My Feedback
Great game! I was very skeptical coming in, afterall, its been years since a worthwhile adventure game has been released in the LucasArt's style I loved.
I am surprised and very happy that you guys got it right! It really does live up! Congrats!
I do have some suggestions/feedback for future episodes that I hope are at least taken into consideration. I think one of the benefits you guys have with episodic gaming is the ability to hear feedback and make changes in future episodes, ie, an evolving and improving experience that should make every episode better than the last. I hope that these suggestions can make a great thing even better:
- another thread also mentioned this: larger environments in a single episode. I know future episodes will travel to all kinds of new places, but I hope to see perhaps 2-3 times as many areas in a single given episode, with more objects to pick up and use. Basically, with such a small area and only a few objects, the game just feels very small and relatively easy and simple.
I think having episodic gaming brings this new dynamic into things, and this wouldn't have been an issue in a full-release game. It becomes a tough balance on what is too much, what is too little, etc. But I think that this needn't be a problem...
I think giving more locals - even places that play no part in puzzle solving - with a bit more complex puzzles, and things that take more steps to accomplish, would be good. Because right now, the game was very enjoyable, but there wasn't a single puzzle I had to scratch my head on. It was fun, but just too easy, and I think the game doesn't need to add ridiculously illogical and difficult puzzles to make it more difficult - no, please no! - I think it just needs some more complexity in the puzzles and in the number of locals, and more variety in a single given episode so things don't seem so clear. When there are only a few things to possibly do, it often isn't too hard to solve a puzzle.
Also, on the same note, it would be cool to keep every local visitiable in future episodes, and even tie them in. So by episode 4, when you get in the car, you have this world map and you can click where you want to go, and lets say you need to go to point C or something... well, that wouldn't be your only option. You can choose any place you've been from episode 1 all the way to the current, and so it doesn't seem so obvious as to where to go next. And some puzzles could bring you back to Sybil, but it wouldn't be obvious, you'd really have to think that through, since you have so many places you could end up.
Basically, it would be fun to see each new episodes include more areas than this single episode all areas from the previous episodes...
- I loved Max's comments, but when it keeps zooming in every time he makes a comment after Sam says something, it slows down the pace. Keep the comments for sure - they are GREAT, but maybe it doesn't need to zoom in everytime, maybe you can still be clicking and walking around and Max can just say it, without the game making it a mini-cutscene, if that makes sense. On key jokes or something, a zoom in could be part of it.
Hmm... actually it's just those two things that I can think of. But really, I'm very happy with the game and so thankful that S&M are back!! I hope these suggestions can at least spark disucssion or thoughts among the dev team on things to do that can help make the game even better.
Thanks again!
I am surprised and very happy that you guys got it right! It really does live up! Congrats!
I do have some suggestions/feedback for future episodes that I hope are at least taken into consideration. I think one of the benefits you guys have with episodic gaming is the ability to hear feedback and make changes in future episodes, ie, an evolving and improving experience that should make every episode better than the last. I hope that these suggestions can make a great thing even better:
- another thread also mentioned this: larger environments in a single episode. I know future episodes will travel to all kinds of new places, but I hope to see perhaps 2-3 times as many areas in a single given episode, with more objects to pick up and use. Basically, with such a small area and only a few objects, the game just feels very small and relatively easy and simple.
I think having episodic gaming brings this new dynamic into things, and this wouldn't have been an issue in a full-release game. It becomes a tough balance on what is too much, what is too little, etc. But I think that this needn't be a problem...
I think giving more locals - even places that play no part in puzzle solving - with a bit more complex puzzles, and things that take more steps to accomplish, would be good. Because right now, the game was very enjoyable, but there wasn't a single puzzle I had to scratch my head on. It was fun, but just too easy, and I think the game doesn't need to add ridiculously illogical and difficult puzzles to make it more difficult - no, please no! - I think it just needs some more complexity in the puzzles and in the number of locals, and more variety in a single given episode so things don't seem so clear. When there are only a few things to possibly do, it often isn't too hard to solve a puzzle.
Also, on the same note, it would be cool to keep every local visitiable in future episodes, and even tie them in. So by episode 4, when you get in the car, you have this world map and you can click where you want to go, and lets say you need to go to point C or something... well, that wouldn't be your only option. You can choose any place you've been from episode 1 all the way to the current, and so it doesn't seem so obvious as to where to go next. And some puzzles could bring you back to Sybil, but it wouldn't be obvious, you'd really have to think that through, since you have so many places you could end up.
Basically, it would be fun to see each new episodes include more areas than this single episode all areas from the previous episodes...
- I loved Max's comments, but when it keeps zooming in every time he makes a comment after Sam says something, it slows down the pace. Keep the comments for sure - they are GREAT, but maybe it doesn't need to zoom in everytime, maybe you can still be clicking and walking around and Max can just say it, without the game making it a mini-cutscene, if that makes sense. On key jokes or something, a zoom in could be part of it.
Hmm... actually it's just those two things that I can think of. But really, I'm very happy with the game and so thankful that S&M are back!! I hope these suggestions can at least spark disucssion or thoughts among the dev team on things to do that can help make the game even better.
Thanks again!
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Comments
This is something I noticed in the Bone games as well - I'm glad you brought it up! Zooming in on the person saying a line sometimes felt really unnecessary in the Bone games and it actually took a bit away from the atmosphere. It seemed a bit too hectic at times with the camera moving between characters and the scene so much.
I'll try to remember getting back on this once I get my hands on SME1 myself.