Great demo! the only problem i had was the last level, which for me the solution required me to get lucky with my throw. apart from that, i didnt really like the E and F controls so maybe change the defaults.
A lot of good things. The character's movement, and the animation of the different elements in the game all feel pretty solid.
The puzzle designs were good, with room for a good bit of refinement. I found myself getting soft-locked several times where it felt like I shouldn't have. The last stage was like this, getting stuck multiple times just past the swiveling gate. If you don't have the magnet, you cant jump up to the upper level anymore.
I don't think I got the intended solution for puzzle 5. I quickly hit the final switch, and jumped back on the rising platform as it bounced back down slightly, making it possible for me to go back down. Still not sure how I was supposed to do it, but that didn't feel right.
The vertical semi-solids work as one-way walls... but that's not immediately intuitive. Maybe a different design for the vertical semi-solids is in order. It's also not very apparent that magnets can go through these one-way walls.
In level 1, you can do a sort of "Super Jump" up against the one-way wall, if you stand on the swivel platform next to the one-way wall with the red magnet and jump. There's no practical value in doing it in this level, but I'm just mentioning it for future levels.
Would really like to aim the magnet while walking. if you're concerned that this will make it difficult to stand still and aim on tight platforms, I'd suggest implementing a button to lock the character's movement for the specific instances where it's necessary. I've played games with a similar aiming mechanic, allowing free movement while aiming, until a button is pushed (maybe L or R?), which allows the character to continue aiming while standing still. (maybe you get full throwing range while standing still?) I think this would be worth the trouble, as it would make the more "routine" map traversal MUCH more pleasant, while still allowing for more precision when needed.
I feel like the ceiling pipes that suck up the magnet should be set to a "universal" polarity, so that they enter the pipe regardless of color. Several times I had to sit there for a second to figure out if my magnet was the right color, just to enter a door.
What happens if I throw my magnet into the wrong door pipe? The magnet is gone, and I'm just stuck outside the door, forced to go in, even if I don't want to.
Last small thing. The magnet-dissolving field with the little smiley face stop sign on it took me a while to understand. Maybe instead of a smile face, there could be a more intuitive graphic (a magnet with a crossed-out null symbol over it?)
The improvements to the core gameplay is amazing to see, but there's loads of stuff throwing me off.
- The character movement is really smooth, but I can't help but feel like movement should be allowed when aiming the magnet.
- I immediately started using left click to pick up the magnet and tried to switch polarity with right click. I feel like that should be at least one of the suggested alternative controls.
- Visually, the (+) symbols in the blue field were threw me off every single time I glanced at them. It felt more intuitive for the (-) symbols to be moving towards the blue. The association of red with (+), and (-) with blue helps greatly with intuitiveness.
- I'm sure you've thought about it already, but it having the same symbols repel feels like it should be present just as strongly as attraction is.
- The one way platforms really shouldn't be letting the magnet through. It really didn't fit the way I thought things worked. They could be redesigned, or the levels should be edited so that they aren't needed in that way, such as in Level one, just making the platforms further away from each other.
- I left a lot of the levels feeling like I hadn't found the right solution. (levels 4 and 6 especially). In level 6, maybe the magnet gate could be shifted further left, covering the gap more. I initially completed the level by jumping on the magnet gate as it turned, which is obviously incorrect.
- The soft locks were super frequent, which felt really limiting. One way to solve this is, where it wouldn't cheat the level, have a button to teleport the magnet back to you, or a magnet dispenser, or a rewind button, or a checkpoint, or anything which doesn't completely remove progress.
- For the regular buttons, which are held down, and for switches (on and off) perhaps a pulsing animation could play in the wires in the direction of flow, when the button is held. This would make things super intuitive in levels have more than multiple buttons/wires. It also makes it intuitively clear that it needs to be held down. Either way, a directional indicator on the wires makes things way more readable.
- The switch / slanted button could really be visually reworked.
1) It looks too similar to the regular button. Making it a different colour (yellow) could really help (along with the wire). This way, it's easier to spot which wire leads where.
2) It also doesn't have to be slanted. I find myself and the magnet sliding off of it too often. It could just be the same shape and alternate between two different colours. Every time I run over the slant I'm worrying about reactivating it on the way back. Both the button and the slanted button are too tall. It would be smoother if I could run over them both without feeling stuck. If I am not supposed to be able to run over them, it should also be made clearer.
3) The options being light green and dark green give the sense that it's turned off, which works in some cases and not others. Perhaps the switch should be a different colour depending on the situation. When it activates a red/blue field, maybe it could be coloured red/blue, along with the wire.
4) Something which would really help is if the buttons pulled the magnet (no matter the polarity) towards them slightly. This helps when throwing from a distance, so that the magnet snaps to the button. It can help the action feel more intentional.
Still, the progress you've made is really amazing to see! Can't wait for the next demo.
Hi there! I really enjoyed the puzzles in this, especially Weight And Pull Me and Lift Up. Most of my specific feedback notes concern game-feel-y controls things and smoothing out of gameplay hitches, but it really feels like a super strong foundation to build upon right now and it feels like you're getting really into the swing of designing puzzles for these systems. I played using mouse and keyboard.
- my first instinct in the first level is to press ctrl, as that's the only button prompt i see. put a 'wasd' or 'move' prompt.
- the spinning door thing in the first level is a little awkward - you have to walk a distance away from it then back into it if you wish to go back the other way
- it'd be nice if the aim bubbles showed up sooner, or there was some other feedback for beginning aiming
- with mouse controls, i'd like to be able to pick up magnets with mouse1, since that has the same function as E for aiming but not for picking up.
- would probably also appreciate mouse2 to change the polarity by default, to go along with the other mouse controls, rather than m2 to cancel aim.
- cancelling aim doesn't work - im still holding m1, and when i release m1 it still throws, whether or not i cancelled with m2.
- for some reason in the menu you can't set 'enter aim mode' to E with the default method, you have to click revert.
- generally 'locking' mouse1 and mouse2 into their default functions in the controls is very awkward, i'd really like to rebind them.
- have some way to leave a level after entering it when you've already got the key without having to enter the menu.
- the pickup-key to end-level feels delayed and initially i didn't notice the level ending - maybe freeze the character movement or enter a cutscene when gaining the key.
- perhaps have some 'reset' prompt if you can detect the player softlocking themself.
- in levels where the player has access to the magnet immediately, i feel like it should start already in their hands (especially the hub!)
- for keyboard controls, i do just feel like 'R' makes much more sense as a default reset key than ctrl, as it's the standard in most other puzzle games like this.
First off thanks for putting this out! My overall experience was very very positive. I'm loving all the improvements from the previous iteration!
Here're some notes from my playthrough:
- the close button is missing from the options menu (I had to guess that esc closed it)
- a bit jarring and unexpected when levels abruptly end after collecting a key. I was expecting to have to go back to the entrance or accomplish something else to complete the level. Basically, it wasn't clear to me that acquiring the key is the end goal of the level. I thought they were only used to unlock levels, but not complete the current one - like a side mission or a 1-up in Mario
- I couldn't return to the hub from the entrance door of any level. I had to open the pause menu and click the "return to hub" option - overall just felt a bit unintuitive and jarring as it forcibly pulled me out of the game
- unless intended by design, it felt a bit unintuitive that I couldn't move my character while aiming at the same time - especially since you can jump while aiming or aim in the air after jumping. I found myself unconsciously trying to move and aim on multiple occasions as I tried to line up a shot
- absolutely LOVE the "choose your own order" system. I was stumped on level 2, then jumped forward to level 3. In the process of solving level 3, I had that massive AHA moment and ran back to level 2 with the solution in mind
- It wasn't immediately apparent to me that I could step on the slanted green buttons again to reverse their effects. Due to the fact that they're greyed out after initially stepping on them, I assumed they were disabled and no longer functional after the first press
- well done on making it clear to the player that certain paths definitely weren't' the solution. There were at least a couple of levels where I initially thought, "hmm, maybe if I was just a bit faster I could make it to XYZ", but after trying again it was immediately clear to me that that wasn't the solution and I didn't get stuck in that classic player loop of trying the same thing over and over believing that my timing and mechanics were the issue and not that I had the wrong solution (ex: running across the large red bridge in level 4, it's clear that the player has no chance to make it across before the bridge is raised up)
- I'm not sure I solved the 4th puzzle correctly and was left with an unsatisfied feeling after completing the level. After getting the magnet to the large red bridge, I triggered the button by throwing the magnet onto it while I was standing to the side of the bridge. It felt like a bit of a "hack" since, as the button is slanted, I assumed that it was intentionally designed to not be triggered by the button (my first attempt at this solution had the magnet sliding off of the button)
- it would be nice to give the players an option to replay a level for fun after completing it, but instead of a key at the end, have a placeholder collectable or a greyed out key. When I play puzzle games I sometimes like to go back and replay levels I solved. Usually the first play through I waddle around a lot and test. After beating it, I want to replay it in a fast and efficient way, almost like a speed runner, if that makes sense. Despite wanted to do that here, I didn't - as there wasn't anything to collect, so I didn't get that rush of feeling like I had indeed conquered the puzzle
- it wasn't clear to me until after the 5th level that the difference between the slanted and flat buttons is that the flat on needs to have something on top of it to keep it on. Maybe I subconsciously realized it, but that level made the difference to me explicit and it wasn't until I consciously made that realization that I started to include that information in my planning for future levels (i.e. the 6th level)
- I was a bit confused by the key counter. At the start of the game I thought it indicated the current number of keys I had (assuming I expended one to unlock a level) as, after completing level 1, I had 2 keys instead of 1. I assumed this was to give the player the freedom to unlock 2 levels in case they got stuck on one. So I was surprised when the count kept going up. This feeling was reinforced since after each level the key count was shown, much like showing your 1-up count or life count in a Mario game. I eventually realized it represented the total count of keys I had obtained (basically puzzles completed - kind of since it's +1), but then I couldn't tell if I had any keys available to use to unlock a different level if I got stuck on another
- movement feels solid! My only notes are that the little man moves a bit slow and I would like the jump to be ever so slightly more responsive or weighty. The levels are large and there are frequently sections that require a decent amount of movement and back to back jumping, so I found myself getting a bit annoyed at how slow the little guy rolls around or how long it takes to jump 5 times in a row, especially after a level reset or returning to the hub world (side note, I would have loved to use the high jump for the back to back jumping, but it takes so much longer to use that I never used it)
- like level 4, I wasn't sure if I solved the 6th level correctly and was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. I effectively got the block stuck on the rotating door and then raced under the falling block to get to the key before it locked me out
- I had no idea I could use the mouse click to aim and throw the magnet until I randomly discovered it by accidentally clicking on my mouse. The options page and UI instructions only listed Q and E as options so I didn't realize the mouse was an option as well. I personally found the mouse much much more intuitive to throw the magnet with as I'm also aiming with it. I suggest maybe listing both options in the options menu similar to how many games display multiple bindings for actions in their settings. Additionally, I would have loved if the right click was added as a binding to toggle the magnet polarity. After I discovered I could pick up and throw the magnet with my mouse, I intuitively found myself right clicking to swap polarity
- In their current state, I'd give these puzzles a 7 / 10 overall. They were enjoyable and interesting, but the difficulty felt non-linear when completed in order and I had very little sense of "progression" in my knowledge and understanding of the game mechanics. Most of the time when I learned about a mechanic it felt accidental and not deliberate from the game. Almost like the game had forgotten to highlight something in the level or explain it before I got in. Basically, the new mechanics introduced in any particular level never felt like the focus of that level. However, there were absolutely a few superstar moments of genuine joy for me, a massive highlight was the interaction I described earlier between the 2nd and 3rd levels
It could explain the control layout better from the start
The fact that the magnet can go through the thin walls but the robot can’t is unintuitive
The switches look more like weird buttons, it’s not immediately clear that each side activates a different state
It would be nice if, when you go back into a level you’ve finished, you can still collect the key to end the level. Like how in Mario Odyssey, getting a Moon for the second time just gives you 10 coins.
It would also be nice if there was a diegetic way to return to the hub (instead of just through the pause menu)
I wish I could throw further quicker. The game has lots of speedrunning potential but having to hold the button down before throwing it (and how slowly the trajectory guide fades in) feels like it kills that potential
I know the levels probably aren’t staying but the last two were pretty easy to get softlocked in
Super fun! This feels like a nice little puzzle game I would buy.
Here are a few notes since you asked for feedback in the video.
The only level I didn't like was the last one, which took me like 10 minutes to figure out.
I wish I didn't have to run past all the completed levels each time I finished a level.
Part of me felt like I should have to get back to the pipe after I collect the key. I wasn't expecting the levels to end the moment I got the key—like how does the little guy get out of there without his magnet?
I really think it will start feeling great once you get some audio in there.
I kept getting thrown off by the little + and - particles moving towards magnetic surfaces. They're always the opposite of the magnetic surface's polarity which makes it harder for me to glance quick and know if the surface's polarity is positive or negative.
Hey, loved the Developing series on the channel, it's amazing for an aspiring game dev! I did find some things in this game though, that I wanted to point out
In the hub, the pointer that tells you where the magnet is going to be thrown goes behind the gates.
The first tutorial level that is not accessed through the hub gives you a key so you don't need to complete all the levels to reach the end. Not sure if this is intentional or not, but just wanted to point it out.
Again, love this game and your channel, keep it up!
- I think it would be nice if you didn't have to walk past all the levels you'd already completed after each level. (maybe the magnet can drop out of the pipe you had thrown it in instead of the one at the start or the layout of the hub could have a better layout or more frequent checkpoints)
- Is there supposed to be sound? You said something about music but I don't seem o be hearing any.
- I like that you have to hold the reset level button for it to work but I think it would be nice if I knew how long I had been holding it already a bit better with either a progress bar or animation that was a bit more involved than just the icon growing.
- I think that the level pipes suck up your magnet regardless of which color or icon is displaying yet, it fixes this by showing the "+" icon and the negative magnet color. I think instead you could make some third symbol for both (possibly just even having it be a striped pattern using both positive and negative colors)
Great demo, Mark! Much improved character control!
(V2.0, played on a Mac with a PS4 controller)
Some things I liked:
The magnet character's subtle face animations when you are picking up the magnet, throwing the magnet, etc. You must reveal his name and backstory in your completed work!
The trail animations behind the magnet looks great! (how did you do that?)
The fact that you can jump up beneath a level select tube and release the magnet without having to aim makes fast level progression feel quick and snappy.
The way that the robot jumps without his wheel early on in the jump animation is whimsical and I love it (not sure if that was in the previous version or not though)
Spotted some bugs for you:
In both fullscreen and windowed mode, when the symbols on the top and bottom of the screen (jump/polarity instruction, key count, level reset indicator, etc.) were slightly visible but halfway cut off screen. I believe the intent was to hide them fully.
If you pause and select "Return to Hub" at the start of the game, you can skip the first area.
If you pass through the moveable, non-magnetized "L" shaped barrier and immediately walk backwards, the door does not sense the collision once the animation of the barrier is over. Once you move away from the barrier and re-collide with it, it works as intended. Kinda feels a bit weird if you ever attempt to double back.
If you head back into an already completed level, the key is gone so you are stuck in the level. The only way to exit the level is to use the pause menu, but I think there are other ways to bring the player back to the hub, like either activating a magnetic field in the level's Mario pipe or even including the key again in an "already collected" state (like the blue stars in Super Mario 64). The latter might even allow for some level practicing fun in case players want to try to see how fast they can complete each level or practice for a speed run of the game.
Not sure if this one is a bug or not, but when I hold Square to throw the magnet, the character continues to move a few steps before entering the aiming state. Could just be my personal preference, but I think a snappier, more immediate transition into throwing would feel better from a gamefeel perspective. I do see how this feature is useful when first picking up the magnet, so perhaps a few lines of code can be used to enable the delay only when picking up the magnet off the ground.
Keep up the good work! Love the game idea and love the Developing series! Looking forward to the basics of Unity video! Please include all of your abstraction strategies in there, as those will be super useful for new programmers!
(V2.0) The game feels way better. The improvements over the character are notorious and welcomed. Liked the accessibility features; even though I don't need them, I like being able to change colors. And the puzzles were fun and simple.
I like the idea of the hub level, but I don't like how you select the levels, maybe making it pull all the character and not just the magnet would be better.
And just as something extra, I think you should re-add the puzzles from the first version, or at least some, would be interesting to play them again with the improved stuff (and also interesting for you to remake them with the proper tooling as a learning experience).
Overall, an improvement over the game and it's fun, even though it still have rough edges (which are understandable). Honestly wish there were more levels, this version felt short (not a complain, just wanting to play more). Congrats on your game!
The character seems needlessly slow. It's most noticeable in the tutorial, which is essentially just "hold right" for the first half, but that's not the only time it's annoying. Some of the levels require you to travel their breadth twice to complete them, and a little bit of speed would help alleviate frustration if there are multiple resets (or just make the levels smaller).
2)
When I was messing around with the settings I noticed that "E" could not be mapped to any of the keyboard controls. This is the only button on my entire keyboard (other than "ESC") to receive this treatment. Due to the specificity, I assume that this is intentional, but I can't figure out why: The button which used to be mapped to "E," Carry/Enter Aim Mode, can be remapped; there literally isn't the option of leaving the Carry option blank or unmapped; and I can think of no negative repercussions to allowing that key to be mapped as the player wishes (especially since it's permanently mapped to LMB).
3)
If you bind Carry/Enter Aim Mode to LMB, then the game reads it as two inputs every time you click. This makes it impossible to carry the magnet with you. Either you immediately throw the magnet, or you hold the button which causes you to stop and begin aiming.
4)
A down control for passing through one-way platforms you're standing on would be nice.
LEVEL SPECIFIC COMMENTS:
Level 3:
The three-by-three block to the left of the one-way platforms seems unnecessary, and it makes it annoying to get back down, if you start up the one-way platforms and then change your mind.
Level 6:
The gap under the blue magnet panel could be one or two blocks thinner. It's annoying to solve the puzzle, but then have to start over because you missed the jump.
The vertical jump feels very stunted compared to the horizontal jump, possibly because the character moves faster than I expect.
There were some puzzles that the wrong solutions were too close to being viable, where it felt like I could maybe do it if I was better.
There were too many opportunities to soft lock yourself, which made it feel like the levels were designed and then only correct solution was tested.
There were a lot of jumps that were close to being something I could make but were too far, again makes the level design feel sloppy.
The first time I got a key and it faded to black and I exited the level felt bad, I think it would be more fun if I had to leave the room with the key.
And to expand on that, it would make the correct solution feel more correct because it would leave the room in a state I could leave so that would be more confirmation that I had done it correctly.
I didn't like that going through the doors was automatic, it felt like it was taking away my player agency. I think jumping into the pipes with the magnet might have felt better.
Generally wasn't a fan of the throw the magnet into the pipe as a mechanic, throwing the magnet at a magnetic button would make more sense. The pipes feel very much a case of "Well it worked in Mario"
I feel like the platforms you can jump through should have a way to go back down through them.
I think overall I was disappointed by the game, I feel like I expected more based on the videos and it failed to deliver. I think there are a lot of great building blocks in the game, but the level design and how things interact wasn't as smooth or intuitive as I would have liked.
very minor thing, but I noticed that in the thank you for playing room, the pipe there, if you switch the magnet to - the - shows above the pipe but the magnet is below it. I dont know weather this happens in other rooms, I just noticed it first there
edit: it happens with every pipe
Also, I loved the last level. I literally said "Aha!" out loud
As a KBM player on PC, - No obvious back button in settings (had to press ESC) [Refresh]CTRL is the first thing I saw in-game, and made me press it, not useful
- the F button prompt/instruction should be more obvious as a toggle
- "E - Carry Magnet" instruction should change to "E - Throw Magnet" after picking up the Magnet
- Using KBM, Mouse is much more intuitive to control the magnet, but the instructions only describe Keyboard (also, "F" should be right-click)
I'm writing this comment gradually as I play. Great MVP! I am playing with keyboard and mouse, so some of what I say will probably only apply to that.
I did notice on the very first time I was dropped into the game that the jump felt a little off to me (maybe to slow or to low, not as snappy as expected, but I haven't gotten used to it so that might be it).
I also noticed immediately that the push door things let you through when you run into them, but if you immediately turn around and don't leave the vicinity of the door and try to go back, it won't budge, even when you stop and start going in the opposite direction again. You have to move away from the door a bit and then back through.
I don't know if it was intentional, but the fact that you can't move around while aiming with the mouse feels needlessly limiting to me... maybe you can slow down but not fully stop the player when aiming?
Also, my opinion is that the magnet throwing, for keyboard and mouse, when the mouse is positioned at a place the magnet can actually go, the trajectory should line up with the mouse position, not just having the initial throw direction vector towards it, as that often ends up with undershooting. Idk, it's a matter of preference, I think. Could it be a setting?
My instinct as soon as I was holding onto a magnet that was stuck to the ceiling, other than changing the polarity, was that if I held a direction and jumped I would jump out of the hold and get a bit more distance, but it was just letting go followed by directional falling... adding the jumping off feature might break some of the puzzles or platforming (idk I haven't gotten to them yet) but I just want to give you everything I think of that might help.
Putting that platform that the magnet can pass but the player can't is a good instance of unspoken teaching. My instinct was to hold down and jump to pass through it like other platformers, but when I couldn't, I understood what it was for.
I noticed a lot of coyote time. Good feature to implement! I liked how much time it was, but it also was more than enough to be noticeable.
The hub has nice parallax, but since there are doors there, is it appropriate? maybe add a section of wall behind the doors themselves to make it less jarring?
good RMB aim cancel feature.
I noticed that if I jump against a floating bit of floor and then slide down it, the magnet's collision to bump it back for its visual effect also kind of slows down the player character's descent... It hasn't given me an issue yet but it's a possibility. It might need further testing, and maybe if possible let collision affect its position but don't let it get caught easily by pulling the player back? unless that is a way to prevent you from progressing until you do something later on, though I'd imagine the inverse of the magnet-passing-only platform would work better.
The magnet and all its particles are on a layer below the key sign above each door in the hub
Also, maybe for hub doors instead of automatically entering you could have an up direction prompt? like W or up on the joystick? It could prevent frustration if you ever incorporate doors in your levels or have multiple open doors at once.
Is the inability to rapidly swap polarities intentional? You can't swap back until the animation finishes, so mistakes or trying to get something to turn off only for a moment before the magnet falls doesn't work
Loved how at lvl 5 it's starting to pick up the difficulty; it actually made me think outside of the box a little
trying to throw when on a narrow ledge next to a wall or even just next to a wall will push the player because of the magnet's collision
I had trouble with lvl 6 before I realized what to do, as (spoiler alert) I was thinking along the route of throwing the magnet onto the button and legging it while the box was going up. I didn't realize that the lip of the magnet door would block the magnet box... before that I was trying to use it as a place to stand on and jump from, thinking that might help lol. Good puzzle.
(btw I'm not counting the tutorial as a lvl here when saying the lvl names; 5 and 6 are the last 2 when I say that)
Again, great MVP! I look forward to more of your devlogs (and the product, ofc)!
Played this on Steam's Proton, it worked flawlessly. It's a very fun prototype and the last level really surprised me. I found the hub's parallax strange, probably because of the doors. In struggled a little with the aim, more often than not I released the aim before button, making it fail, I think a short timer would solve this.
Before I start on my feedback, let me just give a bit of context, I played the game on my Windows laptop, although this is not how I usually play platformer games. V2.0 is the first version I have played so I also can't comment on the changes from the pervious version.
When the game first started their was no prompt on how to move, my first guess was to use the arrow keys, with worked. But as I was playing it soon became apparent that it wasn't the intended method of plays as I would have needed three hands to move with the arrow keys, aim with the mouse and use e/f/Space for the magnet's controls and jumping. You may want to tell players to use wasd for movement in the beginning. I only realized wasd was already bound when I went to go try to rebind the controls.
As far as the key system in the game, I was not the biggest fan. In the tutorial level you picked up a key and then used it to unlock the exit to the hub world. As such my initial interpretation was that after grabbing keys I would need to find an exit and/or return to start. Instead the main levels just abruptly end by collecting the key. May I suggest that after grabbing the key in the tutorial level, you are booted to a world 0 level select were you then demonstrate how to exchange keys to move on to world 1. It would be a better way of teaching that the levels end by collecting the key and you need keys to move on to the next world. Perhaps you could even start the tutorial levels with graffiti on the wall depicting a key and an arrow pointing down the level.
I might also recommend placing numbers such as 1-1 above the level doors, it would make it easier for people to give feedback on the individual levels. It's not a problem yet as their are so few levels but it is something to keep in mind going forward.
I will also say that as far as I can tell in this game, magnets of the same polarity don't repel each other like they do in real life. It's probably a bit late in game development to change the core mechanic of how the magnetism works but it was something I noticed.
Obviously the lack of sound and the crewed buttons in the options menu are just placeholders/temporary. I will say the crewed nature of the option buttons made it difficult to tell what they were depicting, specifically the buttons for controller support and keyboard support looked identical on a first glance. It also felt to be a bit weird to be playing a game that looked this good but to be completely silent as I played.
One final note, I would recommend placing a button in the options menu to exit said menu. It is a great game so far, keep up the good work.
Interesting mechanics and nice controls. I think the particle effects add a lot to the game aesthetic and overall it looks quite nice. I definitely think that adding some SFX, even basic ones, will add a lot to the game. I thought the progression curve was solid. The second to last puzzle was the trickiest I think, and getting to that trickier puzzle at that time / pace felt quite natural. Expanding the lobby / main area might be something you could capitalize on... I could see how more variance / detail could expand your game world / add some intrigue to the world.
pretty nice! the movement is smooth and the puzzles were good, but there are a few problems
you should be able to move while throwing the magnet
the plus and minus signs appear on the magnetic areas even if the "show signs on magnets and fields" option is turned off
also, i might have cheesed key 7 (the last level before the "thanks for playing") by getting the magnet up to the lever then squeezing it under the block so that it stops the block from pressing the button after i turn off the magnetic field. i don't know if that's the intended solution but if it is, it's a cool as hell puzzle
Positives: - Game feels very smooth to control. Walking around, jumping, sliding down inclines, catching the magnet in the air, etc. - I never felt like the puzzles were unfairly difficult. Even if I was stuck for a few minutes, when I found the solution it was an "oh, of course" moment. - The later puzzles made me think. - Magnets thunk satisfyingly
Problems:
- My first thought when seeing the key icons in the hub was that I had to *pay* a key to unlock each level, not that I would get one for playing the level. - In the tutorial, you have to walk through a door to progress. In every subsequent level, you only have to pick up the key. This felt incongruous. - Pause menu was fuzzy on my 1440p monitor - Handheld magnet does not interact with the big block magnets that move. - Handheld magnet does not feel like it is pushed away by same-polarity magnets. (when flipping polarities it feels like the magnet is dropped, not forcefully pushed off)
Minor annoyances: - If you move into one of the L doors to flip it, and then you move back, it won't flip. You have to move away from the door and then back towards it to flip it. - several of the puzzle elements (toggle switches, magnet disintegrator) were not clear visually what they were. I figured out because the gameplay introduced them well, but they didn't look super obvious. - I would have liked to be able to throw while moving. You could use the mouse button for this on K+M, and right trigger + right analogue stick on controller. Just would feel smoother. - Magnets in this game are all monopoles? Which don't exist in real life. Not sure this is a problem, since it only hit me after playing the whole game but it's kind of funny.
I think the existence of monopoles falls under artistic licence. It makes the puzzles cleaner and less fiddly, and the game wasn't meant to be very realistic anyway.
You cant skip loading into a level if you accidentally open it in the hub maybe instead of pipes that the magnet goes into it could be an magnet block that your magnet sticks to, then you could change polarity to close the level entry again.
You can't finish a finished level again (at least for the first level)(Maybe it could be ghost keys like mario ghost stars so you can at least replay the level?)
I'd love to be able to call the magnet home a bit. Maybe that would just be a wider area that you can call the magnet from?
Would prefer to be able to move and throw the magnet at the same time for a higher skill ceiling. Although, I know that'd come with more platform-y gameplay.
On the hub world, in order to get to the next level quickly i'd naturally hold right immediately, which would result in me having to backtrack to pick up the magnet. Perhaps it should spawn further in front, or you could just stop the player moving before the whole hub world is visible
Lastly, a question, is there a reason you can't change the magnet's polarity until you pick it up for the first time?
Nice one! This demo of Untitled Magnet Game is a well designed puzzler with "Aha!"'s and other great phenomona. The difficulty curve was set at just the right level to give people time to learn the controls, the interactions they can create and the different situations that can lead to interesting and seemingly contradictory catches.
There is one thing I would suggest, which is changing what happens when you re-enter a level. Classic puzzlers usually have little differences when you replay a level, with the only new goal being optimisation. A cool idea to implement would be that you are transported to the beginning of the stage, only, the pipe spits out 2 magnets, 1 north, 1 south and both unswitchable, and the level becomes one of resource management.
This idea does come with a few drawbacks though, with it removing one of the core mechanics that are used throughout the game, which would be the equivalent of Celeste's B-sides removing the dash and adding infinite stamina: the game removes the core mechanic.
This game, no matter what direction it takes, seems to be a fun, intuitive and engaging puzzler with very promising groundwork already laid. Good job!
Good work! The movement feels very smooth as far as I'm concerned. Coyote time, jump buffering and all that good (must have) platformer stuff.
I don't have much experience in terms of puzzle design, but one thing regarding platforming I'd like to point out, is that if you jump via a jump buffer (i.e. press jump before technically having landed yet), it gives you a lower max jump height compared to what it is normally (not sure if the base jump height is affected by this, or just the max jump height).
This is not a big deal, but a few of my jumps were unfortunately thrown off by this very thing, because I tend to chain jumps whenever I can in platformers. It made the jumping feel kinda inconsistent.
Also after finishing a level, I personally think I would prefer being spawned right outside the level I just finished, instead of at the entrance of the hub. It was a bit tedious (I'm being nitpicky, I know :P) to walk past all the finished levels to reach the next.
All in all, very nice demo, I look forward to seeing more :)
I think the only one i stuck longer than expected was stage 5, which i think is because L Door without magnet lock was introduced once in tutorial but not in stage 1 ~ 4, so I totally forgot about it XD.
Mostly fun. Neat aesthetic, responsive control, and indicators are clear enough for most part. And I never knew there's back to hub button after I accidentally click Escape.
I liked playing the demo. I like how the solutions to the puzzles are logical but not always obvious.
Maybe it's me, but I couldn't change the throwing arch, however I wanted to. Would this break the puzzles? Visually, the dots and arrow arch gave me the feeling I should be able to.
But besides that, I had fun playing the game, the overal atmoshpere is quite cute and the magnet mechanic is amazing and lends itself for a lot of cool puzzles.
After playing through all the levels, I've got to say the game feels polished and is really fun to play. The fact that you can switch the magnet polarity while not holding it gives so many level possibilities.
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Amazing. 10/10. Helps me procrastinate.
Great demo! the only problem i had was the last level, which for me the solution required me to get lucky with my throw. apart from that, i didnt really like the E and F controls so maybe change the defaults.
I mean they're changeable, also the clicks were options
A lot of good things. The character's movement, and the animation of the different elements in the game all feel pretty solid.
The puzzle designs were good, with room for a good bit of refinement. I found myself getting soft-locked several times where it felt like I shouldn't have. The last stage was like this, getting stuck multiple times just past the swiveling gate. If you don't have the magnet, you cant jump up to the upper level anymore.
I don't think I got the intended solution for puzzle 5. I quickly hit the final switch, and jumped back on the rising platform as it bounced back down slightly, making it possible for me to go back down. Still not sure how I was supposed to do it, but that didn't feel right.
The vertical semi-solids work as one-way walls... but that's not immediately intuitive. Maybe a different design for the vertical semi-solids is in order. It's also not very apparent that magnets can go through these one-way walls.
In level 1, you can do a sort of "Super Jump" up against the one-way wall, if you stand on the swivel platform next to the one-way wall with the red magnet and jump. There's no practical value in doing it in this level, but I'm just mentioning it for future levels.
Would really like to aim the magnet while walking. if you're concerned that this will make it difficult to stand still and aim on tight platforms, I'd suggest implementing a button to lock the character's movement for the specific instances where it's necessary. I've played games with a similar aiming mechanic, allowing free movement while aiming, until a button is pushed (maybe L or R?), which allows the character to continue aiming while standing still. (maybe you get full throwing range while standing still?) I think this would be worth the trouble, as it would make the more "routine" map traversal MUCH more pleasant, while still allowing for more precision when needed.
I feel like the ceiling pipes that suck up the magnet should be set to a "universal" polarity, so that they enter the pipe regardless of color. Several times I had to sit there for a second to figure out if my magnet was the right color, just to enter a door.
What happens if I throw my magnet into the wrong door pipe? The magnet is gone, and I'm just stuck outside the door, forced to go in, even if I don't want to.
Last small thing. The magnet-dissolving field with the little smiley face stop sign on it took me a while to understand. Maybe instead of a smile face, there could be a more intuitive graphic (a magnet with a crossed-out null symbol over it?)
The improvements to the core gameplay is amazing to see, but there's loads of stuff throwing me off.
- The character movement is really smooth, but I can't help but feel like movement should be allowed when aiming the magnet.
- I immediately started using left click to pick up the magnet and tried to switch polarity with right click. I feel like that should be at least one of the suggested alternative controls.
- Visually, the (+) symbols in the blue field were threw me off every single time I glanced at them. It felt more intuitive for the (-) symbols to be moving towards the blue. The association of red with (+), and (-) with blue helps greatly with intuitiveness.
- I'm sure you've thought about it already, but it having the same symbols repel feels like it should be present just as strongly as attraction is.
- The one way platforms really shouldn't be letting the magnet through. It really didn't fit the way I thought things worked. They could be redesigned, or the levels should be edited so that they aren't needed in that way, such as in Level one, just making the platforms further away from each other.
- I left a lot of the levels feeling like I hadn't found the right solution. (levels 4 and 6 especially). In level 6, maybe the magnet gate could be shifted further left, covering the gap more. I initially completed the level by jumping on the magnet gate as it turned, which is obviously incorrect.
- The soft locks were super frequent, which felt really limiting. One way to solve this is, where it wouldn't cheat the level, have a button to teleport the magnet back to you, or a magnet dispenser, or a rewind button, or a checkpoint, or anything which doesn't completely remove progress.
- For the regular buttons, which are held down, and for switches (on and off) perhaps a pulsing animation could play in the wires in the direction of flow, when the button is held. This would make things super intuitive in levels have more than multiple buttons/wires. It also makes it intuitively clear that it needs to be held down. Either way, a directional indicator on the wires makes things way more readable.
- The switch / slanted button could really be visually reworked.
1) It looks too similar to the regular button. Making it a different colour (yellow) could really help (along with the wire). This way, it's easier to spot which wire leads where.
2) It also doesn't have to be slanted. I find myself and the magnet sliding off of it too often. It could just be the same shape and alternate between two different colours. Every time I run over the slant I'm worrying about reactivating it on the way back. Both the button and the slanted button are too tall. It would be smoother if I could run over them both without feeling stuck. If I am not supposed to be able to run over them, it should also be made clearer.
3) The options being light green and dark green give the sense that it's turned off, which works in some cases and not others. Perhaps the switch should be a different colour depending on the situation. When it activates a red/blue field, maybe it could be coloured red/blue, along with the wire.
4) Something which would really help is if the buttons pulled the magnet (no matter the polarity) towards them slightly. This helps when throwing from a distance, so that the magnet snaps to the button. It can help the action feel more intentional.
Still, the progress you've made is really amazing to see! Can't wait for the next demo.
Very nice, would like a mouse 2 polarity switch
Would love if I could throw the magnet by pulling it like an slingshoot.
Hi there! I really enjoyed the puzzles in this, especially Weight And Pull Me and Lift Up. Most of my specific feedback notes concern game-feel-y controls things and smoothing out of gameplay hitches, but it really feels like a super strong foundation to build upon right now and it feels like you're getting really into the swing of designing puzzles for these systems. I played using mouse and keyboard.
- my first instinct in the first level is to press ctrl, as that's the only button prompt i see. put a 'wasd' or 'move' prompt.
- the spinning door thing in the first level is a little awkward - you have to walk a distance away from it then back into it if you wish to go back the other way
- it'd be nice if the aim bubbles showed up sooner, or there was some other feedback for beginning aiming
- with mouse controls, i'd like to be able to pick up magnets with mouse1, since that has the same function as E for aiming but not for picking up.
- would probably also appreciate mouse2 to change the polarity by default, to go along with the other mouse controls, rather than m2 to cancel aim.
- cancelling aim doesn't work - im still holding m1, and when i release m1 it still throws, whether or not i cancelled with m2.
- for some reason in the menu you can't set 'enter aim mode' to E with the default method, you have to click revert.
- generally 'locking' mouse1 and mouse2 into their default functions in the controls is very awkward, i'd really like to rebind them.
- have some way to leave a level after entering it when you've already got the key without having to enter the menu.
- the pickup-key to end-level feels delayed and initially i didn't notice the level ending - maybe freeze the character movement or enter a cutscene when gaining the key.
- perhaps have some 'reset' prompt if you can detect the player softlocking themself.
- in levels where the player has access to the magnet immediately, i feel like it should start already in their hands (especially the hub!)
- for keyboard controls, i do just feel like 'R' makes much more sense as a default reset key than ctrl, as it's the standard in most other puzzle games like this.
Played on a controller. cool game. i just wish that there was a way to throw the magnet with the second joystick while you walk with the first...
I enjoyed it. My biggest issue was that aiming the magnet on a controller was glitchy. It worked fine with the mouse though.
First off thanks for putting this out! My overall experience was very very positive. I'm loving all the improvements from the previous iteration!
Here're some notes from my playthrough:
- the close button is missing from the options menu (I had to guess that esc closed it)
- a bit jarring and unexpected when levels abruptly end after collecting a key. I was expecting to have to go back to the entrance or accomplish something else to complete the level. Basically, it wasn't clear to me that acquiring the key is the end goal of the level. I thought they were only used to unlock levels, but not complete the current one - like a side mission or a 1-up in Mario
- I couldn't return to the hub from the entrance door of any level. I had to open the pause menu and click the "return to hub" option - overall just felt a bit unintuitive and jarring as it forcibly pulled me out of the game
- unless intended by design, it felt a bit unintuitive that I couldn't move my character while aiming at the same time - especially since you can jump while aiming or aim in the air after jumping. I found myself unconsciously trying to move and aim on multiple occasions as I tried to line up a shot
- absolutely LOVE the "choose your own order" system. I was stumped on level 2, then jumped forward to level 3. In the process of solving level 3, I had that massive AHA moment and ran back to level 2 with the solution in mind
- It wasn't immediately apparent to me that I could step on the slanted green buttons again to reverse their effects. Due to the fact that they're greyed out after initially stepping on them, I assumed they were disabled and no longer functional after the first press
- well done on making it clear to the player that certain paths definitely weren't' the solution. There were at least a couple of levels where I initially thought, "hmm, maybe if I was just a bit faster I could make it to XYZ", but after trying again it was immediately clear to me that that wasn't the solution and I didn't get stuck in that classic player loop of trying the same thing over and over believing that my timing and mechanics were the issue and not that I had the wrong solution (ex: running across the large red bridge in level 4, it's clear that the player has no chance to make it across before the bridge is raised up)
- I'm not sure I solved the 4th puzzle correctly and was left with an unsatisfied feeling after completing the level. After getting the magnet to the large red bridge, I triggered the button by throwing the magnet onto it while I was standing to the side of the bridge. It felt like a bit of a "hack" since, as the button is slanted, I assumed that it was intentionally designed to not be triggered by the button (my first attempt at this solution had the magnet sliding off of the button)
- it would be nice to give the players an option to replay a level for fun after completing it, but instead of a key at the end, have a placeholder collectable or a greyed out key. When I play puzzle games I sometimes like to go back and replay levels I solved. Usually the first play through I waddle around a lot and test. After beating it, I want to replay it in a fast and efficient way, almost like a speed runner, if that makes sense. Despite wanted to do that here, I didn't - as there wasn't anything to collect, so I didn't get that rush of feeling like I had indeed conquered the puzzle
- it wasn't clear to me until after the 5th level that the difference between the slanted and flat buttons is that the flat on needs to have something on top of it to keep it on. Maybe I subconsciously realized it, but that level made the difference to me explicit and it wasn't until I consciously made that realization that I started to include that information in my planning for future levels (i.e. the 6th level)
- I was a bit confused by the key counter. At the start of the game I thought it indicated the current number of keys I had (assuming I expended one to unlock a level) as, after completing level 1, I had 2 keys instead of 1. I assumed this was to give the player the freedom to unlock 2 levels in case they got stuck on one. So I was surprised when the count kept going up. This feeling was reinforced since after each level the key count was shown, much like showing your 1-up count or life count in a Mario game. I eventually realized it represented the total count of keys I had obtained (basically puzzles completed - kind of since it's +1), but then I couldn't tell if I had any keys available to use to unlock a different level if I got stuck on another
- movement feels solid! My only notes are that the little man moves a bit slow and I would like the jump to be ever so slightly more responsive or weighty. The levels are large and there are frequently sections that require a decent amount of movement and back to back jumping, so I found myself getting a bit annoyed at how slow the little guy rolls around or how long it takes to jump 5 times in a row, especially after a level reset or returning to the hub world (side note, I would have loved to use the high jump for the back to back jumping, but it takes so much longer to use that I never used it)
- like level 4, I wasn't sure if I solved the 6th level correctly and was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. I effectively got the block stuck on the rotating door and then raced under the falling block to get to the key before it locked me out
- I had no idea I could use the mouse click to aim and throw the magnet until I randomly discovered it by accidentally clicking on my mouse. The options page and UI instructions only listed Q and E as options so I didn't realize the mouse was an option as well. I personally found the mouse much much more intuitive to throw the magnet with as I'm also aiming with it. I suggest maybe listing both options in the options menu similar to how many games display multiple bindings for actions in their settings. Additionally, I would have loved if the right click was added as a binding to toggle the magnet polarity. After I discovered I could pick up and throw the magnet with my mouse, I intuitively found myself right clicking to swap polarity
- In their current state, I'd give these puzzles a 7 / 10 overall. They were enjoyable and interesting, but the difficulty felt non-linear when completed in order and I had very little sense of "progression" in my knowledge and understanding of the game mechanics. Most of the time when I learned about a mechanic it felt accidental and not deliberate from the game. Almost like the game had forgotten to highlight something in the level or explain it before I got in. Basically, the new mechanics introduced in any particular level never felt like the focus of that level. However, there were absolutely a few superstar moments of genuine joy for me, a massive highlight was the interaction I described earlier between the 2nd and 3rd levels
Really nice overall MVP! Here are my notes:
Super fun! This feels like a nice little puzzle game I would buy.
Here are a few notes since you asked for feedback in the video.
Hey, loved the Developing series on the channel, it's amazing for an aspiring game dev! I did find some things in this game though, that I wanted to point out
Again, love this game and your channel, keep it up!
- I think it would be nice if you didn't have to walk past all the levels you'd already completed after each level. (maybe the magnet can drop out of the pipe you had thrown it in instead of the one at the start or the layout of the hub could have a better layout or more frequent checkpoints)
- Is there supposed to be sound? You said something about music but I don't seem o be hearing any.
- I like that you have to hold the reset level button for it to work but I think it would be nice if I knew how long I had been holding it already a bit better with either a progress bar or animation that was a bit more involved than just the icon growing.
- I think that the level pipes suck up your magnet regardless of which color or icon is displaying yet, it fixes this by showing the "+" icon and the negative magnet color. I think instead you could make some third symbol for both (possibly just even having it be a striped pattern using both positive and negative colors)
Great demo, Mark! Much improved character control!
(V2.0, played on a Mac with a PS4 controller)
Some things I liked:
Spotted some bugs for you:
Keep up the good work! Love the game idea and love the Developing series! Looking forward to the basics of Unity video! Please include all of your abstraction strategies in there, as those will be super useful for new programmers!
(V2.0) The game feels way better. The improvements over the character are notorious and welcomed. Liked the accessibility features; even though I don't need them, I like being able to change colors. And the puzzles were fun and simple.
I like the idea of the hub level, but I don't like how you select the levels, maybe making it pull all the character and not just the magnet would be better.
And just as something extra, I think you should re-add the puzzles from the first version, or at least some, would be interesting to play them again with the improved stuff (and also interesting for you to remake them with the proper tooling as a learning experience).
Overall, an improvement over the game and it's fun, even though it still have rough edges (which are understandable). Honestly wish there were more levels, this version felt short (not a complain, just wanting to play more). Congrats on your game!
GENERAL COMMENTS:
1)
The character seems needlessly slow. It's most noticeable in the tutorial, which is essentially just "hold right" for the first half, but that's not the only time it's annoying. Some of the levels require you to travel their breadth twice to complete them, and a little bit of speed would help alleviate frustration if there are multiple resets (or just make the levels smaller).
2)
When I was messing around with the settings I noticed that "E" could not be mapped to any of the keyboard controls. This is the only button on my entire keyboard (other than "ESC") to receive this treatment. Due to the specificity, I assume that this is intentional, but I can't figure out why: The button which used to be mapped to "E," Carry/Enter Aim Mode, can be remapped; there literally isn't the option of leaving the Carry option blank or unmapped; and I can think of no negative repercussions to allowing that key to be mapped as the player wishes (especially since it's permanently mapped to LMB).
3)
If you bind Carry/Enter Aim Mode to LMB, then the game reads it as two inputs every time you click. This makes it impossible to carry the magnet with you. Either you immediately throw the magnet, or you hold the button which causes you to stop and begin aiming.
4)
A down control for passing through one-way platforms you're standing on would be nice.
LEVEL SPECIFIC COMMENTS:
Level 3:
The three-by-three block to the left of the one-way platforms seems unnecessary, and it makes it annoying to get back down, if you start up the one-way platforms and then change your mind.
Level 6:
The gap under the blue magnet panel could be one or two blocks thinner. It's annoying to solve the puzzle, but then have to start over because you missed the jump.
V2.0
The vertical jump feels very stunted compared to the horizontal jump, possibly because the character moves faster than I expect.
There were some puzzles that the wrong solutions were too close to being viable, where it felt like I could maybe do it if I was better.
There were too many opportunities to soft lock yourself, which made it feel like the levels were designed and then only correct solution was tested.
There were a lot of jumps that were close to being something I could make but were too far, again makes the level design feel sloppy.
The first time I got a key and it faded to black and I exited the level felt bad, I think it would be more fun if I had to leave the room with the key.
And to expand on that, it would make the correct solution feel more correct because it would leave the room in a state I could leave so that would be more confirmation that I had done it correctly.
I didn't like that going through the doors was automatic, it felt like it was taking away my player agency. I think jumping into the pipes with the magnet might have felt better.
Generally wasn't a fan of the throw the magnet into the pipe as a mechanic, throwing the magnet at a magnetic button would make more sense. The pipes feel very much a case of "Well it worked in Mario"
I feel like the platforms you can jump through should have a way to go back down through them.
I think overall I was disappointed by the game, I feel like I expected more based on the videos and it failed to deliver. I think there are a lot of great building blocks in the game, but the level design and how things interact wasn't as smooth or intuitive as I would have liked.
The magnet appears behind many elements in the hub world (the key symbols above the doors for example) otherwise quite good
(v2.0) Plays very well! Playing it made me want to see some puzzles with swapping the magnet polarity mid-air.
bruh it doesn't fit on my screen
edit: nvm totally missed the fullscreen button thought it was in settings
very minor thing, but I noticed that in the thank you for playing room, the pipe there, if you switch the magnet to - the - shows above the pipe but the magnet is below it. I dont know weather this happens in other rooms, I just noticed it first there
edit: it happens with every pipe
Also, I loved the last level. I literally said "Aha!" out loud
As a KBM player on PC,
- No obvious back button in settings (had to press ESC)
[Refresh]CTRL is the first thing I saw in-game, and made me press it, not useful
- the F button prompt/instruction should be more obvious as a toggle
- "E - Carry Magnet" instruction should change to "E - Throw Magnet" after picking up the Magnet
- Using KBM, Mouse is much more intuitive to control the magnet, but the instructions only describe Keyboard (also, "F" should be right-click)
I'm writing this comment gradually as I play. Great MVP! I am playing with keyboard and mouse, so some of what I say will probably only apply to that.
I did notice on the very first time I was dropped into the game that the jump felt a little off to me (maybe to slow or to low, not as snappy as expected, but I haven't gotten used to it so that might be it).
I also noticed immediately that the push door things let you through when you run into them, but if you immediately turn around and don't leave the vicinity of the door and try to go back, it won't budge, even when you stop and start going in the opposite direction again. You have to move away from the door a bit and then back through.
I don't know if it was intentional, but the fact that you can't move around while aiming with the mouse feels needlessly limiting to me... maybe you can slow down but not fully stop the player when aiming?
Also, my opinion is that the magnet throwing, for keyboard and mouse, when the mouse is positioned at a place the magnet can actually go, the trajectory should line up with the mouse position, not just having the initial throw direction vector towards it, as that often ends up with undershooting. Idk, it's a matter of preference, I think. Could it be a setting?
My instinct as soon as I was holding onto a magnet that was stuck to the ceiling, other than changing the polarity, was that if I held a direction and jumped I would jump out of the hold and get a bit more distance, but it was just letting go followed by directional falling... adding the jumping off feature might break some of the puzzles or platforming (idk I haven't gotten to them yet) but I just want to give you everything I think of that might help.
Putting that platform that the magnet can pass but the player can't is a good instance of unspoken teaching. My instinct was to hold down and jump to pass through it like other platformers, but when I couldn't, I understood what it was for.
I noticed a lot of coyote time. Good feature to implement! I liked how much time it was, but it also was more than enough to be noticeable.
The hub has nice parallax, but since there are doors there, is it appropriate? maybe add a section of wall behind the doors themselves to make it less jarring?
good RMB aim cancel feature.
I noticed that if I jump against a floating bit of floor and then slide down it, the magnet's collision to bump it back for its visual effect also kind of slows down the player character's descent... It hasn't given me an issue yet but it's a possibility. It might need further testing, and maybe if possible let collision affect its position but don't let it get caught easily by pulling the player back? unless that is a way to prevent you from progressing until you do something later on, though I'd imagine the inverse of the magnet-passing-only platform would work better.
The magnet and all its particles are on a layer below the key sign above each door in the hub
Also, maybe for hub doors instead of automatically entering you could have an up direction prompt? like W or up on the joystick? It could prevent frustration if you ever incorporate doors in your levels or have multiple open doors at once.
Is the inability to rapidly swap polarities intentional? You can't swap back until the animation finishes, so mistakes or trying to get something to turn off only for a moment before the magnet falls doesn't work
Loved how at lvl 5 it's starting to pick up the difficulty; it actually made me think outside of the box a little
trying to throw when on a narrow ledge next to a wall or even just next to a wall will push the player because of the magnet's collision
I had trouble with lvl 6 before I realized what to do, as (spoiler alert) I was thinking along the route of throwing the magnet onto the button and legging it while the box was going up. I didn't realize that the lip of the magnet door would block the magnet box... before that I was trying to use it as a place to stand on and jump from, thinking that might help lol. Good puzzle.
(btw I'm not counting the tutorial as a lvl here when saying the lvl names; 5 and 6 are the last 2 when I say that)
Again, great MVP! I look forward to more of your devlogs (and the product, ofc)!
Played this on Steam's Proton, it worked flawlessly. It's a very fun prototype and the last level really surprised me. I found the hub's parallax strange, probably because of the doors. In struggled a little with the aim, more often than not I released the aim before button, making it fail, I think a short timer would solve this.
Before I start on my feedback, let me just give a bit of context, I played the game on my Windows laptop, although this is not how I usually play platformer games. V2.0 is the first version I have played so I also can't comment on the changes from the pervious version.
When the game first started their was no prompt on how to move, my first guess was to use the arrow keys, with worked. But as I was playing it soon became apparent that it wasn't the intended method of plays as I would have needed three hands to move with the arrow keys, aim with the mouse and use e/f/Space for the magnet's controls and jumping. You may want to tell players to use wasd for movement in the beginning. I only realized wasd was already bound when I went to go try to rebind the controls.
As far as the key system in the game, I was not the biggest fan. In the tutorial level you picked up a key and then used it to unlock the exit to the hub world. As such my initial interpretation was that after grabbing keys I would need to find an exit and/or return to start. Instead the main levels just abruptly end by collecting the key. May I suggest that after grabbing the key in the tutorial level, you are booted to a world 0 level select were you then demonstrate how to exchange keys to move on to world 1. It would be a better way of teaching that the levels end by collecting the key and you need keys to move on to the next world. Perhaps you could even start the tutorial levels with graffiti on the wall depicting a key and an arrow pointing down the level.
I might also recommend placing numbers such as 1-1 above the level doors, it would make it easier for people to give feedback on the individual levels. It's not a problem yet as their are so few levels but it is something to keep in mind going forward.
I will also say that as far as I can tell in this game, magnets of the same polarity don't repel each other like they do in real life. It's probably a bit late in game development to change the core mechanic of how the magnetism works but it was something I noticed.
Obviously the lack of sound and the crewed buttons in the options menu are just placeholders/temporary. I will say the crewed nature of the option buttons made it difficult to tell what they were depicting, specifically the buttons for controller support and keyboard support looked identical on a first glance. It also felt to be a bit weird to be playing a game that looked this good but to be completely silent as I played.
One final note, I would recommend placing a button in the options menu to exit said menu. It is a great game so far, keep up the good work.
wow level 7 was a sudden challenge of timing and precision
on long press magnet switches polarity both on press and release, so in effect no switch happens
also, stumbled on some geometry quirks
I'm positive this is how it is supposed to be completed:
XD you say, it's unintended to throw magnet to press the button and slip past before the big brick can crush you? XD
Interesting mechanics and nice controls. I think the particle effects add a lot to the game aesthetic and overall it looks quite nice. I definitely think that adding some SFX, even basic ones, will add a lot to the game. I thought the progression curve was solid. The second to last puzzle was the trickiest I think, and getting to that trickier puzzle at that time / pace felt quite natural. Expanding the lobby / main area might be something you could capitalize on... I could see how more variance / detail could expand your game world / add some intrigue to the world.
pretty nice! the movement is smooth and the puzzles were good, but there are a few problems
also, i might have cheesed key 7 (the last level before the "thanks for playing") by getting the magnet up to the lever then squeezing it under the block so that it stops the block from pressing the button after i turn off the magnetic field. i don't know if that's the intended solution but if it is, it's a cool as hell puzzle
alright so apparently that is NOT the intended solution, you have to stop the block from getting up using the L door
still a banger puzzle
nice game. Could say a lot of positive stuff but i’m just gonna point out here what i didn’t like (so you can improve on it :))
Positives:
- Game feels very smooth to control. Walking around, jumping, sliding down inclines, catching the magnet in the air, etc.
- I never felt like the puzzles were unfairly difficult. Even if I was stuck for a few minutes, when I found the solution it was an "oh, of course" moment.
- The later puzzles made me think.
- Magnets thunk satisfyingly
Problems:
- My first thought when seeing the key icons in the hub was that I had to *pay* a key to unlock each level, not that I would get one for playing the level.
- In the tutorial, you have to walk through a door to progress. In every subsequent level, you only have to pick up the key. This felt incongruous.
- Pause menu was fuzzy on my 1440p monitor
- Handheld magnet does not interact with the big block magnets that move.
- Handheld magnet does not feel like it is pushed away by same-polarity magnets. (when flipping polarities it feels like the magnet is dropped, not forcefully pushed off)
Minor annoyances:
- If you move into one of the L doors to flip it, and then you move back, it won't flip. You have to move away from the door and then back towards it to flip it.
- several of the puzzle elements (toggle switches, magnet disintegrator) were not clear visually what they were. I figured out because the gameplay introduced them well, but they didn't look super obvious.
- I would have liked to be able to throw while moving. You could use the mouse button for this on K+M, and right trigger + right analogue stick on controller. Just would feel smoother.
- Magnets in this game are all monopoles? Which don't exist in real life. Not sure this is a problem, since it only hit me after playing the whole game but it's kind of funny.
I think the existence of monopoles falls under artistic licence. It makes the puzzles cleaner and less fiddly, and the game wasn't meant to be very realistic anyway.
This one feels much nicer to play!
A few thoughts!
You cant skip loading into a level if you accidentally open it in the hub maybe instead of pipes that the magnet goes into it could be an magnet block that your magnet sticks to, then you could change polarity to close the level entry again.
You can't finish a finished level again (at least for the first level)(Maybe it could be ghost keys like mario ghost stars so you can at least replay the level?)
I'd love to be able to call the magnet home a bit. Maybe that would just be a wider area that you can call the magnet from?
Would prefer to be able to move and throw the magnet at the same time for a higher skill ceiling. Although, I know that'd come with more platform-y gameplay.
On the hub world, in order to get to the next level quickly i'd naturally hold right immediately, which would result in me having to backtrack to pick up the magnet. Perhaps it should spawn further in front, or you could just stop the player moving before the whole hub world is visible
Lastly, a question, is there a reason you can't change the magnet's polarity until you pick it up for the first time?
Thanks Mark!
Nice one! This demo of Untitled Magnet Game is a well designed puzzler with "Aha!"'s and other great phenomona. The difficulty curve was set at just the right level to give people time to learn the controls, the interactions they can create and the different situations that can lead to interesting and seemingly contradictory catches.
There is one thing I would suggest, which is changing what happens when you re-enter a level. Classic puzzlers usually have little differences when you replay a level, with the only new goal being optimisation. A cool idea to implement would be that you are transported to the beginning of the stage, only, the pipe spits out 2 magnets, 1 north, 1 south and both unswitchable, and the level becomes one of resource management.
This idea does come with a few drawbacks though, with it removing one of the core mechanics that are used throughout the game, which would be the equivalent of Celeste's B-sides removing the dash and adding infinite stamina: the game removes the core mechanic.
This game, no matter what direction it takes, seems to be a fun, intuitive and engaging puzzler with very promising groundwork already laid. Good job!
Good work! The movement feels very smooth as far as I'm concerned. Coyote time, jump buffering and all that good (must have) platformer stuff.
I don't have much experience in terms of puzzle design, but one thing regarding platforming I'd like to point out, is that if you jump via a jump buffer (i.e. press jump before technically having landed yet), it gives you a lower max jump height compared to what it is normally (not sure if the base jump height is affected by this, or just the max jump height).
This is not a big deal, but a few of my jumps were unfortunately thrown off by this very thing, because I tend to chain jumps whenever I can in platformers. It made the jumping feel kinda inconsistent.
Also after finishing a level, I personally think I would prefer being spawned right outside the level I just finished, instead of at the entrance of the hub. It was a bit tedious (I'm being nitpicky, I know :P) to walk past all the finished levels to reach the next.
All in all, very nice demo, I look forward to seeing more :)
I think the only one i stuck longer than expected was stage 5, which i think is because L Door without magnet lock was introduced once in tutorial but not in stage 1 ~ 4, so I totally forgot about it XD.
Mostly fun. Neat aesthetic, responsive control, and indicators are clear enough for most part. And I never knew there's back to hub button after I accidentally click Escape.
I liked playing the demo. I like how the solutions to the puzzles are logical but not always obvious.
Maybe it's me, but I couldn't change the throwing arch, however I wanted to. Would this break the puzzles? Visually, the dots and arrow arch gave me the feeling I should be able to.
But besides that, I had fun playing the game, the overal atmoshpere is quite cute and the magnet mechanic is amazing and lends itself for a lot of cool puzzles.
Good luck on the rest of development!
I guess it beats past the levels after 3, I new you would make levels past L3 only possible by giga chads.
Overall, pretty good. Last level hurt my brain
After playing through all the levels, I've got to say the game feels polished and is really fun to play. The fact that you can switch the magnet polarity while not holding it gives so many level possibilities.