Messages

1

Gameplay / Re: bird dropping an egg... what?s it for?

« on: January 05, 2008, 06:36:22 pm »

oh blimey! I just found the recipe you say... hmm... strange it would not pick it up...
well time to try again!
thnks for the hint!

2

Gameplay / Re: where are the online maps?

« on: January 05, 2008, 06:18:42 pm »

There's a complete (or mostly complete) map here:
http://www.bit-blot.com/forum/index.php?topic=328.0
of course it's a big load of spoilers, but pretty handy to navigate the game once you're through most of the regions.
If you like exploration and treasure hunting though, you might as well not use it...

3

Gameplay / bird dropping an egg... what?s it for?

« on: January 05, 2008, 06:15:04 pm »

I just jumped all the way up to the top of the chimney you find on the top-right part of the veil, the one on the right side of the sun temple entrance. On top of it there's a red bird, when I shot it it dropped an egg, but then I wasn't able to pick it up, nor bind it or do anything else with it.
Now I'm back down in the sea, and I'm wondering if it might be worth it to jump up again and go through all that nasty jumping hassle, or if it would be just plain useless... so, what do you say? Am I missing something to get the egg?

4

Gameplay / Re: can someone pass me a savegame?

« on: December 29, 2007, 07:43:03 pm »

groovie!
thanks a lot man! I owe you one!
Hannes

5

Gameplay / can someone pass me a savegame?

« on: December 29, 2007, 02:11:55 pm »

I'm an idiot I know... but I deleted Aquaria...
It's a long story... but there is a long thread about it here on the forum.
Now I have to start all over again, but it's somehow a bit of a drag to start it from the beginning again.
So... is somebody willing to pass me a savegame, something before the sun temple boss... maybe with beast, spirit and nature form already done?
I'd really appreciate it.
hannes

6

Gameplay / Re: Next time make it easier...

« on: December 28, 2007, 10:41:30 am »

here we go again with the discussion.
there's already a lenghty discussion about this going on... here
Don't worry, you're not alone.

7

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game, de-installed it, but then istalled it again **spoilers

« on: December 26, 2007, 11:48:19 pm »

It's not You, Hanzo... I'm just saying in general.

fiu... just beacuse, if there's one thing I am not, that is a mainstream gamer!

Anyway... the fact that this game might appeal only to a small group of people is yet to be seen. And you also have to count the fact that Aquaria probably has not the wide distribution as some mainstream x-box titles, and has not thousands of posters sticked on every game store wall. I think Aquaria could appeal to far more people than those who play it right now, if they only knew. Maybe one had to do iron out some wrinkles, work a bit on some details... but I don't think Aquaria is such a specific hardcore-gamers-only product.
It is very hard in some points, but that is all concentrated on the bosses I think, and as far as I have seen, it's all about the Mythalas and the Sun Temple boss.  The rest is not so difficult.

8

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game, de-installed it, but then istalled it again **spoilers

« on: December 26, 2007, 08:49:53 pm »

Now we can see what happens when a guy, who was playing those mainstream games for quite a bit of time gets his fingers on Aquaria.

and who would that person be? If I may ask...

9

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game, de-installed it, but then istalled it again **spoilers

« on: December 25, 2007, 02:50:44 pm »

and btw...

10

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game but de-installed it (**spoilers**)

« on: December 25, 2007, 10:41:56 am »

you know what guys... you convinced me!
I'll give it another try.
I guess that uninstalling it was a bit of an overreaction, too much stress lately, too much work, though that doesn't mean I have changed my mind on the things I had to complain about in the beginning.
I still think it's worth discussing about it (discussing, not accusing).
In the end, I'm dreaming of it by night... and that certainly means that the good things in it still overweight the bad ones... and probably by far...
There is one thing that made me think, in all this discussion. Actually, the fact that a lot of us had to consult this forum to get some clues on how to solve a problem, or kill a boss, created really some kind of second level of experience in the game... something I hadn't considered earlier... One one hand probably a game shouldn't rely too much on a support forum, on the other hand, the fact that this whole thing started, more or less, on a spontaneous basis, makes it very sympathetic to me.
And to end this mess, one thing has to be said. It's always easy to express one self in a stupid and wrong way and it's always easy to get misunderstood. Of course a title like "Why I like this game but de-installed it" is prone to be taken as "very negative". But believe me, I never wanted to say that Aquaria is a bad game. In fact I think, and I always thought, that it was a great game... maybe a bit difficult to understand (to understand not to play), maybe a bit difficult for me in this period of my life (but that's my problem), but still a great game. I just wanted to discuss some matters I found being an issue in the game, and apparently I wasn't the only one.

11

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game but de-installed it (**spoilers**)

« on: December 23, 2007, 08:08:20 pm »

Look Alec, as I said, I know how it is. I know how it is to be spending your whole time working on something, while other people are out there living their lives, spend your days and nights spending hours and hours on perfecting something that will probably never be perfect, and then also getting the shit thrown at you.
But remember that there is one thing that's even worse, doing all this and not getting even noticed.
So you have to call yourself happy, because you did a game, you probably worked a lot and hardy, and no matter if you get all positive feedback or critique, you have been having a lot of it! People are playing your game, some are happy some less, but they all bought it and are playing it.
 I'm sorry to have started this whole thing, but on the other side I just said what I thought and I think this is what everybody should be doing in life. Hey, we would all have been hypocrites if we were only saing "Hey Alec, what a great game you made".
It's a great game, but it has some flows... and know what, somebody (can't remember who though) said that if you're able to reach 70% of what was your initial aim, then you can call yourself good!
As far as I can tell, it feels like you got more than 70%.
Take the things I've said for what they are, critiques, from somebody who is not even really in your target audience, but still critiques that might be helpful.
It's still one of your early works, you cannot expect it to be perfect. That's why you need people telling you the things they don't like.
And I don't know who is sending you personal threats... it feels more like everybody loves you here!

The thing about making a game hard is, IMHO, to find out how to make it hard but accessible at the same time. You have a puzzle, when you have the pieces in front of you and you have to figure out how to combine them, when you miss the pieces, and you only see the outcome, solution you have a mystery, and those are far harder to solve.
I absolutely agree with you about what you say about modern games, there's more clever ways than just explain everything. As far as I see, there's some parts where you solved the problem in a really clever way, in others less. But again, you cannot get everything right the first time.

12

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game but de-installed it (**spoilers**)

« on: December 23, 2007, 06:44:06 pm »

Thinking about it I guess you're right when you say that this is the game you wanted to make, and you just did it like this. I would have done a different game if I were you, but with the same spirit.
The fact is, I don't really seek challenge in games, I see them more as interactive worlds, or interactive stories... so the problem is certainly mine... just sorry because what I really loved in aquaria is the brilliant atmospheres, and the great artwork.
Oh btw... there's one little critique I'd like to make on that side too, just because I like to bug you
If you create an intro movie, make it kick ass! The whole game looks really polished and professional, only the intro looks like it's some homebrew game. I know, most people won't even notice... but still, it's the first thing you see in the game... the one thing that defines the setting of the game itself.

13

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game but de-installed it (**spoilers**)

« on: December 23, 2007, 05:47:16 pm »

The cool thing is right at the beginning of the game it tells you that you can find save points using the minimap.

yes I know... but if shows only those you have already found.

Look, I know you made this game, and that it feels bad to get critique on it... I know how it is myself, I am a comic artist, and I get a lot of critique myself, people complaining about stories you don't understand or characters that look stupid, or aesthetic choices, that don't work... but because of this I also know that sometimes you need people to tell you things.
I think sometimes you have to try a bit too much to find out stuff in this game, a lot of people will like it exactly because of this, others might not. It's just that.

14

Gameplay / Re: Why I like this game but de-installed it (**spoilers**)

« on: December 23, 2007, 05:37:42 pm »

But yeah, there are a lot of ways to get past things. The "unfortunate" thing is that they require thinking.

are you trying to say something?

As to strategies for the sun temple boss.  I really threw them out the window.  I jacked myself up on hot soup, spicy rolls, turtle soup, and LOTS of healing items, then just shot the guy with minor care to dodging and major care to CLICKING AS FAST AS I COULD.  Or you could use that nature form trick, works like a charm.

I tried the nature form trick... didn't work for me...
tried to switch from energy to beast (to get away when the thing tries to suck you in), tried the recipe that gives you shooting capabilities while in beast form (what's it called?), but that didn't seem to hurt the beast...
Anyway I'm glad to know I'm not the only one here to have had some problems...

I thought with Mithalas, the flashing yellow was a good visual indicator that I wasn't doing damage. Enemies and previous bosses have flashed red when I've damaged them, and it's like that in many other games I've played where bosses are only vulnerable in certain spots.

The disorienting part is the flashing itself. Usually creatures that were not getting hurt by shots where not flashing, and the shots were producing a certain high pitched sound. The fact that it was flashing made it look like it was getting damage, only the fact that it would not change anything after a long time was giving me a hint on the fact that it wasn't.

Also for the mithalas boss, there is a closer save. You actually have to look for it though. Wink

Dissing the controls is a bit weird. You have three different options available to you, and all are accurate.

You can use the mouse only.
You can use the keyboard to move and use the mouse to aim. (just start using the ASDW keys)
You can use a gamepad if you have it.

I have looked for a savespot, but have found none... either it's too hidden, or I'm too dumb to find it.
Oh and btw... I have found a map with all the savespots and all the treasures, but there appears to be no savespot near the mithalas god, apart from the one behind him.
for the controls thing I've probably been accurate enough, I wasn't dissing the controls generally, I only had problems when passing through the spikes before the sun temple boss. There the character would jump quite randomly (often against the spikes)... I did not understand how to control the way she would jump. And again, the big problem: no save spot near the boss...

15

Gameplay / Why I like this game, de-installed it, but then istalled it again **spoilers**)

« on: December 23, 2007, 03:16:58 pm »

I was finally able to beat the Mithalas god, I got the beast form, got the spirit form, got the pirana pet from the frogman, went up until I reached the sun temple god (that worm thing you encounter after the the path filled with spikes, with the water going up and down). At this point I got stuck, went totally frustrated, started to hate the game and deinstalled the whole thing.

Now, I still think Aquaria is a great game, with brillant ideas in gameplay, and a wonderful athmosphere... But to me it had some big flaws, that made me hate it in several points, and I would like to explain why.
First, though, I must admit that there is one thing I have always hated in any game: having to jump from floating platforms and avoiding spikes. I know there is people who love this, but I just can't bear it, and that is probably responsible at least for 50% of my disappointment with the game. On the other hand, one thing I have always loved, are adventure games where you have to solve puzzles and riddles, but on that side, in my humble opinion, the game lacks in communication with the player. The game is full of hints, but most of them are kind of hard to decode, and a lot are really hidden, or too far fetched to be understood, and generally speaking, the game is really vague on what you're supposed to do.
You know, there is no game without rules, every game has rules, that define how you're supposed to reach the final goal. These rules, in Aquaria, where never really clear.

Most of the problems with the game reach the surface when you have to face a boss. A good example is the Mythalas God: how was I supposed to know that shooting at it wasn't doing any good? The rule to beat the boss is: throw poison frogs in his mouth until he turns red, then shoot him. But then again, how was I supposed to know I could shoot him when he was red, since I couldn't do it before.
The first time I confronted the beast I spent 30 minutes shooting it, until I started to think that either the energy of the beast must have been 7000 hp or it was immune to my shots. The problem was that there where no real clues (like a sound of some kind or a visual clue) that made me understand it, so you had to try a lot to find out. Once I got this, I had to understand that the poison frog was the solution, and actually I was already bugged enough, so that I went to the forum to seek advice, because I hardly have the time to try... you die and die again and just get frustrated a lot. And this is mainly because the nearest save spot is 3 levels above, so each time the beast kills you, you have to do all that swimming and dodging creatures down the stream, over and over again. Somebody told me there was a save spot right there, and in fact there was one, unfortunately you had to kill the boss before you could reach it, since it's right there behind him. The same person that told me about the save spot said that I would have understood if I had read the Mythalan writings on the wall... hmm... well, that's a great thing if those writings actually make sense, and are not simply a decoration of the background. I would never have thought that they could make sense in the first place, and it really shouldn't be something you must know to be able to progress in the game.

There's spots where the communication works better, like where you have to get the gears spinning, the game gives you a clear hint, and then you just have to figure out what to do with the hint.

Where the frustration reaches it's peak is, for my personal experience, the part where you must battle the sun temple boss. The boss itself is quite a challenge and you have to try a lot of times to find out what's the best way to kill it. The fact that you have to jump over those spikes just to be killed by that beast, over and over again, just got me completely mad.
The problem here is that the controls are not very accurate, so you end up hitting those spikes a lot of time, reaching the monster with little energy left, so you have even less time to try things.
It might be me who's a bit impaired o these kind of things... but then, I might not be the only one...

All in all, I loved Aquaria from the first videos I saw... but now I'm just too frustrated to play with it... anyway, I'm not telling you this because I need to complain with somebody, I just want to express my critique on the parts of the game that could be better, because I see the huge potential!
Hannes