I played your previous build a while ago and have just taken the time to try this one out. I love the inclusion of the cutscene and character voices - this adds SO much to the game world whereas before I was having to imagine and fill in the blanks using my mind.
Can’t wait to see what’s next for this game.
I love the sentiment of the story, especially how relevant it is to current real world issues.
What a big step you have made since I previously played! Wow! I miss the maze here. But I had a lot of fun figuring out these puzzles too. :-) I spoke to many folks too.
Please keep working on it! I am following development.
Just played this build of the game! I love the little details that you've added to the environments. However, here are some things I noticed:
- I was able to glitch through The Wall (like THE Wall) playing as both Jazz and Azul. I was able to get onto the Jazz side as Azul, and vice-versa.
- I was able to glitch (and sometimes just walk) through the barriers and fences (ie. the ones beside The Wall on Jazz's side) as both characters. This allowed me to explore the town(s) as both characters. This also includes the barbed wire fence (by the wheat field) near The Spot on Jazz's side.
- When I was speaking to Dinah on Jazz's side, I noticed that she was transparent, and you could walk through both her and her counter. When I walked through her too far, I fell through the floor into the white abyss.
- In both character's journals, it says "Avoid all adults and parents." This confused me when I was playing as Jazz; I saw the Guard, and thought that I had to avoid him at all costs. This is what led me to discovering that I could walk and glitch through the barriers, as I was trying to progress the game (find the tracks, hopscotch, and the mosaic) without being seen. Also, you can walk through the barrier and bypass the guard.
- Once you're inside the town (which I now know I was not supposed to be in), you can sort of fly by the fire pit by going up the stairs to the mayor's stage.
- Like sb30 stated, after you reach the spot, all of the adults on Jazz's side disappear.
- The voices and the scene with The Spot, you stand there, unable to move for a really long time. Maybe consider triggering the voices on the way to The Spot? It just felt like a really long time to stay in once place.
- After the scene with The Spot, I had no idea that I was supposed to find Dinah. I actually read a comment here to find out that I had to go into the store (instead, I snuck and glitched through town trying to find the Hopscotch, as mentioned above).
- For the next build, will the background music be returning? I loved that part of the first build, and was disappointed that this version was played in silence (with the exception of the VAs).
- When you become Jazz after finding The Spot is Azul, the transition is very abrupt and kind of confusing.
- Sometimes I found the game stuttering, though it would tend to correct itself if I stopped moving for a second before resuming (this may also be my PC though).
All this aside, I really loved experiencing the world with the characters' voices, and I love the premise of the story. I appreciate the adjustment in the walking speed, and the how I am no longer getting stuck on curbs (though I can get over the garbage bags to jump off buildings :P). Having explored more than I probably should've been able to, I think that the world, especially on the Jazz side, is super immersive. I'm excited to see where this goes, and what Jazz and Azul manage to get up to! :)
** Update from a second playthrough: - I managed to walk through the wheat field in Jazz's area, and glitched through the mountain/hill on the other side. It's possible to die, if you're not careful, as that's where the end of the map is.
- While playing Azul's side, I was able to walk through the store before it opened (I think the door was solid, but I was able to walk through the sides). Also, I was clicking the door and kind of standing diagonally to it (admittedly, I didn't have the sound on, so I was clicking the Priest, running back to the door, and seeing if I could get in), and I'm not sure what quite triggered this, but as I was clicking I think I might've slightly moved forward, and suddenly I fell through the floor. Again, not quite positive how I managed to accomplish that, but I did? :P
Hello! It's a cute concept with the two worlds :). A few notes below:
Tech notes:
-In Azuls room, I could walk through the table
-loved that there were sprites walking around town, but a few of them seemed to get stuck in place and were walking on one spot
-White writing on white town sign: not the easiest to read, even with the outlines
-Could be nice to have sound effects on different terrain types (you might not have time for this :D)
-I can walk through most of the trees in town
-The shop that was supposed to be open was not open until I actually found the tracks in town. They were a bit tough to spot
-Map is a bit unclear, but then again, I'm terrible with maps :D
-I liked the harmonica street signs and music themed houses! Good job on using colour pallettes to delineate between worlds
-Abrupt transitions
-Some narration started up before I had a chance to actually leave the bedrooms to go to town. It continued on about how they had travelled to the wall before I even thought about leaving the room
Narrative notes:
-These are more things to think about for future projects since you are locked into a lot of choices by this point. I felt that the opening exposition just went on a little too long, or at least it went on too long as unplayable. There were a couple of points where you were just repeating information you said earlier (about the music dividing them)
-In general, I felt like dialogue between the characters (over a radio) to learn about the world would be more engaging than a narrator telling us how the characters feel and the exact reason why they felt that. By interacting with the characters rather than listening to someone else tell us how they feel, we can feel more attached to them and put some of the pieces ourselves. Understanding though that it's a lot more work to do that and this is a student project
-A fun mechanic to add in would be dialogue trees. Again, you are locked in at this point and that is a lot of work :D
-Fun voices from the other characters, but it was a bit confusing to have a one sided conversation
This game is coming along great, and I like it! Very impressed with your updates and changes so far. Here are some compliments and comments to improve it even further:
-In Jazz’s room, I can walk right through both her bed and table.
-I wish you could click on the alarm clock just for fun… what would a “Jazz” alarm sound like?
-Some strange polygons sticking through Jazz’s ceiling around the light.
-Azul’s room is way too dark, and the transition between rooms is abrupt (could it be a quick fade vs jump cut?).
-Azul’s light switch provides almost no additional light.
-On Azul’s calendar, you can see the graphic replicated both on the face and side of the rectangle.
-I wished I could’ve clicked on/marked off the date on the calendar myself.
-Lighting is much better in the Blues town, although I would still love more saturation of colour.
-Walking speed is much better also.
-Right at the start, I ran up the staircase behind Azul and was popped over the railing behind the houses and got stuck. I was able to free myself by holding the walk button at a corner and “walking up the building”. It seems you can walk up other things as well; I was able to fly by walking continuously into a barrier too.
-NPCs are still freezing and walking into each other. One passed right through a barrier and sign, another was trapped staring at garbage, and two collided entirely. I can also walk right through people, and they don’t avoid me either.
-NPC animation is looking great. I watched the man staring at the garbage, and the breathing animation is very cool. No one moves too blocky.
-I was able to walk on water with no change to my movement quality.
-Curbs are better, I no longer get stuck on them.
-Journal is confusing throughout… perhaps a “you are here” would help, or more pages in the journal, one for each specific step/meeting point/section of the game.
-Camera still sticks at times when I am in motion. It will allow me to look around as I’m walking, then it won’t at random.
-“The Spot” is a bit barren. It’s also unclear that Jazz must also find her “Spot” after that jump cut transition.
-The picnic is a cute addition on the Jazz side! Little vignettes make the towns come to life more. I’d love to discover Easter Eggs like this scattered throughout.
-Could there be bird sounds? Grass rustling? River water bubbling? Wind through the wheat field?
-I was prompted to “find the Spot” when I was already there, and prompted to open the journal a second time, after I had just closed the journal at the Spot. Lines seem to be a bit jumbled up.
-After the Spot meeting, suddenly all NPCs had vanished… no adults to avoid?
-I couldn’t get the Tracks to register when I arrived, and so randomly tried to get into the building in front of them, which seemed to be the next step? I didn’t find a guard like F1refly.
-I’d love to see Dinah “look” when she’s searching through her stock. Maybe she can turn around, and then back again for more realism?
-It was just bordering on becoming tedious to keep clicking on Dinah. Could more lines be given per click?
-After Dinah, I received a line prompt to take Jazz to the Tracks, but I was on the Blues side with Azul.
-It’s unclear I had to speak with the Priest as the next step. He also repeats himself if you keep clicking.
-I really miss the atmospheric music from the first build, and am sure this is just a playtest removal.
-There are one or two places in the opening cutscene where the music overwhelms the voices.
-There are a couple jumps in the opening cutscene that don’t fade like the rest.
-The voices were all very entertaining! It’s helping to bring the world even more to life.
Hi, just played
through the game. I really liked the intro cut scene! It was engaging and
enjoyable to understand the overarching background of the two worlds that you
get to play in and gave a sense to what the world was about.
The game environment was lovely and the attention to detail
including the grass, mushrooms, berries and flowers were a delightful touch.
My only issue with the game would be the music throughout the cut scene. It was
overpowering and almost deafening at times; it was unfortunate to find that the
music was only included during the introduction because this would have been
nice to have included within the actual game play (preferably at a much softer
tone) it would give more life to the environment.
The game flowed
well with graphics and detail. However, when it came to understand what to do
within the game this is where it got more complicated. When playing on the ‘Jazz’
side of the wall I understood perfectly through the help of the guard. This was
much harder to understand on the ‘Blues’ side of the wall, the journal helped
at the beginning but didn’t work when tasks didn’t correlate. Didn’t realise I
had to engage with the priest, but I did with the guard as it was more obvious.
← Return to game
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Hi team Jazz and Azul,
I played your previous build a while ago and have just taken the time to try this one out. I love the inclusion of the cutscene and character voices - this adds SO much to the game world whereas before I was having to imagine and fill in the blanks using my mind.
Can’t wait to see what’s next for this game.
I love the sentiment of the story, especially how relevant it is to current real world issues.
What a big step you have made since I previously played! Wow! I miss the maze here. But I had a lot of fun figuring out these puzzles too. :-) I spoke to many folks too.
Please keep working on it! I am following development.
- Tim
Hey!
Just played this build of the game! I love the little details that you've added to the environments. However, here are some things I noticed:
- I was able to glitch through The Wall (like THE Wall) playing as both Jazz and Azul. I was able to get onto the Jazz side as Azul, and vice-versa.
- I was able to glitch (and sometimes just walk) through the barriers and fences (ie. the ones beside The Wall on Jazz's side) as both characters. This allowed me to explore the town(s) as both characters. This also includes the barbed wire fence (by the wheat field) near The Spot on Jazz's side.
- When I was speaking to Dinah on Jazz's side, I noticed that she was transparent, and you could walk through both her and her counter. When I walked through her too far, I fell through the floor into the white abyss.
- In both character's journals, it says "Avoid all adults and parents." This confused me when I was playing as Jazz; I saw the Guard, and thought that I had to avoid him at all costs. This is what led me to discovering that I could walk and glitch through the barriers, as I was trying to progress the game (find the tracks, hopscotch, and the mosaic) without being seen. Also, you can walk through the barrier and bypass the guard.
- Once you're inside the town (which I now know I was not supposed to be in), you can sort of fly by the fire pit by going up the stairs to the mayor's stage.
- Like sb30 stated, after you reach the spot, all of the adults on Jazz's side disappear.
- The voices and the scene with The Spot, you stand there, unable to move for a really long time. Maybe consider triggering the voices on the way to The Spot? It just felt like a really long time to stay in once place.
- After the scene with The Spot, I had no idea that I was supposed to find Dinah. I actually read a comment here to find out that I had to go into the store (instead, I snuck and glitched through town trying to find the Hopscotch, as mentioned above).
- For the next build, will the background music be returning? I loved that part of the first build, and was disappointed that this version was played in silence (with the exception of the VAs).
- When you become Jazz after finding The Spot is Azul, the transition is very abrupt and kind of confusing.
- Sometimes I found the game stuttering, though it would tend to correct itself if I stopped moving for a second before resuming (this may also be my PC though).
All this aside, I really loved experiencing the world with the characters' voices, and I love the premise of the story. I appreciate the adjustment in the walking speed, and the how I am no longer getting stuck on curbs (though I can get over the garbage bags to jump off buildings :P). Having explored more than I probably should've been able to, I think that the world, especially on the Jazz side, is super immersive. I'm excited to see where this goes, and what Jazz and Azul manage to get up to! :)
** Update from a second playthrough:
- I managed to walk through the wheat field in Jazz's area, and glitched through the mountain/hill on the other side. It's possible to die, if you're not careful, as that's where the end of the map is.
- While playing Azul's side, I was able to walk through the store before it opened (I think the door was solid, but I was able to walk through the sides). Also, I was clicking the door and kind of standing diagonally to it (admittedly, I didn't have the sound on, so I was clicking the Priest, running back to the door, and seeing if I could get in), and I'm not sure what quite triggered this, but as I was clicking I think I might've slightly moved forward, and suddenly I fell through the floor. Again, not quite positive how I managed to accomplish that, but I did? :P
Hello! It's a cute concept with the two worlds :). A few notes below:
Tech notes:
-In Azuls room, I could walk through the table
-loved that there were sprites walking around town, but a few of them seemed to get stuck in place and were walking on one spot
-White writing on white town sign: not the easiest to read, even with the outlines
-Could be nice to have sound effects on different terrain types (you might not have time for this :D)
-I can walk through most of the trees in town
-The shop that was supposed to be open was not open until I actually found the tracks in town. They were a bit tough to spot
-Map is a bit unclear, but then again, I'm terrible with maps :D
-I liked the harmonica street signs and music themed houses! Good job on using colour pallettes to delineate between worlds
-Abrupt transitions
-Some narration started up before I had a chance to actually leave the bedrooms to go to town. It continued on about how they had travelled to the wall before I even thought about leaving the room
Narrative notes:
-These are more things to think about for future projects since you are locked into a lot of choices by this point. I felt that the opening exposition just went on a little too long, or at least it went on too long as unplayable. There were a couple of points where you were just repeating information you said earlier (about the music dividing them)
-In general, I felt like dialogue between the characters (over a radio) to learn about the world would be more engaging than a narrator telling us how the characters feel and the exact reason why they felt that. By interacting with the characters rather than listening to someone else tell us how they feel, we can feel more attached to them and put some of the pieces ourselves. Understanding though that it's a lot more work to do that and this is a student project
-A fun mechanic to add in would be dialogue trees. Again, you are locked in at this point and that is a lot of work :D
-Fun voices from the other characters, but it was a bit confusing to have a one sided conversation
That's it for now! Nice work!
Hi there,
This game is coming along great, and I like it! Very impressed with your updates and changes so far. Here are some compliments and comments to improve it even further:
-In Jazz’s room, I can walk right through both her bed and table.
-I wish you could click on the alarm clock just for fun… what would a “Jazz” alarm sound like?
-Some strange polygons sticking through Jazz’s ceiling around the light.
-Azul’s room is way too dark, and the transition between rooms is abrupt (could it be a quick fade vs jump cut?).
-Azul’s light switch provides almost no additional light.
-On Azul’s calendar, you can see the graphic replicated both on the face and side of the rectangle.
-I wished I could’ve clicked on/marked off the date on the calendar myself.
-Lighting is much better in the Blues town, although I would still love more saturation of colour.
-Walking speed is much better also.
-Right at the start, I ran up the staircase behind Azul and was popped over the railing behind the houses and got stuck. I was able to free myself by holding the walk button at a corner and “walking up the building”. It seems you can walk up other things as well; I was able to fly by walking continuously into a barrier too.
-NPCs are still freezing and walking into each other. One passed right through a barrier and sign, another was trapped staring at garbage, and two collided entirely. I can also walk right through people, and they don’t avoid me either.
-NPC animation is looking great. I watched the man staring at the garbage, and the breathing animation is very cool. No one moves too blocky.
-I was able to walk on water with no change to my movement quality.
-Curbs are better, I no longer get stuck on them.
-Journal is confusing throughout… perhaps a “you are here” would help, or more pages in the journal, one for each specific step/meeting point/section of the game.
-Camera still sticks at times when I am in motion. It will allow me to look around as I’m walking, then it won’t at random.
-“The Spot” is a bit barren. It’s also unclear that Jazz must also find her “Spot” after that jump cut transition.
-The picnic is a cute addition on the Jazz side! Little vignettes make the towns come to life more. I’d love to discover Easter Eggs like this scattered throughout.
-Could there be bird sounds? Grass rustling? River water bubbling? Wind through the wheat field?
-I was prompted to “find the Spot” when I was already there, and prompted to open the journal a second time, after I had just closed the journal at the Spot. Lines seem to be a bit jumbled up.
-After the Spot meeting, suddenly all NPCs had vanished… no adults to avoid?
-I couldn’t get the Tracks to register when I arrived, and so randomly tried to get into the building in front of them, which seemed to be the next step? I didn’t find a guard like F1refly.
-I’d love to see Dinah “look” when she’s searching through her stock. Maybe she can turn around, and then back again for more realism?
-It was just bordering on becoming tedious to keep clicking on Dinah. Could more lines be given per click?
-After Dinah, I received a line prompt to take Jazz to the Tracks, but I was on the Blues side with Azul.
-It’s unclear I had to speak with the Priest as the next step. He also repeats himself if you keep clicking.
-I really miss the atmospheric music from the first build, and am sure this is just a playtest removal.
-There are one or two places in the opening cutscene where the music overwhelms the voices.
-There are a couple jumps in the opening cutscene that don’t fade like the rest.
-The voices were all very entertaining! It’s helping to bring the world even more to life.
Hi, just played through the game. I really liked the intro cut scene! It was engaging and enjoyable to understand the overarching background of the two worlds that you get to play in and gave a sense to what the world was about.
The game environment was lovely and the attention to detail including the grass, mushrooms, berries and flowers were a delightful touch. My only issue with the game would be the music throughout the cut scene. It was overpowering and almost deafening at times; it was unfortunate to find that the music was only included during the introduction because this would have been nice to have included within the actual game play (preferably at a much softer tone) it would give more life to the environment.
The game flowed well with graphics and detail. However, when it came to understand what to do within the game this is where it got more complicated. When playing on the ‘Jazz’ side of the wall I understood perfectly through the help of the guard. This was much harder to understand on the ‘Blues’ side of the wall, the journal helped at the beginning but didn’t work when tasks didn’t correlate. Didn’t realise I had to engage with the priest, but I did with the guard as it was more obvious.