Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy] UPDATE 4-20-18

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Qrim
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Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy] UPDATE 4-20-18

#1 Post by Qrim »

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Current Updates and more info on the game can be found on the games Blog

Update! The tutorial has been made more clear and minor bug fixes.

Hello! My name is Qrim and I'm working on a horror visual novel called "Self Confined". The download only works for windows currently.

At the moment the game is in a very early stage and needs play and bug testing. I made a mini-game that seems complete in my eyes, but that doesn't mean it's clear of bugs or is lacking improvement. Because of this, I need others to playtest it and give their opinions on what should be improved. Please keep in mind that this will be a horror game, so the demo does contain horror themes but no jumpscares as of this time. (You can relax, for now)

Please report any bugs, and share any and all ideas you may have to improve the game or writing; or if you find the experience too difficult or too easy. (Please keep in mind that the narrative voice is still a WIP and will be updated and changed later on. There may be mistakes.) Thank you.

Download Link!
Last edited by Qrim on Sun Apr 22, 2018 2:11 am, edited 7 times in total.

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#2 Post by JanstinBeebo »

Hey!

I tried to follow that download link and take a look, but I'm getting a "No route found" error. Check link? Is it me or the link?

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#3 Post by Qrim »

JanstinBeebo wrote: Tue Apr 03, 2018 6:30 pm Hey!

I tried to follow that download link and take a look, but I'm getting a "No route found" error. Check link? Is it me or the link?
Oh I'm sorry! I just changed the link and it should be working now.

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#4 Post by JanstinBeebo »

Cool! Downloading - I will give it a play when I can!

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#5 Post by Qrim »

JanstinBeebo wrote: Wed Apr 04, 2018 12:05 am Cool! Downloading - I will give it a play when I can!
Thank you! Please tell me your thoughts after you play it thoroughly.

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#6 Post by JanstinBeebo »

Okay Hmmm... Either something is wrong, something's not clear, or I am not good at this lol. I got into the opening bedroom scene. I see there is a shadow that moves around based on where I point my cursor (I think?) I can't find anything to click on that progresses me. I seem to be stuck. Help?

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#7 Post by Qrim »

JanstinBeebo wrote: Wed Apr 04, 2018 2:31 pm Okay Hmmm... Either something is wrong, something's not clear, or I am not good at this lol. I got into the opening bedroom scene. I see there is a shadow that moves around based on where I point my cursor (I think?) I can't find anything to click on that progresses me. I seem to be stuck. Help?
I'm sorry the tutorial isn't clear, I tried to add hints on how to play in the text and mini game before you officially start the night. Perhaps re reading the text or going through the tutorial again should help you understand.

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#8 Post by JanstinBeebo »

Alright I got it now, I played on "normal" the first time. Some instruction or hint is definitely necessary to get the player going here - I had absolutely no idea what was going on when it threw me right into it. On "easy", though, the dialogue gave me a hint at what I needed to do. I think you've definitely got something here. With the right context and atmosphere that you'd get from a finished game, I can see this being an effective and interesting mechanic. One of the times where the shadow appeared right in front of you after opening your eyes actually startled me a tiny bit... I can only imagine what you could've done there with jumpscare sound :) Or maybe just some eerie sound effect to unsettle the player and enhance the experience? Either way, you're on to something here.

You said that you are going to go back and look over the narrator dialogue and whatnot so I won't bother commenting on that. As far as bugs go... if something didn't play out the way it was meant to, then I didn't notice. I seemed to be able to get through all three modes without a problem.

The one suggestion I can think of is maybe add some element of timing/skill besides just closing your eyes long enough for the shadow to appear somewhere notable? I feel like you could tie this up with a bow and create slightly more coherent game play. As is, though, it works well as a creepy scene and the unique interactivity adds to the fun.

I'm excited to see the finished product!

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#9 Post by Qrim »

JanstinBeebo wrote: Wed Apr 04, 2018 4:44 pm Alright I got it now, I played on "normal" the first time. Some instruction or hint is definitely necessary to get the player going here - I had absolutely no idea what was going on when it threw me right into it. On "easy", though, the dialogue gave me a hint at what I needed to do. I think you've definitely got something here. With the right context and atmosphere that you'd get from a finished game, I can see this being an effective and interesting mechanic. One of the times where the shadow appeared right in front of you after opening your eyes actually startled me a tiny bit... I can only imagine what you could've done there with jumpscare sound :) Or maybe just some eerie sound effect to unsettle the player and enhance the experience? Either way, you're on to something here.

You said that you are going to go back and look over the narrator dialogue and whatnot so I won't bother commenting on that. As far as bugs go... if something didn't play out the way it was meant to, then I didn't notice. I seemed to be able to get through all three modes without a problem.

The one suggestion I can think of is maybe add some element of timing/skill besides just closing your eyes long enough for the shadow to appear somewhere notable? I feel like you could tie this up with a bow and create slightly more coherent game play. As is, though, it works well as a creepy scene and the unique interactivity adds to the fun.

I'm excited to see the finished product!
Thank you for your feedback! It helps me greatly in knowing what to improve. One thing I wanted to ask about was your idea, could you clarify for me on what you mean by skill and timer?

Also, if you had to say what I could improve on the dialogue part that would also be okay. Any feedback is much appreciated.

I believe jumpscares is sort of a cheap way to get a scare, perhaps a way around it by building tension will help grow that fear when waiting for the shadow? What would be your opinion on that instead?

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#10 Post by JanstinBeebo »

I agree jumpscares can be cheap, but sometimes if you do them well they work. In the case of your mini game here, I don't think a loud sound would work as well as maybe just a chilling sound, or a piano hit. Something to add to the surprise a bit, ya know?

As far as skill and timing... When I was playing, it just felt like the only thing I did was close my eyes for a long enough time to make the shadow appear in front of me. I didn't feel like I was trying to achieve anything specific, and I did not figure out any way to know how long I had to close my eyes for... but maybe that's the whole point? I don't know if you were going for that sort of uncertainty.

The dialogue - I would have worded some of the sentences differently or added/altered punctuation. The thing about that, though, is that I believe there are no rules when it comes to creative writing. I condone writing strictly to get your intended tone across, like poetry. If you like the way it is, that's all that matters!

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#11 Post by Qrim »

Ahh, I see! Perhaps a bit more added to the reveal of the shadow will do. Like shaking the screen or adding more sound effect like you suggested.

As for the timer skill, I see your point! So you think more of a goal or point to doing it would make it more meaningful. Well, it does benefit the player later on versus the other route you can take which is just staying awake all night. That is also an option but I don't think I made that clear in the tutorial.

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#12 Post by JanstinBeebo »

Yeah, it's hard though! You could very well set the tone of the game through other means and help the player understand what the most likely thing to do is based on prior experience. It's tough to critique because I'm just taking this scene out of context and have nothing else to relate it to. I think adding some other element of skill or timing could help, but you can definitely achieve an eerie atmosphere when it's not 100% clear what to do in order to have the shadow appear and progress the game. Ya know? Overall, I think you've made something unique and I'm excited to see how it fits into the full game :)

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Re: Self Confined Demo Testing! [Horror][Mystery][Fantasy]

#13 Post by Qrim »

Thank you! Everything you've said has helped me. I'll implement a few more things for the minigame, and after I'm done twerking I'll post an update and see if that fixes all the problems people have pointed out. I'll reply an update once it's here.

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