Gloom by Azlen

[raw]
made by Azlen for LD32 (COMPO)
** READ THIS FIRST **

This game uses 3D positional audio and so it requires headphones / earphones, and also requires a somewhat new version of chrome (did not have time to make it work in firefox)

it takes a little while to load the sounds for the game, once you start hearing sounds, click in the window until it requests pointer lock.

"z", "x", "c", "v", "b", "n", "m", and "," keys will play musical notes (this was going to be the weapon but I never succeeded in making things to use the weapon against)

"w" key will move you forward

moving the mouse left and right while pointer-locked will rotate the direction you are facing (beware it is quite sensitive, so you should not move the mouse too far)

DON'T BE ALARMED when a voice appears out of nowhere! that is your companion/guide (yes, i know the theme was not companion, but I needed a companion for the type of game I was making).

Then basically your goal is to follow the guide by listening to where they are, rotating to face them and then walking forward. When the companion stops saying anything, the game is over.

Ratings

Coolness 50% 3
Overall 3.12 599
Audio 4.21 16
Fun 2.70 839
Innovation 4.15 28
Mood 4.20 15
Theme 2.60 988

Feedback

PeerPlay
20. Apr 2015 · 15:29 UTC
Very nice what you have done with audio. It took me some time to figure out, and i have no idea how far I turn around when i move the mouse, which made it very hard for me to focus on the voice position. Maybe showing something of in which direction you are facing? Anyway, i think it could be really awesome if worked out abit more! Good job!
Jeasonfire
20. Apr 2015 · 15:38 UTC
That was really interesting. I didn't finish the game (walked around, trying to follow the companion until I felt like I was going in circles, and then went on a while, probably 5 minutes), but that was a really cool and refreshing experience.
New, different and kind of weird. I approve.
cgmorton
20. Apr 2015 · 15:55 UTC
Cool concept you have here. The audio quality is there (though I could have done with a few more voice lines). I'd be interested in seeing what you do with the music notes.

Some issues:
Ditto on not knowing how far I'd turned. I realized after a bit that I could have used the other sounds for that, but since I was thrown straight into the game of following the guy I didn't have time to learn that earlier.

I really, really wish the companion would give some indication that I was following him successfully.

Also, you weren't kidding about rotation being sensitive. I had to turn my mouse setting all the way down, and I still had to move it a centimeter at most. You couldn't just adjust that setting?

Overall a pretty neat core of a game.
adsilcott
21. Apr 2015 · 16:04 UTC
Great concept and atmospheric (the odd sound of my own footsteps made me wonder what I was). Really challenging. I'd like to have more confirmation that I've reached some goal, like a "Very nice, now this way" or something. Very cool experience!
MasterOfNaN
22. Apr 2015 · 13:08 UTC
Interesting idea, and immediately very atmospheric and intriguing. Good stuff!
I'd suggest a few near-constant sound sources dotted around the world (e.g. dripping water, a snoring pig, a scuttling cockroach) so that you can use them to orientate yourself and have a more intuitive feel for how much you've turned.
Somnium
25. Apr 2015 · 05:09 UTC
Very unique and atmospheric concept!

It is very easy to lose your orientation, and the companion whispers are not frequent enough to gauge how much you turn when you move the mouse.
scorder
25. Apr 2015 · 21:31 UTC
Love the ambiance of this game, it draws the player in.
I couldn't figure out if I was progressing in the game, but this could be easily fixed if you choose to push the concept further.
tripleVisionGames
05. May 2015 · 16:38 UTC
Really brilliant idea, and the audio really makes the mood amazing