Let's Review Your Games — Ep. 056

excited. We have a mansion game. A game about spooky mansion. We have a game about water. And if we have if we have time, we have another game to play as well. Hey, what's the goal of today's live stream? To play games to crush dreams. To play games to crush dreams. Say that three, four, or five times and see if that mantra is effective. Play games, crush dreams. Play games, crush dreams. No, of course that's not the plan. Of course, the plan is, hey, let's give Sorry, I'm getting distracted here. [laughter] Let's give feedback. Let's give constructive criticism. I don't know what I'm talking about. Let's keep going here. Okay, let me turn on my chat here. Come on in, guys. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Hey, if you're a um uh if you're a new student like Jefferson, Fluff, Daniel, Adrian, Keith,

and David, welcome, welcome, welcome to Fulltime GameDev. And by the way, look guys, we've got seven days left, zero hours if you want to join the Fulltime GameDev summer sale. By the way, if you're a student, let me know what you think about the uh the course in the chat. And look, if you don't trust me about the program, I get it. I wouldn't trust me either. I don't trust many, you know, strikingly handsome YouTubers. You know, they make me uh skeptical. So, look at the uh look at the the reviews here. See if there's something you're interested in. These are students who went full-time with the help of the course, which is really really cool. Look, you're going to learn everything I've learned in the last decade of going full-time. You take a demo and you make a full game. And you do that with publishers. You do that with Kickstarter. You do that by hitting the Steam front page. You do that with wish lists. The list goes on and on of how to go full-time. There's a bunch of different ways and I teach them all in the course because I've done them all. You're also going to learn how to make a 2D game, a 3D game in GDO, Unreal, Unity, whichever

engine you want to learn. You're also going to get my 2D art program completely free. You're going to get my 3D art program completely free as well, but only only for the next seven days. If you want a shout out in tomorrow's live stream, be sure to click the link below and enroll. Okay, guys. You ready to jump into some games? In all seriousness, guys, the up the the goal here with these live streams is to provide constructive criticism and feedback about what's working for a game and what's not working for a game. At the end of the day, I want you and me, I want indie developers to be releasing games that are rock solid 1.0 0 launches, but anything before that, including the games we're going to play now, demos, we're going to offer feedback, right? Okay. So, let's jump into dark mansion. Let's jump into dark dimesion. I never ever say something's AI art. I only say when something feels like AI

art, that feels like AI art. I would be careful moving forward. Hey, thank you. Spook spookle says, "Nice vid about the wish list, Tom." How could we determine if this is AI? Generally, it's just the texture. But hey, I could be wrong. I love I love games about mansions. I'm obsessed with mansions. Hey, that feels good. Oh, that feels good, too. Nice. Normal sounds good. Normal. Normal. Good. Good. Good. I kind of wish that was a little bit

more moody. The music. Also, stop the music during the load screen because it feels really cheap. This feels like father. You guys remember father? I love games about mansions. Look at am I a child? Find the four missing fuses and install them into the fuse box to reinstate the power in the mansion. Use the fuse detector equipped with two to locate the fuses. Whoa, we got some sizing issues. It's a tiny little fuse detector. He's tiny little guy. The scale is is sort of all over the place with this game. I'm not going to lie. Um I am shorter than the door handles. Door handles should come up to my waist. Am I a child? Maybe. Oddly enough, I will tell you the game feels better than

I'm going to be honest like 90% of indie games I play on this channel. It's because the character controller just feels good. It just feels good to move around. I love this is procedurally generated. This is great. That wallpaper is so shiny. That's wild. Look at the texture on that. Yeah, I would be a little bit It's fine. It's just It feels so shiny. But I love mansions. I can't get enough mansions. So, the goal is to find four missing fuses. and install them in the fuse box to reinstate the power in the mansion. So, I'm gonna equip with two. How do I use this? F. Oh, okay.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Let's get out of here. Nice. Okay. So, I love I love games where you get lost in mansions. So, I'm definitely Wait, what? What was that? I'm definitely partial to this game, but the sizing is all off. I mean, this is wild, y'all. The railings come up to my neck, yet my fuse detector is is the size of like maybe a wasp's fuse detector. I totally agree. A lot can be excused if the player controller feels solid. I totally agree. A good character controller is so valuable.

What on earth? Where am I going? There's an exterior. [laughter] What is that? Oh, I found a fuse. I'll just keep running around. I don't know how to use the fuse detector. Okay. It didn't tell me. I don't love being chased by Okay. So, it I don't fully get it. Um I mean, I guess I get it. The The goal is to find two fuses or how many? four. Find four missing fuses. [gasps] [sighs] Um,

and I guess I I hide I guess I hide from the monsters, but you could barely see, so it's hard to even know where they are. Uh, one of the I I have found that these games with the Ender Enderman, um, they're easier said than done in terms of creating the AI for the beast because I don't know, is sneaking valid? I don't know. There's a lot of questions that are unanswered right now. I don't know where he is. What in the world? How is that fair? Why are all the doors open? I love the idea of it being a maze. That's kind of fun. But I don't know.

Okay, we're in the fuse room. I don't really know what's going on, honestly. We'll try again. So, let me think about this. I'm trying to provide some feedback for the developer. I don't I don't know when I'm waking up the beast. So, I don't even want to play. Like, there's part of me that doesn't even want to play because I'm just like, well, it seems like he's just awake in general. I don't hear [snorts] because if I could if I could see a light or some kind of hint that he's around, I can go hide, right? Also,

there's nowhere to hide. That's another problem. I also don't know why all the doors are opened. So, this just opens all doors, I guess. Let's try. Yeah. I don't love that. I'm not sure what Yeah. Okay. So, apparently he's heard me. Yeah, I would say that a map would probably be beneficial for a game that's this sprawling. Um, I like the kind of back roomsy vibe of it though. It is pretty cool. Um, but yeah, I need to be able to know I need to be able to know that the monster is near.

So the levers are used to like block the beast maybe. I mean that is scary. Oh gosh. Trying to figure out the mechanics like what what's the how this works. That's kind of fun. I do like that idea. That's kind of cool. You use the levers to stop the beast. I kind of have it figured out. Fuse room one. Okay. Is there a map? There's no map. There's no map at all. I mean, I'll be

honest with you. I'll be honest with you. Like I said in about maybe 10 minutes ago, I like this game more than most of the games I play on this channel. If I'm being honest, uh there's three reasons. The first reason is I like moody mansion games. I love them to pieces. I love games where you get lost in sprawling interiors with no windows. Number two, the character controller just feels really good. If you have a solid character controller with reactive inputs, you press, for example, you press F and the lever and everything's reactive and fast and the the footprints and the footstep sounds are fast and clicky, you automatically are like 20 30% above most indie games. Um, and then number three, one of the reasons I like this game is I do like um the the the atmosphere, like the mood and the music and the sound.

I wish that maybe let's see the tutorial. I was about to say maybe it'd be better if there was a tutorial. And there is a tutorial. Well, come on. Apparently, there was a a tutorial. You should have This should just be in the game. Yeah, this should have been What in the world? How did we miss this? Let's figure this out. Something happened that is bothering me. Okay, so this new game guys, the developer should just start us in the new game in the tutorial and should should basically integrate the tutorial into the game itself. Throwing us in like this is a real problem. The tutorial is funner anyway because it feels it feels it feels like um you're entering a mansion and that's cool. I would

definitely make the light source white that's following me or make it warm. It's like a cool white color and I would make it like a warm yellow. I would cut I would make that collider a convex one so it's smooth. That lever feels great. I wouldn't have it a left and right lever. I would have it some kind of like wobble lever or a button because it's really a a toggle like this should either move it to the left and stay and then back to the right or it should be a button. That feels really good though. Okay. What did it say? Press H. Press F to pick up flares and bandages. Nice. Press H to use bandages. Got it. Cool. Sound is great. Feels good. Press right

mouse bumper. Right mouse button to throw a flare. Yeah, this should have been in the first part of the game. This is great. Press one to equip your compass. Okay. What did it say? It's easy to get lost and confusing layout of the mansion. Use your compass to find your way around or [music] press M to see your map. I think in terms of like a prototype, this is a great prototype. I wouldn't say the quality of this is a demo. Demos need to be perfection. They really do. This is a great prototype, though. It's It's a cool concept. I think it's a really cool concept. Everything is so sized strangely though. Like tiny carpets,

massive ceilings, tiny little window uh uh paintings, little cabinets. I love the character control though. It feels so good. Okay, the goal of the game is to find all fuses and install them in the fuse box that you'll find around the mansion. Um, when the required amount of fuses are installed, all the lights in the mansion will turn on. Now, go ahead and use your fuse detector to see if you could find the fuses. Well, how? That's the one part of the game you didn't teach me. No, that's not it. How do I use the dang fuse detector? There's no way to It doesn't teach me. How do I use the the fuse detector? Two. But how do I use it?

Will it start beeping or something? Yeah, you should probably teach me that. Basically, it's hot and cold. I love this though. I I do. I like the atmosphere, the vibe. It's very spooky in a or it's eerie. I love Oh, I love that. Got it. Picked up a fuse, baby. Yeah, it's just the scale of the world is just all out of whack. Whoa, that's crazy music. Okay, that didn't really teach me about the the monsters, though. Yeah. Okay. Well, we need to jump onto

the next game, ladies and gentlemen. Um I I don't know. I thought that there was a lot of potential there. It felt like a good a good prototype, but I don't know if it was a good a good game or a good demo. Um, okay. Let's keep going, guys. And just remember, those of you just joining us, feel free to click the link below if you want to check out my massive course, Fulltime GameDev, which teaches you everything I've learned in the last decade of making indie games like these ones. I'm also about to release my third commercial release called Twisted Tower. Um, if you want to learn how to get funding, do Kickstarter campaigns, hit the Steamfront page, get wish lists, make a game in 2D, 3D, make a game or do 2D art, 3D art, um, but also how to do a YouTube channel even. It's all included in this massive bundle. It's such a good resource and it's 50% off. I don't do 50% off very often, okay? I think I do it like once a quarter, if that. This game is called The Edge of Water.

So far, I'm sold. Chef's kiss. My keyboard works. My mouse works. Let's take a look at THE OPTIONS MENU. OH, THE SOUNDS FELT SO GOOD. OH, everything feels great. That's what we wanted. I love it. I'm already willing to spend $15 on this game just because of the menu. That's how valuable a menu is. Okay. Oh yeah. Listen to music, y'all. I'm sold. I just need to spend $15 for this menu.

Oh, [screaming] my heart. [singing] Okay, let's see if that menu carries through into the game itself. I don't know if I can. [laughter] You must. We were not the only ones to have lost our guides. Without a guide fish to call on them, lesser fish will not join the long journey. I know, but oh, come here. Look at you all grown. I know my sister and I know she taught you well. You'll do just fine. All right. All right. Be careful now. And when you find the song fish heard, bring it straight to the village.

Sue be with you. Oh, the sounds, the UI, it all feels great. Why can't I walk on the water? Oh my word. I can walk on the freaking water. Let's go. Careful. Don't open up the world too much for me. I'm getting a little nervous. It's a little too uh open if I'm being honest. What's in here? Get past the reed fields. Careful. Okay. A little bit of a design issue here in my opinion. I love that you can walk on water. I mean, come on. A little bit of a design issue here. The world feels a little open. a little too open right now. Also, I would put a decal beneath the player or at least make it a little bit more clear

because it's hard to know what I'm on top of. And the same is true with the water, by the way. It felt like I was floating. I would put like ripples underneath my feet. Um, and also a decal under my feet as well. Yeah, that it feels floaty and so I would add a decal underneath the player's feet. So, I have too much. Feel like I just have too many abilities. The world's a little too open if I'm being honest. Hey, come on. Give me some music.

All right. So, it feels a little uh empty. but full. It's kind of disorienting. I wish that we started the player with like one little house. Um, and you have to go do something and and you're taught something. Right now, it's like very overwhelming. Look, there's a player here. I don't even know who to talk to. I can't go in there. So, I guess it's get past the reed fields, huh? It's just very You could get lost very quickly. There's so much to look at, but none of it's interactable. Maybe it's like a puzzle game, though. Hold shift to use your kite. Can I zoom out?

I would just have one little building there. I wouldn't I that that was a little confusing. I'm going to be honest with the developer. I feel like that whole sequence was a little sketchy because it made me think that there was a lot to do, but there was nothing to do. It It made me feel like that was the hub of the game, but it's not true. The game is I think from what I can gather, the game is a a linear pro like puzzle game. Maybe maybe it's an action game. Well, that's cool. I I mean it guys, aside from that intro, aside from that intro sequence, this is awesome. Like such good art.

Um, I agree. We need some music. We will see. But can you hear it, guys? Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Feels great.

Clear the path. Look, I got ugly like gross water here. Okay, what is Thomas doing? Sorry. Okay, so we've got a little puzzle here. Nice. And I could swing like this. This feels great. I would tell the developer the only thing that bugs me is that I feel like I'm floating. And I know that I'm walking on water, but I felt like the surface felt rigid. I felt I wish there was like a just a constant ripple underneath the player's feet of just going like white circles going out along with like a dark shade so it feels like I'm I'm on top of it. You could even do a reflection as well. I think it would help so much.

I appreciate the relaxation, but let's be real, some great music would help this so much. nice. And let me let me try and show you. Okay, so the developers pro maybe the developer I'll tell you this. Maybe the developer is thinking, "Okay, Thomas, you're almost to the music. You're almost to the music. It maybe not, but I've been playing for 10 minutes. And I kind of just feel like it would do so. It would be so much more effective. I would be in love with this game. Absolutely in love with this game if this is the kind of music that would play. Are you guys ready? Here we go.

Here we go. You ready? Oh my word. I already freaking love it. Woohoo. [screaming] That's awesome. Oh yeah, you could also do I think this game like my music honestly my music might sound pretty good with this game. Let's take a look.

Okay, let's try one. Yep. Works. Beautiful. Can I jump? I can jump. Nice. Yeah, we definitely need It feels like the player is constantly floating on stuff. It's a big problem. In fact, look at look at that. He's floating on the

stone. It's a real problem. I would say it's the biggest problem with this game. How do I go up there? Whoa. I don't love that all of your abilities are given to you right away. Kind of wish you had to earn them. It'd be funner. Is this game 2D? It feels like it's 2D. I know that's not true, though. But maybe it is. Is it 2D? Hello.

Nice. Hey, this music works, too. You want to hear it better, guys? Here. You could even do music that's like kind of like what what's the game called? Townkeeper. Town Townscaper. So there's a song on Townscaper that could really be good. Yep. Here's another one. Definitely need some music for this game. Listen, listen, listen, guys. Is it?

This is awesome. I I love it. All it needs is good music and better contact with surfaces. See how See how he's floating there? It drives me crazy. Awesome game. Another

one. Believe it or not, Hogwarts Legacy would actually work as well. Let's find a good cozy song from Hogwarts Legacy. Let's see if this works. How do I use What do I do with Q? Man, I'm getting wrecked.

How about we flee for a little bit? Nice, Thomas. Oh, I like those collectibles. Those feel good. Nice. Cool. Okay, guys. What do you think about what do you think about about how

important music is? Just just just just let's end this stream and just and just remember how important music is. Music is so valuable. That game was awesome, though. I thought it was great. I think there's a ton of potential there. Um, character controller, I wish it wasn't so floaty. I wish it didn't feel it felt a little stiff sometimes, and I think the game needed some some some music, but other than that, it's pretty cool idea. I actually really like it a lot. Um, that's all I've got time for. I got to run down to the gym and hang out with my wife at the gym and work out together. And then, um, and then I'll see you tomorrow. If you want a shout out just like these students in tomorrow's live stream, Jefferson Fluff, Daniel, Adrien, Keith, and David, then be sure to check out the link below to enroll in full-time gamedev. 50% off for the summer sale. You got six days left to 23 hours to join and enroll in full-time gamedev, which teaches you everything I've learned in the last decade of getting funding and then making games full-time. Right? So, you can get funded with just a demo. You can find publishers. You can do Kickstarter

campaigns. You can just get wish lists. The list goes on on ways to market your game, to fund your game. The course also teaches you how to make games in 2D or 3D, Unity, GDAU, or Unreal, how to hit the Steam front page, how to reach out to the press, and you're thinking, "Wow, who's this guy?" Well, this guy, me, I've done all these things. So, you're going to learn from an actual indie game dev who's gone full-time on three separate occasions. My current game is called Twisted Tower, and Twisted Tower is slated for launch August 18th. So, any support that you guys have, including a course like this, means the world to me. Um, but yeah, that's about everything I've got for you guys. I love you. I hope you had a good time today. And we'll do a longer