[WIP] Quatro Luzes: Puzzle Game Concept

Hey guys. I'm currently working on a concept for a puzzle game, called Quatro Luzes, and I would like some feedback from the community. Here is a small explanatory video, showing the basic mechanics:

Alpha ver. 1.0.4 (Dropbox): Download

1.0.4
- Added "Puzzle09_turbines" to the main build (as of now, both demos have the same rooms);
- Yellow lens can now be obtained;
- Fixed unreal physics in some rotating objects;
- Fixed various problems in the Main/In Game menu interaction;
- Dimmer lantern light (some players considered the lantern shadow distracting in some levels);
- Player movement improved (jump height/ drag);

Extras:
- Gameplay demo is now obsolete and will no longer be updated.

The full changelog can be found in the .rar file.

Also, here is the concept page on Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=455100251
Since it is a project in early development, any feedback is more than welcome. Thanks!

 

Looks very intersting... but I guess it depends very much on the puzzles.
I am just talking for myself here... but I really like puzzles where I have to think about a solution and not have jumping or timing skills to solve it. Other then that, it looks very promessing!!
Keep up the good work!!

 

@mortos360 I see your point. The way I am thinking, probably it will be a mix of both. Right now even I am still figuring out the possibilities of this mechanics. So far, I can make timing puzzles, and memory puzzles with it. Maybe I can find a way to actually make the player stop at the beginning of the room, use all the lights available to him to see what is in there, and then figure out a way to solve it. That can be interesting...

 

I know, first person puzzle games can be difficult to make for sure. I'm sure you've seen antichamber? I feel like that is going to be the new gold standard for what this genre should be (at least gameplay wise). Also, your game doesn't look that different from the concept behind quantum conundrum — a nice looking game, but one people said ultimately suffered from a reliance on physics based puzzles.

 

@macdude2 yes, I've played Antichamber! Great game. I've heard about QC, but never got the time to play it. I think its author was from Valve or something? They love physics based puzzles, that's for sure.

 

No, it was from Square Enix. Anyway, I think your concept is good in theory, I'd just continually play test your levels so you make sure you're not creating frustrating mechanics.

 

Very interesting concept.

I'm curious how you went about doing the impossible space part, where you jump down the tunnel. I assume there's a portal, and I'm looking for ways to re-create this same effect.

 

@MutantGopher Thanks.
About how to do the impossible space, I use a secondary camera, showing the destination of the "portal". This camera mimics the movement of the player's camera. What is really important is, at the portal's entrance, I use a plane with a subtractive shader (a shader with output zero), so i can put the image generated by the secondary camera in its place. The only main tricks I had to figure out are the "Clear flags" and "Depth" for both cameras.
This post was pretty useful: http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/404637/subtractive-rendering.html

 

Hey guys! I just made available for download a small art demo, showing how the game should look like in its final version. In it, you can walk around the first two levels (the ones already play tested, and finalized), in something close to its final form. However, if you have any suggestions, feel free to give your opinions. Thanks!
Link to download (Dropbox): https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53929593/QuatroLuzes/QLConceptDemo.rar
Again, if you are interested in giving me your thumbs up (or thumbs down, idk) here is the concept page on Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=455100251

 

Quick picture, so you know what to expect from it, visually:

 

Hey guys.
Recently I updated the art concept demo (download link), and now it also contains sound effects and music. Tell me what you think.

Coming soon:
- Save/Load system;
- More puzzles imported from the gameplay concept (once they are fully tested).

You can help me import puzzles faster from the gameplay concept by playing it (download link) and give me your feedback on them. You can do so by posting it here, send me a PM, or if you have a steam account, post it in the greenlight concept page (Greenlight link).
Thanks!

 

Alpha version of Quatro Luzes is now available on Dropbox: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53929593/QuatroLuzes/QLAlphav1.0.1.rar

The changelog can be found in the .rar file.
Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions! Enjoy!

 

New puzzle, new system, more bug fixes!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53929593/QuatroLuzes/QLAlphav1.0.2.rar

Changelog (full changelog in the downloaded folder):
1.0.2
- Added first draft of a Save/Load system (requires intensive testing!);
- Added "Puzzle08_seesaw" to the main build;
- Fixed footstep bug when using other colors other than white;
- Fixed height of puzzle08_seesaw entrance.

If you wish to report any bugs, or give any suggestions, use the Discussions tab. Thanks!

 

More puzzles and bug fixes:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53929593/QuatroLuzes/QLAlphav1.0.3.rar

Changelog:
1.0.3
- Added "Puzzle06_pendulums" to the main build;
- Added system messages on save and load game;
- Fixed some wrong physics behavior when teleporting;
- Added primary occlusion culling system (to be improved);

Full changelog inside the .rar file.

 

New Version

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53929593/QuatroLuzes/QLAlphav1.0.4.rar

The puzzles from the gameplay demo now have been fully imported. To give a picture of where exactly we stand, only 3 more puzzles are necessary to end the first arc of the game, when it will become an official Greenlight submission. This first arc will be free to play.

Changelog:
1.0.4
- Added "Puzzle09_turbines" to the main build (as of now, both demos have the same rooms);
- Yellow lens can now be obtained;
- Fixed unreal physics in some rotating objects;
- Fixed various problems in the Main/In Game menu interaction;
- Dimmer lantern light (some players considered the lantern shadow distracting in some levels);
- Player movement improved (jump height/ drag);

Extras:
- Gameplay demo is now obsolete and will no longer be updated.

Full changelog inside the .rar file.