Reviews - CarnivorousJellybean

It's obvious how much time and effort went into making this mod as polished and amazing as it is. This is what AMFP could have been.

That ambiance is terrifying... Especially since you removed the chase music for some of the monsters (so I can't tell if it's actually a monster or not).

As for the piano puzzle, it was doable (I am a piano teacher, so that probably helped). There was a note explaining chords that did a very good job. I might suggest including a bit that explains B is the same as H - the name of which, from what I understand, varies by country. But the way you wrote the note is the same way I'd explain chords and keys to a new student, so I see no problem with having that puzzle in there.

While I agree the levers in the sewer were a little hard to find, it became obvious very quickly that building piles/knocking the ladder down with rocks was not what you wanted us to do.

Forcing us to let Adam in to the same room as us right at the end was a brilliant move (as was having us play part of the game through his eyes).

10/10, would not play again (because I'm still shaking like a leaf).

Okay but seriously, there were some beginner mistakes (a billboard sticking through the wall in the first map) - but they're completely forgivable because, well, you were a beginner when you made this and basically all of the scripting/story/atmosphere/scares were amazing.

I played through the whole thing and, while I understand you're new to the level editor, "It's my first custom story" is not a valid excuse for the lack of detail, poor lighting, minuscule amounts of atmosphere, predictable jump scares, and pre-solved puzzles (seriously, you spoon-fed the player nearly everything except the hammer puzzle at the end).

A demo should ideally put your CS on display and go "Look at all the amazing things I've done!" Beta-testing is what should be used to point out the flaws and logic-holes in your CS (clipping textures everywhere, rails poking through walls, missing planes, overly tiled textures, inappropriately used textures, grammar and spelling errors, etc).

Overall, the story had way too many plot holes and issues for me, the mapping was below average (not the worst, but definitely not the best), and the puzzles were over-simplified. You are, however, a decent scripter. That was a nice surprise for me (usually, the furthest I see is key-door-monster scripts in first CS's). This isn't the worst custom story I've ever played, but it has a long way to improve.

That said, don't give up! A lot of people don't even release custom stories (lack of motivation, afraid of the criticism, life got in the way), so you're already ahead of the game ;)

I'll update this with a youtube link to the video review I did of your CS (once it's rendered, compressed, and uploaded). I figured a video would be the best way to convey all the feedback to you without forgetting anything or breaking immersion to make sure things weren't forgotten.

Keep doing what you're doing!

Cheers,
The Carnivorous Jellybean

This TC is absolutely amazing and I'm finding it very difficult to even find flaws!

The level design for each area was really intriguing and your use of the standard ATDD models (and all those custom models) was interesting and really enhanced the gameplay. I enjoyed having the interior of the house in (mostly) one main piece - it made the whole aspect feel much more realistic. It's a shame that the highest level of detail comes at the cost of optimization (I have a slow computer), but it was a very immersive and detailed game even without the extra bits!

I can't think of anything to criticize since the only things I can think of a stylistic choices and not genuine criticism (such as the method you used for time transitions - showing the gradual change in darkness might cause more anticipation fear respones). But I'm not complaining (much) since these are really minor things and they didn't have a huge effect on my enjoyment.

Overall, I'm definitely giving this a 10/10 - you definitely deserve it!