagon.

Here is some further reading if interested:
https://www.gamesradar.com/greatest-inventories-in-video-games/
https://www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/jdgxud/games_that_are_littered_with_items_but_give_you_a/
https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/40008/does-an-inventory-limit-in-an-mmorpg-make-sense

One iconic sentence here is:

"Much of game design is about resource management, because deciding how best to use limited resources is an interesting choice that games can easily implement. Limiting the inventory forces players to think about the value of each item and make decisions on whether to hoard or sell their loot, and on which items to carry out into battle with them."

and the answer:

"Much of game design is about interesting resource management."


You can find similar quotes like this, and this has lead to some good games but also to serious setbacks in gaming evolution, as developers looked at all the fancy catchwords like "easily implemented", "value", "decisions", as the go-to solution and panacea for their suffering projects. What they tend to forget is "meaningful decision" "actual reward" "true motivation" and "added value".

Historically, this has lead to developers focusing on limiting players before even thinking how to reward them and give a good endgame, and the shrugging admission that maybe the average game time shouldn't be more than 20-30 hours.

2-8 hours could be the more realistic outcome, and this is the reason why game developers can't be digital neanderthals, but must strive to stay on top of their game.

I tend to think that being upfront about what I like and don't like is the mature thing to do, remember this can be valuable feedback for developers to make their games better.

It's not designed to lead to a battle of opinions between players, let alone to a discussion of the benefit of having an opinion.

Hope this helps.

[Rubyko]

No it did not help, maybe instead of being upfront you should be concise. I can assure you I did not have any feeling of "wasting time" associated with this game until I read your posts.

The limitations imposed by this game are only similar to two additional examples in the article you posted, and in one case (DEHR) I'd go as far as saying the inventory in that game was irrelevant, while with this limited demo I managed to squeeze some value out of the inventory's mechanic.

I do agree this is about feedback though. In the sense that your stance on the matter really doesn't factor into my day in any way (sure wastes time though, make sure you add some value to what you say). But since your criticism was completely counter intuitive to what I liked about the game, I wanted to let the developer know that other stances exist and that they're being pandered to with the direction they're taking.

With that in mind, do make sure your next reply doesn't waste more time than the lack of an auto-sorting function does. I understand that fitting shapes into holes can be tricky, but that doesn't mean all of us want to bypass to the instant-gratification part by asking help from the teacher.

[PHOBIE]

The observation here is that you ask for more explanation, and when you get it you complain I waste your time and don't "add value" and you continue to be belligerent instead of being thankful. Maybe you can't be pleased, and are trying to waste my time with false narrative.

Now the good thing is the world doesn't just revolve around you, and perhaps there are friendly people ready to accredit value to my posts. My feedback is made for developers, you are free to comment, but not to be mean, no matter how counter-intuitive to what you liked about the game my workmanship appears.

I can't serve as a buffer for lack of insight into Diablo-style or Minecraft-style inventory systems, this requires your own experience or research into the subject matter, again, where interested. If not interested, I see no reason to go forth harassing people who try to support you on the basis of your ignorance.


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I would think every seasoned developer to be informed if not outright educated about a volume of inventory systems. Inventory-Tetris games are a thing, so if that's what you want, this can waste your time until this game releases, or you could play the Demo some more.

https://www.pcgamer.com/finally-someone-finally-turned-inventory-tetris-into-an-entire-videogame/

https://thejaspel.itch.io/backpack-hero
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