Sample Released! More to come! Details and instructions inside!
The wait is over...
...for the sample that is.
"So is it going to play like my 12 year old nephew made it?" First thing, ouch...Second thing is even though I say this is a sample, doesn't mean it's like your average free sample at the mall.
"So then what is it?" This is a demo for the whole demo. Only a very small part of the whole thing will be represented here. A few ideas that give you the gist of what kind of ideas I want to share.
"Great. An incomplete game with incomplete game play." Incomplete you say? Aren't most demos incomplete though? If this was a less than a minute download and less than lunch break long demo, would it be a small enough risk to take a glance at it in-between games?
"It's that small? So it's basically nothing." It's going to give you the tools and point the way. It will ONLY give you that much. But it WILL NOT hold your hand.
I promised that this wouldn't be a Puzzle Game. But that didn't mean I said it would be easy.
So...you in? Click on the HAL.zip file to begin!
Unzip the file and go into your "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life 2\[insert original or episode here]\maps" folder or equivalent.
Don't know what I'm talking about? Don't worry the zip file comes with step-by-step instructions to help you play the sample!
Do you hate my sample? Let me know in the comments or message me in my profile! How often do developers give you that chance!
Do you like my sample? Let me know in the comments or message me in my profile! Share how it changed your life! what you liked or what I could improve on!
Go now, it's quick! Click on the HAL.zip file to start!
Couldn't find anything in the zip file about installation, did what your other text said and put it in the maps folder of HL2...(after taking the bsp out of the folder and just installing that instead of the whole thing)...absolute rubbish to play though..died twice then deleted it, not worth the download.
Hey! Thank you so much for your feedback! If it's alright with you, can I ask what the worst thing about it was?
Just played this too.
I'd say the first puzzle room is too small. I don't know how hardcore you want this mod to be, but if you increased both height and width, it would be easier to maneuver. Then you could also make the obstacles move faster because you don't have to worry about precise jumping to not take too much damage. I just think they feel a little bit too slow and cumbersome right now.
Second part of the puzzle I have more problems with. I didn't notice the platform which makes the elevator inaccessible moving the first time so I just noclipped. Maybe make the ladder longer and only close it off once the player tries to climb it, so it sends a clear message.
You can totally break the waterblocks. That's just annoying when you're trying to solve a timed puzzle, not difficult. Fix that. Also maybe move the opening to drop down into the room where you're supposed to put the blocks, so that the player can see that they're supposed to do something there. Or make it more visible.
But all around not bad, I think this could be interesting.
First, I want to thank you for trying out HAL. Not only that, but also for putting in the time to give invaluable feedback.
To be real with everyone, I spent hours thinking and rethinking about all of those details and game play decisions that you have described. Trying to anticipate what others would do and feel in any situation. This is not me trying to guilt anyone. Absolutely not.
I only say this because when making something, you try to balance the tone you want to set, the limitations of the engine, and the playability of what you have. And it's feedback from others that really cuts through all of that to give you clarity.
As I said, this isn't even the demo. It's a demo for the demo. There is a lot that I'm not showing.
Hey, (made an account to comment on this lol, can new user's comments even be seen??). Anyway, I was very intrigued by your design for these puzzles. I do believe my main problem is the speed of the first part of the puzzle, they move so slow it gets quite boring and frankly I don't believe there is enough space and it makes movement very frustrating for the player, even causing me to want to close the mod at one point. I think you need to make the objective of the puzzle more obvious to the player, I completed the first puzzle around 4 times before realising how I was actually completing it.
Also, I think the water block puzzle is a bit too boring, No skill or intuition required to complete it, maybe we could put something more complex in it's place?
I really did think the puzzles in this were... 'interesting' and I can't wait to see where it goes. If you have a discord or something we can be in to follow development more closely, that would be great!
- Djporks
Hi! Yes your new comments can be seen by everyone. And thank you for commenting!
Ive actually been working another demo that adresses everything all of your advice. I dont want to announce it until Im sure Ive got an improved game for everyone. Not only that but give something different and expand on whats come before. And its coming very very soon!
Again thank you so much for the input!