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Department of Gravity Management Demo's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Does the improvement move game in the right direction | #1 | 4.600 | 4.600 |
| How creative was the improvement | #1 | 4.200 | 4.200 |
| Overall | #2 | 4.160 | 4.160 |
| Was the improvement accomplished | #3 | 4.200 | 4.200 |
| Was the improvement free from bugs | #4 | 3.800 | 3.800 |
| How sufficient was the improvement | #4 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
Ranked from 5 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Describe the improvement that you have been working for this jam
Quick note: for some people, it may make the most sense to play the Steam version (free demo) rather than itch, especially for those not comfortable with downloading.
Finished break rooms for demo portion of the game
a. Created new mini games for rooms missing them
b. Polished the look and feel
c. Polished the break room assets
Implemented soda collection system (including save system)
Implemented and polished all soda actions (make sure they have sound and effects)
Finished writing journals for demo portion of the game
Created 3 more songs to be used with the dynamic music system
Describe your game in one sentence
First-person physics puzzle game where get to play with gravity while exploring a space station.
What feedback are you looking for
All feedback welcome! The newer systems are all tied to the break rooms, so really what do people think of those? Maybe most important, do the break rooms add a nice "break" from the regular gameplay, or do they interrupt the flow of the core puzzles, and are just annoying? Individually, what do people thing of the soda ability and collection system, the journals from your predecessor, and the minigames unlocking secrets. And as always, I'm also interested in what people think about the core systems, and how satisfying/fun is it to progress through the game?
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Comments
I had a great experience. Graphics where great, and some what nostalgic. The gameplay was pretty interesting and fun like Portal but with magnets. I really appreciate the arrows on walls, great way to guide a player without too much nuisance. The breaking room was a nice place to relax and have fun by create and an absolute chaos. I think this game has a great potential. I wish you luck with it development.
Everything here is incredible! I haven't seen all the progress, but the last time I saw this I would have though I'm playing a completely different game. The polish really feels good, and the story telling through the breakroom, and cute signs on the wall really make it feel complete. I unfortunately didn't have time to play the whole game before the deadline, but I'll be sure to complete it over the next few days.
I love the puzzles here. They're complicated enough to take some studying, but simple enough that the solution doesn't feel impossible. That's a really tough balance to reach, and I think you nailed it. There are some nods to portal in the signs and stuff, but the puzzle design really makes it feel like a successor and not just a clone. As of right now, I have no notes! Someone else mentioned the signs from the computer, and I think they described that issue pretty well. The only other thing I would add is the text populates kinda slow imo.
I definitely need to buy a new PC that isn't a toaster. The game looks good, unfortunately I couldn't try it. But it still has potential. :v
I had a lot of fun with this one. This game felt like it was inspired by Portal without feeling like a bland clone of it. The puzzles were creative, the levels were well thought out, and the controls felt good. I'm a big fan of puzzle games, though tend to play more 2D ones, as 3D games sometimes make me dizzy and give me headaches. There were a few of times I had to take a moment to just stand still because certain movements were starting to trigger a little dizziness, but I was having enough fun that I wanted to take that moment to refocus so I could keep playing.
The arrows pointing you in the right direction were really helpful without feeling out of place or intrusive. They felt like they belonged as part of the station, and gave me something to look for if I ever got turned around. It was also nice that they didn't lead you to everything, so you were still rewarded for exploration.
I enjoyed the addition of the break rooms. They and the journals helped give more personality to the game and gave me the sense of actually being on the station. To me, they didn't feel like a break from the regular gameplay; they felt like a part of the story and a part of the world.
The sodas were also a lot of fun. I enjoyed having some in the first break room to test out and play with in a slightly more controlled environment before trying to find them and use them for solving puzzles. It might be nice, though, if there was a different button to interact with the vending machines to get a drink than the one used to pick things up. There were a couple of times I accidentally picked up the machine when I meant to try to get a soda out of it.
This was a really fun game and one I could see picking up when it has a full release.
I am playing the Steam version on Linux. As a Linux user, having Steam as an option was convenient to install and use Proton automatically instead of having to manually set it up in Wine, especially with the other requirements.
I'm playing on a 4K screen. When I started I changed the resolution to 1080p, before realizing it was set to windowed fullscreen. I then changed it to windowed and it resized, but not correctly. I swapped the resolution to something else, then back to 1080p and it resized correctly. Alt-Tabbing out and back in was problematic. I could get out fine and then back to the game, but getting it to recapture the mouse took several tries, and initially the mouse would just jump around rather than staying in the window so I could click and focus. Eventually I'd get the right spot and could capture the mouse. This is likely an issue with Steam Proton/Linux.
It feels a bit odd walking through the messages, especially the first one. I initially waited to see if there was going to be more text or an interaction indicator. On the other hand, it does make sure you see it.
When you get the wrench some text looks to appear, but then it quickly transitions into the next room. There should probably be more of a delay, or something requiring interaction, so the player can read the text in the room. This seems to only be an issue when getting the wrench, and the text did seem to just be about getting it.
I may have missed it, but I don't recall seeing anything about pushing buttons on the soda machines in the tutorial text. It wasn't until I came back and read the submission notes here on different soda effects that I went back and tried to focus on the soda machine buttons, and then saw the text about pushing a button with E. I had also missed the sodas on the tables in the break room, though I think my first time in there I had knocked some tables over and they may have been on the floor. I'd been stuck on the break room zone for a while trying to figure out where the gravity was to get to the exit, or how to open one of the grates behind the computer. In the end I found I could wall jump up to it. I made it to "1-1 = 0" before deciding to go back and see what I had missed, and reread the notes here. That time I went back and pressed the button on the lemon machine and went through the grate that opened. I think it would help to make the info on pushing buttons more prominent.
I liked the bit of story in the break room. The break rooms add a bit more personality to the game, so are a good addition. You may want to make them completely optional so those who only want the puzzles can skip them. I think the puzzles are good. I like puzzle games, though tend not to do many in 3D. I enjoyed playing this one. It reminded me a bit of portal. I think you have a good core here.