Demo game. Does it have potential?

Edit: First things first: This is not a Tetris clone. You will have to play a few levels to get the feel of what the game is about./Edit

This is a demo of a work in progress. I would like your opinions of if it's worth completing or if I should shelve it or modify it in some way. Could you please try it out and tell me what you think. Please ignore the poor quality graphics/sounds used in this demo. I am only concerned about feedback regarding the following questions:

1. Do you think the makers of Tetris would find reason to sue?
2. Does it feel original?
3. Is it too easy or hard (or just right)?
4. Is it fun?
5. Is it addictive?
6. Does it have replay value?
7. Were you able to figure out how to play and what to do?
8. What would you change to make it better?
And lastly,
9. Does it have potential?


PLEASE NOTE the following things before you play!
-- The graphics/sounds are temporary. Please do not judge the graphics/sounds. I am only interested in comments on gameplay.
-- The game will only play in 1024x768. I have hardly optimized ANY drawing operations. There are some graphical glitches.
-- I have ripped out all of the music because it wasn't finished and because I don't want it being copied.
-- There are some minor bugs, ignore them. Please don't comment on any bugs.
-- Don't tamper with any of the files or the game will most likely not work. This includes the .ini file.
-- The only options on the Options screen that work are the top two (drop sound, and # of words). Technically, the music option works, but you shouldn't mess with it unless you hear some weird 'music' playing. If you do hear some 'music' then please DO let me know (it's not working on my system at the moment).
-- I haven't bothered to explain the rules of the game because I want to know how easy/hard it is to just 'pick up the game and play'. Edit: if you can't (or don't want to) figure it out, then scroll down a few posts to see the instructions that I later posted.

Thanks for your comments.

Here is the game:
http://home.cmit.net/rwolbeck/dbs/dbs.zip

Yes (and they wouldn't have to look very hard for a reason, either).
No. Its tetris.
It didn't really hold my interest for long enough to be able to answer this.
Not really.
No.
I only played it for about 3 minutes, then deleted it.
Everybody knows how to play tetris. The 'puzzle' element didn't make any sense though.
Tetris is tetris. Dunno... make a completely different game instead, maybe?Potential as what? If you intend to sell it, then you may want to search through the 100 million other freeware tetris clones that are already available.

I did like the original tetris and I played it for ages, however, the genre has been done to death so much, that any new tetris games that appear, IMHO, are a waste of time, really. There's just too many of 'em.

As a fan of tetris I must say...

Your version uses the same dropping block idea with the same shapes. Adding new shapes only breaks the original flow of having 4 segments per block.

It is a blatant rip-off with some new ideas, and was fustratingly unrewarding. With tetris, you have the ability to eventually fix your mistakes and fight back. With this game, you are left without a feeling of control.

IMHO, I think you have the talent to produce better than this. It's not an awful game, but it's not going to win any fans really.

Perhaps design a new puzzle from scratch involving your word theme?

That's because the game is NOT tetris. Perhaps you should actually play the game long enough to find out why...
Forget Tetris. It's not the same rules.

For any future players: Please play at least 3 or 4 levels worth (even if it doesn't interest you right away to see if that feeling changes as the game progresses).

Ok I played it a few rounds more and managed to guess the word.

A few problems:

-Too much work for too little reward
-the new shapes just don't work

Apart from that I concede you do actually have the makings of a puzzle game, however it IS tetris to play, even if you're dropping blocks for a different reason. It's not as good as tetris either. I'm not slagging the game off, it's my opinion of it.

If I were you I would experiment with alternative ways of revealing stuff. I would also not have two windows, one on the left and one on the right. I'd change the way the game works to display it on one column. I'd also consider using chain reactions and some kind of explosive letter element, for example Letter Smart Bombs, once triggered, reveal all instances of that letter.

Something like hangman, with explosives and connect 4.

Why should they sue WolRon? Why not the makers of the zillon other tetris clones?

Apart from that, it's pretty much luck if you get enought letters to guess a word, didn't like it.

Well, I thought 10,000 points was a hefty reward...They are not intended to work. That was the point. **shrugs**

That's a cool idea. I may try that.

That's not true. Skill WILL help you to solve the puzzle. It's usually just a matter of whether or not you earn the bonus points.


Thanks for the comments so far guys.

Keep 'em coming...

"I thought 10,000 points was a hefty reward..."

I haven't played the game but I do want to comment on this. Just giving people points isn't any reward. After all, that's just a number on screen. You have to reward players with something more tangible, like a special animation playing or something, or better yet progress to a new part of the game.

Umm, no one said that the game wouldn't give you some kind of reward as you described. It doesn't right now (except for the points), but that doesn't mean that I can't put it in there. In fact, I had a few ideas already but I didn't implement any yet because I wanted feedback on what was there now. I had already thought of adding in special bonus rounds.

By the way, if you complete the puzzle, you aren't just awarded 10,000 points, you are awarded 10,000 points times the level number. In other words, a correct answer on level 10, would earn you 100,000 points.

Also, the game does increase in difficulty as you progress. It not only gets faster, but the puzzles get harder.

Please try out the game for yourself and tell me what you think.

FYI, this should be a huge red flag for you. Casual players trying your demo aren't going to slog through 3 or 4 levels hoping it gets fun eventually. You have to grab people on the first level or forget about it.

Having said that, two comments:

1. There needs to be a way to drop the block into place rather than having to hold down and wait.

2. I couldn't understand the logic behind when squares were uncovered and when they weren't. Sometimes they would clear, other times they would crack, other times they would become an "X". Seemed arbitrary.

@EpicBoy, Yes, I got that already. The game starts out slow. I would have to do something about that.

However, you should try it yourself and voice your own opinion based on what you experienced and not what others have commented. (In case it could be taken the wrong way, this sentence is not intended to be defamatory.) Edit: OK, you posted before me.

Noted


OK, this doesn't appear to be as self explanatory as I had hoped, so I will explain here:

***How the game works***
All shapes have a different color. All puzzles contain one of more of those colors.

1. If a shape lands on and covers a square that is of the same color, that square on the puzzle side is broken (revealed).

2. If a shape lands on and covers a square that is of a different color, that square on the puzzle side is only cracked. A cracked square can later be broken by ANY color, you just have to set another shape in it's place (during the second round if you play it).

3. During the second round of a level: If a shape lands on and covers a square that is of the same color or covers a cracked square (of any color), that square on the puzzle side is broken (revealed).

4. However, During the second round of a level: If a shape lands on and covers a square that is of a different color (but not cracked), that square on the puzzle side is 'X'd out. An 'X'd out square can no longer be revealed (because there is no third round).


Hope this helps.

They could only sue with your usage of thier shapes, this is very unlikely as its already been stated there are tons os clones out there now.


Its a strange beasty indeed, as for originality it feels like tetris just without the lines :|


Once you work out what your supposed to be doing its not bad.


No there is nothing to do but uncover words why not have pictures instead?


Maybe with bonuses it might work.


Not at the moment.


I finally worked out you had to 'guess' to get the second round started, this might be better if it was onscreen.


Have pictures instead of words. Also bonuses.


With a lot more work it might make it but its to limited ATM IMHO.

1. Do you think the makers of Tetris would find reason to sue?

I think if this went big then the tetris folk will be all over this like a rash.

Try to make it look as much un tetris as possible.

Good luck.

Actually, I thought about uncovering pictures. Unfortunately, pictures don't work out as well as word phrases do. The reason being, suppose I had up a picture of a dog. A player uncovers enough of it to see that it's a dog, so he writes in 'dog' as the answer. But what if he writes in 'daschund' or 'hounddog' or 'puppy'? I can't be able to answer EVERY possible phrase he could type in. I don't think I could give him multiple choice either because that would basically give away the answer. I don't think pictures will work that well.

I did however have an idea using flags. I have about 80 country flags that I have created that could be the backdrop for the puzzle board. The player could then try to guess the country based on the flag. I thought this could be a bonus thing. There could be several ways I could do something like this.

You could have a multiple choice answer.. However, you'd need quite a lot of pictures in order to keep people playing the game.

Personally, I think it's too much like tetris, yeah, yeah, there's new block types, it plays 'slightly' differenty - the main thing is, if you like it or not players are going to pick up this game and play it just like tetris and see it as a tetris clone no matter what you say.

I don't get it!

On the left is a word which flashes, and on the right there is tetris!

When I got tired of Tetris, I just selected the option to guess the word and got through 2 or 3 levels by guessing the word which was on the left side.

Andy

Maybe instead of words you could use photos of famous people/animals/objects/buildings instead.
Then when people guess what/who it is they are given options what to do with it as reward.
The further you get, the more options you win.

So for example i beat the first round by guessing the animal on the picture is "flipper" (you know..that dolphin).
Now...since it's my 1st level i get only 1 option which is.....Fight with Captain Iglo !!!!

Say i beat the 2nd level too by guessing the building on the picture is the operahouse in Sydney.
I would have option 1...fight with the captain. But i receive another option too which is...Crushed by the famous Monty Python foot.

And so on and so on.....mmm maybe i'm on to some brilliant idea here.

This is probably best. Perhaps with a clue - or levels arranged into subjects i.e. (simplified just for example) the picture is a photo of the Eiffel Tower. The clue/subject is "City"

This way people wont be guessing 'Tower, France or anything else but (in this case) cities'

With reference to the 'Dog'/'Puppy' problem - a picture of a dog is a dog. A tiger is a tiger, not a stripey big cat. If the player lacks the vocabulary, it's tough (seriously - so many other games have always done this to no real deficit)