Aura - Casual gaming goes 3D!

[DashingPixels]

Hello all!

Dashing Pixels is new on this forum and we'd like to introduce ourself with this demo of our upcoming game : Aura (http://jeux-directx.com/downloads/AuraDemo_Setup.exe) ( 19 MB )

Platform :

The game is for 2K/XP only. Windows 95/98/Me have not been tested. It just "might" work.

Screenshots :

http://jeux-directx.com/downloads/Aura_2.jpg

http://jeux-directx.com/downloads/Aura_3.jpg

http://jeux-directx.com/downloads/Aura_4.jpg

Rules, hints and tips :

http://jeux-directx.com/downloads/Rules.txt

Yes, this is full 3D, requires DX9 and will install the dreaded d3dx9_26.dll on your system. You will need at least a GeForce 4 MX and a 1 GHz CPU to run the whole thing at a decent frame rate. Comes with an installer / desinstaller. English and French localized. Korean in progress. Japanese is next in line.

Please let us know what you think of the game!
Bugs ? Crashes ? Please, let us know!

PS: Although the software proudly displays "Release Candidate #1", this is somewhat an early beta (some artwork is missing) and it will expire on July 1st. But still, it is very playable and we will post an updated version next weekend.

PPS : Please do not comment yet on whether or not we should have gone 3D or not : I'd like to open a specific thread on this subject when Dashing Pixels is done with its "lurking period".

Thanks all!
Laurent

[soniCron]

How about some screenshots before we take the time to download 19MB and go through a lengthy install and load process?

[DashingPixels]

Just added the screenshots. I was not expecting such fast feedback. :)

[papillon]

Can I have a discussion on calling yourself *pixels* while going full 3d? :)

(Also, to me, 'Aura' as a game name is immediately followed by ": Fate of the Ages". Which was a somewhat fruity name, yes, but did cause me a moment's confusion when I first saw this thread title.)

[soniCron]

Just added the screenshots. I was not expecting such fast feedback. :) Well, you're gonna get it, and you're not gonna like it.

The bad:
Ugly graphics.
Played for 10 minutes with no idea what I was doing. I think I figured it out, and if so, we're looking at a...
Wretched Bontago clone. With fantasy characters. With...
Bad animation.
Not gonna sell more than 10 copies using DirectX 9.0c, especially to the kind of crowd I forsee you targetting. If you can sell some copies...
You'll be stuck giving out the source code for your game because you used SxDL, a GPL'd library.
No sound. I've got 2 soundcards, and your selection of soundcards seemed to ignore my default one. For some reason. (Normally, that saves you from my commenting on the sounds... but I'm going to load them up right now just to see.)
Aha, that's the problem. WAV files. With MP3 codec, I'm assuming. Perhaps I spoke too soon about the incorrect sound card being selected. Looks like you're not even loading your own codec. And my Windows codec system is fubar, so no sound for me.


The good:
Good try.


Closing comments: Huge download for something that doesn't work half right. Something I can't figure out how to play. Something that most non-geeks can't play.

The run-down:
Pre-install: bland
Presentation: bland
Graphics: mild
Sound: N/A
Music: N/A
Gameplay: mild
Originality: bland
Entertainment: bland
Overall: bland


My recommendation: I didn't enjoy it one bit. Maybe others will.

UPDATE: Looks like there's a "Rules.txt" that was just posted. I'm not wasting my time to read it. Should be in the game. No consumer worth their salt is going to:
Have, know how to get, or be willing to get the DirectX 9.0c runtime.
Be willing to read a "rules.txt" to learn how to play.
And, enjoy the game.

Pick one.

EDIT: BTW, according to your website, "Aura will be become the flagship product of Dashing Pixels in late Spring 2005.", despite the fact that it's mid-Summer.

[DashingPixels]

> Sonicron :

- May I ask you what vidboard and sound card you have ? Sound is 22K WAV ADPCM, available since Win 95. I am confused why you get no sound...
- I made and own all rights on SxDL so I can give myself a commercial licence so that I wont have to release the source code, if I do not want to.
- What ( Where ) is Botango ? ( will do google but you can save me some time... )
- Early summer... or "very" late spring... Yeah I will update the website.

Thanks

[soniCron]

May I ask you what vidboard and sound card you have ? Sound is 22K WAV ADPCM, available since Win 95. I am confused why you get no sound... GeForce FX 5200, Sound Blaster Live! 5.1

I made and own all rights on SxDL so I can give myself a commercial licence so that I wont have to release the source code, if I do not want to. Didn't realize it was you. In that case, congrats. Of course, I'm sure you're aware that if anyone else's code gets merged into the codebase that you can't claim that anymore.

What ( Where ) is Botango ? ( will do google but you can save me some time... ) Perhaps www.bontago.com (http://www.bontago.com/) would work?

[DashingPixels]

> Papillon : Dashing Triangles was not sounding so good... and Dashing Polys was not either. Aura is a generic word ( just like Windows ) therefore there should be no problem. Did you try the game ?

Allright, Sonicron dit not like it... Please give it a try anyway, we'd like to have more feedback. And again, some artwork is still missing, it will get better very soon. Also, please let us know if you have sound issues.

Besides the fact the game is played on a circular board, there is little in common with Botango. Our game mechanics is based on strategy, placement and pieces moves. There are some in-game hints and tips. We have to make that more obvious.

[soniCron]

Aura is a generic word ( just like Windows ) therefore there should be no problem. Might I suggest your assumption is flawed. Aura, just like Windows, is trademarked. Because your usage of Aura is the title of a video game, and AURA: Fate of the Ages is also the title of a video game, they conflict. Since yours came second, you lose. If that's not enough, Nolo's Legal Encyclopedia (http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/catId/D8932879-DC34-43DF-BF65FC92D55FEE5D/objectId/82AB4042-68AE-4043-B656554BB65C561F/310/274/ART/) claims trademark infringement exists:

whether consumers would likely be confused by the dual use of the trademark, and...
whether the trademark is being used in the same part of the country or is being used on related goods (goods that will likely be noticed by the same customers, even if they don't compete with each other).

Since papillon was confused, I think that's a good indication your product fall under those restrictions, thus, you should not use that name.

[Derek Yu]

SoniCron, I don't think you've been enough of a bastard yet. Maybe a few choice comments about his mother?

Laurent - I could not get the game to run. It said that I need DX9, but I've already got it installed (latest version). That said, I am on a rather old computer right now - is the game Win98 compatible?

[svero]

Heh. There's something hilarious to me about the thread title. It's like casual gaming goes keyboard only! or casual gaming goes really complex! It seems like a contradiction in itself.

[soniCron]

SoniCron, I don't think you've been enough of a bastard yet. Maybe a few choice comments about his mother? You're certainly entitled to your opinion, though I fail to see what his mother has anything to do with...
Trademark infringement.
Possible copyright conflicts.
Incompatability issues.
Choosing an extremely poor platform for "casual gaming [going] 3D!" (DirectX 9.0c)
Website misprints.
Gameplay confusion due to lack of adequate (and convenient) instruction.
Wanting < 30KB screenshots for a 19MB download.


EDIT: And if this is what I deem it (a personal attack), I, and others, would appreciate it if you could keep the forums clean and just PM me directly in the future.

[Bad Sector]

Obviously this is not a casual game. An indie game, perhaps, but there are 3D indie games around :-).

[Derek Yu]

EDIT: And if this is what I deem it (a personal attack), I, and others, would appreciate it if you could keep the forums clean and just PM me directly in the future.

No no, this isn't anything personal. Nor is it flamebait. You just seemed particularly intent on tearing him apart for some reason, and it got my hackles up. I'm all for honest criticism, but, in my opinion, there was no good reason to 1) make a rather sizeable list of terrible qualities and then put a (obviously sarcastic) "good try" as the only good quality, 2) give a redundant run-down where you put "bland" for everything from the pre-installer to "entertainment value", and 3) after all that, pick at the fact that the game hasn't been released when it says it would on the website. It just seemed needlessly cruel (especially toward a newcomer who is coming here earnestly looking for help).

If I overstepped any boundaries, I apologize. Next time I will use the PM or think more carefully about my choice of words. Just to reiterate - it wasn't a personal attack but only had to do with what you had written in this particular thread.

[Reactor]

soniCron, I think the point Derek was trying to make was that you said things needlessly too harsh. (written before I know Derek had replied :) ) Please don't ask why- you'll have to learn how to provide feedback that encourages, instead of giving people a swift kick to the stomach.

No consumer worth their salt is going to: Be willing to read a "rules.txt" to learn how to play.

Um, yes they will. You might not appeal to some of the more finicky gamers out there, but you can certainly get away with it.

Some suggestions about Aura for DashingPixels...

-The quit menu option instantly bombed me out of the game, which isn't ideal. Also, some of the 'best' graphical options were on the bottom of their lists, while others were on the top. This makes choosing the 'best' option a little confusing. It'd be best to put the better settings further down the list, in my opinion.

-I had some great music playing in the background of the menu, but then once entering the game, it stopped. Another time, the music continued from the menu into the game. The ability to change options from within a game is needed... such as the music.

I'm a bit out of time right now, but I may have more later. I don't think the game is as horrible as soniCron felt it was. The music is nice, the backgrounds look great, and the animation is fine. Obviously the ground doesn't look so hot, but I'm sure you'll work that one out.

Please consider an in-game tutorial, though.

[DashingPixels]

Allright guys...

Could be put aside terminology considerations and legal issues to focus on gameplay and technical issues, if any ? How we could make this game more attractive ?

Please note :

- The game is not finished yet, this an early beta.
- DashingPixels.com is NOT the website of the game. It is just 'corporate' presence, kinda. The game will have its own website, later. At this time, all in-game links are directed to the company website.
- The game name can be changed. There is still plenty of time.
- The game is a kind of "fairy chess" game. It takes a bit of time to learn and understand. We know that, we're working on it. Rules.txt is only intended for you guys until there's better in-game help and the tutorial.

I will open other threads for :

- "Casual" : Where I used to work, namely XBOX Live, anything that was not a big thing, was "casual". Board games were "casual". In that sense, we've made a "casual" game.

- Platform, graphic chipsets, 3D and DX9 : There is a lot to discuss about that and I hope I will have the opportuny to expose background and intent.

And thanks to Sonicron : so far he is only one to have reported problems and provided some feedback. Argumented negative feedback is still good, it will make our game better.

Derek > Windows 95/98/Me have not been tested. It just "might" work. The game is for 2K/XP only. I will edit my initial post.

Edit > Thanks Reactor ! You posted while I was typing... Yes, there will be a much better "plate/board/" very soon. We are working on scripting the game, there will be a few automated games with a voice over commenting each move.

[Teeth]

It's not the first time soniCron's acted like this - maybe someone should just put "beware of the soniCron" in the posting guide?

[Bmc]

Yeh, what can you do about it though. This forum has turned into a a place where a bunch of know-it-alls who know nothing spout their critiques and conjecture while debating the "art form"... the only reason I still come here is for the occasionnal posts by people like svero, James Smith and others who actually have some actual insight.

[soniCron]

This forum has turned into a a place where a bunch of know-it-alls who know nothing spout their critiques and conjecture while debating the "art form"... Perhaps you should re-read the title of this particular forum? ("News, Announcements & Feedback Requests") Bah. And if you feel I am in err in any bit of feedback I gave Laurent, do share. No sense in witholding your treasured ideas. I'm more than willing to admit when I'm wrong. Believe me. ;)

[Robert Cummings]

Hasn't it been a month now since you said your game would be done in a month? :)

[soniCron]

Hasn't it been a month now since you said your game would be done in a month? :) Not quite a month ago, but almost. ;) (And for the record, the beta will be ready soon!)

[Ricardo C]

A "casual game" that requires dx9c, XP/2k, and a GeForce 4 as the bare minimum? Good luck, man...

[Bmc]

Perhaps you should re-read the title of this particular forum? ("News, Announcements & Feedback Requests") Bah. And if you feel I am in err in any bit of feedback I gave Laurent, do share. No sense in witholding your treasured ideas. I'm more than willing to admit when I'm wrong. Believe me. ;)

I actually agree with your feedback... I wasn't really just referring to you I was talking about the forum in general.

[soniCron]

I actually agree with your feedback... I wasn't really just referring to you I was talking about the forum in general. Then my sincerest appologies, mate! ;)

[GameStudioD]

While playing your game, I was completely lost. The game looked interesting, but the controls and goals were not obvious (in game tutorial!). I did not read the readme or rules file. I generally do not read instructions because I would rather be playing.

The models look good and the backgrounds are ok. The user interface looks very bland, because you are using the GUI built into the DX9 SDK. I hope a new interface is being planned, maybe a different interface for each group (like StarCraft). The ground looks very plain and the effect to show how much ground each team acquires looks cheesy. When the game first loaded, I thought something was wrong with the lighting. I think the characters could be more lively. For example, each character could have their own sound effect when selected.

For an early beta, the game is coming along great. Overall, the graphics are ok. I think you need to work on getting the player more immersed into the game. The harsh criticism of previous posters is certainly not warranted.

[Mike Boeh]

When my new beta goes up here shortly, I will definitely be hoping sonicron reviews it. I want brutally honest, harsh criticism. One of the other mods called him the "simon cowell" of indiegamer.com, and that's perfectly fine. If you post your game here for review, you have to be prepared for criticism.

[Derek Yu]

One of the other mods called him the "simon cowell" of indiegamer.com, and that's perfectly fine. If you post your game here for review, you have to be prepared for criticism.

Well then call me "Paula". ;)

But in all seriousness, you can give honest criticism without the brutality. That's all I wanted to point out. I don't think anyone comes here prepared to get ripped apart.

[princec]

....except me.

Cas :)

[Nauris]

Well, frankly, I sometimes feel like people here are too positive and their "criticism" doesnt really help. Its like we all here were patting each others shoulders (except for Cas :) ) and telling how good and smart we are, while the game in question just doesnt cut it. (I`m not talking about Aura, since too many things are bound to change if its just beta)

I personally have often avoided commenting because posts before me are all honey and syrup and I would feel like party-crasher pointing out things I see as problematic.

As long as criticism is not along the lines "it sucks and thats all", but is actually a list of problematic things, its all good, IMO. Of course, it depends on whether you come here to hear how talented you are, or want to make your game better.

Sorry, for contributing to derailment of your thread, Laurent.

[princec]

I like soniCron's review of this particular demo; it's concise, honest and not at all rude. If you want good feedback, it doesn't get much better than this.

Cas :)

[Omega]

I think that whoever said that he is like "Simon Cowell" is missing the important aspect that Simon has 20 years of experience in the music industry, three hit TV shows, and was the one who signed the Power Rangers, World Wrestling Federation, and Teletubbies. Con is a 20-year old kid.

Secondly, the criticism is designed to draw TV ratings. On these forums, however, it should not be necessary to write your opinion in such a way.

Thirdly, most people, especially new developers, assume, and probably even expect, that they are hearing replies from Indie Developers when they post in these Indie Developer forums. Cron could have easily written,

"But, I am only a 20 year old game player, so what do I know? ;)"

To humor up his post and also qualify himself. This is obviously the part that everybody is referring to.

[Abscissa]

I think that whoever said that he is like "Simon Cowell" is missing the important aspect that Simon has 20 years of experience in the music industry, three hit TV shows, and was the one who signed the Power Rangers, World Wrestling Federation, and Teletubbies. Con is a 20-year old kid.

Secondly, the criticism is designed to draw TV ratings. On these forums, however, it should not be necessary to write your opinion in such a way.
You're taking the comparison far too literally. All it means is that soniCron is open and honest about drawbacks without trying to butter things up - like Simon Cowell is known for being. (Besides, Simon is known for tossing flat-out insults just for the sake of ratings (or maybe his ego - who knows?), while soniCron has pretty much remained within "brutally honest". So if anything, soniCron's being better than Simon Cowell.)

Additionally, 20-years-old generally does not qualify as "kid". I'm not sure where you got that from.

I'm with Nauris and Cas on this: If feedback is not brutally honest than it's useless to me (and often counter-effective, as it instills a false sense of complacency). Yes, sometimes the truth can hurt, but if you take it personally than you're not much of a professional in the first place.

[GameStudioD]

I see the harsh criticism in this thread as a means to get attention, period. Flame bait. It does not matter if the meat of the criticism is right or wrong, it is the delivery. The delivery elicits a reaction out of people, which has derailed yet another topic. A critical opinion can and should be given much more professionally.

The moderators should apologize to the original poster for letting the thread get out of hand. The discussion of the criticism and Direct 3D 9 was not what the original poster had in mind.

[Mike Boeh]

Yeah, sorry... I contributed to the hijack... Thread closed.