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The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE
ethics Offline
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#11
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

I tried it.
It was strange.
At first, I didn't knew who Boney was and I assumed he was Burkes servant, who he wanted to find.
So I managed to die over and over again from those stupid grunts which appeared often.
Also, the level design wasn't very good. All the rooms seemed rather empty for me, I was dissapointed.
I got stuck on the first part in the castle, so many ways, not clear what to do.
For the next time, try more complicated and detailed level design and work with mementos.
Yours sincerely,
ztp

05-10-2014, 10:40 AM
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MrBehemoth Offline
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#12
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

Thanks for letting me know. In the final version (1.2) it is impossible to go downstairs without Boney, meaning that you won't be attacked by grunts until you've got a grasp of the sanity mechanic. When you make use of Boney, you rarely see a grunt.

There are lots of momentos, it's just that the first one doesn't appear until you've explored a bit and figured out that you need to feed the Thing Upstairs. After all, Burke wakes up with no memory - he wouldn't know what to do. After that, there are very thorough momentos with step by step instructions and they branch when the story branches slightly near the end.

I do know what you mean about the rooms being bare. I wanted to go for two very large maps, so had to limit the very detailed areas.

Here's the main lesson I've learnt from releasing this mod:

It's not like other CSs. People are surprised by that. Players who perservere and get through the initial stages tend to really enjoy it, get how the sanity system works and give good feedback. But many people don't get past the WTF?! stage.

So I guess if I do anything like this again I need to have more hand holding at the start and introduce the concept of Boney and the sanity system as a given, rather than letting people figure it out for themselves, because that doesn't always work.

But hey, it was an experiment!

(This post was last modified: 05-10-2014, 11:16 AM by MrBehemoth.)
05-10-2014, 11:08 AM
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ThatCrazyShaman Offline
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#13
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

I apologize in advance for the extraordinary length of this review; I just have a lot to say, and rarely shut up until I've said it all xD.

I have played [and watched playthroughs of] a lot of Amnesia mods and CSs, This is my favorite of them all to date. I adore novel ideas in games, and compared to other Amnesia mods, this one is very unique!

First of all, I love the homage to The Trap Door - it didn't air much here in the U.S. [at least as far as I recall], but I was familiar with it growing up, as I always had an intense fascination with stop-motion animation and sort of gothic-style storytelling [to this day, I still read a lot of classic phantasmagoria, and whatnot]. I had actually totally forgotten this show existed, until you managed to dredge it up from the cavernous expanse of my subconcious, which pleases me in of itself, as I'm a terribly nostalgic person [nostalgia is the best anti-stress remedy there is, I tell you]. I adore the fact that you thought of combining the basic premise of the show with Amnesia; some people might find that a tad strange, but I thoroughly appreciate things like that - especially when they're done well, which this definitely was; truly on-par with the Amnesia series.

Since writing is my thing, I, of course, have to comment on it. The dialogue was very well-written [you have superb grammar, for one, which I so rarely come across around here, haha], and truly organic to the story, not to mention fun to listen to [you have a lovely voice, MrBehemoth!]. It was also just terribly interesting; the story had no problem keeping my attention the entire time I played [which is actually rather difficult for most mods to do, honestly... I need some level of a compelling story to stay interested]. In fact, I was quite excited to see how it was all going to come together, and the endings made it all the more worthwhile.

I also have to say, Burke's backstory was excellently handled. I didn't see it coming, that's for sure. In particular...
Spoiler below!
I was utterly floored by the revelation that Burke had been so horrible to his wife. I should have known he would have some dark backstory [for instance, I wasn't as surprised by the fact that he decapitated his friend; that's just the sort of thing I expect in Amnesia], but he comes across as such a mild-mannered, kindly individual, that I simply didn't expect that at all. Wonderful storytelling, to say the least.

You also really nailed the atmosphere; it was truly conducive to the sense of sadness and desolation that Burke carried with him, and it made his friendship with Boney all the more special. I actually found myself smiling every time he'd talk to Boney - that was quite sweet [albeit weird as all get-out] Smile
Now, onto the more technical stuff.
I thought the modified sanity system was very well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed goofing around with it from time to time [allowing monsters to spawn for the heck of it and then making a mad dash back to where I'd left Boney xD]. It was also just an interesting concept in general - a somewhat unstable gentleman using a human skull as a sort of security blanket.

As far as lighting goes, I didn't mind the darkness at all. The only time it was even an issue was when I was playing during the day; other than that, I had no problem at all. And this all considering that I have god-awful eyesight [I'm legally blind without my glasses] and keep my screen brightness all the way down, heh.

The map designs were just lovely, in my opinion. While I can understand some people thinking they were too empty, I thought that they were just detailed enough. I don't see the point in extraneous amounts of detailing in certain types of maps to begin with, and I doubt that most abandoned castles are that well-furnished. Not to mention, in terms of the story, what use would the master have for interior decorating? xD

As for those who got lost on what to do, the only problem I actually ran into was finding the one pig carcass; I took note of the fact that each of the four pillars in that room had a torch, which should have clued me in right away that there was something there, but, for whatever reason, I stupidly overlooked it until I had found all the others. Other than that, I was quick to figure everything out. Perhaps because I'm the analytical type.

Don't be discouraged at all by any criticisms you may receive; you've managed to create something truly unique that stands out, regardless of whether people can fully appreciate it as it is, or not. It's definitely unusual, and unusual is the best quality in game mods, in my mind. I very much look forward to seeing what you create next!

...The only people worthy of consideration are the unusual ones. Common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed. - L. Frank Baum
05-24-2014, 10:21 PM
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MrBehemoth Offline
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#14
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

Thanks Shaman, not only for the kind words but for the detailed analysis. My next project is underway, don't you worry!

05-24-2014, 11:12 PM
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Ashtoreth Offline
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#15
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

(05-06-2014, 02:33 AM)Mudbill Wrote: Oh, and if you consider the last part a spoiler, perhaps you should use a [spoiler] tag?

Please hide the first sentence of your post with a spoiler tag too!

05-25-2014, 03:33 AM
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Mudbill Offline
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#16
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

(05-25-2014, 03:33 AM)Ashtoreth Wrote:
(05-06-2014, 02:33 AM)Mudbill Wrote: Oh, and if you consider the last part a spoiler, perhaps you should use a [spoiler] tag?

Please hide the first sentence of your post with a spoiler tag too!

I see. I guess I might as well, though I thought it'd be a thing the player would always know since it was stated in the OP to begin with.

05-25-2014, 03:49 AM
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Ashtoreth Offline
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#17
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

(05-25-2014, 03:49 AM)Mudbill Wrote: I see. I guess I might as well, though I thought it'd be a thing the player would always know since it was stated in the OP to begin with.

Yes, but in the OP it's hidden with a spoiler tag now (by your recommendation). Big Grin

I didn't read the spoiler in the OP, so I didn't know about "it" until I inadvertently read your reply.

Thanks Smile

05-25-2014, 03:55 AM
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MrBehemoth Offline
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#18
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

(05-25-2014, 03:49 AM)Mudbill Wrote: I guess I might as well

Thanks Mudbill.

Since posting that, I've watched a lot of Let's Players on YouTube and realised a few things:

1)
Spoiler below!
Boney is easy to miss and if you don't have a grasp on that mechanic it can sort of ruin the gameplay. So now (ver. 1.2) you can't actually go into the second map without him, to underline his importance.
Guess I'll spoiler-tag this so people can choose whether or not to know! Smile

2) There are plently of LPs (and my own walkthrough) kicking about, so some people are going to know that kind of thing in advance.
(Incidentally, Sigvess is doing an LP, as Lava Lectrode. It's very entertaining!)

3) It's pretty much explained in the trailer anyway.

So yeah, it's not as much of a spoiler as I originally thought it was.

(This post was last modified: 05-25-2014, 09:29 AM by MrBehemoth.)
05-25-2014, 09:16 AM
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Mudbill Offline
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#19
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

It's funny because Sigvess is one of my best friends IRL. His voice alone is entertaining, heh.

05-25-2014, 03:04 PM
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MrBehemoth Offline
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#20
RE: The Trapdoor - FULL RELEASE

(05-25-2014, 03:04 PM)Mudbill Wrote: one of my best friends IRL

I guessed as much. That's why I mentioned it. Wink

Funnily enough, again, I played Last Night last night - it was fun.

05-25-2014, 04:38 PM
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