Hey! Thanks for the feedback!

So we had a pretty tough time working out what was a 'minimum amount' for getting the point across for the game for an early access launch, so I guess it hard to get across the amount of work we have yet to show and that we're still developing for the final version. We have a lot of planning for the narrative and the characters. The girlfriend will be more mobile and interactive in the final version and so will the other people in the game. AI is the more complicated thing to get in, and it requires most everything else to be final, so they know what's a wall and whats accessible etc.

With regards to the music, we were donated the tracks on the records from a band a while ago. We have some plans for ambience and music variety, but we wanted this to be somewhat subject to you as the player. We ideally want a range of music so people could listen and chose their favorite. There is some variety in the songs you can find in the first scene. Some people loved the music, but we understand that that particular set of songs isn't for everyone. :)

You should have had a second act that took place after you finished act 1, I'm not sure how far you got. This second act is a result of the choices you made in act 1. We currently have 3 branches in the second act, which change depending on what you did. The relationships change depending on whether you go meet the mystery girl or decide not to. It also changes if you decide not to spend too much time with her in the first act. You can ultimately lose everyone in your life if you don't interact with them and maintain those relationships. We are also playing around with a few different types of relationships, so we'll see what people think of that too..

The game is very basic currently. The final sections are described with text, but they will be a final act, where more of the story is prominent. We wanted to show the direction of the game so people would know what the intention is, but we want the whole game to be as interactive as act 1 when it's complete. We have a lot of content held back, as we're working out some kinks and making some changes based on feedback (like this), so hopefully you're interested enough to see what the final game looks like. :) It means a lot to hear what you have to say. It's sometimes hard to take a step back and see it as someone coming to it fresh would. Thanks for checking it out! I hope this somewhat answers your questions. :)

Sweet, I got a response from a dev. I'll be honest I only played the first chapter, for the reason I had listed above. I didn't want to be old yet, I wanted to still be in my youth and see what the person in the park wanted to talk to me about. When the game said I was getting old and suddenly I was in an office, I kind of felt nothing was resolved with the first part. This doesn't mean I don't want to play this game anymore, it just was that I wasn't ready for that amount of change. I really am an "atmospheric guy", and my interest and commitment towards a game depends on how I relate to my surroundings....have you ever played a game called anti chamber...that is what I mean..let me clerify..

In antichamber you are alone, only given clues on the wall through little black boxes that hint at a story. The music is very minimalist, but there are sounds so beautiful in that game like wind chimes mixed with the sounds of pigeons flying that make you feel like you are in this astral projection dream state. That game owned me until I beat it, just for the feeling it provided. This is what I felt at the beginning of this game. I felt like I woke up surrounded by white, that is why she scared me when I went downstairs for the first time. I love games that make me feel like I am alone in a universe that is not my own. I feel this game has the ability to becomes something great. If the story is a bit more cohensive. I will play some more though, for sure.

I may sound a bit confusing because what I am saying is pure feeling rather than something that is black and white. So let me try to put it to you this way. Have you ever heard/played a game called "lone survivor"..It is an indie game made by ONE GUY that became a cult classic, through the narrative and the way it simply makes you feel. The graphics are minimal, but it has something that can't be programmed. The game is about someone who lost someone to him so precious that he created a nightmare inside his own head, throughout the game you are given choices, if you play violently you get the "red ending". Look it up on youtube if you want type in "Lone survivor red ending". In that ending the character loses himself and if you choose to play violently, the main character meets a projection of himself at the end of the game, and shoots him, which is a portrayl of suicide. After he is sitting on top of a hill with the girl he lost, and she asks him a simple question. "Are you happy at least" and he replies with "there is no place else I'd rather be"..These words seriously echo in my mind when I think about this game, and it is proof that the graphics don't need to be there. The girl doesn't even have a name she is simply "her". The very thought that someone chose to remain trapped in insanity if it meant seeing her, is something that can't be programmed, and almost and if not certainly, brings you to tears. That is my point. I believe this game can get there if it develops a story that fleshes out the characters a bit more, as the feeling is there. Listen to the soundtrack from that game as well tracks "blue world" and "her".

BTW let me add that it is always interesting to hear of people who are making a game instead of working office jobs like me. I've only made games through RPG Maker and so on and so forth, and even that the coding is hard work. As I said in my earlier post I'm a musician in my spare time and obviously that doesn't pay the bills so the majority of my time is working a drab office job. It really is cool to see that people are out there following their dreams so on and so forth. I looked a bit around this forum and noticed that some people have no idea of the amount of work it entails to make a game by the content of their posts. In short just keep up the good work. I can only share my feelings as I play, but I will continue to play once updates are made.

I just played through all the possible endings. Or at least I think I did...Can someone tell me how I don't forget about my GF when I am in the office? I answered her phone call and I delivered all the papers. I am confused why it said at the end "you only care about your job and you think about what have might been if you cared about your GF more" What more could I have done. Also, in the first level, there is a segmant between the dock and the backyard that is still black and white. I have no idea how to color that in. I looked everywhere, and everything else is colored in. Also what are all the balls the workers are holding.

We're still working on the relationships past act 1. In the next update, she'll visit you. And in the update after that one, there will be some more interactions, and you'll be able to "complete" the relationship, so that you wont have regrets.

It's just a suggestion, but I think it would be hilarious instead of fixing a calculator in the first level, but a red stapler instead. This way if the player chooses to pack it in with his belongings when he goes to college and at his job, there is a red stapler sitting on his desk. This would be referencing office space and I think a lot of people would find a ton of humor in that, and the satisfaction that their decision carried over. Plus it would be simple to program in.

Originally posted by Never Ever Outgunned:

It's just a suggestion, but I think it would be hilarious instead of fixing a calculator in the first level, but a red stapler instead. This way if the player chooses to pack it in with his belongings when he goes to college and at his job, there is a red stapler sitting on his desk. This would be referencing office space and I think a lot of people would find a ton of humor in that, and the satisfaction that their decision carried over. Plus it would be simple to program in.

Ha! The red stapler. I'm not sure its prominent enough for that specific instance, but we're looking into little narrative references for the office, in particular the other people you work with. I'd love to do things like have a red stapler on another guys desk with a massive post-it telling everyone to leave it alone, or something.. That kind of thing would be great for giving the people you work with more character. Good shout! :D

Also, totally familiar with the games you mentioned above! I'm a massive fan of music in movies and games and I know we all here feel the same way.. We're sad that we have to show the game this unfinished, but I just hope people will be excited everytime we add new stuff and gradually flesh it out to the final thing. X3

Figured I'd give you some more feedback. I have been playing the game alittle more recently and I have to say my favorite levels are the "Home" and the "Forest". Those levels in my opinion truely define what the game is supposed to be about. It is actualy in my opinion a deterent to new players to end up in the office. I figured out that if you do absolutely nothing at home. You end up in the office...given that most people have the attention span of a grapefruit most people will probably spend the first level throwing darts and objects at the girlfriend and end up being in the office. At that point they will say...I don't want to do all this work. This sucks, this reminds me of real life too much. I'll tell you a little below of what happened last night that might be helpful information.

Last night after my band played in NYC it is a tradition that we head to my house and play some games, usually super nintendo, but I had my steam running and I told one of my friends who is into ambient games to give reflections a try. As soon as he discovered the football he wanted to throw it out of the window just like I did. Instead of doing what he had to do he ran into the next room and played darts. Then tried to put the box on the GFs head. Now eventually the screen when dark and he was in the office. At that point I noticed he had way less fun. He quit and we started playing the Shadow Warrior remake. Now I went back and showed him the forest level and let me tell you. Having your GF follow your around the forest made the game a ridiculous amount more fun. She just has to do a better job keeping up with you. Anyway back on point he was like..why did you get this level..and I said. Would you ever go back and try to replay over and over trying to see what you have to do to get back to this level? He replied with "hell no". Not because he didn't like the first level, but the fact that it takes at good 20 minutes each time..Since the majority of the time you will end up in the office I believe it will be a huge deterent to some players. I have a reason this is.

As I'm sure you know people use video games as escapes from reality. When you are in the home it is acceptable because a home is a sanctuary, the home reminds you of your own house where you feel "free". People are more inclinded to do things such as pack, organize, and do menial tasks, because it is an environment that reminds them of comfort. When you are thrown into a sterile work environment, people..myself included..get that sickening feeling of when is it all going to end. Delivering all those papers made me feel like I was actually doing real work than playing a game. If that would be an altnerative path to be an actual employee. Then by all means let that be an option, But at the core of every human being is anarchy. To further explain, when my friend ended up in the office the first thing that he wanted to do was to punch the boss in the face. I believe if players were given the option to sabatoge the office and instead of delivering the papers but SHRED them in the office shredder, you'd find that everyone would be doing that and having a lot more fun. It would probably be hilarious to be able to throw the pieces of crushed paper at your boss in the office, and get in trouble. How about running around the office and turning off all the computers, and having the employees being mad at your. Or how about since you are in a high position at the company, you receive a mysterious phone call that says. "If you are interested stay on the phone, we know you have access to insider information, stay on the phone if you are interested, we will pay you for the efforts". If the player chooses to stay on the phone, he gets arrested and the end of the game he is in prison. How hilarious would the game be to have an option to have you end up in prison.

But let me get back to what I like. The forest scene is wonderful. I totally did not expect the forest to be as big and beautiful as it was. Your GF can trap you in the bathroom though, so it is probably a good idea to not let her follow you in there. She also can run off the cliff and is never to be seen again at the old mine track. Also, if you are going to be timed and have things to do in an area that big, you need to know what time it is. In the house i thought it was a great addition for you to add a clock/radio in your room. Plus the analog clock on the wall was a great idea. How about pressing a key on your keyboard and a simple watch comes up on the screen, or at least the time. So the player knows how much time he can take.

Originally posted by Never Ever Outgunned:

Figured I'd give you some more feedback. I have been playing the game alittle more recently and I have to say my favorite levels are the "Home" and the "Forest". Those levels in my opinion truely define what the game is supposed to be about. It is actualy in my opinion a deterent to new players to end up in the office. I figured out that if you do absolutely nothing at home. You end up in the office...given that most people have the attention span of a grapefruit most people will probably spend the first level throwing darts and objects at the girlfriend and end up being in the office. At that point they will say...I don't want to do all this work. This sucks, this reminds me of real life too much. I'll tell you a little below of what happened last night that might be helpful information.

Last night after my band played in NYC it is a tradition that we head to my house and play some games, usually super nintendo, but I had my steam running and I told one of my friends who is into ambient games to give reflections a try. As soon as he discovered the football he wanted to throw it out of the window just like I did. Instead of doing what he had to do he ran into the next room and played darts. Then tried to put the box on the GFs head. Now eventually the screen when dark and he was in the office. At that point I noticed he had way less fun. He quit and we started playing the Shadow Warrior remake. Now I went back and showed him the forest level and let me tell you. Having your GF follow your around the forest made the game a ridiculous amount more fun. She just has to do a better job keeping up with you. Anyway back on point he was like..why did you get this level..and I said. Would you ever go back and try to replay over and over trying to see what you have to do to get back to this level? He replied with "hell no". Not because he didn't like the first level, but the fact that it takes at good 20 minutes each time..Since the majority of the time you will end up in the office I believe it will be a huge deterent to some players. I have a reason this is.

As I'm sure you know people use video games as escapes from reality. When you are in the home it is acceptable because a home is a sanctuary, the home reminds you of your own house where you feel "free". People are more inclinded to do things such as pack, organize, and do menial tasks, because it is an environment that reminds them of comfort. When you are thrown into a sterile work environment, people..myself included..get that sickening feeling of when is it all going to end. Delivering all those papers made me feel like I was actually doing real work than playing a game. If that would be an altnerative path to be an actual employee. Then by all means let that be an option, But at the core of every human being is anarchy. To further explain, when my friend ended up in the office the first thing that he wanted to do was to punch the boss in the face. I believe if players were given the option to sabatoge the office and instead of delivering the papers but SHRED them in the office shredder, you'd find that everyone would be doing that and having a lot more fun. It would probably be hilarious to be able to throw the pieces of crushed paper at your boss in the office, and get in trouble. How about running around the office and turning off all the computers, and having the employees being mad at your. Or how about since you are in a high position at the company, you receive a mysterious phone call that says. "If you are interested stay on the phone, we know you have access to insider information, stay on the phone if you are interested, we will pay you for the efforts". If the player chooses to stay on the phone, he gets arrested and the end of the game he is in prison. How hilarious would the game be to have an option to have you end up in prison.

But let me get back to what I like. The forest scene is wonderful. I totally did not expect the forest to be as big and beautiful as it was. Your GF can trap you in the bathroom though, so it is probably a good idea to not let her follow you in there. She also can run off the cliff and is never to be seen again at the old mine track. Also, if you are going to be timed and have things to do in an area that big, you need to know what time it is. In the house i thought it was a great addition for you to add a clock/radio in your room. Plus the analog clock on the wall was a great idea. How about pressing a key on your keyboard and a simple watch comes up on the screen, or at least the time. So the player knows how much time he can take.

Wow! You always have so much feedback! Haha.

Right. The home and Forest scenes are the most polished, and what we feel to be more finished in terms of layout and, like you say, demonstrable of the game overall. The office has been tweaked a ton, but doesn;t feel more final really. We have some analytics set up to show which acts are more often earned than others. We've seen that, you're right, the office is the most commonly earned result. We're working on how to balance that out a bit more, and actually to change the way the office act feels. It doesn't have nearly as much character yet AND SPOILER we're going to be adding much more to the act overall. Work isn't a full day to everyone and we want to show there's a world out there beyond just your job. We made it feel very task oriented because we have the other parts to add in still, and they totally balance that out. We wanted it to FEEL like a work day and so the player would be able to leave and experience a much different gameplay experience afterwards. I won't say too much, because I'd like to know what people think without any pre-empting when we put it in! I personally have a lot more in that act that is my favorite alongside the forest, so I hope it improves your opinion of that area when it's done.. :)

With regards to the gameplay in the Office itself, we've gone back and forth on how extreme we want to take the options! At one point we all discussed the possibility of becoming homeless if you did absolutely nothing in the game and you just walked out on your job and you kicked your girlfriend around, but we ultimately felt that for the core of the game that felt incredibly punishing as an option. But we do want to experiment with more branches while in the Office. If people just slack off and toss stuff around, they can still! But they won't keep their job. We're still working to implement the last part of the game to reflect the outcomes more pointedly and kind of tie up the game. Its currently missing that punctuated part, to players, currently. I like the shredder idea. Thats a very final thing to do. If you toss the papers around and ignore them, you can get a warning and still come back from it to correct your actions. Having a much more 'permanent' choice would be interesting to try.. :) But again, wait until we put in the next part of that act and see how you feel then.

We already spotted the issue with the cliff, and I'll make sure the bathroom and enclosed spaces issue is documented too! The AI for the forest is definitely first pass, so expect improvements. :)

Thanks for the discussion points! Its cool you're getting your band to play too! :D It's good to know what people think when they play, good and bad.

I can't help but give feedback for a game like this. It has been awhile since anything like this has been done. If I can help out in anyway, I'm game. I was like this with lone survivor when it was being developed. If any of the devs want to friend me, I'll gladly give feedback. I am a man that is interested in things that are as far away from call of duty as possible. This game is a stab in the heart of maintstream BS, and just like how I write my music and like my music, attracts me all the same.

I do not remember if it was this thread, or another one, but someone commented that they had to ferry paperwork all day in the office. The curious thing for me in my experience was that I could find no paperwork of any kind, and basically spent the entire day in the last attempts at the office (all attempts at the office, as a matter of fact) talking to co-workers who complained about So-and-so blocking them. (DADDY, HE'S IGNORING MEEEEH!!! D:<) Perhaps it is for the better that I just randomly prod around on the screen ad try to make co-workers happy rather than doing all that grueling paperwork! :D

Originally posted by Auron Starglider:

I do not remember if it was this thread, or another one, but someone commented that they had to ferry paperwork all day in the office. The curious thing for me in my experience was that I could find no paperwork of any kind, and basically spent the entire day in the last attempts at the office (all attempts at the office, as a matter of fact) talking to co-workers who complained about So-and-so blocking them. (DADDY, HE'S IGNORING MEEEEH!!! D:<) Perhaps it is for the better that I just randomly prod around on the screen ad try to make co-workers happy rather than doing all that grueling paperwork! :D

Ah dude! You were the EXECUTIVE! You got to be the boss! No paperwork for you! Hence their neediness!! If you take a peek in the exec office, at your NEW desk, hopefully it'll be a little clearer.. ;) That segment is quite different! And we're still adding more gameplay to that option too.

Originally posted by A_Kode87:

Originally posted by Auron Starglider:

I do not remember if it was this thread, or another one, but someone commented that they had to ferry paperwork all day in the office. The curious thing for me in my experience was that I could find no paperwork of any kind, and basically spent the entire day in the last attempts at the office (all attempts at the office, as a matter of fact) talking to co-workers who complained about So-and-so blocking them. (DADDY, HE'S IGNORING MEEEEH!!! D:<) Perhaps it is for the better that I just randomly prod around on the screen ad try to make co-workers happy rather than doing all that grueling paperwork! :D

Ah dude! You were the EXECUTIVE! You got to be the boss! No paperwork for you! Hence their neediness!! If you take a peek in the exec office, at your NEW desk, hopefully it'll be a little clearer.. ;) That segment is quite different! And we're still adding more gameplay to that option too.

So you mean to say my version got me to be the BOSS? SWEEET! Though I imagine the option to be a drone will be in there (as would the option to get fired even lol).

Thanks for the clarification! Looking forward to the next update, btw! Keep up the great work here and on Grave! ;)

I had another idea. How about when you are moving from your house, an item you can pack away is a bottle of hair dye. Depending on the color you choose, will be the color of your GFs, hair in the next part. Girls with black hair is totally my thing, I'm not complaining though about her appearance though, a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman.

Originally posted by Auron Starglider:

Originally posted by A_Kode87:

Ah dude! You were the EXECUTIVE! You got to be the boss! No paperwork for you! Hence their neediness!! If you take a peek in the exec office, at your NEW desk, hopefully it'll be a little clearer.. ;) That segment is quite different! And we're still adding more gameplay to that option too.

So you mean to say my version got me to be the BOSS? SWEEET! Though I imagine the option to be a drone will be in there (as would the option to get fired even lol).

Thanks for the clarification! Looking forward to the next update, btw! Keep up the great work here and on Grave! ;)

Thanks, Auron! :) Some exciting developments working their way in. We're sadly less visible on here recently, mostly due to planning and actual dev work! Haha. There's only so many hours in the day!! Thanks for the support.

Originally posted by Never Ever Outgunned:

I had another idea. How about when you are moving from your house, an item you can pack away is a bottle of hair dye. Depending on the color you choose, will be the color of your GFs, hair in the next part. Girls with black hair is totally my thing, I'm not complaining though about her appearance though, a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman.

It's an interesting idea, that we could customise her look, but I'd rather not make it about you, the player, making choices for her if that makes sense? We're trying to keep them as their own entities.. ^_^

We're currently working on overhauling the way we deliver narrative in the game, but this is something I have to keep quiet about until we get it worked out. We'll announce it as an update when it gets to that point! :)
Thanks for the suggestions!