I didn't realize that the %ideal entity points corresponded to any of the player interaction... it's super cool that you recognized that and added it in the description, and then also added this mechanic into your clone.
Viewing post in Deus Ex Machina (Clone) comments
I think one critique I do have is that the colliders you implement with the items on the screen and the player cube don't really seem consistent from item to item, like some DNA spins if I go over it but other DNA doesn't move. I also think that the difficulty is a bit intensified compared to the original game, which sort of takes away from the chill energy of "weird avant-garde reproduction game." This, along with the lack of accessibility of the music, does this for me. Like I'm sure that they don't have the music as part of the game because of limitations of the machine (although I can't say this for sure, I'd need to look into the hardware stuff for the ZX Spectrum), but I think they would've included it as part of the game if they had the capability. Like what you have given is valid and definitely ACCURATE but if I'm looking up a walkthrough of this game or sort of having the essence of the "experience" of the game I'm more looking for what they were Trying to convey.
Hey Abby!
I'm sorry you had that issue with the colliders. All the colliders on the objects should be identical (they may or may not be copy pasted...), but what I think may have been the issue was how the objects react and speed up on collision. The acceleration ends up being exponential, so if the object starts slower, it may take a hot sec before it feels like there is an effect.
My objects may accelerate slightly slower than the original which would also explain why you feel that the game is harder than the original too. I tried my best to balance the game in a way similar to the original, but its fully possible I went a bit overboard. I really struggled with the original and felt it was pretty hard, but i think I may have adjusted more to the controls as I created my version, and overcompensated for that fact. While I did ask a few people to test, I think I could have benefitted from asking them to play the original directly before playing my version.
As to your comment on the audio, I understand your point and why it might have been better to put the music in as it may fit more with the original vision of the creator should THEY recreate it on modern technology. However, when going about my clone, and when thinking about this very issue, I decided I wanted my clone to be faithful to the player experience of picking up and playing the game, not the original artist's vision. Ultimately the experience of the player is what makes a game, not necessarily the artist's intention, so I decided to replicate that on modern tech. I understand that it still is inconvenient, but I did ultimately decide that I wanted it to be that way.
However, in that same vein, your experience is what completes this game too, so I appreciate that you took the time to share that with me! Thank you!