Hey Guys!
My name's Dan, and I'm the developer behind NEO Scavenger, and founder of Blue Bottle Games. I saw a pretty big surge of visitors from this thread, and wanted to swing by and say "hi." So "hi!"
Before I say anything else, I want to thank both Toma and More_Badass for spreading the word about NEO Scavenger. Their efforts, both here and elsewhere, have steered at least a few hundred folks to check out the game. Plus, this thread is a goldmine of both encouragement and useful feedback. So thanks, guys!
Also, thanks EvilLore, for helping me get registered!
Now, let me see if I can touch on a few of the more specific topics mentioned here:
More_Badass said:
How do I use antibotics and painkillers? I just started another playthrough, fought off the dogman, and got hurt. I found a med kit with supplies, but I can't figure out how to use them
Just out of curiosity, what were your first instincts here? Intuitive UI is one of the big failings in NEO Scavenger, so I'm curious if folks are trying one thing, but I built the UI assuming another. Did you try drag/dropping them some place? Double-clicking?
Kuntz's suggestion (right-click->use) is one way to use/consume an item. I also mapped the 1, 2, and 3 keys to different cursor modes, if you plan on using/destroying a lot of items in rapid succession. E.g. hold the 2 key to switch to the yellow "use" cursor, and click away. The 1 key switches between drag/drop and take/drop modes for moving items.
However, maybe that's not very clear. I think it works once folks learn it, but it's not obvious.
Toma said:
Well it currently is already very playable though, and I actually dont want the dev to complete it
Going by his comment on the target audience he reached, I assume that he could be making money of this game for a long time still once he released it on Steam. So no reason to "complete" it anytime soon either (hopefully). I really hope its going to end up profitable enough for him to stash more things into it for years to come, unless he is fed up doing that at one point.
I'll admit, I've resisted finishing NEO Scavenger for a long time now
I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I'd probably noodle with the game design and content forever if money was no object.
However, I've set a deadline of January 2014 for myself, before which I plan to finish the main story, fix bugs, and add what content I can. There probably won't be any new features, but I'd like to add more stuff to play with, and more situations to use that stuff in. Come January, I'll hopefully be able to make v1.0 "done," launch on Steam, and recoup my investment. And with any luck, make enough extra to do this all over again.
I do plan on supporting NEO Scavenger post-launch, by way of bug fixes at the very least. However, I'm actually considering porting the game to a new technology (i.e. not Flash/AS3) for a sequel, which will let me do quite a lot that I can't now. For instance, Flash restricts file system access, has performance issues, is poorly supported on Linux (especially as a stand-alone player), and lost support on tablets. The tech I'm considering (Haxe/OpenFL) will remove those barriers, and might make it possible for users to mod the game, deploy to tablets, and do lots of other stuff.
Also, NEO Scavenger is meant to be the first of several games in the same universe. This game is a bit of an intro to the world, the way it works, and some people/places. However, the world is a big place, and I'd like to be able to tell more stories in it, from those of cross-prairie wasteland caravans, to gumshoes cracking cases in Detroit Mega City, and even the tales of roid miners stranded after Earth's ties to space were severed. NEO Scavenger is my RPG setting, my baby, and I hope that I and other "GMs" can tell the stories they want in it. Someday.
woo and indeed hoo said:
I just didn't understand how it works. I managed to get outside through trial and error and move to another hex but then I couldn't work out how to pick up what was there. At that point I felt I'd had enough time feeling stupid for the day and put it aside.
I'd be interested to know what things you tried here that failed, in case there was something intuitive that I'm not supporting. E.g. when you failed to pick up what was in the hex, how did you know you failed? What did you try? How did you expect it to work?
In an ideal world, I could float over every user and stalk them while they play, so I could learn from my UI mistakes. It's creepy, yes. But it's for the best
FaustsBoon said:
I can tell already it will live or die on VOLUME of content
You're right, and that point actually terrifies me. I've spent quite a long time on the system design, making sure there's a lot of interplay between the different mechanics. I think I've heard someone call it "
orthogonality." I wanted the game to be fun regardless of story, in case my story ended up crap
However, I'm working on a story, too. And I'm trying to make it satisfying, but I'm hella amateur as a writer. So I'm hoping that I can cobble this thing together in a way that folks say, "hey, that wasn't too bad!" I'm pretty good at colorful writing on a small scale, but we'll see if the larger story plays out enjoyably or not.
Kyouji said:
I was bitching to a friend about not being able to push along one of the many shopping carts I was finding, and then on my next life, I figured out it counted as a vehicle. And don't ask me how long it took me to figure out the simple act of refilling empty bottles...
ZombieSupaStar said:
The UI is a bit...obtuse, but I can see where it allows for a lot of interactions.
I definitely need to read up more on how to play though.
You're not alone! As I mention above, UI is one of the major flaws in NEO Scavenger. I probably can't afford a major overhaul at this point, but if there was something you tried that I hadn't considered, let me know. Perhaps I can add it as an alternative method for doing those things.
I'm also considering adding a right-click option to everything in the game, so users can right-click, say, an item or button, and choose "More Info." Then, that'd pop up a window saying "this is a consumable item. Right-click and choose 'use' to consume it, or hold '2' while clicking it." Or, if it were a button, "click this button to enable 'run" mode, during which movement costs half as many actions, but you'll leave more tracks and fatigue faster." Etc.
Master of Magic had something like that (right-click anything for info), and it was a huge help for learning as one goes, rather than pausing to look at a manual/help page.
Toma said:
Ah, your other comments explain it. The city is currently not accessible. Awesome, so much stuff to look forward to
The DMC is accessible in recent builds, and the player sees the "animated dot" map when they pass through the gates into the city proper. On that map, there are a couple places to visit so far, and more are in the works. The "dot" map is just a fancy VFX map for letting the player navigate the city, kind of like Mass Effect's galaxy map.
There are a couple things to do in the "sprawl" outside the city, as well.
Whew! Quite a wall of text this has turned into!
Anyway, I just wanted to swing by, say thanks, respond to some bits, and so forth. This thread has been an absolute joy to read, and really helped bolster my self-confidence. I think I'm like a lot of devs/artists, in that I have "imposter syndrome," so it's always reassuring to know that folks enjoy what I create. And similarly, critique is useful for improving on what's there!