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P.I. - The Chartide Cases's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Music/Sound/Writing | #3 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Theme/Limitation | #4 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Overall | #8 | 3.300 | 3.300 |
| Graphics/Animation/Imagery | #11 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Fun | #11 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Technical | #14 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
Ranked from 2 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How many people worked on the game?
1
What elements of the game did you NOT create? (No need to mention engine, OS, etc.)
MonospaceTypewriter Font
What do you think we can do to improve the next jam?
Communicate the "optional challenges" more clearly. They were not on the actual jam page; I had to join the Discord server to find them. Overall, I loved the jam! I created something I would have never otherwise expected to create, and I am proud.
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Comments
The presentation and mechanics worked great. As others have said a way to guide the player a bit would really help. I felt like I was just wandering around and typing the same words over and over. Took me nearly a half an hour to finish the first mission. I ran out of time so unfortunately I wasn't able to finish but I enjoyed the writing and the story that I made it through. Great work!
Thank you for the notes! I certainly lacked in giving the player guidance, or even much feedback at all regarding the progress they make. I'm already working on those issues - in future builds communication should ideally be very clear through both the writing and the mechanics. I'm sorry I ran your time, but I am glad that you enjoyed the experience!
Hey Vimlark, I have a new version of my game that is a lot more clear about what is happening and what to do next. This should improve your experience. There is also a completely redone first level with a lot more to discover. If you enjoyed the writing and the story (for which there are now 7-ish endings) you should check it out!
I liked the detective work and the setting, and the dialogue! The parser system was okay, but typing the same words over and over again (recall office...) got quite tedious. The same with constantly going back and forth in different rooms talking to the same characters, hoping to unlock new dialogue. The writing was good though! Also, appreciate the fact that there was music in the game!
Thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed the writing and the music. In the future, I plan to highlight anything that has changed dialogue following it, so you don't have to check each item repetitively. Also, I'd like to add a tab-to-autocomplete feature :)
Hey Jorava, I have a new update for my game with a better parser (less superfluous arguments) and less tedious gameplay! Check it out if you like!
Hey, sorry for the delayed response, but just played the updated game, and the improvements are great! The parser is more comfortable now. If there's something to criticise, it's the part where I had to to type "r wrapping" or "i painting" several times to try the different options, but that's pretty minor.
IIRC, there was only one ending in the original version, so glad to see there were at least three this time. I first got what I think is the "happy ending" with Reza, then a "mean ending" replacing Arte, and then the "true ending" where the pastry-eating culprit confessed. Well done!
I like the idea of a detective agency in a fantasy setting. Nicely streamlined text parsing-- very easy to understand the available commands. Would love to see more (and a shortcut for Recall). Good job!
Thank you for the feedback! Ah, there actually is a shortcut for Recall, though it doesn't do the convenient little pop-up. I disabled that because I, personally, enjoy typing "recall", and having it briefly pop up when I typed "r" then disappear as I finish the word appeared strange. I guess I should have enabled that anyway :) Easy fix for later builds tho ;)
That makes sense-- the whole Recall feature is nicely handled as well. I was thrown off for a minute when I could see options in recall that I hadn't discovered yet, but it does help you know where to go. These are minor gripes though--it's a solid proof of concept and I like the idea of newsscrolls and #1 Dad mugs in this setting.
Thank you so much again! In the future I plan to have items you haven't investigated be in grey text, and anything impactful perhaps in a green color (it will be a difficult choice, but given other reviews it seems that a slight hint is preferred to having to recall each item hoping for something to change). I agree that this is a good start, and I am very eager to improve this game and write further mysteries!
Maybe you could have an option to Recall "The Facts" or "The Clues" that you've found so far that could point the player towards where they should go next? Regardless, it looks like you've got a good start and a lot of potential for more stories!
Not to make this comment thread any longer - but that's an excellent idea! I already have the level itself keeping flags of what information the player has been exposed to, and a nice command like "Recall the facts" (which sounds cool, as well) could easily repeat vital information to keep them on track without telling them explicitly what to do. I definitely will plan to implement that!
Hey BlueRookStudios, my newest update for my game includes this very feature that you suggested (among other improvements)! Check it out if you like!
Awesome! Glad to hear there's a new update incoming-- I'll make sure to check it out in the next few days!
Took me a while to finish it. Also talked to you on discord, but for completeness, leaving a post here as well.
Started off nice, got a bit frustrated in the middle, and then finished with an "aha". So on average, not that bad :-)
For completeness I will reply here as well ;)
I'm glad you at least got the "aha" out of it. As I've made clear, I intend to much improve the experience in the future to prevent that puzzle-game-frustration part. Thank you for the feedback!
Absolutely loved this! Love the aesthetic, the music fits in great, great start to a really interesting tale.
Only complaints are that I had some trouble figuring out how to solve the initial puzzle, and ended up just systematically trying to "recall" every item to each person until it progressed, haha. But that might just be me. :)
I brute forced it too. Even after finishing it, I'm not quite sure why any one particular thing was advancing the story over any other thing.
I thought it made sense when I finally got to the thing ,
***SPOILER***
specifically, talking to the boss about his mug. But it just took me a while to get there. I think it was literally the last thing I tried lol
I understand what you mean. When I implemented the system that keeps flags on what you've done to allow progress, I didn't have much time left to really write the level to its most efficient state. I will probably fix up the first level in the future (and I plan to write the second).
I apologize that the feedback was unclear/unpolished, leaving you with a sub-par experience. I hope you at least enjoyed yourself somewhat!
As for what the flags actually are:
*****SPOILER*****
The first "lock" is passed when you have learned both Reza's and Khee's justifications for not having stolen a pastry (already has one/not hungry, doesn't like pastries, respectively) and then you talk to Jarg. From there, conversations flow straightforwardly as the case develops from "The Case of the Stolen Pastry" to "The Case of the Little Secret" to "The Case of the Workplace Crush" to the end.
>I apologize that the feedback was unclear/unpolished, leaving you with a sub-par experience. I hope you at least enjoyed yourself somewhat!
Don't apologize for the "experience". Everyone here is here for seven day jam games. The experience is playing a game that was thrown together at the last minute. A raw, unpolished micro game that tries something interesting, something new. This game isn't subpar, it's the best of that experience.
Did I enjoy it? Who brute forces a game they don't enjoy? :)
Ah, makes sense haha. I am very thankful for all the feedback I have been getting, including yours, because I can imagine such a better version of my game now! And I cannot wait to further develop my project and share an even better experience with others. But for the next 9 days I must wait...
Speaking of game jams, I could not imagine a 24 or 48 hour jam! Holy crap, I already lost so much sleep cramming for this week long one (though I did take two days to think of my idea to begin with). Jams are truly wacky. But so fun, in the end :D
Hey never_k, I finally updated my game to be have more obvious feedback about what is happening! There is also a completely redone first level, along with other improvements. You're welcome to check it out, if you like!
Hey Olivia, I have a new update for my game that addresses your issues from before! (Thanks for your feedback, again.) If you would like to, you can check it out!
A nice way to narrate a story, very good!