Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.0

Post demo and beta versions of your game here for testing.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
ameliori
Veteran
Posts: 201
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:20 am
Completed: Who is Mike?, Cupid
Projects: The Black Beast [Fairytale]
Organization: FERVENT
Tumblr: ameliori
itch: fervent
Contact:

Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.0

#1 Post by ameliori »

*WARNING*: This link contains a full game, so if you are more interested in seeing the final product, please don't download this version. Thank you!

[Mystery/Horror, Comedy/Romance]
Image
Dropbox:
Image

Mediafire:
Image

Older versions:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/31q1t ... ke-1.0.zip

STORY
You wake up with an aching head and the world out of focus. In front of you is a man accusing you of being “fake”.
He looks exactly like you, down to the last scar and pimple, has the same memories, the same voice and the same personality.
But who is lying and who is telling the truth? Who is fake and who is real?

With over nine different possibilities, you can either end up as the tragic hero, the sly villain, or an innocent victim.
Will you keep your cool or pick a fight? Play through all the endings and take a peek at the truth of your demise.

Whatever action you take, ultimately, you must answer the question: “Who is Mike?”

CHARACTERS

Image

Image

Image

SCREENSHOTS
WIP Thread: http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 43&t=26357
Image

DOWNLOAD THE BETA VERSION 2.0
Dropbox:
Image

Mediafire:
Image

Older versions:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/31q1t ... ke-1.0.zip

GAME INFO
Free
Release Date: approx. January 2015
Screensize: 1280 x 800
Endings: 6 9 endings
Length: 10,500 words
CGs: 22 CGs
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Supernatural
Rating: PG-16+ for Strong Language and Violence
WIP Thread: http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 43&t=26357
FEEDBACK
Thank you so much for taking interest in the game! Apart from the usual errors, grammar mistakes and functionality issues,
I would appreciate it if you can answer the following questionnaire for the improvement of my future projects! Happy New year! ^^

1. Did you enjoy the story and characters?
2. How is the pacing of the story?
3. Which ending did you like the most?
4. Did the story flow naturally to the ending?
5. Any general comments/critiques and improvements you'd like to see in the finished version?

Impt Note: There have been reported errors where the game reverts back to the Main Menu without any traceback errors.
This is not supposed to happen. The version uploaded is tested and it is functioning well. Kindly let me know if this problem persists.
Team
Story & Art: ameliori
Music/SFX: stock music, Kevin Mcleod, Freesound
Programming: Marionette
Editing: ColaCat
Last edited by ameliori on Wed Jan 28, 2015 12:44 am, edited 3 times in total.
ameliori
TwitterPatreon

User avatar
Saltome
Veteran
Posts: 244
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:07 pm
Deviantart: saltome
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#2 Post by Saltome »

...Huh? I don't seem to be able to download the file. The website loads the web icon, then appears to be finished, but the page stays blank.
Deviant Art: Image
Discord: saltome
Itch: Phoenix Start

User avatar
ameliori
Veteran
Posts: 201
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:20 am
Completed: Who is Mike?, Cupid
Projects: The Black Beast [Fairytale]
Organization: FERVENT
Tumblr: ameliori
itch: fervent
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#3 Post by ameliori »

Sorry for the delay, Saltome! We just about finished Version 2. Here's a newer version with Dropbox and Mediafire links:

Dropbox:
Image

Mediafire:
Image

Older versions:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/31q1t ... ke-1.0.zip


Thanks so much for your interest in the game! I look forward to your feedback! ^^
ameliori
TwitterPatreon

User avatar
trooper6
Lemma-Class Veteran
Posts: 3712
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:33 pm
Projects: A Close Shave
Location: Medford, MA
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#4 Post by trooper6 »

I haven't downloaded this...and I don't know if I will...because it looks like it would be all spoilers all the time for the final game.

But I want to say the art in your screen shots and your pitch is super intriguing and I'm really interested in your game. So, what you are presenting here is generating excitement in me. Data point!
A Close Shave:
*Last Thing Done (Aug 17): Finished coding emotions and camera for 4/10 main labels.
*Currently Doing: Coding of emotions and camera for the labels--On 5/10
*First Next thing to do: Code in all CG and special animation stuff
*Next Next thing to do: Set up film animation
*Other Thing to Do: Do SFX and Score (maybe think about eye blinks?)
Check out My Clock Cookbook Recipe: http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 51&t=21978

User avatar
qirien
Miko-Class Veteran
Posts: 541
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 10:06 pm
Organization: Metasepia Games
Deviantart: qirien
Github: qirien
itch: qirien
Location: New Mexico, USA
Discord: qirien
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#5 Post by qirien »

ameliori wrote:1. Did you enjoy the story and characters?
2. How is the pacing of the story?
3. Which ending did you like the most?
4. Did the story flow naturally to the ending?
5. Any general comments/critiques and improvements you'd like to see in the finished version?
Whoa, love the concept! This was really fun to play and slowly uncover the mystery. The backgrounds were great; minimalistic but giving a homey feel. The sprites' expressions were great (too bad you only had one chance to use the blush, that was pretty fun). :-)

I thought the pacing was good...
but all the
...
pauses
where I had to...
click a lot
...
were kind of annoying. :-) I understand you're trying to show people pausing, but the blank screens were just confusing - it made it seem like the game was locked up or I was supposed to be looking at some animation in the background or something. Maybe "I stopped to think for a minute" or "Neither of us said anything for several minutes" could work instead. And "..." already means "a pause"; adding waits between each . is just annoying.

Awkward phrasing:
"How dare this guy suggest me to leave" should be "How dare this guy suggest that I leave"
"I pulled whatever punch I can land" should be something like "I pummeled him with every punch I could land" (to "pull punches" means to hold back and not punch hard, which is the opposite of what you mean, I think).
"I looked at Sarah while I still can" should be "while I still could"
"thou porn stash" should be "thy porn stash" if you're trying to sound biblical
Endings:
Here's the order I got them in: 5, 4, 9, 6, 2, 3, 1
I had to get a hint to get the endings where you wait at the choice... I kind of hate timed choices in most games, but it seems like even more of a trick on the reader to make it seem like you have to rush when actually the thing is not to rush... but this is the sadistic kind of game where that sort of playing with the reader makes sense. :twisted: I guess I have mixed feelings about it.

I finally looked at the source code to figure out how to get 7,8; it just didn't seem consistent to me to tell the truth, but also agree with everything he said? I'm guessing that's why I kept not doing that. I unlocked everything in the gallery... I don't know if there's a "True" ending apart from those, but my favorite was #1. Guess I'm a sucker for happy (?) endings. I liked #8 a lot though, too, as it had lots of information. BTW, did you know there are two #7 endings? :-) And I liked how which person *you* were changed depending on your choices, very fun.
Inconsistencies/Realism Issues
"I took the safety off the gun" - she had just been shooting it, so the safety was already off. If he knows about guns, perhaps he would drop the clip to see how many bullets are left. Also, it is fairly silent to take the safety off of a gun (and most modern handguns have grip safeties, which means that they are ready to shoot whenever someone is holding the grip of the gun).
For ending #1, it seems a little strange that after having been shot several times, one more shot finishes the creature off/makes it decide to leave? Unless you shot it straight in the head or something... in which case it wouldn't have time for a nice death speech. :-D Actually, after getting ending #8 that makes a bit more sense.
Anyway, great game! Thanks for giving me the chance to beta test it! :-)
Finished games:
Image
Image
Image

User avatar
Saltome
Veteran
Posts: 244
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:07 pm
Deviantart: saltome
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#6 Post by Saltome »

Alright, no problems downloading it this time.
Overally pretty good, no particular bugs.
I kinda liked The Sly ending best, nice and simple. Aside from that last little twist in the end, I didn't need that part.
And obviously the canon ending, it leaves a couple of interesting possibilities open.
ameliori wrote:Impt Note: There have been reported errors where the game reverts back to the Main Menu without any traceback errors.
This is not supposed to happen. The version uploaded is tested and it is functioning well. Kindly let me know if this problem persists.
I could be wrong, but the for that to happen you need to have an abrupt end of the story. Like if you jump to a label that isn't finished, or doesn't have a jump back to the main story.
Now that I think about it an inappropriate return statement may have the same effect, since it jumps out of the script, I assume from there it would take you to the main menu.
And you pretty much only get the traceback when the application crashes. The lack of traceback also leads me to believe that this isn't a crash or other undefined behavior.
Overally, getting an idea of where exactly in the story this problem is supposed to occur, should allow you to locate it's source. If there really is such a problem in the first place.

Anyhow, if you are looking for a tester, I wouldn't mind.
Lastly, here are the notes of my actual experience with the game.
Attachments
WIMNotes.txt
(3.98 KiB) Downloaded 126 times
Deviant Art: Image
Discord: saltome
Itch: Phoenix Start

User avatar
ameliori
Veteran
Posts: 201
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:20 am
Completed: Who is Mike?, Cupid
Projects: The Black Beast [Fairytale]
Organization: FERVENT
Tumblr: ameliori
itch: fervent
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#7 Post by ameliori »

@trooper6 : Thanks a lot for the interest! I totally understand what you mean! This game is a full game so if you're interested in seeing the final product instead, just hold on just a bit! It's at the final stages now.

++

@qirien: Thank you! Your review is very detailed. All your suggestions are noted (Especially for the pauses thingie! I'm so sorry for that! Thank you for being patient enough to go through it!)

For the endings:
#7 and #8 are the endings where you're the clone, so it makes sense that you keep agreeing with the real person to play it safe and not keep your cover (which contradicts with lying I'm sure haha), but it's just the simple system I've come up with to make the coding easy! In the future, I am going to try pushing the boundaries of replies and logic!
Inconsistencies/Realism:
Thanks for your note on the gun safety thing! Your feedback is very helpful! Dunno much about guns (obviously hehe)

About the shot thing:
Ah well, another thing I would admit to my limitations. I had to end the game after all >_< Also, I doubt Mike has enough gun training to go for headshot or extremities (I heard it's harder to shoot those). He'll probably go for torso, so I'm thinking the Sarah clone was shot in the stomach or the lung, something a bit more deadly compared to Sarah's shot which was only in the leg/shoulder, but also not too sudden that it can't speak. Also. Heart wrenching death speech FTW! (I wanted to hint that these creatures aren't really 'bad', they're just doing what is in their nature, and by donning human forms, they also have near human feelings of regret and fear)

Thanks so much for your feeback! I'm really glad you had fun!

++

@Saltome: I just read your game rant and it made me laugh at times. I can really feel your frustration with the endings! Sorry there were so many bad ones. I just wanted the good ending to feel like a sigh of relief. Hopefully you weren't too ticked off :P

For the sly ending,
if you mean the graphic where you smile, I had to hint that the you are the clone. Some people might miss it without the graphic. If you mean, I could do without you being the clone entirely, it wouldn't make much sense in the gameplay since you've been lying all that time to get it. XD
Thanks for your advice with the coding, yeah, somebody mentioned the same thing too. It might be a jump that wasnt closed. This version 2 was edited so it wouldn't have that.. Hopefully no one else will get that error. I'd like to have you as a tester. There's still some bugs you mentioned in your notes that need fixing after all.

Notes:
Fixed some of your suggestions like the options menu and the active option thing.

The menus were made my a different coder (I'm a beginner! ><), so I might need to contact them again to fix it (I'm kind of shy since he is working for free though).

About Options appearing on the "options" page, we were going for a standard layout for every page in the menus so people know where to click, thus all the pages have the same buttons no matter where they go.

...Sorry for making you swear >_<

About the amnesia thing:
There's a kind of amnesia where you cannot remember only the recent events but your long term memories are in tact. I think it's called retrograde amnesia. I didn't delve too much into it, because there's an explanation in ending #7 and #8 as to why Mike is starting to forget stuff.
About the linear thing:
Yeah, don't worry about it. This game WAS designed to be simple. This was my first game so I wanted to make it straightforward but still entertaining. In the future, I'll hopefully be making more engaging choice systems :)
About your "fanfic":
You are not that far off *wiggles eyebrows*
Thanks so much. Your feedback is very detailed! I got a lot of insight from it! :)
ameliori
TwitterPatreon

User avatar
Saltome
Veteran
Posts: 244
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:07 pm
Deviantart: saltome
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#8 Post by Saltome »

ameliori wrote:For the sly ending,
Yup, that's pretty much what I meant.
It makes sense now, but because of the endings I had gotten prior to that point, at the time I was acting under the understanding that I was the one in danger. Besides, there was always the possibility that the character was originally a manipulative liar to begin with. Certainly being honest didn't quite work out for me, the first time around.
That's when I finally noticed that while all the choices were a bit... risky, some of them were intentionally called "lie" or "don't lie", and even that little white lie that makes her smile. I never really went trough the trouble of making sure, but I like to think that going for it does tip the balance in my favor.
ameliori wrote:I'd like to have you as a tester.
Alrighty. Tell me exactly what you have in mind and I'll get on it.
ameliori wrote:(I'm kind of shy since he is working for free though).
Don't worry about it, just ask him politely and you should be fine.
After all, he is the coder who did it, he knows his code best, it would be so much easier for him to do it. And it would be such a great big help for such a skilled programmer to help little ol' you again. ;)
Okay, that might be taking it a little too far... but you get the idea.
ameliori wrote:...Sorry for making you swear >_<
That's okay, truth is... I've been itching for an excuse to drop the prim and proper act. x)
I normally love using swear words to emphasize the intensity of sentences.
ameliori wrote:About your "fanfic":
That's nice to know. I'm already getting excited for the sequel. *chuckle*
Deviant Art: Image
Discord: saltome
Itch: Phoenix Start

User avatar
Misheru10
Newbie
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Dec 23, 2013 7:01 am
Deviantart: BlackMisheru
Contact:

Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural] BETA VER 1.

#9 Post by Misheru10 »

Hi there!
I just finished the game and wanted to ask you something, but for now, I'll answer your questions first :3

1. Did you enjoy the story and characters?
Yeah! I liked Sarah, she was like a usual girlfriend would react (asking questions about her cooking and stuff, even if the situation is something, you know... special... ^^").
Mike was a little bit difficult to handle, especially when they were arguing about who the real one was (at the beginning of the game). Like "Him having amnesia isn't a proof - the other one could just have the memories made up or so!" I thought all the time
2. How is the pacing of the story?
I think it was good that nearly every ending had a different time to take. I mean, the 9th ending was faster to get than the 1st one.
There were also a thing about what exactly the other Mike was. It would be great to know that someday, not needed in the game though, but still a nice thing to have.
3. Which ending did you like the most?
The 1st and the 9th one (pls don't judge me, because it is a personal thing, which happened while I played it).
The 1st, because I tried to figure out, who the real Sarah was. Sarah told Mike about a finger injury and I thought it was a lie. But shooting at right person, even if I was wrong, was still kinda funny xD
The 9th was the first ending I got. It surprised me that much, that I wanted to mentioned it here.
I thought it would be better to back off, but then I died - that was a big surprise :D
4. Did the story flow naturally to the ending?
Yes, definitly!
But I wondered how these questions could really influence the endings... I could only find the rest of the endings with trial and error.
Even if I had to try every "Attack or Answer" combo xD
5. Any general comments/critiques and improvements you'd like to see in the finished version?
Maybe an explanation what the other Mike was?
Or maybe why also "You" and the Sarah behind the door were sometimes the fake ones. Plot convenience?
So, now to my question.
I got all the endings (without walkthrough :D ) but I have only 20 CGs (it say, there are 22, but my gallery says max. 21).
I am missing the one on Page 2 in the top right corner.
Did I missed something, or is it because the game isn't really finished yet?

Thank you anyway! I liked that game and had fun playing it^^
You don't need a shooting star...

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users