North Hawk wrote:...it really makes me wonder if you've gone through the same thing, how perfectly you can write it.
I did pull from a few personal experiences when righting this game. Put simply, Allen is an exaggeration of all the loneliness and depression that I felt growing up. There were times in my life where I felt or thought a little like Allen. Even now, I'm not very social. But I've always had a cheerful temperament (my grandfather nicknamed me "Smiley" cause I always had this gigantic smile on my face), and that's probably the biggest difference between Allen and myself.
Ignosco wrote:The main (and only significant) downside of the game for me was Ending 2. Whilst it was a powerful and moving, his sudden callousness felt a bit abrupt, especially as the choice between Endings 2 and 3 depends directly, though not exclusively on her offer for help with the mittens.
Sounds like you would've appreciated the "Ending 3 of 4" that was cut from the final game, because I just couldn't find a way to make it work. It was a bad ending as well, but Allen wasn't so callous. It explained more exactly why Allen was reverting back to his former self.
Ignosco wrote:In Ending 3 I was almost expecting (and hoping for
) a love declaration in there as well, (although I realise now that would have been a bit out of character for both Allen and Cheryl), but the bittersweet friendship parting definitely works better given the overall themes of Tying Threads.
Yeah, I thought a little about Allen confessing at the end, but it seemed so out of character to him. And Cheryl is sort of innocent of the whole thing- I don't think it would've done anything to draw them closer together
Mikan wrote:oO;; no good end?
Depends on what you call good. One of the three endings is noticeably better than the other two
Ivlivs wrote:Once again, this is a very nicely written work. Very thoughtful, the way
Ori, Ochi, Onoe was.
Thanks. I worried that people wouldn't like my writing. Actually, I thought that one thing making this game had taught me was that I can't write >_< . Maybe I should now revise that to "I can't write quickly". I really don't think there's much comparison with mikey's works though...
>_< Guess I'll be releasing a 0.91 version. Thanks for catching that- looks like the sfont isn't set up properly for the joystick configuration menu. Umm... did you actually want to set up a joystick, or were you just looking for bugs? ^_^;;;
monele wrote:Oh, of course, there's one thing I can say : best use of transitions evah!
. And add particles to this. I keep thinking of these as ways to make things go boom! and fwoosh! but you used them in such subtle and meaningful ways... You definitely made the most out of these little things.
This coming from the one who released the Utsukushii Planet effects demo? ^^ Wow, I'm flattered. Thanks!
monele wrote:On a technical point of view, I'll note the splash sequence... nothing big but very slick and clean... pro-looking
. The menu appearing is also a cool bonus (and I'm already trying to imagine how it was done XD).
Thanks- glad someone could appreciate it. Both the logo and the menus are pretty much hacks. If you're interested, I can PM you the strategy I used for the menus.
monele wrote:The particles were nice but it did make my computer crawl when it was coupled with dissolves or the grayscale transition. It made me think of ways to optimize this, using multiple layers (I'm not sure it'd work though).
I wasn't at all satisfied with the framerates during those transitions at the end... I thought of simplifying the scene, but in the end I just didn't want to cut any corners. If someone could optimize it though for a .91 version I'll be releasing due to an error
someone found...
monele wrote:Oh, and I forgot to say that the choices were pretty meaningful (which is pretty important since they were not numerous). I found myself thinking it was random choosing at first... but then thought about the metaphor and realized it was not
.
I'm glad you liked the choices. They were all very intentional. I was a little concerned that people might not understand the significance of the last choice, especially after the removal of one of the endings. But no one has asked about it, so I assume people get it.
xenokitten wrote:I registered an account on the forums just to let you know that the story of your game touched me deeply. It should be an example to aspiring game creators everywhere.
Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the forums! Hopefully you'll stick around and have a bit of fun. Thanks for your kind words- I'm glad you were able to enjoy my game. There are lots of great games at the archives- I recommend trying some of the other games as well.
So many people relating to Allen's situation was not something I had really anticipated. Also, so many people enjoying my game and being moved by it was unforseen. I feel honored, in a way, that my story was able to touch others as deeply as it has. Honestly, when I posted this game to the forums I was thinking it would probably be the first and last game that I create. With school and everything else going on in my life, game development has been slow. And when I read of other writers making games, it sounds like everything just comes so naturally and everything just flows. But for me, though some parts flowed when I got going, I often had to struggle for my words. So it seemed like I wasn't really cut out for making games. And though I enjoy the game and the meaning it holds for me personally, I'm not sure I would consider the price I paid for the game to be worth the enjoyment I get out of it. But knowing that others are able to enjoy the game and that it can hold meaning for them as well... it tips the scales. And so I'll be reconsidering my position within the game-making realm...
