"The Morbid Mill" Video

Firstly, Mister Cartwrite, I am being honest; I am not an egomaniac or anything like that.
Secondly, around here, not many people have the guts to criticize, so you're going to have to trust all that you can get.
Thirdly, you don't have to insult me just because you weren't capable of handling what I had to say; I'm actually trying to help you, believe it or not.
Fourthly, I don't care if you're making a "challenge" or if you're making an environmental level; you should put some effort into designing it properly.
Fifthly, there are other recording programs on the internet (that perhaps don't distort your screen).
Sixthly, I think you're being quite hypocritical, senselessly bashing my review more than it bashed your level [just a little thing to think about].
Also, yes, I did know the video wasn't finished, but that's no excuse not to accept critique or insult me.

Honestly I mean come on now.

I honestly have to agree with Mr. Monkey and say this level looks rather bland and uninteresting. The only draw seems to be the difficulty. It really doesn't take that long to make a fun, nice looking KS level. But how much time did you have? I mean, if you had only a week or two, it would be another story.

We had maybe two months, but it might as well been a week or two, as college students we are very busy with other game projects and designs, and being an independant game designer, I have much larger game designs to work on at the moment

And the game itself is very enjoyable to play says my testers and friends, even the teachers enjoyed watching me play it, I suppose being a KS community you may have seen much better KS projects which I can understand, but this is also an unfinished video of my game -- in this case the apperance isn't nearly as impressive as the other games you may have seen here, but we also focused on the gameplay first before running out of time. The video doesn't show any custom music or backgrounds we put in or the custom cutscenes we did work rather hard on (not animated, but still quite nice to look at).

But popular opinion tells me that my team and I did a great job with just default tilesets, of course there is much room for improvement, but working with what was given to us we did rather well I'd say, though you may have to play the game to actually get a proper feel of the actual project, the video is just ment to show it in the most basic of sense.

The story, from what I'm told, is also well made and well thought out, the point I'm trying to make is that there is much more to it than just the video which was really intended to show the action and gameplay of the project which is aimed for our target auidence, gamers like me who enjoy a challenge despite how graphically impressive it is or isn't

Thank you for your respectful, humble opinion, I'll give you a download link when I have that ready and I'd like to get a full review from you if you don't mind that is

Firstly, Mister Cartwrite, I am being honest; I am not an egomaniac or anything like that.
Secondly, around here, not many people have the guts to criticize, so you're going to have to trust all that you can get.
Thirdly, you don't have to insult me just because you weren't capable of handling what I had to say; I'm actually trying to help you, believe it or not.
Fourthly, I don't care if you're making a "challenge" or if you're making an environmental level; you should put some effort into designing it properly.
Fifthly, there are other recording programs on the internet (that perhaps don't distort your screen).
Sixthly, I think you're being quite hypocritical, senselessly bashing my review more than it bashed your level [just a little thing to think about].
Also, yes, I did know the video wasn't finished, but that's no excuse not to accept critique or insult me.

Honestly I mean come on now.

Seriously Monkey, you don't know and you have no right to say the things you are spewing, work on your interpersonal skills is my opinion and I handled what you had to say perfectly -- just as you handled what I was telling you, can't push someone and expect them not to push back, I'm defending my design by disproving what you are so crudely trying to say which is said with as little basis as reviewing a game you never played

You have been unhelpful thus far, the design was great and you haven't even played the game yet to know if it is or isn't...
I accept critisicim well, but I don't tolerate this passive beat-down and disrespect

You've said your points and given your opinion, so hopefully we no longer have anything to argue about, I hope now we can both leave this alone and move on from the topic and maybe next time, if willing, you can show me more respect so I can give respect back in return

You have been unhelpful thus far, the design was great and you haven't even played the game yet to know if it is or isn't...
I accept critisicim well, but I don't tolerate this passive beat-down and disrespect

So your main argument that he was unhelpful was that your game WAS good and he DID enjoy it?

Quote from: DustinCartwright on February 19, 2010, 23:19:30

You have been unhelpful thus far, the design was great and you haven't even played the game yet to know if it is or isn't...
I accept critisicim well, but I don't tolerate this passive beat-down and disrespect

So your main argument that he was unhelpful was that your game WAS good and he DID enjoy it?

I don't understand  

The game design was good or otherwise I wouldn't have a 90% or so approval rate from my testers, or have gotten an 'A' for it at the International Academy of Design and Technology, people like it, some love it

I'm not trying to argue really, I'm just trying to say he hasn't even played the game yet so you can't say the things he's trying to say fairly
It's a game based of gameplay and so he'd have to play it to know
I'd very much not like to make a big deal out of this really, I just  dislike people who make claims and reviews like they know everything about it when they haven't even played the game yet, it's like saying a movie sucks just by watching the trailer

Dustin, just because your school thinks it's good doesn't mean it is.
And the things I've said are from watching the video (I have eyes and I've played Knytt Stories so I should be able to fairly comment on the design, right? ).

Dustin, just because your school thinks it's good doesn't mean it is.
And the things I've said are from watching the video (I have eyes and I've played Knytt Stories so I should be able to fairly comment on the design, right? ).

See, he doesn't think your game is good. People you know liking things you do isn't always an indication of its overall quality, and it's not good to attack people who give you advice.

Take it from me, I've been there. 

Dustin, just because your school thinks it's good doesn't mean it is.
And the things I've said are from watching the video (I have eyes and I've played Knytt Stories so I should be able to fairly comment on the design, right? ).

It's just the only basis I have of a 'poor design' is a guy who disrespectfully commented and reviewed a game he hasn't even played yet
I suppose if you knew the Engine, which you do, and saw the video, I suppose you could get an idea of it -- but how many movie trailers have you seen that looked bad though the movie itself was great

The school likes it, my testers like it (numbering around 20), most of the students like it, I'm not saying it's perfect or anything, there are issues with it, and not everyone enjoys the game, but I just have a problem with the disrespect given in your comment is all
Especially for a game you have yet to actually play, and I felt like I had to defend it by disproving the points presented

but you're right, graphically it isn't impressive, but what we are talking about is so opinionated that it really can't be right or wrong, I just strongly feel as if your disrespect was uncalled for

You aren't the first person to have problems with  my design, but you are the first to deliver it so crudely, and atleast the people who did have problems with it actually played the game all the way through -- and so far everything they had to say was opinionated like the music, or the graphics, they didn't like the art style, they didn't like soundtrack here, or they  thought it was too difficult for them, just opinions really, things that don't make a good or poor design neccesarily

Though some people loved the soundtrack, some people didn't mind or actually enjoyed the tilesets I used, in fact most did... they don't know of any other KS games besides my own and the other student's, but the game has strong points all its own that can't be seen in the video, it has to be played

But I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult anyone, or to cause conflict, I just felt like I had to defend my design and I got edgey from feeling disrespected and unfairly judged
The advice could have been better delivered in a way where I felt like I was being helped, and I suppose I could have more politely explained my side of it all without having to counter-disrespect, I apologize for that

I'd just like to say though that these points and issues you have addressed have been delt with in ways that are not visually shown in the video, and even though graphically it isn't nice to look at compared to other KS games, popular opinion tells me the gameplay is most enjoyable, and the soundtrack is quite fitting, the story I hear is also very interesting and progresses well throughout the game

Thank you for your advice, if I make another KS game I will keep it in mind

OK, can we stop the arguments please? On some accounts I agree with monkey, it doesn't look too beautiful, however I am not going to criticize your game design because
1) I haven't played it yet
2) It is your first level. For a first, its looks perfectly fine
3) I know perfectly well how 'two months' can become 3 hours of free time

Looking at the video, I can give a  (hopefully) constructive criticism:
1) Although You have seemed to have pulled it off quite well, try to refrain from using background tiles in layer 3 (those trees), some of the my-head-is-stuck-so-far-up-mah-butt-it-comes-out-da-top reviewers might get titchy.

And Mr Monkey, I don't think you can say much. Sorry, but THIS is worse. Even if it was a joke, it just shows how hypocritical we all can be.

OK, can we stop the arguments please? On some accounts I agree with monkey, it doesn't look too beautiful, however I am not going to criticize your game design because
1) I haven't played it yet
2) It is your first level. For a first, its looks perfectly fine
3) I know perfectly well how 'two months' can become 3 hours of free time

Looking at the video, I can give a  (hopefully) constructive criticism:
1) Although You have seemed to have pulled it off quite well, try to refrain from using background tiles in layer 3 (those trees), some of the my-head-is-stuck-so-far-up-mah-butt-it-comes-out-da-top reviewers might get titchy.

And Mr Monkey, I don't think you can say much. Sorry, but THIS is worse. Even if it was a joke, it just shows how hypocritical we all can be.

Makes sense, thank you
I was trying to make it so she was kind of "climbing" the trees, but I suppose you are right

2) It is your first level. For a first, its looks perfectly fine

Critique shouldn't be affected by that. Good is always good, and bad is always bad, regardless of how many times you have tried to do something.

And Mr Monkey, I don't think you can say much. Sorry, but THIS is worse. Even if it was a joke, it just shows how hypocritical we all can be.

That you can't sing doesn't make you tone deaf.

Anyways...
Aside from the visual stuff, which I feel has been gone over enough, the enemy placement just seems random. You use a lot of enemies that just spray bullets in random directions. Those, combined with the environment tend to make challenges more or less luck based instead of skill based. You should try to avoid that as much as possible, since its frustrating when your progress isn't determined by your own skill, but the games willingness to cooperate.

ACWL, you do realize Happy Funland is a joke, right?

ACWL, you do realize Happy Funland is a joke, right?

Course i did and its Seventh Happy Fun, silly
Wasn't very funny, I must say.
I was using it to try and point out that nothing is perfect.  
Anyways..........

ACWL, you do realize Happy Funland is a joke, right?

Quote from: AClockworkLemon on February 20, 2010, 00:04:53

2) It is your first level. For a first, its looks perfectly fine

Critique shouldn't be affected by that. Good is always good, and bad is always bad, regardless of how many times you have tried to do something.

Quote from: AClockworkLemon on February 20, 2010, 00:04:53

And Mr Monkey, I don't think you can say much. Sorry, but THIS is worse. Even if it was a joke, it just shows how hypocritical we all can be.

That you can't sing doesn't make you tone deaf.

Anyways...
Aside from the visual stuff, which I feel has been gone over enough, the enemy placement just seems random. You use a lot of enemies that just spray bullets in random directions. Those, combined with the environment tend to make challenges more or less luck based instead of skill based. You should try to avoid that as much as possible, since its frustrating when your progress isn't determined by your own skill, but the games willingness to cooperate.

It's not entirely random really, there is just multiple different patterns it could be -- some things stay constant but one or two variables move at random ; I see it as the player's ability to react quickly to a changing variable instead of memorizing the pattern which never changes

I was hoping it'd give a challenge no matter how many times someone played it
I too find it very annoying when you must wait heavily on luck or chance to make progress, but in this case, I believe, that it's more the ability to react and adapt to a pattern that isn't always constant

Not so. Any challenge with random elements can become impossible. The patterns that appear are not guaranteed to be passable.