Quote from: EgonOlsen on February 07, 2016, 10:09:46 PM

Quote from: msandin on February 07, 2016, 02:22:29 PM
A few hours, at least three I'd guess, probably somewhat more. That said I don't play this kind of games regularly and I'm a somewhat conservative player.

That's quite cool actually. I used to play it "in order" in my tests well knowing that this isn't the way in which people might approach it especially because you actually don't know what that "order" is. The game tries to push you into a direction, but it doesn't force you to follow it. It's nice to know that some additional grinding actually makes it easier to tackle the main quest...that's how it's supposed to be.

Quote from: msandin on February 07, 2016, 02:22:29 PM
The biggest thing separating this from a fully professional product is that the models and texture are a bit hit-and-miss and not everything fits together in the way it does when you've got several full-time graphics artists producing and touching up everything.

That's true. I tried to find stuff that matches at least somehow and I think that I could have done worse, but of course...it mixes the styles of maybe a dozen or more people. You basically get what you pay for (I paid maybe 500 € for the assets in total), which is part of the reason why I don't charge you for it...

Quote from: msandin on February 07, 2016, 02:22:29 PM
I like how "complete" the game feels with a full skill tree, mini-map and map, alchemy, and lots of neat touches like the birds flying, leaves falling, book pages turning, and the characters "talking". I also like that the battles are fairly quick and that the game eschews any requirement to eat and drink which means that I don't feel stressed when I'm just wandering around exploring and looking at stuff. The sound and music deserve to be mentioned as well, I like them quite a bit.

Thanks. All these little touches are my attempt to compensate the lack of truly epic looking locations and such. I tried to make the world somewhat believable within the given scope and context. There are actually a lot of little details in the game. Most people might not even notice them, so I'll list them here:

• Shrubs are moving if NPCs walk through them (but not if you do, because I found that distracting)
• You can hit the shop signs with arrows, which makes them swing a little more
• Arrows get stuck in objects (if you are close enough). If they get stuck in a dungeon door and you open it, they'll fall to the ground.
• Leaves are falling from the trees.
• The birds that you are hearing are sitting in the trees, i.e. the source of the sound is always the crown of a tree.
• There a bees humming around (you only hear them from time to time, you don't see them)
• Above a certain height, wind might kick in. If it does, you'll hear some wind noises and the trees' branches start to move more wildly.
• NPCs can disturb birds if they come too close
• NPCs will start running around in panic if an enemy comes close to them (happens rarely though)
• You can shoot the birds with arrows. It will give you 5 XP while they are grounded and 200 (I think) if they are flying. But I never managed to hit a flying bird myself...
• The dungeons have two kinds of ambient sounds. Water drops and some scratching sounds. The scratching sounds indicate that there are still enemies left on that floor. Once the floor is empty, there won't be any scratching.

In addition, the NPCs explain some things as well to make the world more believable, if you chose to listen. For example, there's an explanation why the dungeons are all lit with torches...

Quote from: msandin on February 07, 2016, 02:22:29 PM
And I'm guessing the amount and depth of the content but I lack the experience of similar games to fully assess those. But complaining about that would be completely unfair for a hobby project given away for free, I thinks it's pretty grand and I fully intend to find out what happened to the guys father!

The game cleary lacks "epic" battles against enemies with the size of a house and such things. Mainly because of money, time and memory constraints. It has 39 different and non-generic quests though. It has at least one quest that you can solve in three different ways (albeit with the same outcome), one quest that you can actually refuse to solve by keeping the quest item for yourself. It has quests with a well defined goal as well as quests with no proper description on where to find the actual solution. It has quests that are interconnected. And finally, it has a branching main quest...
I admit that I had more in mind when I started this project, but I had to make some cuts. After all, 4 years and 2 months are enough IMHO. But that doesn't mean, that I'm not going to add some more stuff after a short break...

I can't get past the "opens elsewhere" prompts in various dungeons. Do I have to thread my way back through the entire top floor, touching and striking every torch and slightly protruding wall-stone in case they're levers. Must I go back to every door and close them to make sure no lever is hidden behind them? Way too tedious? Please tell me there's an easier secret!