Dialogue Speed

[al-X]

....is painfully slow.

I'm the sort of person who does read/listen to game stories, but the speed of dialogue in this game is seriously testing my patience.

There are plenty of people who probably skip the story automatically anyway. Though, some might like to know how the game works, but not have the patience to sit through the entire tutorial.

Oh, just found turbo mode........and that's a bit better, but still slower than I like. Also, the fact that mode wasn't obvious might be a problem.

[VinylFly]

Hey! Thanks for feedback on this particular aspect of the game. In hindsight, this detail is something I really feel could have been better thought out for a better user-experience. And actually, turbo mode was added right at the end of development to give players at least some way to speed up the dialog; but you are correct, it's a hidden feature that isn't pointed out unless you dig into the extra-options yourself.

The perfect solution--after looking back--is to create a very fast scrolling text, and then allowing the player to skip each and every dialog bubble at their own pace. This would give total control to the player, and I think that would've been best.

I'm happy to know you found the turbo mechanic, so you could speed up the cut-scenes at least a little bit. Your insight will influence this developer's psyche going forward, I can tell you that. I wish I could easily change this aspect of the game, but it remains one of the more clunky systems implemented here, and to overhaul it now might be a bit overwhelming. But that's not to say it wont be looked at to see if something better could be created going forward, because I hope to do an update at some point. The philosophy behind updates has been that they would be far and few between, but significant.

Really, thanks for the feedback.

[al-X]

And I finally get around to replying here.

Yeah, letting the player set their own pace, especially with reading, is usually a good thing, but I can understand the system not being easy to retro-fit.

Obviously, you know your game better than I do, so I can only ask if it would be possible to increase the base speed of/during dialogue? I'm guessing no, that everything is tied together somehow.

As for turbo mode being hidden, I would have suggested simply adding a "6=turbo" icon during story sequences, except that you'd end up with people unaware it carried over to gameplay.

Happy to help. I like to provide the odd bit of constructive criticism where I can, especially to a dev that listens.

Oh yes, While I'm here, there was something else. The weapon pickups all look the same, aside from colour, so when surrounded by enemies and bullets, it can be difficult to figure out which one will give you the fire pattern you need, especially if the enemies are behind you.
Now, maybe this won't be a big deal if you play long enough, but so far, the colours haven't 'clicked' with me.

[VinylFly]

Much faster dialog option coming soon...... :)

[al-X]

Okay, have tried the update, and can confirm that super-turbo mode is plenty fast. The new controller instructions should make it more visible too.
So, yeah, good job on that.

[VinylFly]

I appreciate you giving the game another try after the update to see the sped-up dialog. The original game runs at 30 FPS, turbo mode ups that to 60, and super-turbo mode ups it to a blistering 90. Again, this is not an ideal fix, and quite honestly, it seems like something MacGyver might concoct if he were a game developer.

I'm just sort of thinking aloud here, but when the game gets updated again, I may change that 90FPS to 80. Also, I think it would be helpful to give the player feedback when they actually engage the so-called "turbo" modes so they know what exactly is going on. Maybe a nice flashy "Turbo Mode" graphic or something.

On a side note, I can't wait to make a game with a perfect text system, one that addresses and exceeds the expectations of the consumer.

Anyway, see you around Steam :)

[al-X]

Heh, yeah.
Those sound like good ideas. I did trip up a few times going into a level and pushing the turbo button too many times.

A text system that EXCEEDS the expectations of the consumer? Ooh, Pretty high bar you're setting yourself there. Seriously.

Yep, good luck with the deving.