Notes on departure by withoutpillow

[raw]
made by withoutpillow for LD27 (COMPO)
My first Ludum Dare entry (yay!), a Twine game about departure and choice.

The sf-setting probably has something to do with me reading a lot of science-fiction stories lately.

Please play in the browser's fullscreen mode for maximum immersion.


Two endings


If you want to restart from the beginning simply update the page.

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 2.76 841
Audio 1.32 960
Fun 2.19 1055
Graphics 2.12 1004
Humor 1.57 915
Innovation 2.94 568
Mood 3.39 150
Theme 3.04 677

Feedback

Sebastian
26. Aug 2013 · 10:00 UTC
Very short, but quite powerful.
Armix
26. Aug 2013 · 11:12 UTC
I liked the smooth and clean way of telling a story. The premise of leaving something behind for (I take it as) love; like @sebastian said: powerful.
CuberToy
26. Aug 2013 · 11:16 UTC
A well writen story, with a bit of interactivity. This may not be a "game", ut it is great to experience.
PaperBlurt
26. Aug 2013 · 12:32 UTC
Too short, and not really a "game", but that's way it is with Twine games. It looked real good, but could have made something more of the two choices..
TheJackiMonster
26. Aug 2013 · 14:13 UTC
Short and nice! :D
RobotParking
26. Aug 2013 · 14:59 UTC
Very cool. I like the changes to the Twine interface.
TwilightFlandre
26. Aug 2013 · 17:32 UTC
It's a short "game" but I don't mind that much. The story is clean and impactful. Very well written.
Liz England
26. Aug 2013 · 19:46 UTC
Awwww. Yeah this was great. Very moving in such a short time span. I adore the way you used the theme.

Twine is pretty much built for this kind of game. When picking a place to add player input/interactivity within a narrative... well, I think you did it right, in the way with the most impact :)
Obscuremoon
26. Aug 2013 · 20:58 UTC
Wow, I was hoping in the second ending that I'd see him :'(
Vasileiadis
26. Aug 2013 · 20:59 UTC
Interesting.. wish it had more parts :D
🎤 withoutpillow
27. Aug 2013 · 09:53 UTC
thank you all for playing and commenting!
pragmascript
27. Aug 2013 · 12:57 UTC
I liked this.
Laelien
27. Aug 2013 · 13:08 UTC
Ooooooh. Nice and beautiful, well done.
chrisamaphone
27. Aug 2013 · 17:57 UTC
Lovely piece. :) Thanks for the comments on my submission, too.
Tainted_Code
28. Aug 2013 · 14:10 UTC
I was clicking all the messages expecting a game at the end but there never was one. So I re-played and read the story very epic and though provoking I wish there was a simple piano track behind it to give it more suspense/intensity!
GSM Productions
28. Aug 2013 · 14:11 UTC
Very gripping. Some will argue that this is not a real 'game', but I felt that the single bit of interactivity was really what made the story so impactful. Masterfully done.
MuciojadPL
28. Aug 2013 · 14:13 UTC
Good and originally :)
lekochen
28. Aug 2013 · 14:14 UTC
Good one.
aglushakov
28. Aug 2013 · 14:22 UTC
Very interesting expirience!
Sense
28. Aug 2013 · 18:14 UTC
That's short, but very good.
Martin_Monosys
28. Aug 2013 · 20:48 UTC
A bit short, and I didn't feel like I had any meaningful choices, but I guess my game isn't any better in that field... :)
Still, i get a feeling you could have done more in 48 hours if you really wanted! Maybe next time!!! ;)
theholychicken
29. Aug 2013 · 00:13 UTC
Wow! This one gave me the shivers!
Nice, small interactive interactive work with great impact :]
Drubert
29. Aug 2013 · 00:53 UTC
Hey! Thanks for checking out my game. Loved how you were able to boil down the feelings associated with leaving in this one.

If you wanted to add on something, maybe show us a bit more of the situation from the guy's perspective, i.e. him rushing to get there in time.
M.O.U
29. Aug 2013 · 18:01 UTC
very criative, i see some innovation here. Good work!
zlowrance
29. Aug 2013 · 22:37 UTC
I enjoyed it :)
porglezomp
30. Aug 2013 · 02:26 UTC
Beautiful and powerful.
BenWhi
01. Sep 2013 · 04:35 UTC
Was disappointed that it was so short. Started off really great!
Almax27
01. Sep 2013 · 13:48 UTC
Nice storytelling, sad it's a bit short.
Diptoman
02. Sep 2013 · 12:17 UTC
A little more interactivity would've been nice. Got both endings, though a note saying "LOL" may have screwed up one of them for me. :P
Good work!
🎤 withoutpillow
02. Sep 2013 · 12:57 UTC
@Diptoman: screwed up? seems to me like you got quite the funny ending. but after all, it's up to you how you want to interpret the story.

thanks for playing!
Antidote
03. Sep 2013 · 03:49 UTC
Really cool xD "He" must have been very confused with my message...
Marcos Rodrigues
05. Sep 2013 · 02:27 UTC
Really powerful. Good narrative, and well chosen words for the links, though I think one of the endings could be a little more elaborated.
blackotus
05. Sep 2013 · 14:20 UTC
Very interesting take on the theme and storytelling :)
Dotanukii
05. Sep 2013 · 22:36 UTC
Nice mood and a really cool story!
panurge
08. Sep 2013 · 12:59 UTC
Nice, poignant little vignette. I enjoyed sending a hurried message and I enjoyed receiving it too. Thanks!
Yakka
08. Sep 2013 · 13:24 UTC
Minimalist and deep :)
Christina Nordlander
08. Sep 2013 · 19:19 UTC
Pretty good story, well-written, if rather short. A bit too non-interactive for a Twine game. I like the way you incorporated the theme.

Can't figure out how to get the second ending. (I thought it would come if you didn't leave a message, but that doesn't seem to be the case.) I might have to come back to bash my head against this game some more...
Christina Nordlander
08. Sep 2013 · 19:38 UTC
Never mind, found it.
manuq
10. Sep 2013 · 00:39 UTC
I love this interactive fiction. I wish you continue doing things like this :)
foumart
13. Sep 2013 · 22:54 UTC
This was cool. I like the effect of this kind of.. not games but rather "experiences".
GeorgeBroussard
16. Sep 2013 · 02:48 UTC
Interesting. I typed "bye" and felt kinda bad :) Oh well, to the stars!
lalanl
16. Sep 2013 · 14:10 UTC
I liked this a lot. At first I thought the end would depend on what I left, rather than whether I left anything.

When I failed to write something in time, I discovered what the game actually is—a challenge against yourself to not just write, but also to be satisfied with what may be the last words someone who loves you may ever read. And the more you let yourself be immersed in it, the more important that decision feels.

I think the people who are saying this is not or may not be a game or putting game in quotes are being silly. It is a short, one-turn RPG, and it's beautiful and undiluted.

<3
Cosr
16. Sep 2013 · 20:37 UTC
Short and simple, but still good. I found it unintentionally hilarious (in a way I really liked) when I misspelled my final message.