Under a Seering Sky by enoughrecords

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Under a Seering Sky by enoughrecords [web]

screenshot added on the 2012-06-17 by sigflup

platform :

JavaScript

type :

game

release date :

june 2012

release party :

@party 2012

compo :

wild demo

ranked :

4th

	7
	4
	1

popularity :

0 %

0.50

alltime top: #8749

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[source]
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added on the 2012-06-17 by psenough

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comments

relevant:
http://zeropunctuation.wikia.com/wiki/Zack_%26_Wiki:_Quest_for_Barbaros%27_Treas ure

Quote:

But then of course, Zim & Spacky breaks the cardinal sin by making it possible to die. Not just as a result of insistently clicking on a grizzly bear six times; often without warning, as a consequence of simple curiosity, or in some cases just letting your mind wander for a few seconds too long. And if you do die, you have to go buggering right back to the start of the mission, meaning you'll have to repeat all the spastic Wiimote flailing you've had to do to get to where you were.

added on the 2012-06-17 19:14:58 by Gargaj

Gargaj, you'd hate roguelikes..

I haven't completed the game yet, but wanted to get the first thumb in ASAP :) This is bloody brilliant. I was skeptical but hopeful, given the reference to a certain game in the title.. Upon firing it up I was instantly absorbed.

Alex Garland meets Neil Gibson and they take you on an epic ride in your browser.

Excellent soundtrack too.

It's total <3

added on the 2012-06-17 20:43:27 by Fell

I don't HATE rougelikes, I just find certain aspects of their game design tied to that bygone age, and I consider them either a mistake or deliberate malevolence to repeat. Games not involving physical skill should never punish you for TRYING something (see Gobliiins or even Beneath The Steel Sky).

added on the 2012-06-17 22:02:15 by Gargaj

an experience, to enjoy with headphones...

added on the 2012-06-17 22:47:06 by knl

Enough records goes Interactive Fiction'd Neuromancer. Excellent soundtrack choice and nice story, congrats ps! Actually, I was thinking about similar thing (but making it in Twine) and now I actually may start writing the scenario down.

added on the 2012-06-18 22:59:26 by r13

thanks for the comments!
online version is now available with some minor fixes and safari support.

will try to write a making of article and upload the source code to github sometime soon.

added on the 2012-06-19 03:17:14 by psenough

source

added on the 2012-06-19 08:54:37 by psenough

Article for next PAiN or...?

added on the 2012-06-19 11:05:39 by Adok

Quote:

http://enoughrecords.scene.org/uass/

i c wat u did thar.

added on the 2012-06-19 23:37:33 by Gargaj

making of

added on the 2012-06-20 02:51:38 by psenough

I keep dying.

Cool presentation.

added on the 2012-06-20 16:15:59 by xernobyl

I agree with Gargaj - it would be great to have the decisions shape and affect the protagonist rather than just killing him off when you try out stuff. Great and interesting presentation though, but the lack of an option to continue rather than playing through everything again (and again!) made me lose interest :(

A thumb up for an interesting presentation and soundtrack though!

added on the 2012-06-21 20:21:57 by bstrr

nice.

added on the 2012-06-21 21:40:33 by las

First of all, I am glad to see IF/multi-choice storytelling popping up in the demoscene -- after all the game compos for years it was high time!

Now about this particular game -- I don't want to comment on the writing, because that is my own weak point too. I comment on the design concept and failings.

The author made several errors with the options offered during interaction phases, both regarding the kind of choices offered and at when is interaction required at all.

Just two examples of the many I noticed during two play sessions:

"You feel unbearable pain and are unable to move" and yet your only choice to move the story forward is "Get up", resulting in you stumbling and falling -- so the author wanted you to stumble and fall at this point of the story.
If this is forced on you under the current circumstances, the author should have skipped the totally meaningless interaction phase with only a single menu item offered (not a real choice).

"You pass out from the pain" and the meaningless interaction phase is "Wake up" -- when the character passes out no player agency is required, the story should either continue from the moment the character comes to, or end if something kills him, or the character can have a dream sequence (interactive or not), or dream that he comes to... Anything but yet another meaningless phase of interaction.

This game is not a good attempt at Interactive (or semi-interactive) Fiction / multi-choice storytelling. Something new by the author, likely, but not up to current standards. As someone who likes tabletop roleplaying (both as a GM and as a player), IF (as a player), and adventure / roleplaying adventure computer games (both as a dev and as a gamer), I am giving it a thumbs down.

Demosceners should give a try to more aptly made IF/"multi-choice" games to put this game attempt into proper perspective. Try this for example, and compare the shortcomings:
http://www.choiceofgames.com/broadsides/

"Choice of Broadsides" does feature some cause-and-effect and a limited form of player agency, and the most notable restriction (no location backtracking allowed) is utilized to keep the story flow and progress, making it impossible for the player to get stuck. An acceptable compromise when a game like this is meant for commercial distribution and the design focus is storytelling rather than puzzle solving.

And there are many more and better ones. And for the author, a lot of improvement to be made.

added on the 2012-06-22 01:25:50 by Hoild

thanks for the feedback!

added on the 2012-06-22 01:59:18 by psenough

"Now about this particular game -- I don't want to comment on the writing, because that is my own weak point too."

... I assure you, you just did.

added on the 2012-06-22 10:18:10 by Fell

Hoild, personally I don't mind the 'meaningless' interactions you mentioned - I merely see them as a kind of "next page, please" separator, that helps preventing a wall of text to read through. Also it does change the narrative so every single, simple action isn't described the same way as well as letting the player decide when to move forward with the story.

(I see your point, but I just don't agree :)).

added on the 2012-06-22 10:53:57 by bstrr

My favorite of the compo.

added on the 2012-06-24 01:24:20 by krue

would be great but dying too often without some kind of restart point is kills the fun

added on the 2013-01-02 04:07:51 by T$

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