The Mansion, A Clock Tower-inspired survival-horror game Options

[Magical_RuNE_Kni...]

Oooh, i tried it! Hehe, i thought the characters were cute. ^^ They're little comments and conflicts were kind of charming too.
It was really smooth, the music was great, the mapping was also good. i liked reading the dialogue and the footsteps worked great.

umm, hmm... i have to say though that there were a few cutscene errors, and the mapping got a bit repetitive for a mansion. You could also stack ur HP, and your on-screen HP bar would read full while on the menu it'd say 1/10. ^^"

Also, if u chose to have Dollie locked up in the cage, you'd disappear and the game would freeze once you get into the basement. Umm.. when you pressed A for an update, it kind of frequently was off too. And Dollie could go over the dining table when u first meet her, but not while she's chasing you. The reason why she's chasing u could also be clearer. ><

Other than that, i liked the game. : D Although i have to admit, i didn't really like how the stamina gauge didn't seem to recover over time...

[Magical_RuNE_Kni...]

--ugh, internet very slow, sorry."--

This post has been edited by Magical_RuNE_Knight2001: Apr 16 2012, 01:21 PM

[Alicia Jewel]

Oooh, i tried it! Hehe, i thought the characters were cute. ^^ They're little comments and conflicts were kind of charming too.
It was really smooth, the music was great, the mapping was also good. i liked reading the dialogue and the footsteps worked great.

umm, hmm... i have to say though that there were a few cutscene errors, and the mapping got a bit repetitive for a mansion. You could also stack ur HP, and your on-screen HP bar would read full while on the menu it'd say 1/10. ^^"

Also, if u chose to have Dollie locked up in the cage, you'd disappear and the game would freeze once you get into the basement. Umm.. when you pressed A for an update, it kind of frequently was off too. And Dollie could go over the dining table when u first meet her, but not while she's chasing you. The reason why she's chasing u could also be clearer. ><

Other than that, i liked the game. : D Although i have to admit, i didn't really like how the stamina gauge didn't seem to recover over time...

I'm so glad you like it! Character creation and storytelling have always been my passion, so it puts a huge smile on my face when people comment on those. I am aware, though, that the mapping is a bit sub-par. I'm terrible with mapping because of my logical brain wanting everything to be symmetrical and pretty and whatnot. Sadly, life is rarely symmetrical and pretty, so it's tough for me. Believe it or not, though, the mapping was MUCH worse before one of my friends helped me improve them, so it could be worse. ^^'

Could you be more specific on "cutscene errors?" Which cutscenes? What kind of errors? Were they huge issues that broke the game, or were they little things I could patch up and move on with? Also, what do you mean by HP could "stack?" (I should be able to fix the HP bar and menu not matching, though. Not sure why it didn't work in the first place.)

The issue with the basement scene should be an easy fix. Would you mind telling me at what points the objectives were off? The objective system, admittedly, was kind of a last-minute addition, and I was sort of rushed to finish it, so there are bound to be a few errors.

The reason that Dollie can't float over the dining room table while she's chasing you is because it causes HUGE problems with the collision mechanics. It would also be a bit of a game-breaker. The reason she's chasing you is because she's freaking insane. (Though that probably should have been clear from the get-go. xD Ending S does a better job explaining it.)

Thank you so much for your comments and error reports! People like you make it really worth struggling through making a game like this!

EDIT: Gah, forgot something in this post. I originally wanted the stamina gauge to slowly fill when you weren't running, but the engine had difficulty handling so many scripts running at once, so I scrapped it. As kind of a counterbalance, I scattered some healing items and resting points around the mansion.

This post has been edited by Alicia Jewel: Apr 17 2012, 01:58 PM

[Magical_RuNE_Kni...]

I'm so glad you like it! Character creation and storytelling have always been my passion, so it puts a huge smile on my face when people comment on those. I am aware, though, that the mapping is a bit sub-par. I'm terrible with mapping because of my logical brain wanting everything to be symmetrical and pretty and whatnot. Sadly, life is rarely symmetrical and pretty, so it's tough for me. Believe it or not, though, the mapping was MUCH worse before one of my friends helped me improve them, so it could be worse. ^^'

Could you be more specific on "cutscene errors?" Which cutscenes? What kind of errors? Were they huge issues that broke the game, or were they little things I could patch up and move on with? Also, what do you mean by HP could "stack?" (I should be able to fix the HP bar and menu not matching, though. Not sure why it didn't work in the first place.)

The issue with the basement scene should be an easy fix. Would you mind telling me at what points the objectives were off? The objective system, admittedly, was kind of a last-minute addition, and I was sort of rushed to finish it, so there are bound to be a few errors.

The reason that Dollie can't float over the dining room table while she's chasing you is because it causes HUGE problems with the collision mechanics. It would also be a bit of a game-breaker. The reason she's chasing you is because she's freaking insane. (Though that probably should have been clear from the get-go. xD Ending S does a better job explaining it.)

Thank you so much for your comments and error reports! People like you make it really worth struggling through making a game like this!

EDIT: Gah, forgot something in this post. I originally wanted the stamina gauge to slowly fill when you weren't running, but the engine had difficulty handling so many scripts running at once, so I scrapped it. As kind of a counterbalance, I scattered some healing items and resting points around the mansion.

XD
my sister is exactly like that LOL. i have to help her with the mapping all the time. (!)

As for cutscene errors, well.. there's a part where when you go to the basement after you chose "have Dollie locked up", you get stuck in a wall and disappear. Or when you get to the 3rd part of the mansion, (with Dollie following you) the left servants' door disappears.
Also... idk if this is an error or not, but while Dollie is chasing you/ you are looking for her, her sprite still remains in Delilah's room. o.o

The objectives were off... when you are leaving to find Dollie and the old man + your sister are in the hidden room. If you press 'A', you'll say that you have to find Dollie but that you also hope your sister is okey.

For HP and stamina, what i meant was that the HP would say 1/10 while it'd be full on the interface. But with stamina, if you use the bed/ sit on the couch while your stamina is high, it'll increase the max amount of stamina u have. (instead of just restoring it)

And ohh ok, i see about the passability. it's not that big of a deal actually. :]
i remember she mentions something about how her brother's dead (i think?), so i thought she was chasing u because she thought u were the brother. So she's just insane? (Maybe u can expand on that...?)
------
No problem about the feedback btw! If i made something, i would really appreciate feedback too.
Sorry about the delayed response though btw, i've been busy working on something. ^^'

[Alicia Jewel]

Gah, how did that door get deleted? >.< Fixed, along with the basement.

Wait, you got into Delilah's room with Dollie chasing you? Hnngh, there's supposed to be a branch that prevents that...! Regardless, I've set it so you can no longer enter Delilah's room before the final chase.

I noticed the "worried about Nina" switch not being deactivated while I was giving the game another run. I forgot a spot or two where you could "skip" an objective or two and get straight to rescuing her. Should be fixed now.

The health not matching your status screen should be fixed. Not sure why they were acting up in the first place. How can you tell your max stamina is being increased? The resting points are programmed to do nothing but set your stamina to max, and healing items have a fail-safe that prevents stamina from exceeding max.

And yes, saying she's "just insane" is a pretty good way to put it. I'm pretty sure I'd go wacko, too, if I was trapped in a doll's body.

Don't worry about the delayed response. I've been really busy studying for final exams, myself.

[Magical_RuNE_Kni...]

How can you tell your max stamina is being increased? The resting points are programmed to do nothing but set your stamina to max, and healing items have a fail-safe that prevents stamina from exceeding max.

And yes, saying she's "just insane" is a pretty good way to put it. I'm pretty sure I'd go wacko, too, if I was trapped in a doll's body.

Don't worry about the delayed response. I've been really busy studying for final exams, myself.

The bar on-screen seems to grow. o.o Or maybe that's just what it starts off as? Either way, i thought the orange bar was smaller when i began the game compared to when i beat it. The items work fine though.

As for the insane thing... well, it's your game, so if u want to keep like that then okay. i'm not a writer, but personally, if i made a game with a doll that was naturally insane, it'd raise too many conflicting issues... like was she always insane? What triggered the breakdown? Why is she with the old man? Why the man hasn't left yet, etc. Or why is she stalking you and not anyone else?
But again, your game not mine. That's my honest opinion.

Gl on your exams btw. :]

[Alicia Jewel]

When you lose stamina, the bar shrinks, and then it grows back to normal when you restore stamina. I still wish that I had better graphics for it, but I'm not an artist. T_T

When I release 1.3, I highly recommend that you try for Ending S, if you haven't already. It will answer pretty much all of your questions. (The only reason I don't say to try it now is because there's a bug where that entire cutscene is dark, which kind of ruins the effect.)

Thanks for the luck. I'll certainly need it.

[Magical_RuNE_Kni...]

Ahh, i see lol. Nvm, i guess i was seeing things. x_x

i'll be eagerly awaiting the 1.3 version btw :] and no probs, have all the luck u need. ^^ hahaha

[Alicia Jewel]

Okay, I'm going to do something I swore to NEVER do again: I'm going to post a beta version of 1.3 in the downloads section while keeping 1.2 up just in case something goes wrong. I haven't been able to get anyone to test this besides myself, and I think we all know by now how unreliable of a game tester I am. (I'm so lonely. T_T)

So, yeah, as usual, let me know if there are any bugs, if you have any suggestions, etc. I've been getting some ideas from other sources, so I might experiment with those while this little beta's going on. That partially depends on how busy I will be in the next couple of weeks with finals going on.

EDIT: Almost forgot! List of fixes!

Normal Fixes:

• The tutorial should now display in normal Start
• Fixed a lot of lighting and freezing errors in cutscenes
• Fixed some fading issues between rooms
• Delilah's room shouldn't get darker when you rescue Nina
• HOPEFULLY, health not going down has been fixed now

[Show/Hide] Spoiler Fixes

• Nina will no longer jump in front of you when you rescue her from the basement
• The cage door should no longer disappear
• You'll no longer talk about trap doors every time you enter a trap door
• You are no longer able to enter Delilah's room during the finale

This post has been edited by Alicia Jewel: Apr 27 2012, 04:01 PM

[thatbennyguy]

Hey I just played the game and I think it's a great concept with wonderful story. I got a bit stuck, but I'll try and get past that.

My Observations:

• Really good characterizations, clear characters
• The fact that you can interact with everything is nice, makes it interactive
• Gameplay-wise, though, everything is too spaced out. You take too long to get anywhere, and there are too many items, making it a case of "let's just try interacting with every single object until something happens", which isn't fun
• Probably should have save disabled, with save points. Being able to save or pause in the middle of a chase breaks the tension.
• Dolly really freaks me out, so you've succeeded in the "horror" bit.
• As you noted earlier, health and stamina have bugs. My health doesn't go down at all when she attacks me, neither on the bar nor my actual health. So I never die.
• When I used the poker on the furnace, I wasn't clear what happened. Did I stab her? did she disappear? What happened? It was overall confusing.
• Right now I'm stuck at the part where she gets out of the bathroom. I've tried interacting with everything from that row of rooms, but I'm gonna try the first row of rooms next.

So yeah, if anyone knows how to get past that, including the developer, let me know.

[Alicia Jewel]

Hey I just played the game and I think it's a great concept with wonderful story. I got a bit stuck, but I'll try and get past that.

My Observations:

• Really good characterizations, clear characters
• The fact that you can interact with everything is nice, makes it interactive
• Gameplay-wise, though, everything is too spaced out. You take too long to get anywhere, and there are too many items, making it a case of "let's just try interacting with every single object until something happens", which isn't fun
• Probably should have save disabled, with save points. Being able to save or pause in the middle of a chase breaks the tension.
• Dolly really freaks me out, so you've succeeded in the "horror" bit.
• As you noted earlier, health and stamina have bugs. My health doesn't go down at all when she attacks me, neither on the bar nor my actual health. So I never die.
• When I used the poker on the furnace, I wasn't clear what happened. Did I stab her? did she disappear? What happened? It was overall confusing.
• Right now I'm stuck at the part where she gets out of the bathroom. I've tried interacting with everything from that row of rooms, but I'm gonna try the first row of rooms next.

So yeah, if anyone knows how to get past that, including the developer, let me know.

*pops her fingers* Okie-dokie, let's take this one point at a time.

• Awesome! One of my biggest focuses in this game was character creation and development, so I'm glad you like them.
• Haha, part of that was compulsion. I figured that just having some things that gave responses when you interacted with them would be confusing and frustrating, so I went ahead and added reactions to pretty much everything you can look at/touch.
• That was actually one thing I had been hoping to fix with the "item sparklies," but I can see it hasn't entirely worked. Which parts can you think of that you really had trouble/frustration with?
• In the original beta, I tried to make it so that you were unable to save during chases, but that proved to bug out a lot and make it so you couldn't save period. I'll consider save points, but first I need to think of where I would put them. (Putting them in the clocks like in Haunting Ground would be too easy, eh? )
• You have no idea how much that makes me happy. I did everything in my power to make Dollie as creepy as possible, and it makes me outright GIDDY when people are scared of her! I kind of wish I could have done voice acting for this to add some creepy giggles, at least, but that might be more trouble than it's worth.
• I REALLY don't know what could be wrong with the health system. I've tested it over and over again, but I've never had any problems with it. Are you playing 1.2 or 1.3 beta?
• Yeah, you pretty much stab at her with a hot poker. (Though considering that she's nothing more than an animated doll, that might not make a WHOLE lot of sense, but work with me.) I couldn't figure out a convincing way to code that, especially with the random nature of Dollie's movements, so I chose to just black it out.
• How are you stuck? Can you not interact with anything, or can you not find a hiding place? Or are you not sure what to do next? (In which case, a better idea of where you are in the game would be helpful because there's quite a bit to do on the second floor.)

Like I've said before, posts like yours make my day as a game maker. It helps me see what parts of my game that people like and what parts could use improvement.

[thatbennyguy]

[*]That was actually one thing I had been hoping to fix with the "item sparklies," but I can see it hasn't entirely worked. Which parts can you think of that you really had trouble/frustration with?

Oh, I didn't really see the sparkles on items. So the sparkles are the interaction points? Because I just thought you had to interact with every object until you find the right one :S

I'll consider save points, but first I need to think of where I would put them. (Putting them in the clocks like in Haunting Ground would be too easy, eh? )

I think that's a great idea. But up to you.

I kind of wish I could have done voice acting for this to add some creepy giggles, at least, but that might be more trouble than it's worth.

Nah, it's pretty scary as is. It reminds me of Resident Evil, back in the days when you didn't have a gun and just had to run away from zombies. The horror genre has been dissipated in this way, that's why I like the game Amnesia: Dark Descent. So well done on the horror aspect.

[*]I REALLY don't know what could be wrong with the health system. I've tested it over and over again, but I've never had any problems with it. Are you playing 1.2 or 1.3 beta?

I was playing 1.3 beta. So yeah, that might be it. I'll try 1.2 when I get home.

[*]How are you stuck? Can you not interact with anything, or can you not find a hiding place? Or are you not sure what to do next? (In which case, a better idea of where you are in the game would be helpful because there's quite a bit to do on the second floor.)

Hmm, I wasn't quite sure about the notion of finding a "hiding place". Like, do I hide in a cabinet and wait til she's gone, or what? She just came out of the bathroom, just so you know, so I've just been rushing around the rooms, trying to interact with every furniture in sight. Maybe I don't *get* the game? I didn't see the tutorial either (probably coz it was the 1.3 beta version, or I downloaded an earlier copy), so I kinda just made up my own rules

So yeah, I'll surely play through it again when I get back home, and look for the sparkly things. Probably I should try the 1.2 version as well, to see if the health problems persist. Because she literally attacked me, like, 500 times and I didn't die.

[Alicia Jewel]

First of all, sorry I took so long to respond. I had finals week to worry about, and I've spent the past few days trying to reset my brain after all that studying.

Oh, I didn't really see the sparkles on items. So the sparkles are the interaction points? Because I just thought you had to interact with every object until you find the right one :S

Are they really that hard to see? I could probably change their animation cycle to be longer if that will make them easier to see... or maybe I could try to make them brighter.

I was playing 1.3 beta. So yeah, that might be it. I'll try 1.2 when I get home.

1.3 beta was actually supposed to fix the health issues, but apparently it hasn't worked. I'm just about ready to throw in the towel on the health system and revert to the very first version: if Dollie hits you, you die! But that would really suck, wouldn't it? :/

Hmm, I wasn't quite sure about the notion of finding a "hiding place". Like, do I hide in a cabinet and wait til she's gone, or what? She just came out of the bathroom, just so you know, so I've just been rushing around the rooms, trying to interact with every furniture in sight. Maybe I don't *get* the game? I didn't see the tutorial either (probably coz it was the 1.3 beta version, or I downloaded an earlier copy), so I kinda just made up my own rules

You're supposed to be able to interact with certain objects while Dollie is chasing you (but NOT while she's in the room) so you can hide. These spots are listed in the guide alongside the evasion points, most of which you DO use while she's in the room with you. I've had an issue in the past where some hiding places were bugged and froze the game--is that giving you issue? I'd highly recommend playing Clock Tower: The First Fear if you can get your hands on it for an idea of what this is like. If you like Amnesia, then you'll probably like CT.

One thing I was thinking of doing was also adding sparklies for hiding places while Dollie is chasing you or for evasion points when you can use them. But seeing as how apparently the sparklies are hard to see, I'm not sure how much that would help.

[thatbennyguy]

You're supposed to be able to interact with certain objects while Dollie is chasing you (but NOT while she's in the room) so you can hide. These spots are listed in the guide alongside the evasion points, most of which you DO use while she's in the room with you.

Oh, OK. I didn't really get the concept of the game... I wasn't sure how to hide from her? But I guess you can hide in cabinets and stuff or hide around corners. I was just flailing around trying to find the next checkpoint, really, no hiding involved But yeah I get it now. Hopefully I'll be able to play again sometime soon, but I'm bogged down with assignments as of late. I will play again and try to hide this time

[Pal88]

Seems like your game is doing fairly well for itself, not been able to test out the newer version yet but will do soon, got it downloaded just not had time yet as busy with other things. Still a good game though

[Alicia Jewel]

Oh, OK. I didn't really get the concept of the game... I wasn't sure how to hide from her? But I guess you can hide in cabinets and stuff or hide around corners. I was just flailing around trying to find the next checkpoint, really, no hiding involved But yeah I get it now. Hopefully I'll be able to play again sometime soon, but I'm bogged down with assignments as of late. I will play again and try to hide this time

Unfortunately, you can't really hide around corners. I think I know how I could program that in, but it might be a bit cheap and harder to figure out than "walk in front of a cabinet/table/other hiding place and press the Spacebar." Plus, I kind of wanted to keep it close to the original Clock Tower (The First Fear, not the PS1 game).

Seems like your game is doing fairly well for itself, not been able to test out the newer version yet but will do soon, got it downloaded just not had time yet as busy with other things. Still a good game though

Thanks! I was a bit worried that nobody would even give my game a second glance since it's a bit of an "oddball," being more of an adventure-type game on an RPG site, but I'm glad I've gotten a few fans! (And critics, for that matter. xD)

[MEands]

About how long does this game take to get the full experience? I might do a video playthrough but I need to know if it's gonna be like this 10 hour ordeal.

[Pal88]

About how long does this game take to get the full experience? I might do a video playthrough but I need to know if it's gonna be like this 10 hour ordeal.

Game took me a good 1-3 hours to complete (honestly I lost track of time lol) but this was because I'd never played the game before and searched every single room over and over and over and over again just to try and find everything to get the best ending.........AND I STILL DIDN'T GET IT lol

[Kaust]

Fantastic work! Spent all morning getting all the endings. I encountered a few minor glitches but since I played the first demo I imagine you've cleaned most of them up (however ending B messed up for me as Dollie didn't enter the cell and got stuck, I only bring it up as that seems a pretty important glitch to fix). I was a little disappointed most of the 'cutscenes' were just a faded out screen with text, hopefully thats something you'll work on for the next release, it was the only real letdown in the game (apart from the occasional glitch).

You've got a real knack for comic writing; in games its often very clear what is intended as a joke or a witticism and often comes across as a very artificial, forced humour but I was glad that was not the case here (it was also refreshing to see it in a 'serious' game, a lot of people seem to think something serious demands absolute solemnity) though the funniest line for me was the rather absurd 'Its a girls dress...this could come in handy' xD.

Anyways, like said, great game, a morning well spent

[Dark Kyu]

I just finished the game.

I have to say, I like the game even though I find some glitches, especially basement part where I try to lock Dollie in the cage but the game froze. It does feel a lot like the classic horror game where you get chased by a near indestructible monster (Dollie in this case). In fact, I was on high alert all the time during the gameplay. However, as I played through, I'm not really scared at all mostly because I somehow predicted what's really going to happen next.

The atmosphere is good, I must say. The choice of music is great, especially from the Clock Tower series (I haven't played those games yet). The mapping is somewhat incredible, I love the mansion's setting and the design. With that said, you're a very good mapper.

You could've done the horror element a bit more, such as interacting with the environment. Perhaps a bit more surprising encounter with Dollie in some places that people won't even expect, that may scare the living heck out of them. Another thing you could've taken advantage is the footstep sounds. Imagine if you walk around the hallway until you suddenly hear another footstep. When you stop, the footsteps also stop. That would've up the scare meter

The story was the thing that got my interest. I like the simplicity of the story until near the end of it with a few twists.

All in all, the game is quite good even if it's short.