henke on 28/2/2016 at 14:27
[CENTER][video=youtube;PQuT55xEA9U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQuT55xEA9U[/video]
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https://henke.itch.io/trajectory) https://henke.itch.io/trajectory[/CENTER]
A big thanks to everyone who tested this for me. <3
Nameless Voice on 28/2/2016 at 15:11
Looks nice, it's got a simple elegance to it.
I gave it a brief look. Some initial thoughts:
Upon first run, the launcher defaults to windowed mode, which won't allow that many resolutions. It took me a while to realise I had to untick the box before I could get my native resolution. It also has options to configure controls that don't exist for the game.
I also find it amusing that the debug symbols are bigger than the entire rest of the game, though I guess it doesn't really matter.
I found it rather hard to control. I think because you often want to make very small movements, and I've always found those difficult with a mouse (because it takes some force to start moving the physical weight of the mouse before you get going) - for the same reason I find sniping hard.
I wonder if it would be easier with keyboard input?
One time I randomly exploded for no reason that I could see. I was on the third level and had just picked up the blue heart near the start, I was looping around myself to turn around and just exploded, even though I wasn't near the wall.
Any particular reason why you need to replay the entire game from the tutorial after three deaths?
henke on 28/2/2016 at 15:23
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
I also find it amusing that the debug symbols are bigger than the entire rest of the game, though I guess it doesn't really matter.
Ah, yeah those do not need to be in there, do they? Removed, rezipped and reuploaded the file.
Al_B on 28/2/2016 at 21:11
It's fun game - a little hard to control at first but I don't mind games like that where you improve over time. It can be agonising going into a very slow curve just before entering a chasm when you think you should be going straight but I guess that's the point! Only completed the first 5-6 levels but it was frustrating to have to go back to the first level each time you lost your lives. (It also says "click to restart" when it really means "click to finish").
henke on 29/2/2016 at 06:27
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
Any particular reason why you need to replay the entire game from the tutorial after three deaths?
It's a pretty short game, only 8 levels, so I decided to go with an old-school limited lives approach to make sure it's hard enough, instead of giving the player unlimited lives. That first tutorial level can be kind of a drag once you've played it once tho, since there's not much challenge in it. I think I'll have the player automatically skip it after the first run. Also I'll bump the number of starting lives up to 5.
Quote Posted by Al_B
(It also says "click to restart" when it really means "click to finish").
Thanks, I'll fix that.
Thirith on 29/2/2016 at 07:15
Quote Posted by henke
It's a pretty short game, only 8 levels, so I decided to go with an old-school limited lives approach to make sure it's hard enough, instead of giving the player unlimited lives.
I can't remember: does the game score you? (I only played it briefly myself; I like the minimalist aesthetics, but it's the kind of gameplay that makes me fidgety, which I don't particularly enjoy, I'm afraid.) If so, you could offer continues that reset your score, if you want to stick with the old-school vibe.
Thor on 29/2/2016 at 15:20
Hey, nice game. :thumb:
I second NV's statement about the resolution, and also since I went to the 1280x720 fullscreen, the options were also offset on my 1366x768 native resolution ( clicking credits made me quit the game, clicking new game took me to the credits). Kind of minor, but there you go.
This game might be a natural fit for android format, though I could be wrong, maybe it would be too easy.
I got to level 5 (or was it 6? I didn't see any level counter) and died. Hard to steer with this annoying mouse.
@Thirith - the game scores your time. Speaking of which, was I imagining things or could I manipulate with speed also (moving mouse farther and closer)?
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
I found it rather hard to control. I think because you often want to make very small movements, and I've always found those difficult with a mouse (because it takes some force to start moving the physical weight of the mouse before you get going) - for the same reason I find sniping hard.
I wonder if it would be easier with keyboard input?
I think it might be easiest with a steering wheel. Keyboard is a pain for steering as it's rather monotonous, so you can't make very swift turns if you want to any reasonable grip whatsoever. Might work for this game though as there don't need to be any super swift turns (unless in a later level that I didn't get to).
henke on 29/2/2016 at 16:05
Since the first beta tests, a few months ago, my testers have had a hard time with the controls. I've done a lot to make this game more playable. Adding the new camera which rotates with the player, slowing movement during turns, adding the indicator, lowering the speed, lowering the mouse sensitivity. But it seems it's still a good way off from being a easy-to-use or pleasant experience. And I'm not sure there's much more I can do to improve the mouse control. Keyboard won't be fast or precise enough. Steering wheel is a fun idea, and I have one here so it could be fun to test, but it's a far too niche solution. Think I'll try implementing gamepad controls, using the triggers to pull the vessel left and right might feel good.
Thanks for the feedback so far! As usual TTLG is helping mold this thing into something that'll (hopefully) make sense to anyone besides me. :thumb:
Thirith on 29/2/2016 at 16:11
I'd definitely retry it with gamepad/trigger support.
Also, I'm thinking it might be fun to add first-person view as an easter egg. Possibly even VR support. :D
Kolya on 29/2/2016 at 16:18
Why does my little light explode when I hit the exit? Feels like I made a mistake, since it's the same effect as when hitting a wall.
Cool looking little game. :thumb:
PS: Allow to increase/decrease speed and give a bigger score for finishing faster.