Deadly Dark

1. How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring? 
   1. Tense at times. The constant footsteps in the background and the low visibility were good
2. What did you think of the map size? 
   1. Probably a bit too big
3. How did you feel about visibility while playing? 
   1. Maybe a smidge too dark. More landmarks for the spaces would have been good
4. Tell us about your favorite part of the game. 
   1. The audio was really well done. The game had a tense atmosphere
5. Tell us about your least favorite part of the game. 
   1. I wasnt sure what i was supposed to do. I also couldnt always load batteries into slots, so that felt very frustrating. I felt that i was fighting controls more than anything gameplay related
6. Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs? 
   1. The biggest issue is lack of clarity of what I should be doing. I didnt read anything beyond the control setup, so i wasnt sure what was going on or my goals. The first time i saw the slenderman i walked up to him to see what was going on then i died (i figured something like that would happen). The next time I died my back was to the enemy as i tried to get a battery into a slot. So it just kind of ended anti-climatically. This could have been a great jumpscare moment (Spin the camera around and with a quick zoom in on the slenderman’s face and some sound effect)
7. Feedback on any specific mechanics, rooms, etc?
8. What do you think about the Luumba? 
   1. If that is slender man, it was creepy looking. But i am not sure how he relates to putting me into a painting. I’d almost say have a paint canvas follow you around instead, but that is pretty goofy, but thematic.

The gameplay felt fine, I had to play without sound, and it was still quite terrifying.

The map felt maybe a bit too big for me, but that might just be my apprehension with horror games and wanting to quickly get through it

Visibility felt a bit too low for me, at least when it came to the flashlight, I couldn't really tell where I was in the stage. The flashlight just didn't feel bright enough, and it felt like it didn't reach far enough, but maybe that was intentional. If it was intentional, I recommend at least a little bit more power to the flashlight

Only half joking, my favorite part of the game was being able to see. the lamps that you could put batteries in provided a small feeling of safety because it put off so much light, and I liked staying in the light

I had trouble finding the fragments in the first place, and when I did find them, I had trouble finding my way back to the center, it just felt hard to navigate because of the aforementioned flashlight not being bright enough

It felt pretty difficult, and though I thought I knew where a second fragment was, I had no idea where I was in relation to anywhere else, it might be nice to color code each "section" of the museum just to make it easier to tell where exactly in space you were

Frankly I never made it to any of the puzzles because I kept getting got before I knew what was happening, and I also didn't know where I was

I also never found the Luumba :'( It seemed light such a silly buddy when it was shown off in class

How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?

The gameplay felt good, the flow of the gameplay certainly felt smooth and I didn't often find myself asking where I needed to go

What did you think of the map size?

The map felt appropriately sized in terms of distance to travel, but it did feel quite large with the amount of picture pieces required. I found myself checking some of the same areas because I wasn't exactly sure of where to look

How did you feel about visibility while playing?

Corridors and rooms provided an adequate amount of visibility, but I found it really hard to decipher much when looking to larger expanses in rooms. This led to some of that confused with direction feeling. I think a tiny little more visibility from the flashlight would help keep focus on the game instead of fighting against it too see rooms.

Tell us about your favorite part of the game.

I think the puzzles are a great addition and are well designed. I also very much enjoyed the ambience, it hit a perfect note

Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.

Getting to 5 fragments felt pretty good, but with only 5/9 fragments the shade felt quite oppressive. It made it hard to make progress and slowed things down greatly, which if you're not doing a recharge style game plan is a death sentence.

Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?

Knowing more about the game provided some much needed information that definitely helped. As stated above though, the relative weakness of the flashlight did make it feel pretty difficult. Not in an unnecessary way, but it just felt like if I made one mistake mid run with light spacing that it was always over since the shade is much faster and doesn't get stunned for long

Feedback on any specific mechanics, rooms, etc?

Puzzles room are a great addition but feel like they pose a great risk without a very specific playstyle. If these rooms maybe had a light you could spend your batteries on to have some general safety, it would go a long way

What do you think about the Luumba?

I love him and think he works perfectly, keep that up!

1. The game was much more interesting with a more fleshed out map and the museum map was a great help in getting your footing.

2. I'd say the map is a touch too big.  Though having an in game map was nice there are so many rooms its really easy to completely lose your baring and get completely lost.  But maybe that's by design.

3. The addition of more rooms made hanging onto walls a much more viable strategy to maintain visibility but if you tried crossing one of the larger ones you could still hit points where the flashlight wouldn't illuminate the opposite end.  Shout out to natural flashlight flickering giving me a heart attack.

4.  I just really like the map itself.  It feels much more like an art gallery and it was just nice getting to see the various pictures on the walls.  It made exploration a lot more satisfying.

5. While I do like the map itself I find it really difficult to navigate.  There are so many rooms it was really easy to think I knew where I was going then get totally lost in ways that were more frustrating than interesting to overcome.

6. The difficulty felt odd.  It felt weirdly easy to find painting pieces, I stumbled into new ones every minute or so.  But I'd often lose them again as I had to swap out for batteries and stuff because the flashlight just doesn't work when crossing large rooms.  The monster felt really good though, terrifying but manageable.

1. The gameplay is still excited. I loved the addition of the simple light puzzle. Would have been cool to see more of that.
2. I think the map size was maybe a little too big with how dark the lighting is. It was hard to get a sense of direction so there were times where I would just walk in circles for a while.
3. I think the game is a little too dark. I thought the lighting in the first playtest hit the perfect balance between being able to see and still being scary.
4. I loved the little light puzzle, it felt so much more rewarding finding that fragment than any of the others. It reminded me a lot of Resident Evil style puzzles.
   
5. Even with the maps and coloring of the different sections, I still got lost constantly. I didn't mind it at first but I never was able to get any sense of direction. I think having the different areas feature completely different wallpapers and flooring would help. Another option would be maybe adding some sort of guide back to the central area, something like an exit sign.
6. I feel that the game leans difficult but mostly due to what I mentioned above. The one hit kill is rough but it's really not that hard to avoid so it isn't the biggest deal.
   
7. I know it's probably way too late for such a big addition but I'd love each area to have it's own puzzle for acquiring the fragments. I know it's supposed to be the museum of lights but I think it would be cool for each area to have a distinct theme (Dinosaurs, Space, History, Art, etc).
8. I love Luumba but I do wish they traversed more of the museum. It was always such a pleasant surprise to go off exploring and bump back into the. It might be cool to have Luumba always roaming around but needing a battery to light up.

Really impressed with this game, great job!

1. How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?

- the game play was really exciting, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time hearing the footsteps when I am not moving. 

1. What did you think of the map size?

- The map size was pretty good, I get lost a lot which is pretty realistic with what will happen if I was actually in the game. I don't know if this is in one of the illustrations but maybe a map similar to those fire exit ones would be nice to refer back to.

1. How did you feel about visibility while playing?

- the visibility was pretty good. I start to get nauseaus after a while when I don't switch out the batteries to my flashlight

1. Tell us about your favorite part of the game.

- my favorite part was the sounds the monster makes. It definitely makes the game a lot spookier so props to the sound designer. The ripping noise creeps me out so much so I am a big fan of it

1. Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.

- I think the nausea part with the movement is probably my least favorite part but I think that one is on me lol. This is part of the reason why I stay away from VR games. 

1. Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?

The difficulty definitely gets easier as you go. I get more familiar with the map and where the batteries are located. Also where the safe zone area is at. I think I lose that a lot the first few times. 

1. Feedback on any specific mechanics, rooms, etc?

- n/a

1. What do you think about the Luumba?

- I really liked the luumba, I think it is a good addition to the game and definitely a fun guy lol

• How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?

The gameplay was fun and still similar to the Slender Man: The Eight Pages esc, I was sprinting around and ended up sprinting into the monster on several occasions. It scared the S**t out of me to say the least, but I still had a great time playing. 

• What did you think of the map size?

I believe the current size of the map is quite nice and I enjoyed this revised layout, areas feel deliberately placed and planned out like a museum would be. Also, the atmosphere of added museum objects really made it feel more “alive” I could say.

• How did you feel about visibility while playing?

I think the ability to accidentally run straight into the monster extremely fun and scary, it made me slow down and try to sneak instead of trying to just rush around to find the pieces. I think the light from the flashlight falls off right where it needed to.

• Tell us about your favorite part of the game.

I think the batteries are my favorite part honestly, I always carried around a spare for my flashlight and when I would go back near the office I would charge one up. Made my own little system. 

• Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.

My least favorite part has to be the part where the game scares me. 

• Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?

The first run of any game like this is always going to wind up either being a lucky first try or a mass number of subsequent attempts. I enjoyed the replay ability and remembering where generally stuff spawned helped me from time to time on each run.

• Feedback on any specific mechanics, rooms, etc?

The only issue I found was the story button that made the story appear at the bottom instead at the top of the page. And the camera jerks around at the very beginning, it seems like the character is facing the wrong way and then is forced to fix the camera.

• What do you think about the Luumba?

I think it’s a good addition to the overall game

1. How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?
   Definitely exciting and scary. Especially how the monster shakes, well done.
2. What did you think of the map size?
   Great, pretty big and pretty sure I got lost. 
3. How did you feel about visibility while playing?
   I do wish I could see just a little bit more. 
4. Tell us about your favorite part of the game.
   The monster, the shakyness to it really gets you. I do wish it had more moving parts though. 
5. Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.
   For me, I couldn't really find fragments, but did find plenty of batteries
6. Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?
   I love that there is sound, that really helps determine where the monster is. 
7. Feedback on any specific mechanics?
   I got lost very easily, and maybe if I played the game multiple times, i'd have a sense to what area I'm at and where to go. The monster has a good balance to it. It could use some more scarier movements, some scary noises it makes when you point the camera at it will really be great!!

1. How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?
   1. The gameplay was fun. I was a little bit confused about what to do at first but I think that was part of the experience.
2. What did you think of the map size?
   1. I think the map size was a good size for the gameplay to stay interesting.
3. How did you feel about visibility while playing?
   1. I think it was good visibility but I play on pretty high brightness so I got to see things in the dark.
4. Tell us about your favorite part of the game.
   1. Exploring the map
5. Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.
   1. One time I died without hearing footsteps but that could've just been my lack of attention.
6. Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?
   1. I think it's at a good difficulty right now. 
7. Feedback on any specific mechanics?
   1. I think having a clearer indicator of where the monster is would be a good mechanic to add because sometimes I turn a corner and i just die.

1. How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?
   I think the gameplay was really interesting. Certainly not boring. Because I'm not very great with horror games I was certainly slow to make progress, but it was enjoyable in the process.
2. What did you think of the map size?
   Map size was sufficient; I enjoyed the idea of it being very maze-like in that even if it isn't a vast size, it certainly seemed like it was especially with low visibility.
3. How did you feel about visibility while playing?
   The visibility was great for the game's approach and genre. There were some times when I'd have to stick to the walls or floor because not being able to see ahead, but I think that contributed well as tension to press on ahead. 
4. Tell us about your favorite part of the game.
   I enjoyed the replayability of it in that it wasn't tedious to spend multiple tries on it. The game is already well structured and designed where it's moderately balanced and can very well stand on its own soon.
5. Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.
   I easily got lost, I spent a lot of time going around in circles and it took me a few runs to find the altar.
6. Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?
   The first run was difficult, but it definitely eased to be more viable with experience. By the second/third run I got a general gist and was able to focus on avoiding the monster and collecting the fragments.
7. Feedback on any specific mechanics?
   When the flashlight flickered, I wasn't sure if that was due to it losing its battery life or the monster being nearby. I think some sort of indicator like that when it's nearby would be interesting since there were a few times when I died without being alerted of it.

1. How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?
   1. The gameplay was very fun and exciting to me. It definitely reminds me of a few games that I have played before and have had lots of fun playing as well so this is a very enjoyable experience to me. I got jumpy at a few points when I would see him in the distance or heard his quiet chatter in the game. 
2. What did you think of the map size?
   1. The map size felt good to me, It was a big art museum but helped the game so that it could have a lot of variability for the fragment spawning. It takes a few tries to understand the layout of the map and it becomes a memory game with the tiny landmarks to help distinguish where you are.  
3. How did you feel about visibility while playing?
   1. Visibility was good, it was the perfect on what you could and couldn't see and allowed for you to be nervous if you were about to run into the creature in the museum. 
4. Tell us about your favorite part of the game.
   1. I liked the variability the most, i like that there were fixed positions for the fragments and allowed me to explore the map more with each try.
5. Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.
   1. The Creature's noise scared me when I was sitting there in the silent ambience and i heard his random chatter. (I don't really have a least favorite mechanic of the game he just is scary lol)
6. Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?
   1. Difficulty felt perfect to me. You go in blind and confused in the beginning but not the worst to get away from the monster as you understand that the lights help defend yourself. After a few tries you learn the map and area out, at least for me, pretty quickly. 
7. Feedback on any specific mechanics?
   1. I couldn't tell if what my flashlight battery was at and i didn't know if it was running out because in all my tries I never really changed them, maybe adding a flashlight charge bar as a UI element could help.
   2. I think the volume of the monster could be a bit louder, It took me a while to actually hear in when I first started playing and would just die instead without knowing he saw me or he was around. I think having a louder or more constant sound when he is around could allow the player to know where he is and if they are getting closer to him. 

The game felt nice and stressful.  I rarely saw the monster but the map was so large and the visibility so bad I never felt safe.  It was properly eerie especially with the sound effects.

The map felt really big, with the low visibility it felt impossible to actually find all the pieces but it works for a horror game where you’re trying to get the players lost.

The visibility really rough, especially in open areas you can’t see anything.  It works for conveying a very oppressive spooky atmosphere but it is frustrating.

My favorite part is the immaculate vibes, this game gives off early 2000s creepy pasta energy in the best way.  Very nostalgic and unsettling.

It felt really hit or miss.  I would have some runs where I almost never saw the monster, and others where it would find me in seconds.

1. How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?

The game was fun and interesting. I think you guys are in the stage of adding a sound whenever the monster gets close to you, you would hear it and run away. 

2.What did you think of the map size?

The map was kinda confusing. It probably because I had a little time to play it. But after playing it over and over I would get into knowing checkpoint of where I am. 

3.How did you feel about visibility while playing?

The visibility was good.

4.Tell us about your favorite part of the game.

I like the idea that I had to collect the cube looking thing and put it at the center. To win Although haven't beaten the game yet. 

5.Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.

I don't like how he walks in two legs makes it seems as if he is an intelligent life form with a scary look. 

6.Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs? 

The diffculty was kinda hard but then once you know checkpoints it makes it easier to collect the items.

7.Feedback on any specific mechanics?

A minimap to collect on where you are should be interesting to implement. 

1 - How was the gameplay? Exciting? Fun? Boring?

I found the gameplay to be exciting and fun! I even jumped when I first heard the monster run up to me. The atmosphere is what made me feel like I had to be scared.

2 - What did you think of the map size?

The map size seems to be about right to what a museum floor could potentially be, I found the layout to be a bit confusing and the irregular shapes of rooms to be interesting. I feel like come the nest play tests we will see more changes to the level.

3 - How did you feel about visibility while playing?

The visibility was not a concern for me, I feel like I was playing the slender man game again on a school computer. I feel like the light fall off could be extended a tiny it just so that the illumination ahead of me is not less than the illumination at the edges of the light. I don’t know if I explained that well.

4 - Tell us about your favorite part of the game.

My favorite part is the atmosphere of the game itself; it reminds me of my time back in middle school playing old flash horror games.

5 - Tell us about your least favorite part of the game.

My least favorite part probably has to be the sensitivity of the character. I’m not sure if it is a issue with my game but the mouse movement felt floaty almost like I was using a thumb stick to move instead of a direct input like mouse movement usually is.

6 - Thoughts on difficulty? How does it feel on the first run, vs after having more experience with additional runs?

I felt lost and confused on my first few runs as to where on the map I was supposed to go but after the first few failed runs I found the “alter” in the center of the map just down the ways from a light spot. This light spot was acting as my bread crumb trail as a I ran around collecting pieces to place on the “alter”.

7 - Feedback on any specific mechanics?

I felt like the AI was well done and worked as intended, I ran into an issue that the monster ran away from me just because I was in the vicinity of one of those light zones. I did not have the light powered by a battery sitting on the pedestal.

1. I'm pretty new to horror games and I feel like this game was quite exhilarating. I do think some parts technically didn't have much going on but the atmosphere made playing a rush.

2. The map size seemed great though I'm not sure what areas I didn't see and what areas I saw twice. I think more landmarks or things like colored walls/floors could help to make places more memorable. 

3. The visibility felt decently bad which was perfect! I felt like the limited knowledge about the whereabouts of the creature and myself was just right. Too much worse visibility and it would just be frustrating. 

4. I think that the look of the flashlight and the battery mechanics are the coolest part. It may be ambitious, but some Legend of Zelda style light beam reflecting could be really cool.

5. I think that the creature's behavior was a little wonky. There were a few times where I died and I deserved it and a few times where I died and it didn't feel satisfying. AI is pretty hard, but I would definitely make it so that the player has a general sense of when the creature is near and far.

6. I honestly cannot testify on the difficulty of games like this but there weren't really any glaring flaws. Just like I said before, I think the only thing that may need adjusting is the creature. I died out of nowhere a couple of times. 

7. I think all the mechanics worked really well. Not mechanic, and not really important to this first playtest - I think your addition of art assets and more flavoring is going to be crucial for this game to hit the mark. So far AWESOME work though. Excited to play again next playtest!

1. I'd say the gameplay was exciting for sure. It's impressive how scary the game could be. Great job on the ambience and character design. Just a great submission, well done!

2. I thought the map size felt a little big, only because I kept getting lost. I think it may be cool to include a handful of "You are here" style maps throughout the level to help orient the player. Even just have themed sections of the museum would help to build a mental map of the place.

3. The visibility was good. It was nice that you could still somewhat see in the darkness and sometimes you can see a silhouette walk by in the distance.

4. Again. I'm impressed with how scary the game ended up being. Sometimes the creature would catch me off guard and give me a jump, loved that!

5. As I said above, I could never get a good sense of direction in the museum. Most of the time, I felt like I was walking in circles and I just couldn't remember where I had previously found the fragments.

6. The difficulty feels a bit harsh. There were some runs where I died seemingly out of nowhere and others where I wasn't sure what I should have done to survive.

7. I'm not sure what's the benefit placing batteries on the slot. If it deters the creature than I'd suggest a buff, such as increasing the area of affect.