Thanks for taking the time to play. For context, and this is something I need to make more explicit, this is basically just a tech test to see if I can learn how to use Unreal effectively and what tools I may be missing (and there are quite a lot). So the result sits awkwardly between presenting itself as something that's been polished, especially due to the exceptional work by the creative team, but it's really more like the vibes of a story. I'm focusing on checking if I have the technical skills and resources to hit the big beats of a full project.
That's not to say that your feedback isn't valued though! My style of writing is kinda like every other line has been deleted. But this picks up in Act 2 of an old plot outline, and without act one you don't have enough lines to read between! The feedback consistently says when I reboot this project after getting my feet under me with the tech, a re-write is required. I'm not surprised, but it's good to have consistent feedback for that. Act 1 would've made for an awful way to start a game, but Act 2 is an awful way to start a story.
I think there's still a risk after a rewrite that readers may need to hold too much context in their head. For example. if somebody takes a break and comes back 3 months later, they'll probably be completely lost. For the future I'll rollback the ambiguity across the board.
With regards to jerky motion: I think this is something I need to dig into a lot more because this is an implementation detail with the dialogue sequence code. I need to figure out a way to automate smoothing between poses. Fun fact: Right now, every character's jaws open and shut between every frame because Unreal's physics engine applies gravity to their mouths. I tried to hide that fact, but it's deeply funny when I don't because they look like sharks biting each other. I think there's some intersection between the frame rate of the level sequence and the frame rate of the physics code. But that's Unreal for you. An absolute bear of an engine.
Thanks again for taking the time to read. I'm sure the creative team will be happy to hear this feedback!