Questions about full version & improvements + disappointment

[monele]

Hello!

I've been impressed by the demo (quite lengthy too!) and am thinking of getting this for Christmas (well, a bit earlier :p). I just have a few things that make me hesitate :

- I found myself easily lost (bad memory and orientation, eh), especially when I needed to do backtracking, which is mandatory since new powers suddenly unlock new paths. I often remember seeing something peculiar, but after exploring so many other places, I totally forgot where it was. Map nodes are neat but obviously don't tell you about some smaller things such as a "key" or "door". Would a future version allow map notes to be added by the player? (I think left clicking on the map does nothing, so this might work)

- I also felt a bit of pain from constantly pressing the left mouse button to move around. It's nothing big, but it might become annoying after a few hours (it *is* hard to stop playing...)

- In a more general way, how much support is planned for the game in terms of patches (for bug fixes and maybe a few "comfort" additions) ?

[Shadow]

- I also felt a bit of pain from constantly pressing the left mouse button to move around. It's nothing big, but it might become annoying after a few hours (it *is* hard to stop playing...)

I've found it easier to play with both the mouse and keyboard. I use WASD to move around (you can configure which you want to use if those are not acceptable), and the mouse button to do the dash maneuver when I need/want to do it. It's a whole lot less stressful on the finger, mine atleast. 

[Lambchops]

I agree, a map notes system would be great. While most of the important things (turtles, kitchens, those blue things I still don't know the use of but will hopefully discover soon and so on) are marked sometimes you do have to rely on just your on memory if you need to backtrack.

I've done OK so far but I'm bound to forget something eventually. Basically what I do at the moment is to remember the large section of the map where the area of interest is and then head back later and it will be the only unexplored (ie grey) area on the map. Of course this wouldn't work if the thing of interest wasn't an unexplored area but I haven't come across anything which I've thought I'd have to go back to which hasn't been a blocked off passage whether by steam, darkness or whatever.

[Shadow]

I've done OK so far but I'm bound to forget something eventually. Basically what I do at the moment is to remember the large section of the map where the area of interest is and then head back later and it will be the only unexplored (ie grey) area on the map. Of course this wouldn't work if the thing of interest wasn't an unexplored area but I haven't come across anything which I've thought I'd have to go back to which hasn't been a blocked off passage whether by steam, darkness or whatever.

One of the more important things to do is to watch the minimap for hidden passages ... they don't appear on the big map, but you can see them on the minimap if you keep an eye open for them. You might've already noticed it, if not, just a heads up there.

[Cless]

I've found it easier to play with both the mouse and keyboard. I use WASD to move around (you can configure which you want to use if those are not acceptable), and the mouse button to do the dash maneuver when I need/want to do it. It's a whole lot less stressful on the finger, mine atleast. 

I do something similar, except replace the keyboard with the left side of a gamepad, and control the movement with the analog stick.

I use a program called JoyToKey, which maps gamepad inputs to keyboard key presses. I mapped WASD to d-pad/left analog for movement and the two left shoulder buttons to menu and fire (for convenience). It's kinda like using a Wii Nunchuck+mouse!

Yeah, I know the game has native gamepad support. But the mouse functionality disappears when using the pad with it enabled. JoyToKey prevents that.

If the dev team sees this, a request-- if they are being considered:
I'd like to see a gamepad+mouse option. JoyToKey only emulates digital button presses so it doesn't give you the benefit of real, smooth analog control. It'd be extra nice to have that. But I realize I'm a tiny minority and probably the only person who plays it like this.

Awesome game though. Forgot it even existed until yesterday when the news broke that it was released. Didn't even bother with demo, and basically bought it on a whim.

[Mandrake42]

How on earth would you use a mouse and a gamepad at the same time, every gamepad I've ever used require two hands, how would you move the mouse?

[monele]

Thanks for all the suggestions ^_^. I'll probably use the keyboard when I get tired then (I like moving with the mouse too much to abandon it altogether).

One last question for those who tried it : how's the editor? It seems really easy to use but how much can you customize? Could you technically create a whole new setting to give new places to explore with new pictures? And um... can you create new costumes?

[monele]

Well, there, I bought it yesterday and uh... I find myself disappointed :/... I thought it was going to be more about exploration and simple "puzzles" (moving rocks around, dealing with currents) and not so much about shooting everything that lives.

I admit, I should have seen it coming : two bosses in the demo, and already some dangerous enemies... but one could often avoid them at least.

In the later parts, though (city, forest), it's filled with enemies and almost everything is agressive and quite dangerous. No way you could survive by being passive with a shield. I didn't really understand why you even had to/could kill peaceful creatures. It seemed to contradict the quiet depths environment. But now, seeing all the enemies with fixed patterns, shooting stuff around... specifically at you actually... I understand : it's no eco-system... it's a shooter ô_o...

I want to go back to Home Waters 

[realyst]

Too bad it didn't meet your expectations

Call me violent but I didn't mind the shooting bits(I love the cackle Naija does when in energy form and shoots lots).

If I may make a suggestion, however, is the easy modding engine could allow you to make a peacefuller(that word?  oddly Firefox spellcheck likes it) version of the game or a side story or something.

[shinygerbil]

How on earth would you use a mouse and a gamepad at the same time, every gamepad I've ever used require two hands, how would you move the mouse?

Never played a Wii?

[monele]

I'm going to look at the editor tonight to see if I can salvage something for my enjoyment ^^;

[blackzeroflame]

you might find the the game calms down a bit after the forest, at least until the end.  Also, serious discussion if happening over on the modding board about making a "toned down" version of the game.  It'll have less hostile creatures, more puzzle-based monsters, and a generally calmer feel.  You should go take a look, the thread's called "Aquaria Adventure" i think.  i'd post a link, but i'm lazy

oh, and also, Alec is on-board with that mod, so you know they're serious about it

[PsyPhi]

How on earth would you use a mouse and a gamepad at the same time, every gamepad I've ever used require two hands, how would you move the mouse?

Simple, just replace what your left hand is doing when using WSAD with the gamepad (or right hand if you're a leftie I guess).  It's not that hard, and unless your controller weighs like 50lbs it shouldn't be a problem.  I've done it a few times -- unfortunately in this game when you use a joystick, your mouse cursor locks onto your body...so you don't get the benefit of aiming behind you while moving in a direction or locking on to enemies easily and swimming circles around them.

Still, its possible, but pretty useless since the cursor locks.

[blackzeroflame]

How on earth would you use a mouse and a gamepad at the same time, every gamepad I've ever used require two hands, how would you move the mouse?

Simple, just replace what your left hand is doing when using WSAD with the gamepad (or right hand if you're a leftie I guess).  It's not that hard, and unless your controller weighs like 50lbs it shouldn't be a problem.  I've done it a few times -- unfortunately in this game when you use a joystick, your mouse cursor locks onto your body...so you don't get the benefit of aiming behind you while moving in a direction or locking on to enemies easily and swimming circles around them.

Still, its possible, but pretty useless since the cursor locks.

I used to do something like that in mechwarrior, i used a joystick with one hand and the mouse with the other, the joystick took care of movement, and all the mouse did was control the weapons and move the reticle around the screen, It worked a lot like metroid prime 3 does