Overall I like the gameplay and it was fun to play, great job :)
I had just one issue in the settings menu, I used to see some arrow or button to return to the main menu, and it took me a few seconds to try the ESC button to go back to the main menu.
Not sure if you should add hints but probably some people will want hints ( I saw in many other games that you have this option) when they were trying to solve the problem for 20 minutes (the last lever took me that much haha)Thank you for the reply.
I thought that if I rotate the boxes (or at least try to), it alone will affect the rates of foreshortening, and that was my mistake.
I didn't realize that the fact, that when I am choosing about the same distance for my vanishing point makes it looks the same.
my immediate first instinct was to reassign the right mouse button to be the polarity toggle. unfortunately this clashes with the aim mode toggle, which can't be unassigned from the right mouse button
the jump feels a bit too short for me personally. in the fourth level in particular it can be a bit tricky to jump from the moving platform to the platform where the magnet spawns if you don't have enough momentum, and it is a bit clunky to climb up the ladder on the right side of that level. (i recognize that you don't actually have to climb that ladder to finish the puzzle, but i still climbed up several times before i found the correct solution)
i like the puzzle designs themselves. every level took me a few attempts to solve, but none of them were impossible. although it does feel a bit too easy to get softlocked.
I wrote out my thoughts as you play! To start out, really fun and fantastic job!
Here's what my notes were:
A little too slippery: maybe stop more on edges --- Future Nia comment: I didn't mind controls at all later on, so probably not a big issue.
Restart symbol not clear on first playthrough --- Future Nia comment: Maybe just have a blue bar that fills it up ala Smash? Not a huge issue though.
Maybe auto repick up magnet when run into it? I don't think it would change any puzzles, and it would make the magnet feel a lot more related to you.
Magnet only walls are good idea, but maybe make them look different, like transparent, so it makes more in-game sense why the magnet can go through
You're pulled closer to opposite sign doors, but you aren't pushed away by same sign doors? A little strange
Angled buttons are a neat idea, but you just also be able to jump on them rather than fall off
Puzzle with falling magnet was a good aha moment because it required experimentation: I said "aha" out loud". I discovered something important by accident, which is always nice!
It registers mouse clicks when you're in a different window, leading to character throwing as soon as you reopen
I HAD TWO AHA MOMENTS in same level! It seemed impossible, and then it hit me!
It's fun to repeatedly rhythmically press F and swing magnet back and forth through the doors: maybe make that a thing you do? :p --- Future Nia Comment: Yes you do!!
Spawn out of door of previous level? also kind of fun to run through to new door as a victory lap though
Now I'm pulled to door of different sign? This didn't happen earlier
I'm saying "ohhhh" a lot and that's good :D
Kind of weird that the magnet has only one pole---it's a game about magnets, but the magnet does something physically impossible, ha ha. It's a magical magnet!
I'm thinking! :DD
Sometimes a bit boring, but I think music will INSTANTLY solve that problem :D
I said yeah!
I'm talking out loud! :OOO
"ohhhh it's solved" the solution I thought it would be wasn't it, ha ha. But the correct solution was very enlightening that I stumbled into. Blocks (well, doors in this case) can block other blocks!
I said "clever!" :DD
I really do think run auto pick magnet will make the game control so fluidly.
Maybe make it so you can throw magnet while moving? Would be a bit less choppy.
Hope this was helpful! Thank you for releasing this demo! :D
Controls feel nice, but the fact that robot does not stop for a second when the aim button is pressed is annoying - when you are trying to throw the magnet standing at the edge of a cliff and start aiming, you move instead (while holding the aim key) so you roll off the cliff yourself D: (xOne controler)
Additionally, an option to spawn at the last completed stage's entrance would save the robot a lot of unnecessary mileage (or make him go faster in the level selection).
Lastly, would be cool to have the actual name of the level displayed, so it would be "reporting a bug on level 4" not "reporting a bug on that big moving magnet level" ;D
I would suggest that instead of going straight when you clear a level the player can choose to either go to the hub or continue to the next level as having to move through the hub for each new level can get quite repetitive. Maybe when you go return to the hub instead of spawning at the start, you spawn beneath the level you came from.
I really enjoyed this demo, and can't wait for the full game.
Couple of things. Since I needed to end the "tutorial" level by throwing the magnet to open the gate, I was a bit surprised when the first real level just finished when I got the key. I had been primed to believe you finish a level by throwing the magnet into a tube to open a gate, so that was a bit jarring.
And secondly, I know it's only a demo so I don't know why I expected it, but I assumed unlocking the final gate was going to lead to a mega super hard puzzle, so it was a bit disappointing when it just said "Thanks for playing".
Ok suggested improvements out the way. I did really enjoy it. The puzzles were a nice level of difficulty, the magnet was definitely a core game play mechanic, and it left me wanting lots, LOTS more puzzles. Feels like something you could play for hours, or jump into from time to time to complete a few puzzles.
This was really fun to play! Though I'm still very new to game design, I'll try my best to give some helpful feedback without looking at the other comments beforehand. (I'll also take caution to try avoid spoiling the experience for those who haven't played it yet and are reading the comments)
The good things first: The game felt super punchy, switching the magnet and having it snap to nearby objects felt really good, and almost every level had an 'ah-ha!' moment where all the puzzel pieces came together. Additionally, while I didn't play the original demo, I didn't encounter many of the other issues others complained of, the magnet remained central and I was consistently thinking of where it was and how it could help me influence the play area to my advantage.
Some criticisms: A bit nitpicky, but I noted that while it was helpful you had to hold the reset button to activate it (to avoid accidentally tripping it), it did take me a second to understand how it worked. I think it's because the reset icon didn't have a very noticable animation. If the icon 'filled up' as you held it down the way it works might feel a bit more obvious. I also feel like the way the magnet travels through platforms is a little inconsistent. I only noticed this in the first level, where I cannot throw it through the platform, but I can in later levels. Possibly some distinction between platforms that let the magnet through, and those that can't, could be handy in cluing in the player.
Overall though, despite my minor complaints, I really think this game so far is really good! It feels unique and fun to play, and the puzzels are satisfying to complete. I'm excited to see what comes next! (No pressure of course!) Good luck!
Please consider adding a Linux build. it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
In the same way that you have rough placeholder art in the menus, it would be great to have some rough placeholder sound effects, e.g. from BFXR. I think this would add a lot to the game.
I 'cheesed' a couple of the levels and then felt confident it wasn't the intended solution so I went back and re-did them. The final level in particular had me stuck for quite a while. I'd love to add spoiler-text here, but itch.io doesn't support it yet so instead I've encoded it in rot13, it can be easily decoded via copy-and-paste over at rot13.com ... Gur svefg guerr yriryf ner dhvgr rnfl naq gurl grnpu gur cynlre nobhg fraqvat gur zntarg guebhtu n fjvat-qbbe juvyr gur cynlre fgnlf oruvaq. Gur arkg gjb yriryf ner n ovg uneqre naq gur cynlre jvyy yvxryl fcraq zber gvzr ba gurfr, ohg gurl qb abg erdhver gur zrpunavp gnhtug rneyvre. Gur svany yriry vf uneqrfg bs nyy naq vg erdhverf gung rneyl zrpunavp ohg ol guvf cbvag vg vf ab ybatre serfu va gur cynlre'f urnq. V guvax vs gur svany yriry jnf cynlrq vzzrqvngryl nsgre gur svefg guerr vg jbhyq or rnfvre. Fb creuncf zber sberfunqbjvat bs gur erdhverq zrpunavp jbhyq uryc. Nyfb, nf na rneyl-tnzr chmmyr, creuncf zbir gur fjvat-qbbe bar havg gb gur yrsg gb znxr gur oneevre n yvggyr zber boivbhf gb ortvaaref.
> it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
It was pretty straightforward for me, I just opened it with Wine and it ran pretty well. The only bad thing is that it would freeze completely and need a restart whenever I changed to another window. But yeah, a native Linux build would be very much appreciated :3
The freeze is caused by a Wine bug that affects all Unity games.
There is a patch for that since Wine Staging 7.8 applied automatically, so switch to Staging if you can (I think that forks like TKG or GE also include the patch).
Moving through the hub after each level gets longer and longer. I suggest having the player come out of the door/pipe of the level they were just in after each level.
OK, after reading plenty of comments, it's time for my rant...
Dear Future Mark,
I really enjoyed this version. I liked how the small jump was just enough to get over platforms so you could just spam jump and boom, you're at the top.
Here is the biggest suggestion:
The end of a Level is a door that only opens if you hold Iman (Magnet in Spanish), and there is no way of soft-locking yourself. (if the puzzle is done wrong, more steps are required to get back) BUT there are batteries or keys scattered around a Level which can lead to soft-locks if the puzzle is done wrong. This allows bonus Levels, re-playability and more challenges.
The hub world was an interesting choice for Level select, and because it is a hub world, you could possibly have more fast pasted, platforming-esck routes to each Level (or just to bonus Levels). That would make it more interactive and enjoyable.
Constructive criticism:
Level/Door 1, the platform that keeps you from jumping across to get the key:A laser would be more consistent rather than a sideways platform, that way you can keep the puzzle while introducing lasers that will deactivate your robot friend but Magneto can pass by, like in your first version.
Level 6 could show the solution more if the box was taller and the press was longer, that would prevent any cheese. Before:
After
In case you missed it, voidfluid created a song for the game if you have any interest in that: a quick sketch.
Overall good demo. The movement of the robot felt smooth. the puzzles were fun and some of the later ones did make me have that "ah-ha" moment, but I did accidentally slove some of the earlier ones by just testing out what the elements did. I did get stuck on the last level, however, I'm not good at puzzle games so if the levels individually are optional then having puzzles above my level, or ones I can return to later for "keys" is probably a good thing.
Here is some specific feedback, I noted in which level I found them but most are applicable to more than just the level I first noticed
level - Lift up:
Jumping platforms are awkward. There is no way to jump down them. Having to jump up 4 times for something that feels like a sort of distance feels cumbersome
When you jump on one there is the initial "puff" from jumping then an additional jumping puff when you pass the platform, then finally a puff from landing on the platform, this makes it look like the robot is making an additional jump when it passes the platform but that's not the case.
The magnet force deleter looks unintuitive in what it does. Perhaps something which kills the magnet's magnetic power before it vanishes. Additionally, if you had to manually push a button to get the magnet back, it could form a bond with the magnet like the companion cubes in the portal
level- weights and pull me:
In the L-shaped one way, if you change direction immediately after going through it, it won't let you through and you have to back up and walk through it again for it to work
level - blocked by the block:
The magnet slides immediately really quickly down the slope. looks off with the robot's very slow glide down. There also needs to be a ramp-up in speed feels off when it goes at 100% speed the second it hits the slope
I don't like the look or feel of the switch button
Having the switch polarity button be F, means it feels awkward if you have to quickly go right after switching polarity
The impact when you hit something with the magnet feels good
Hub:
the pipes you throw the magnets into then something happens feels really satisfying, although the pipes do look out of place
Menu:
"enter" should be the confirmation button instead of "space"
Resolution options, windowed mode is a bit useless without it (I prefer playing games in windowed mode)
Tutorial said E was to aim/throw, but didn't mention LMB too. Using LMB to throw felt more natural than using E to me.
There's a cheese in the last level where you can stand on top of the L shaped gateway as it's moving to get up to the platform.
Platforming controls feel pretty nice, though jumping gets a bit janky when you're on top of a magnetic platform in the air.
The level ending when collecting the key was nice, didn't have to worry about going back.
Not being able to fall through one-way platforms by pressing down felt a bit weird, but that might be intentional. Same with not being able to move while aiming.
Being able to replay puzzles is cool, but you can't complete them since the key is gone. You could try something like a transparent key that you can still collect and end the level, but it won't count towards the key count.
Maybe add an option to reverse aim direction, similar to how aiming works in Angry Birds.
In level 4, you can throw the magnet through the incinerator if you stand and aim in a specific position.
In level 5, it's possible to launch yourself on top of the big magnet by letting go as you're being pulled towards it (it's very difficult though)
I just played through the game and thought it was really fun. I've been watching your youtube series for a few months, and that has been one source of inspiration for me. Now seeing how this sort of game can be created from Unity and actually playing it makes me even more inspired. I eventually am interested in making my own game, but for now have just been watching tutorials and trying to copy them so that I can understand better how both Unity and C# work, and maybe eventually create something on my own. Since I am so new to these things, I'm not sure how feasible any of the following comments would be to implement, but as a person who enjoys playing games, I do have some thoughts.
When I minimized the game and then opened it again, sometimes the character would get stuck for a few seconds if it was holding the magnet, or not be able to pick up the magnet for a few seconds if it wasn't holding the magnet. I was playing on a computer. I think these might have something to do with the game treating clicks on the minimizing button and the rest of the space in that top part of the game like any other click to aim or throw the magnet.
Also, in the tutorial level you have at the start, there is a white door with arrows on it that the character runs into, to have it flip and allow the character to pass. I found that if I ran the character into the door just enough to get the door to open but then stopped, then I couldn't go back through it without moving away from the door on the other side and coming back towards it.
One thought I had during my playthrough was that it would be nice to be able to cancel my aiming of the magnet. I hadn't seen that there was an option for this in the settings. Maybe making this more known to the player in some way, perhaps at the start of the game like the other actions the player can take, could be helpful.
I really liked the last puzzle, because I struggled with it for a bit before I realized that I could throw the magnet down the hole with the ramp and flip the door there to have the side of it extending out, blocking the block from going up. That allowed me to jump on it, and then go through the space under the other barrier that was held up because the other block wasn't on the ground. I had to think differently about the problem to solve it, and I enjoyed that. I've been reading through some of the other comments here and it seems like other people solved it differently. I think it's cool that a puzzle can have multiple solutions. I went back after I played and took a screenshot of the solution I found.
Overall, I thought this was a very good game. The things I commented on are pretty minor, all things considered, and it felt like a solid game that I genuinely enjoyed playing. I liked how the character felt, and I liked how the magnetic doors, like the one in the image above, would drain and fill with color after the magnet moved them.
Also, a minor thing that might just be based on my own experience with games in the past, is that I expected the aiming mechanic to go in the opposite direction of where my mouse was dragging away from the character. I got used to the controls though, and I don't think there's anything wrong with how it is.
A lot of the puzzles felt fun, most of them giving me a nice feeling of satisfaction when I completed them. However, I do feel like the ordering of the levels can be changed a little, as the first 2 levels felt a little too challenging to be the first levels of the game, as well as level 3 being essentially a tutorial level. The game may also benefit from offering hints if it helps the player.
I would like to see the ending of each level change a little, maybe instead of just collecting a key, returning back to the entrance or exit to make the level feel a little more satisfying. And maybe its just personal preference, but I did feel a small urge for the character to be a little more floaty, or to jump a little higher. Can't wait to see where this game goes!
Great experience. Had fun all the way. It was, however, too easy to softlock myself, including when first picking up the magnet, where you could throw it at the non-magnetic doors, and they would separate you.
Movement felt fine. If this was a game I created for myself, I would be satisfied. But I would find it weird if I encountered this movement in a bought product. It feels like it cannot decide if it should feel floaty or chonky. I would increase the deceleration, make the character stop waay sooner. Increase the speed of everything in the air, to obscene, Jupiter-gravity levels, maybe add some chonky screen shake. That's what I would do. You could take it the other way, if it feels more appropriate.
I never got the 'aha' moment, all the way to the last puzzle. They all solved themselves sooner or later, not really getting me stumped. The moment I touched everything in the level and seen what it does, I could intuit the general solution. The last puzzle took me some time, in part because the door protruded so little into the space of the metal block I didn't realize that was intended (or that it was something that happened at all), so it took me a while to try and abuse that. Felt like I was cheated, if just a little. I would also like to see more uses of the magnet. I feel like all I had to do in order to solve the puzzles was place the magnet somewhere, then press F once, later. Make the magnet more involved. That is really shallow advice, but that's what needs to happen for your vision of the game (if i understood it correctly).
Now, this may sound like a lot of bad rep, but it really isn't. There is so much right with the demo, this is everything I really can complain about. The art - chefs kiss. Your iterative workflow - ingenious. After seeing all these comments 'dissing' your game, make sure to keep track of everything you did right. Keep up the good work!
Hey there! Great Demo! This might be a bit of a rant, so my bad :)
I didn't really get the Eureka effect (the "Aha" moment) from most levels. For most of them, I felt like I was consistently making steady progress throughout the level. I'd enter the level, see where the key was, realize it wasn't immediately accessible, see some button or switch that was, go there and press it, see what would happen, see what I could now interact with / reach, rinse and repeat...
To be a bit more technical, the puzzles in the demo are well-structured problems (which is not something you want), meaning that (even if you don't know the answer from the get-go) you are able to consistently make steady progress until you find the solution.
What you want your puzzles to be are ill-structured problems (or insight problems); problems where no progress appears to be made after some initial exploration, only to then be immediately solved by a really good insight.
Below is a good way to determine whether you have a well-structured problem or an insight problem (according to cognitive science literature, most of which I'm pulling from Janet Metcalfe's research).
Insight problems require subjects (the one's trying to solve the problem) to have a switch in representation (to see the problem in a different way than they saw it at the begging). This switch in representation is itself the "insight" that leads the subject to solve the problem. Your level that did this the best was the last one, where you first see the magnetic switch as just a barrier you need the magnet for to pass, but then realize you can use that switch to hold and then release a block for you to be able to quickly squeeze by. This change in representation (the magnetic switch going from barrier to tool / changing the player's attention from the magnetic properties of the switch to its physical properties, i.e. the fact it can hold up a block) is what constitutes the insight.
One detail, however, that I'd like to point out about the last level is that, even though it was a good insight problem, the end wasn't very satisfying due to the platforming required to finish the level. Platforming feels great when you are in control of a responsive and agile character and, even though the character controller is a lot better than last time, it is still not to the level of a great platformer. The end of the level is (I assume) supposed to feel like a quick dash to the finish line as you narrowly escape being crushed. Instead, it felt finicky and it was a bit annoying to have to attempt it twice to get it.
That being said, I think this is a fantastic demo and I cannot wait to play the resulting game!
ohhh, that's how you're supposed to do it? I thought I needed to throw the magnet down to stop the block from falling onto the button (which eventually worked by the way)
whaaat? Thank you for pointing that out! I almost wish the way I did it wasn't possible so that I was forced to find this. But at this point idk, there's also value in having multiple solutions.
Can you compile the game for linux. It would be great if more people game games for linux so the linux gaming community so more games will be made and the community would grow.
I know it will not be easy to do that but would be great if you could. The bug fixing needed should not be alot because unity handles compiling for linux to too.
Character feels pretty good to play. Could use either a higher base walk speed, or a sprint option (this does not need to affect the jump height or distance).
I don’t like being unable to move while aiming the throw, especially when you can’t cancel the throw. Either be able to move while aiming the throw (to adjust for incorrect positioning), or cancel the throw when moving so you aren’t forced to throw when it’s wrong.
The levels need to be numbered. When I got stuck on a puzzle, I went back to the hub and didn’t know which pipe it was and ended up accidentally going back there. Numbering the pipes and background or side walls of the levels would solve this problem (as well as making it easier to give feedback relevant to specific levels)
Resetting the level due to failing doesn’t feel good, especially when I was so close to solving it and then had to redo all the steps AGAIN just to adjust my last action. I don’t think an “undo” or time rewind feature would be thematically relevant, but something along those lines might reduce that “do all of it again” frustration
My instinct was to right mouse click to swap the colour, as the only other action was to throw it and that can be done with left click. Right click swap would also mean it can be done at the same time as running to the right.
The font for the key tally doesn’t match the font for the controls on the top left.
TUTORIAL:
More is needed
Explain all potential controls - eg. Use either E or Left mouse click to throw. Use the mouse to aim the throw (I used the default throw and E for the first half of my playthrough, didn’t know the mous ewas relevant)
Switches can be flicked back and forth
Set up the rules of the tube platforms: Character can go through one way, magnet can go through both ways
Maybe the “No Magnet” zones, though it was only relevant in one level. If the icon is changed from a smiley face to a magnet with a crossed circle over it, it will be self explanatory and not needed in the tutorial at all.
It's a switch, it doesn't need a tutorial, they have two states: On, and Off. Almost every time a switch appears, you can experiment by turning it on and off.
I had a lot of fun with this! Appreciated the option to change colors around, that was neat. Reading the comments a lot of people talk about being able to aim while moving, which I also think would be great.
Something I noticed in that area is that if you grab the magnet midair after jumping it really kills your momentum. Seems like the magnet has a lot of weight to it though, so maybe intentional. It didn't bother me, just noting.
I also have seen a lot of people mention that grabbing a key into level fade out seems awkward. I just happened to replay the tutorial, and in that you grab the key and then leave the level yourself. Maybe that contributes to it feeling wrong later on?
All of the puzzles felt really nice and smooth to go through, except for the last one. I managed to solve it like I did in the image below, which I think is super cool but at the time it was a little frustrating. I can't really offer anything to say in terms of 'improving' the puzzle since I'm not much of a puzzle person, and in the end it was actually very satisfying.
Satisfying enough for me to excitedly take a screenshot of it before even making the jump to finish the level. ^^
I was going to leave this comment without mentioning the art, because I had no issues with it. But, I think it's worth saying that it felt perfectly natural. Everything fit in, looked just right and the only time I looked twice at art was the nice character animations.
Only other things for me to mention would be controls. First instinct was that I should be able to pick up the magnet with left click and throw with right click. I got over it and was used to the controls by the end, but maybe having the option to separate Carry / Enter aim mode into two different inputs is worth considering? Or just transferring over Carry / Cancel aim from the gamepad controls? Being able to jump with Up Arrow as well would be nice considering the other arrow keys can be used to move.
Ended up trailing on and on with this, just want to re-iterate that I had a good time with the demo! Thanks for making it.
My only major feedback is that my instincts are all wrong for the throwing mechanic. I kept wanting to hit the left mouse button to throw instead of releasing the throw button. I do like how you can just drop the magnet though with a single button. Opening the doors by throwing the magnet up into the pipes struck me as a bit of an odd choice as well. Using the interact button would have been more intuitive I'd think. Overall though it was a nice clean demo and I didn't have any major issues with the gameplay. Well done
It seems many of the comments have covered most of the problems I had. Mainly, the hub world feeling clunky and too linear; the key ending the level feeling unsatisfying and jarring; and the softlocks feeling frustrating.
However, there was one major flaw that I cannot forgive, and will not rest until it is resolved. In order to get to certain higher platforms, there will be several platforms stacked above each other, creating what I call a Platform Burger. Platform Burgers are my worst enemy. The act of repeatedly pressing the jump button and waiting for my character to go up and down, up and down really gets on my nerves for whatever reason. A ladder would fix this, or maybe a little bar you grab onto that pulls you up. Whatever the case, I wish to see Platform Burgers thrown into the fires while I stand over them, laughing, with not an ounce of remorse.
Overall, GREAT demo. I didn't play the first demo, but this one was fantastic. The "aha!" moments felt good. Also, THANK YOU FOR THE OPTION TO HAVE THE MAGNET BE ATTRACTED TO THE SAME COLOR!!! My brain struggles with things like that, so I was very happy to see the option. Great job, me matey.
That was a neat little demo! I won't say much because there's a deluge of comments already, but there's a key in the bottom of a pit where the magnet falls in, and because of the way the magnet falls under the key, I thought the key was trapping the magnet. I'd move the key to the left some so it's clear that the magnetism just doesn't reach there.
This was an enjoyable couple of minutes, and I look forward to more levels! The last two levels had the "Aha!" moment that makes a great puzzle.
There is one oddity with the controls. Playing with a mouse and keyboard, if I held down the change polarity key long enough, releasing the key changed the polarity again. This resulted in a couple of cases where I would change the polarity, then it would change back again and I would have to press the key again.
Hi there, I really enjoyed playing this!I'm not much for level design so I'll leave that to the experts, but there were a few UI issues I ran into?
Right now, as far as I could find, there's no way to reach the title screen once you've started playing. That is also the only place to swap betweenFull Screen and Windowed. Since there isn't a save feature right now, I had to restart my whole game to just exit/enter full-screen mode.
I also had to play in Fullscreen Mode because, with my smaller-than-average computer monitor, it overlapped the Windows taskbar and I couldn't shrink the window to make everything visible.
In short, my suggestions: 1) A way to return to the title screen, 2) a way to swap between Fullscreen and Windowed modes, 3) a way to change the window size.
The hub green pipes being negative magnets feels a bit weird, i feel like maybe they ought to be either negative buttons or non magnetic pipes? not sure, but it seems to go against some of the language of magnets in the rest of the game
the flipping doors lock you into failed attempts and force you to restart in unpleasant ways a lot of the time (based on other comments I think the word is softlock?)
It's unclear in the very beginning (tutorial?) that you can change the polarity when you are not holding the magnet, and that that ability is dependent on waking the magnet up first. this is somewhat intuitive and taught to you in the first puzzle, but I got myself stuck in the tutorial by accidentally flipping the polarity and causing a flip door to shut behind me, which seemed like I had lost the magnet permanently until I figured it out.
I wanted to move while aiming so badly. It was unsatisfying that I couldn't, though maybe theres a fix to make it feel better to switch between moving and aiming?
It's unclear where the bottom of a magnetic field is. I want to know exactly where the line is since it is clearly a hard line after which the magnet will not be attracted. (I noticed this in the level where the key is beneath 2 drill bits)
i was confused by the smiley face icon
A few positive comments:
felt excellent to control
puzzles felt centered on the magnet
i felt connected to my lil robot guy and the magnet, i want a little more about them going into this
assets all fit well together
tbh great job on all the art, it highlights what needs attention, and pushes back what doesnt.
Loved this demo! Much better than the last one, which I could tell even from a glance. The movemt feels really smooth and the magnet feels very impactful, even without sound.
But I've got a few critisims. These are my critisims, so they reflect my opinion, so I don't speak for everyone when saying these.
First of all, in many of the levels, there are jumps which seem possible at a glance, but when trying them, It's clear they are not. Maybe making the levels so that its 100% obvious at a glance that the jump can't be scaled would solve the problem.
Since the button trowing button is the same as its pickup, its a bit confusing to use. maybe using the right analogue trigger could be mapped to this instead. Not every action needs to be on one button, becasue sometimes, it makes it more confusing to learn. another problem I have is the level reset. Having it as just one button seems very dangerous and prone to accident s to me. If youre playing a long level, accidentally pressing this button could mean a lot of time wasted. Maybe having the reset be in the pause menu or being a combination of buttons (L1+R1+Option) would make it so that you woulnt accidentally press it. Another control related issue I have is the throwing. Maybe after lingng up the character, you start throwing your magent, aim and then let of of the throw button. As soon as you would do that, the character starts moving. Its a bit anooying since I kept falling off when trying to throw while standing at the edge of a platform. Maybe having it so that after throwing, you need to let go of the analouge stick to start moving again or mal it to the right analogue stick.
i've also got a bug to report. Playing on Mac OS 12 with a ps4 controller and it seems the throwing guide layer is situated under the text making it seem very weird (Picture shows it).
All in all, I enjoyed this short demo. Keep up the good work!
One bug I found was standing on the little short ledge on upper left of level 6. I was trying to stand there and throw the magnet at the switch and for some reason holding E was making me move forward.
Hello Mark Brown! I have just finished your demo. Here are my comments.
- "Aha!" isn't just about figuring out a difficult puzzle. It's about discovering a way to bend your brain in a way you've never bent it before. Figure out what it means to "think with magnets."
- Ideas for inspiration: Draw some magnets. Draw them in different styles. Doodle them when you're on the bus. Carry a notebook with you. Study the science of magnetism. Buy some magnets of your own to play with. Look at what sort of different magnet toys are out there.
- The movement feels good. However, the sort of artifacts where you stand on the edge of a platform and slide off feel bad. It's little and it's probably due to Unity physics, but if it's easy to fix it would be worth it.
- What is it like to change polarity? Do you feel different? Do you become a different person? What's your relationship to your other polar?
At this point there isn't much I can say that hasn't been said already, so instead I'd like to point you and anyone who might be interested in making a puzzle game to a very helpful guide to creating these kind of physics-based puzzles (It's for Portal 2 but a lot of the same principles still apply) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1609136246
For anyone who doesn't have time to read through it all, I'll give the basics here:
Puzzles should be solved non-linearly with the player reusing elements in multiple different ways to solve the puzzle
All of the elements of a puzzle should be made clear to the player from the start
The player should never be put in a situation where they are forced to manually restart the puzzle
Each element presented to the player must be used at least once in order to solve the puzzle
Players should not be rewarded for deviating from the puzzle's intended solution by exploiting design flaws
When possible, design flaws should be fixed seamlessly without the addition of extraneous puzzle elements
I feel like I should speak on point 2 because I don't necessarily agree with it, in that I feel more complex puzzles can give the player short term goals and long term goals, and the elements required to accomplish the long term goals can be obscured as long as the elements of the short term goals are made clear. Metroidvanias are an excellent example of this because they scatter their puzzle elements across the map, so when the player finds a water gun they'll think "hey, maybe I can use this to put out that fire that was blocking my way before."
Oddly enough, the guide ends with a link to the GMTK video on puzzles. It's a small world.
Entering a level you've already gotten a key for would be a soft lock if not for the return to hub button. Would be nice to show an outline of where the key was.
Choosing the wrong room from the hub consumes the magnet, so you have to go into the room and then port back out.
4th Room / Pipe: A large + beam attached to the ceiling by a tether. Not sure I solved this one correctly. I ended up throwing the magnet from off to the side and getting it to bounce off the switch. On a 2nd playthrough, I attached it to the ceiling, turned the switch off manually, then let the magnet fall down onto the switch. This feels like the intended solution.
Last Pipe: This took me far too long to complete. For the first 12 minutes or Trial and Error I did not realize that the rotating magnet "L" door would prevent the block from falling back to the bottom. My solution for this one also didn't feel right. I got crushed 3 times before finally squeaking through. Very little room for error, which makes me feel like I used an unintended solution. After a 2nd look, not sure how else to solve it.
There's some weird visual screen scrolling bug on the "Thanks for Playing" screen. A tile or two very close to the right side of the room causes the pixels to creep up and down a bit as you run back and forth across it.
The game desperately needs some sound. I think some audio cues would help massively.
All of that said, fantastic base. Can't wait to see it progress.
Solid demo! Regarding the player, fall speed is maybe just barely a bit too fast, and it would be nice to be able to move while aiming. Other than that, feels excellent to control.
The keys feel like something to collect and use in the level, rather than the exit. A warp vortex might be more inviting to jump into without fear of consequence, but obviously, this undermines the hub area. Perhaps you could bring the key to the goal warp and then use the ones you've collected to unlock special levels?
The last two puzzles were really satisfying to solve, Two 'aha!' moments, so to speak. The turnstile gates are a really fun mechanic and mesh nicely with the magnet. Great work!
I think that being able to move while aiming could make for some really cool gameplay and you might be able to incorporate a bit more platforming into the game with it. Great game tho - keep up the good work!
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Overall I like the gameplay and it was fun to play, great job :)
I had just one issue in the settings menu, I used to see some arrow or button to return to the main menu, and it took me a few seconds to try the ESC button to go back to the main menu.
Not sure if you should add hints but probably some people will want hints ( I saw in many other games that you have this option) when they were trying to solve the problem for 20 minutes (the last lever took me that much haha)Thank you for the reply.
I thought that if I rotate the boxes (or at least try to), it alone will affect the rates of foreshortening, and that was my mistake.
I didn't realize that the fact, that when I am choosing about the same distance for my vanishing point makes it looks the same.
Thank you, now it is more clear to me.
my immediate first instinct was to reassign the right mouse button to be the polarity toggle.
unfortunately this clashes with the aim mode toggle, which can't be unassigned from the right mouse button
the jump feels a bit too short for me personally.
in the fourth level in particular it can be a bit tricky to jump from the moving platform to the platform where the magnet spawns if you don't have enough momentum, and it is a bit clunky to climb up the ladder on the right side of that level.
(i recognize that you don't actually have to climb that ladder to finish the puzzle, but i still climbed up several times before i found the correct solution)
i like the puzzle designs themselves. every level took me a few attempts to solve, but none of them were impossible.
although it does feel a bit too easy to get softlocked.
Fun game, main feedback is I wish you could move while holding the throw magnet button
I wrote out my thoughts as you play! To start out, really fun and fantastic job!
Here's what my notes were:
A little too slippery: maybe stop more on edges --- Future Nia comment: I didn't mind controls at all later on, so probably not a big issue.
Restart symbol not clear on first playthrough --- Future Nia comment: Maybe just have a blue bar that fills it up ala Smash? Not a huge issue though.
Maybe auto repick up magnet when run into it? I don't think it would change any puzzles, and it would make the magnet feel a lot more related to you.
Magnet only walls are good idea, but maybe make them look different, like transparent, so it makes more in-game sense why the magnet can go through
You're pulled closer to opposite sign doors, but you aren't pushed away by same sign doors? A little strange
Angled buttons are a neat idea, but you just also be able to jump on them rather than fall off
Puzzle with falling magnet was a good aha moment because it required experimentation: I said "aha" out loud". I discovered something important by accident, which is always nice!
It registers mouse clicks when you're in a different window, leading to character throwing as soon as you reopen
I HAD TWO AHA MOMENTS in same level! It seemed impossible, and then it hit me!
It's fun to repeatedly rhythmically press F and swing magnet back and forth through the doors: maybe make that a thing you do? :p --- Future Nia Comment: Yes you do!!
Spawn out of door of previous level? also kind of fun to run through to new door as a victory lap though
Now I'm pulled to door of different sign? This didn't happen earlier
I'm saying "ohhhh" a lot and that's good :D
Kind of weird that the magnet has only one pole---it's a game about magnets, but the magnet does something physically impossible, ha ha. It's a magical magnet!
I'm thinking! :DD
Sometimes a bit boring, but I think music will INSTANTLY solve that problem :D
I said yeah!
I'm talking out loud! :OOO
"ohhhh it's solved" the solution I thought it would be wasn't it, ha ha. But the correct solution was very enlightening that I stumbled into. Blocks (well, doors in this case) can block other blocks!
I said "clever!" :DD
I really do think run auto pick magnet will make the game control so fluidly.
Maybe make it so you can throw magnet while moving? Would be a bit less choppy.
Hope this was helpful! Thank you for releasing this demo! :D
Really Nice MVP!
Other than the Button in the Tutorial, which sometimes got activated twice, so the door didn't open, no complaints.
Also did Speedruns of it:
Fun game!!
Controls feel nice, but the fact that robot does not stop for a second when the aim button is pressed is annoying - when you are trying to throw the magnet standing at the edge of a cliff and start aiming, you move instead (while holding the aim key) so you roll off the cliff yourself D: (xOne controler)
Additionally, an option to spawn at the last completed stage's entrance would save the robot a lot of unnecessary mileage (or make him go faster in the level selection).
Lastly, would be cool to have the actual name of the level displayed, so it would be "reporting a bug on level 4" not "reporting a bug on that big moving magnet level" ;D
Looking forward to future develompent!
Try holding the restart button in the hub *wink*
Intended or not, it made me laugh.
hah, very funny
hope he keeps it!
Really fun and engaging puzzle mechanics.
I would suggest that instead of going straight when you clear a level the player can choose to either go to the hub or continue to the next level as having to move through the hub for each new level can get quite repetitive. Maybe when you go return to the hub instead of spawning at the start, you spawn beneath the level you came from.
I really enjoyed this demo, and can't wait for the full game.
Yes, the hub is too long. Where's the "Wheely" button?
Yeah that was fun, very much enjoyed the puzzles.
Couple of things. Since I needed to end the "tutorial" level by throwing the magnet to open the gate, I was a bit surprised when the first real level just finished when I got the key. I had been primed to believe you finish a level by throwing the magnet into a tube to open a gate, so that was a bit jarring.
And secondly, I know it's only a demo so I don't know why I expected it, but I assumed unlocking the final gate was going to lead to a mega super hard puzzle, so it was a bit disappointing when it just said "Thanks for playing".
Ok suggested improvements out the way. I did really enjoy it. The puzzles were a nice level of difficulty, the magnet was definitely a core game play mechanic, and it left me wanting lots, LOTS more puzzles. Feels like something you could play for hours, or jump into from time to time to complete a few puzzles.
Keep it up, it's awesome!
This was really fun to play! Though I'm still very new to game design, I'll try my best to give some helpful feedback without looking at the other comments beforehand. (I'll also take caution to try avoid spoiling the experience for those who haven't played it yet and are reading the comments)
The good things first: The game felt super punchy, switching the magnet and having it snap to nearby objects felt really good, and almost every level had an 'ah-ha!' moment where all the puzzel pieces came together. Additionally, while I didn't play the original demo, I didn't encounter many of the other issues others complained of, the magnet remained central and I was consistently thinking of where it was and how it could help me influence the play area to my advantage.
Some criticisms: A bit nitpicky, but I noted that while it was helpful you had to hold the reset button to activate it (to avoid accidentally tripping it), it did take me a second to understand how it worked. I think it's because the reset icon didn't have a very noticable animation. If the icon 'filled up' as you held it down the way it works might feel a bit more obvious.
I also feel like the way the magnet travels through platforms is a little inconsistent. I only noticed this in the first level, where I cannot throw it through the platform, but I can in later levels. Possibly some distinction between platforms that let the magnet through, and those that can't, could be handy in cluing in the player.
Overall though, despite my minor complaints, I really think this game so far is really good! It feels unique and fun to play, and the puzzels are satisfying to complete. I'm excited to see what comes next! (No pressure of course!) Good luck!
This was a lot of fun. Thanks!
Please consider adding a Linux build. it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
In the same way that you have rough placeholder art in the menus, it would be great to have some rough placeholder sound effects, e.g. from BFXR. I think this would add a lot to the game.
I 'cheesed' a couple of the levels and then felt confident it wasn't the intended solution so I went back and re-did them. The final level in particular had me stuck for quite a while.
I'd love to add spoiler-text here, but itch.io doesn't support it yet so instead I've encoded it in rot13, it can be easily decoded via copy-and-paste over at rot13.com ...
Gur svefg guerr yriryf ner dhvgr rnfl naq gurl grnpu gur cynlre nobhg fraqvat gur zntarg guebhtu n fjvat-qbbe juvyr gur cynlre fgnlf oruvaq. Gur arkg gjb yriryf ner n ovg uneqre naq gur cynlre jvyy yvxryl fcraq zber gvzr ba gurfr, ohg gurl qb abg erdhver gur zrpunavp gnhtug rneyvre. Gur svany yriry vf uneqrfg bs nyy naq vg erdhverf gung rneyl zrpunavp ohg ol guvf cbvag vg vf ab ybatre serfu va gur cynlre'f urnq. V guvax vs gur svany yriry jnf cynlrq vzzrqvngryl nsgre gur svefg guerr vg jbhyq or rnfvre. Fb creuncf zber sberfunqbjvat bs gur erdhverq zrpunavp jbhyq uryc. Nyfb, nf na rneyl-tnzr chmmyr, creuncf zbir gur fjvat-qbbe bar havg gb gur yrsg gb znxr gur oneevre n yvggyr zber boivbhf gb ortvaaref.
Thanks again, keep up the great work!
> it was a faff to get the Windows version running under Linux.
It was pretty straightforward for me, I just opened it with Wine and it ran pretty well. The only bad thing is that it would freeze completely and need a restart whenever I changed to another window.
But yeah, a native Linux build would be very much appreciated :3
The freeze is caused by a Wine bug that affects all Unity games.
There is a patch for that since Wine Staging 7.8 applied automatically, so switch to Staging if you can (I think that forks like TKG or GE also include the patch).
Oh, thanks for the info, didn’t know that!
Moving through the hub after each level gets longer and longer. I suggest having the player come out of the door/pipe of the level they were just in after each level.
Needs a clickable button to exit the options menu
No criticism here, just ideas.
OK, after reading plenty of comments, it's time for my rant...
Dear Future Mark,
I really enjoyed this version. I liked how the small jump was just enough to get over platforms so you could just spam jump and boom, you're at the top.
Here is the biggest suggestion:
The end of a Level is a door that only opens if you hold Iman (Magnet in Spanish), and there is no way of soft-locking yourself. (if the puzzle is done wrong, more steps are required to get back) BUT there are batteries or keys scattered around a Level which can lead to soft-locks if the puzzle is done wrong. This allows bonus Levels, re-playability and more challenges.
The hub world was an interesting choice for Level select, and because it is a hub world, you could possibly have more fast pasted, platforming-esck routes to each Level (or just to bonus Levels). That would make it more interactive and enjoyable.
Constructive criticism:
Level/Door 1, the platform that keeps you from jumping across to get the key:
A laser would be more consistent rather than a sideways platform, that way you can keep the puzzle while introducing lasers that will deactivate your robot friend but Magneto can pass by, like in your first version.
Level 6 could show the solution more if the box was taller and the press was longer, that would prevent any cheese. Before:
After
In case you missed it, voidfluid created a song for the game if you have any interest in that: a quick sketch.
Overall good demo. The movement of the robot felt smooth. the puzzles were fun and some of the later ones did make me have that "ah-ha" moment, but I did accidentally slove some of the earlier ones by just testing out what the elements did. I did get stuck on the last level, however, I'm not good at puzzle games so if the levels individually are optional then having puzzles above my level, or ones I can return to later for "keys" is probably a good thing.
Here is some specific feedback, I noted in which level I found them but most are applicable to more than just the level I first noticed
level - Lift up:
Jumping platforms are awkward. There is no way to jump down them. Having to jump up 4 times for something that feels like a sort of distance feels cumbersome
When you jump on one there is the initial "puff" from jumping then an additional jumping puff when you pass the platform, then finally a puff from landing on the platform, this makes it look like the robot is making an additional jump when it passes the platform but that's not the case.
The magnet force deleter looks unintuitive in what it does. Perhaps something which kills the magnet's magnetic power before it vanishes. Additionally, if you had to manually push a button to get the magnet back, it could form a bond with the magnet like the companion cubes in the portal
level- weights and pull me:
In the L-shaped one way, if you change direction immediately after going through it, it won't let you through and you have to back up and walk through it again for it to work
level - blocked by the block:
The magnet slides immediately really quickly down the slope. looks off with the robot's very slow glide down. There also needs to be a ramp-up in speed feels off when it goes at 100% speed the second it hits the slope
I don't like the look or feel of the switch button
Having the switch polarity button be F, means it feels awkward if you have to quickly go right after switching polarity
The impact when you hit something with the magnet feels good
Hub:
the pipes you throw the magnets into then something happens feels really satisfying, although the pipes do look out of place
Menu:
"enter" should be the confirmation button instead of "space"
The Restart should have like a "fill up" so I know how long to hold the button to restart
I just played through the game and thought it was really fun. I've been watching your youtube series for a few months, and that has been one source of inspiration for me. Now seeing how this sort of game can be created from Unity and actually playing it makes me even more inspired. I eventually am interested in making my own game, but for now have just been watching tutorials and trying to copy them so that I can understand better how both Unity and C# work, and maybe eventually create something on my own. Since I am so new to these things, I'm not sure how feasible any of the following comments would be to implement, but as a person who enjoys playing games, I do have some thoughts.
When I minimized the game and then opened it again, sometimes the character would get stuck for a few seconds if it was holding the magnet, or not be able to pick up the magnet for a few seconds if it wasn't holding the magnet. I was playing on a computer. I think these might have something to do with the game treating clicks on the minimizing button and the rest of the space in that top part of the game like any other click to aim or throw the magnet.
Also, in the tutorial level you have at the start, there is a white door with arrows on it that the character runs into, to have it flip and allow the character to pass. I found that if I ran the character into the door just enough to get the door to open but then stopped, then I couldn't go back through it without moving away from the door on the other side and coming back towards it.
One thought I had during my playthrough was that it would be nice to be able to cancel my aiming of the magnet. I hadn't seen that there was an option for this in the settings. Maybe making this more known to the player in some way, perhaps at the start of the game like the other actions the player can take, could be helpful.
I really liked the last puzzle, because I struggled with it for a bit before I realized that I could throw the magnet down the hole with the ramp and flip the door there to have the side of it extending out, blocking the block from going up. That allowed me to jump on it, and then go through the space under the other barrier that was held up because the other block wasn't on the ground. I had to think differently about the problem to solve it, and I enjoyed that. I've been reading through some of the other comments here and it seems like other people solved it differently. I think it's cool that a puzzle can have multiple solutions. I went back after I played and took a screenshot of the solution I found.
Overall, I thought this was a very good game. The things I commented on are pretty minor, all things considered, and it felt like a solid game that I genuinely enjoyed playing. I liked how the character felt, and I liked how the magnetic doors, like the one in the image above, would drain and fill with color after the magnet moved them.
Also, a minor thing that might just be based on my own experience with games in the past, is that I expected the aiming mechanic to go in the opposite direction of where my mouse was dragging away from the character. I got used to the controls though, and I don't think there's anything wrong with how it is.
A lot of the puzzles felt fun, most of them giving me a nice feeling of satisfaction when I completed them. However, I do feel like the ordering of the levels can be changed a little, as the first 2 levels felt a little too challenging to be the first levels of the game, as well as level 3 being essentially a tutorial level. The game may also benefit from offering hints if it helps the player.
I would like to see the ending of each level change a little, maybe instead of just collecting a key, returning back to the entrance or exit to make the level feel a little more satisfying. And maybe its just personal preference, but I did feel a small urge for the character to be a little more floaty, or to jump a little higher. Can't wait to see where this game goes!
Great experience. Had fun all the way. It was, however, too easy to softlock myself, including when first picking up the magnet, where you could throw it at the non-magnetic doors, and they would separate you.
Movement felt fine. If this was a game I created for myself, I would be satisfied. But I would find it weird if I encountered this movement in a bought product. It feels like it cannot decide if it should feel floaty or chonky.
I would increase the deceleration, make the character stop waay sooner. Increase the speed of everything in the air, to obscene, Jupiter-gravity levels, maybe add some chonky screen shake. That's what I would do. You could take it the other way, if it feels more appropriate.
I never got the 'aha' moment, all the way to the last puzzle. They all solved themselves sooner or later, not really getting me stumped. The moment I touched everything in the level and seen what it does, I could intuit the general solution.
The last puzzle took me some time, in part because the door protruded so little into the space of the metal block I didn't realize that was intended (or that it was something that happened at all), so it took me a while to try and abuse that. Felt like I was cheated, if just a little.
I would also like to see more uses of the magnet. I feel like all I had to do in order to solve the puzzles was place the magnet somewhere, then press F once, later. Make the magnet more involved. That is really shallow advice, but that's what needs to happen for your vision of the game (if i understood it correctly).
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Now, this may sound like a lot of bad rep, but it really isn't. There is so much right with the demo, this is everything I really can complain about. The art - chefs kiss. Your iterative workflow - ingenious. After seeing all these comments 'dissing' your game, make sure to keep track of everything you did right. Keep up the good work!
Hey there! Great Demo! This might be a bit of a rant, so my bad :)
I didn't really get the Eureka effect (the "Aha" moment) from most levels. For most of them, I felt like I was consistently making steady progress throughout the level. I'd enter the level, see where the key was, realize it wasn't immediately accessible, see some button or switch that was, go there and press it, see what would happen, see what I could now interact with / reach, rinse and repeat...
To be a bit more technical, the puzzles in the demo are well-structured problems (which is not something you want), meaning that (even if you don't know the answer from the get-go) you are able to consistently make steady progress until you find the solution.
What you want your puzzles to be are ill-structured problems (or insight problems); problems where no progress appears to be made after some initial exploration, only to then be immediately solved by a really good insight.
Below is a good way to determine whether you have a well-structured problem or an insight problem (according to cognitive science literature, most of which I'm pulling from Janet Metcalfe's research).
Insight problems require subjects (the one's trying to solve the problem) to have a switch in representation (to see the problem in a different way than they saw it at the begging). This switch in representation is itself the "insight" that leads the subject to solve the problem. Your level that did this the best was the last one, where you first see the magnetic switch as just a barrier you need the magnet for to pass, but then realize you can use that switch to hold and then release a block for you to be able to quickly squeeze by. This change in representation (the magnetic switch going from barrier to tool / changing the player's attention from the magnetic properties of the switch to its physical properties, i.e. the fact it can hold up a block) is what constitutes the insight.
One detail, however, that I'd like to point out about the last level is that, even though it was a good insight problem, the end wasn't very satisfying due to the platforming required to finish the level. Platforming feels great when you are in control of a responsive and agile character and, even though the character controller is a lot better than last time, it is still not to the level of a great platformer. The end of the level is (I assume) supposed to feel like a quick dash to the finish line as you narrowly escape being crushed. Instead, it felt finicky and it was a bit annoying to have to attempt it twice to get it.
That being said, I think this is a fantastic demo and I cannot wait to play the resulting game!
I've been sending this to everyone who says Level 6 is a platforming Level:
ohhh, that's how you're supposed to do it? I thought I needed to throw the magnet down to stop the block from falling onto the button (which eventually worked by the way)
whaaat? Thank you for pointing that out! I almost wish the way I did it wasn't possible so that I was forced to find this. But at this point idk, there's also value in having multiple solutions.
Can you compile the game for linux. It would be great if more people game games for linux so the linux gaming community so more games will be made and the community would grow.
I know it will not be easy to do that but would be great if you could. The bug fixing needed should not be alot because unity handles compiling for linux to too.
i will be waiting for the linux version.
While I do agree that it is better to have native linux builds, why not just try WINE? On something like this it should work perfectly.
GENERAL:
TUTORIAL:
It's a switch, it doesn't need a tutorial, they have two states: On, and Off. Almost every time a switch appears, you can experiment by turning it on and off.
Ah yes, but consider this: I'm an idiot. I think feedback from idiots is also valid.
I'm glad you didn't take that in a bad way.
I had a lot of fun with this! Appreciated the option to change colors around, that was neat. Reading the comments a lot of people talk about being able to aim while moving, which I also think would be great.
Something I noticed in that area is that if you grab the magnet midair after jumping it really kills your momentum. Seems like the magnet has a lot of weight to it though, so maybe intentional. It didn't bother me, just noting.
I also have seen a lot of people mention that grabbing a key into level fade out seems awkward. I just happened to replay the tutorial, and in that you grab the key and then leave the level yourself. Maybe that contributes to it feeling wrong later on?
All of the puzzles felt really nice and smooth to go through, except for the last one. I managed to solve it like I did in the image below, which I think is super cool but at the time it was a little frustrating. I can't really offer anything to say in terms of 'improving' the puzzle since I'm not much of a puzzle person, and in the end it was actually very satisfying.
Satisfying enough for me to excitedly take a screenshot of it before even making the jump to finish the level. ^^
I was going to leave this comment without mentioning the art, because I had no issues with it. But, I think it's worth saying that it felt perfectly natural. Everything fit in, looked just right and the only time I looked twice at art was the nice character animations.
Only other things for me to mention would be controls. First instinct was that I should be able to pick up the magnet with left click and throw with right click. I got over it and was used to the controls by the end, but maybe having the option to separate Carry / Enter aim mode into two different inputs is worth considering? Or just transferring over Carry / Cancel aim from the gamepad controls? Being able to jump with Up Arrow as well would be nice considering the other arrow keys can be used to move.
Ended up trailing on and on with this, just want to re-iterate that I had a good time with the demo! Thanks for making it.
No hard shots to make.
Is this how level 6 is supposed to be beat? Cause it took a lot of trial and error to get the magnet down there! :|
(great game btw. movement feels good and most of the puzzles are satisfying)
I think this is the intended solution:
No trial and error needed.
My only major feedback is that my instincts are all wrong for the throwing mechanic. I kept wanting to hit the left mouse button to throw instead of releasing the throw button. I do like how you can just drop the magnet though with a single button. Opening the doors by throwing the magnet up into the pipes struck me as a bit of an odd choice as well. Using the interact button would have been more intuitive I'd think. Overall though it was a nice clean demo and I didn't have any major issues with the gameplay. Well done
It seems many of the comments have covered most of the problems I had. Mainly, the hub world feeling clunky and too linear; the key ending the level feeling unsatisfying and jarring; and the softlocks feeling frustrating.
However, there was one major flaw that I cannot forgive, and will not rest until it is resolved. In order to get to certain higher platforms, there will be several platforms stacked above each other, creating what I call a Platform Burger.
Platform Burgers are my worst enemy. The act of repeatedly pressing the jump button and waiting for my character to go up and down, up and down really gets on my nerves for whatever reason. A ladder would fix this, or maybe a little bar you grab onto that pulls you up.
Whatever the case, I wish to see Platform Burgers thrown into the fires while I stand over them, laughing, with not an ounce of remorse.
Overall, GREAT demo. I didn't play the first demo, but this one was fantastic. The "aha!" moments felt good. Also, THANK YOU FOR THE OPTION TO HAVE THE MAGNET BE ATTRACTED TO THE SAME COLOR!!! My brain struggles with things like that, so I was very happy to see the option.
Great job, me matey.
If you just tap jump, you get the exact distance needed to go up each platform. So just tapping it 4 times gets you up in less time.
Ahhhh, ok! That makes them a little better.
But, I am still against them. Pressing the button repeatedly on a keyboard is uncomfortable for me.
Also, Sonic Colors has scarred me...
That was a neat little demo! I won't say much because there's a deluge of comments already, but there's a key in the bottom of a pit where the magnet falls in, and because of the way the magnet falls under the key, I thought the key was trapping the magnet. I'd move the key to the left some so it's clear that the magnetism just doesn't reach there.
This was an enjoyable couple of minutes, and I look forward to more levels! The last two levels had the "Aha!" moment that makes a great puzzle.
There is one oddity with the controls. Playing with a mouse and keyboard, if I held down the change polarity key long enough, releasing the key changed the polarity again. This resulted in a couple of cases where I would change the polarity, then it would change back again and I would have to press the key again.
Hi there, I really enjoyed playing this!I'm not much for level design so I'll leave that to the experts, but there were a few UI issues I ran into?
Right now, as far as I could find, there's no way to reach the title screen once you've started playing. That is also the only place to swap betweenFull Screen and Windowed. Since there isn't a save feature right now, I had to restart my whole game to just exit/enter full-screen mode.
I also had to play in Fullscreen Mode because, with my smaller-than-average computer monitor, it overlapped the Windows taskbar and I couldn't shrink the window to make everything visible.
In short, my suggestions: 1) A way to return to the title screen, 2) a way to swap between Fullscreen and Windowed modes, 3) a way to change the window size.
wow! great demo
A few complaints:
A few positive comments:
Loved this demo! Much better than the last one, which I could tell even from a glance. The movemt feels really smooth and the magnet feels very impactful, even without sound.
But I've got a few critisims. These are my critisims, so they reflect my opinion, so I don't speak for everyone when saying these.
First of all, in many of the levels, there are jumps which seem possible at a glance, but when trying them, It's clear they are not. Maybe making the levels so that its 100% obvious at a glance that the jump can't be scaled would solve the problem.
Since the button trowing button is the same as its pickup, its a bit confusing to use. maybe using the right analogue trigger could be mapped to this instead. Not every action needs to be on one button, becasue sometimes, it makes it more confusing to learn. another problem I have is the level reset. Having it as just one button seems very dangerous and prone to accident s to me. If youre playing a long level, accidentally pressing this button could mean a lot of time wasted. Maybe having the reset be in the pause menu or being a combination of buttons (L1+R1+Option) would make it so that you woulnt accidentally press it. Another control related issue I have is the throwing. Maybe after lingng up the character, you start throwing your magent, aim and then let of of the throw button. As soon as you would do that, the character starts moving. Its a bit anooying since I kept falling off when trying to throw while standing at the edge of a platform. Maybe having it so that after throwing, you need to let go of the analouge stick to start moving again or mal it to the right analogue stick.
i've also got a bug to report. Playing on Mac OS 12 with a ps4 controller and it seems the throwing guide layer is situated under the text making it seem very weird (Picture shows it).
All in all, I enjoyed this short demo. Keep up the good work!
Good stuff.
One bug I found was standing on the little short ledge on upper left of level 6. I was trying to stand there and throw the magnet at the switch and for some reason holding E was making me move forward.
Hello Mark Brown! I have just finished your demo. Here are my comments.
- "Aha!" isn't just about figuring out a difficult puzzle. It's about discovering a way to bend your brain in a way you've never bent it before. Figure out what it means to "think with magnets."
- Ideas for inspiration: Draw some magnets. Draw them in different styles. Doodle them when you're on the bus. Carry a notebook with you. Study the science of magnetism. Buy some magnets of your own to play with. Look at what sort of different magnet toys are out there.
- The movement feels good. However, the sort of artifacts where you stand on the edge of a platform and slide off feel bad. It's little and it's probably due to Unity physics, but if it's easy to fix it would be worth it.
- What is it like to change polarity? Do you feel different? Do you become a different person? What's your relationship to your other polar?
Magnetization and Demagnetization are really cool concepts as well.
At this point there isn't much I can say that hasn't been said already, so instead I'd like to point you and anyone who might be interested in making a puzzle game to a very helpful guide to creating these kind of physics-based puzzles (It's for Portal 2 but a lot of the same principles still apply) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1609136246
For anyone who doesn't have time to read through it all, I'll give the basics here:
I feel like I should speak on point 2 because I don't necessarily agree with it, in that I feel more complex puzzles can give the player short term goals and long term goals, and the elements required to accomplish the long term goals can be obscured as long as the elements of the short term goals are made clear. Metroidvanias are an excellent example of this because they scatter their puzzle elements across the map, so when the player finds a water gun they'll think "hey, maybe I can use this to put out that fire that was blocking my way before."
Oddly enough, the guide ends with a link to the GMTK video on puzzles. It's a small world.
Very fun. Few things.
Entering a level you've already gotten a key for would be a soft lock if not for the return to hub button. Would be nice to show an outline of where the key was.
Choosing the wrong room from the hub consumes the magnet, so you have to go into the room and then port back out.
4th Room / Pipe: A large + beam attached to the ceiling by a tether. Not sure I solved this one correctly. I ended up throwing the magnet from off to the side and getting it to bounce off the switch. On a 2nd playthrough, I attached it to the ceiling, turned the switch off manually, then let the magnet fall down onto the switch. This feels like the intended solution.
Last Pipe: This took me far too long to complete. For the first 12 minutes or Trial and Error I did not realize that the rotating magnet "L" door would prevent the block from falling back to the bottom. My solution for this one also didn't feel right. I got crushed 3 times before finally squeaking through. Very little room for error, which makes me feel like I used an unintended solution. After a 2nd look, not sure how else to solve it.
There's some weird visual screen scrolling bug on the "Thanks for Playing" screen. A tile or two very close to the right side of the room causes the pixels to creep up and down a bit as you run back and forth across it.
The game desperately needs some sound. I think some audio cues would help massively.
All of that said, fantastic base. Can't wait to see it progress.
Solid demo! Regarding the player, fall speed is maybe just barely a bit too fast, and it would be nice to be able to move while aiming. Other than that, feels excellent to control.
The keys feel like something to collect and use in the level, rather than the exit. A warp vortex might be more inviting to jump into without fear of consequence, but obviously, this undermines the hub area. Perhaps you could bring the key to the goal warp and then use the ones you've collected to unlock special levels?
The last two puzzles were really satisfying to solve, Two 'aha!' moments, so to speak. The turnstile gates are a really fun mechanic and mesh nicely with the magnet. Great work!
I think that being able to move while aiming could make for some really cool gameplay and you might be able to incorporate a bit more platforming into the game with it. Great game tho - keep up the good work!
Hello Mark
love it
i'd love to be able to move and aim at the same time