Unreal Engine Parasite Inside [v0.1.2] [Kodman]

[Kodman]

Criticizing a game early in development for a lack of content is shitty - and saying "I bet you can't do better" is a shitty way of dismissing it. I think you'd do well to take all criticism constructively, even when it's not meant that way - and if there's nothing constructive about it, then don't even bother engaging with it, it's just a bad look at best.

You are completely right, as long as the criticism is "criticism" and has any benefit for the developer or other users. Do you think I'm misunderstanding or responding to criticism? I'm honestly interested.

I played through the whole thing and I will say that without the guide, it'd have taken me at least twice as long to figure out how to progress; the puzzle/navigational solutions aren't terribly obvious or intuitive. It involves more backtracking and walking through empty corridors than I'd like, especially for the number of animations you actually see throughout that time. For that reason I generally find games like this quite tedious to play through, and most would benefit from including scenes and mechanics that aren't tied directly to progression - traps, roaming enemies etc.

Did you feel bored during the main line or was it due to collecting optional cutscenes/objects? How long did it take you to complete the Prologue?

You can tap ctrl to crouch and instantly reset your stamina to 100 - but a stamina system seems entirely redundant and would only serve to slow down what I feel is already tedious and unengaging gameplay. If there are plans for stamina to actually be relevant throughout some section of the game where eg you have to outrun something then that's fair enough. You can still have a very quick recharge from standing still or crouching whilst still making stamina management necessary for those sections.

In first act of the game, Stamina really doesn't seem to make sense, but in the next updates, it will be an important part of the gameplay.

Other than that it runs fine, looks good, controls well enough. How much of the future adult content will be tentacle/parasite monsters vs solo or F/M?

I don't want to spoil anything, but the game will have everything you mentioned and more. Part of the adult content will be added by voting by patrons.

 

[SpiteWorks]

You can tap ctrl to crouch and instantly reset your stamina to 100 - but a stamina system seems entirely redundant and would only serve to slow down what I feel is already tedious and unengaging gameplay. If there are plans for stamina to actually be relevant throughout some section of the game where eg you have to outrun something then that's fair enough. You can still have a very quick recharge from standing still or crouching whilst still making stamina management necessary for those sections.

A very solid point, stamina/resources exist in games as an aspect for the player to consider when making choices. In the current implementation, the existence of a stamina bar does not increase the number of meaningful choices the player makes in gameplay.

I can only say that I don't plan to add a lot of action and shooting in the game. The main gameplay focus is the atmosphere, story, and puzzles.

If this is the case then in my opinion dev time should be taken away from stamina/combat, and instead put on scripted cutscenes, an original OST, or other aspects that directly support your goals.

I'm inspired by a lot of games when creating PI (Alien: Isolation, Dead Space, Resident Evil 1, System Shock 2).

It's hard for me to say what the game will be like because I haven't played such games.

!!! this is very surprising. I had assumed you were already a fan of these games, and had a specific approach in mind for creating PI.
In my personal opinion, the intense immersion and tension from games like RE/Dead space come from
1. scary monsters that pose a threat
2. resource management to deal with #1.

while atmosphere/production quality/jumpscares are certainly crucial in those games, they account for a smaller percentage of my personal immersion.

 

[dw9000]

I'm inspired by a lot of games when creating PI (Alien: Isolation, Dead Space, Resident Evil 1, System Shock 2). But all of them lack a spicy element that I think can add to the sense of horror.
It's hard for me to say what the game will be like because I haven't played such games. I can only say that I don't plan to add a lot of action and shooting in the game. The main gameplay focus is the atmosphere, story, and puzzles.

I am genuinely surprised you haven't had the opportunity to play said games like SystemShock 2, I will not say anything to spoil but i grew up playing that with some friends and the coop was amazing and full of MANY MANY JumpScares and environmental story telling/lore/world building.

An amazing feature of system shock 2 was the ghost feature, seeing ghosts of the past (holograms more or less) of the inhabitants of the world doing their activities or things going on daily tasks that have gone wrong ie: doors jammed and someone complaining, emergencies and fears, etc.

I know since playing the demo last time (before this current version) you have introduced some npcs and a few other scene elements (woman in flesh wall, crewman where pistol is located). It tells a bit of a story which is starting things.

I look forward to what more comes, Parasitism, pregnancies, corruption? if certain things affect the character and change the gameplay (not drastically but enough to make you Not.. or maybe want to, make it happen).

Multiple endings? -though that will prolong the game significantly-

 

[TJ412]

You are completely right, as long as the criticism is "criticism" and has any benefit for the developer or other users. Do you think I'm misunderstanding or responding to criticism? I'm honestly interested.

Did you feel bored during the main line or was it due to collecting optional cutscenes/objects? How long did it take you to complete the Prologue?

Honestly, a bit of both. Personally I don't feel the collectible AI-generated pictures really add anything and I didn't go out of my way to find them - not that you have to look far for the most part. At the same time it's a "why not?" thing. The alternate costume, I was confused as to how to get to the warehouse it's in, or where to find the password to the terminal, so I ended up progressing past it to where you lose your omni-tool or whatever, and presumably access back to that part of the ship.

As for the main progression line, it took me 1h15 at a guess. To my mind it's functionally a gallery with some navigational puzzles in-between. I suppose you could say the same of many of the games I like most, just replace "navigational puzzles" with combat and/or platforming sequences. The difference is, many of those games tend to do at least something to tie the adult content and core gameplay together - eg. "battle-fuck", status effects, pregnancy, corruption and clothing destruction.

In my opinion, the main advantage of making your adult media a game, is the variability of context, and agency of the player and NPCs, which determines that context. Games that don't really include or prioritize those things, could've been more easily made as a visual novel or a video instead, without losing any of its appeal. I feel the same about even some of my favorite action games. As a general rule, the better adult games are "adult content delivery systems" first, "game" second - and the ones I hold in highest regard are those which do the most to marry the two, and have a lot of it.

I've always felt conflicted about crowdfunder-voted content - I feel like adult games (and media in general) are at their best when the creator knows what they want, and is making it to cover a set of specifically their fetishes and tastes - and so it will be enjoyed more by those who share them. Opening it up to a vote means anyone near the edge or outside of where the venn diagram overlaps, in terms of the audience's fetishes and tastes, stands to be disappointed.

I just don't think it's worth your time or energy to respond to and engage with non-constructive criticism at all. I think the "I'd like to see you do better" response is fallacious. You don't have to be a chef to say the soufflee is deflated. And what if they actually could do better? It wouldn't make the content of their feedback any more or less useful to you.

That said, there was a constructive part you could glean from that post you replied to. They felt there wasn't enough content for the overall length of gameplay - which is a sentiment I share - they just chose a shit way to express it, and showed no sign that they understood how early along the game is. If you're going to engage with them in the first place, I'd say it's best to focus on that.

 

[DKOC]

" You are completely right, as long as the criticism is "criticism" and has any benefit for the developer or other users. Do you think I'm misunderstanding or responding to criticism? I'm honestly interested. "

Define "criticism". Define "has any benefit".

Most of what I said was dismissed out of hand. So does that mean you don't view my thoughts as criticism?

Most of what I suggested was ignored because you don't want to do. So does that mean my suggestions lack any benefit?

Honestly, I do think you are responding poorly to criticism because you are labelling all stuff you disagree with as being an attack on you, an attack on the game, or an attack on what the userbase wants, and therefore you can safely ignore it and call it not criticism, but worthless information or attempts to censor your viewpoint.

Its like radical feminists refusing to listen to reason because the facts don't align with their echo chamber and therefore they feel they can ignore it.

 

[Kodman]

If this is the case then in my opinion dev time should be taken away from stamina/combat, and instead put on scripted cutscenes, an original OST, or other aspects that directly support your goals.

Yeap! I also should have bought Bitcoin when it cost $2.
We all make mistakes, especially in things we do for the first time. Don't we? I would be happy if someone else learned from my mistakes.

!!! this is very surprising. I had assumed you were already a fan of these games, and had a specific approach in mind for creating PI.

I meant that I can't give an example of another game that can be directly compared to how I see PI being finalized.

By the way, you've raised an interesting topic that I've been talking about with experienced game designers. If you name the first things you remember from the games listed, it is highly likely that they will be very different from mine. You write about mechanics, and I meant the feeling of loneliness and mystery of the events that take place around the main character. And it's normal for different people to pay attention to different things in games. That's why I don't try to make a game that will appeal to everyone - it's unrealistic.

 

[Kodman]

I am genuinely surprised you haven't had the opportunity to play said games like SystemShock 2, I will not say anything to spoil but i grew up playing that with some friends and the coop was amazing and full of MANY MANY JumpScares and environmental story telling/lore/world building.

Maybe my English is worse than I thought. I meant that I have played these games and am partially inspired by their atmosphere when creating PI.

Multiple endings? -though that will prolong the game significantly-

This thought never leaves my mind. But it can cause a lot of problems in game development. We'll see.

 

[Kodman]

Honestly, a bit of both. Personally I don't feel the collectible AI-generated pictures really add anything and I didn't go out of my way to find them - not that you have to look far for the most part. At the same time it's a "why not?" thing. The alternate costume, I was confused as to how to get to the warehouse it's in, or where to find the password to the terminal, so I ended up progressing past it to where you lose your omni-tool or whatever, and presumably access back to that part of the ship.

As for the main progression line, it took me 1h15 at a guess. To my mind it's functionally a gallery with some navigational puzzles in-between. I suppose you could say the same of many of the games I like most, just replace "navigational puzzles" with combat and/or platforming sequences. The difference is, many of those games tend to do at least something to tie the adult content and core gameplay together - eg. "battle-fuck", status effects, pregnancy, corruption and clothing destruction.

In my opinion, the main advantage of making your adult media a game, is the variability of context, and agency of the player and NPCs, which determines that context. Games that don't really include or prioritize those things, could've been more easily made as a visual novel or a video instead, without losing any of its appeal. I feel the same about even some of my favorite action games. As a general rule, the better adult games are "adult content delivery systems" first, "game" second - and the ones I hold in highest regard are those which do the most to marry the two, and have a lot of it.

I've always felt conflicted about crowdfunder-voted content - I feel like adult games (and media in general) are at their best when the creator knows what they want, and is making it to cover a set of specifically their fetishes and tastes - and so it will be enjoyed more by those who share them. Opening it up to a vote means anyone near the edge or outside of where the venn diagram overlaps, in terms of the audience's fetishes and tastes, stands to be disappointed.

I just don't think it's worth your time or energy to respond to and engage with non-constructive criticism at all. I think the "I'd like to see you do better" response is fallacious. You don't have to be a chef to say the soufflee is deflated. And what if they actually could do better? It wouldn't make the content of their feedback any more or less useful to you.

That said, there was a constructive part you could glean from that post you replied to. They felt there wasn't enough content for the overall length of gameplay - which is a sentiment I share - they just chose a shit way to express it, and showed no sign that they understood how early along the game is. If you're going to engage with them in the first place, I'd say it's best to focus on that.

Thank you for your detailed answer. I see the contradiction in your message, but I understand and respect your opinion.

Let me ask you one more question. Did you have a feeling that you downloaded the wrong game? I mean, you had a vision of the game before it was launched, and when you started playing it, it was not what you expected?

 

[Kodman]

" You are completely right, as long as the criticism is "criticism" and has any benefit for the developer or other users. Do you think I'm misunderstanding or responding to criticism? I'm honestly interested. "

Define "criticism". Define "has any benefit".

Most of what I said was dismissed out of hand. So does that mean you don't view my thoughts as criticism?

Most of what I suggested was ignored because you don't want to do. So does that mean my suggestions lack any benefit?

Honestly, I do think you are responding poorly to criticism because you are labelling all stuff you disagree with as being an attack on you, an attack on the game, or an attack on what the userbase wants, and therefore you can safely ignore it and call it not criticism, but worthless information or attempts to censor your viewpoint.

Its like radical feminists refusing to listen to reason because the facts don't align with their echo chamber and therefore they feel they can ignore it.

You so clearly and confidently accuse me of ignoring your opinion and at this very moment have never even tried to understand MY vision of MY game. The problem with your "criticism" is that you are describing YOUR vision of YOUR game. At least try to understand it.

It's ridiculous to read about comparisons to radical feminists, because I didn't come to your thread and try to impose my opinion on you, and you're trying to impose yours on me.

Please stop taking my answers or lack thereof as aggression, it is not. You just downloaded the wrong game. (I'll leave a smiley face here to hint that I'm writing this in a friendly way)

 

[KilljoyTRV]

" You are completely right, as long as the criticism is "criticism" and has any benefit for the developer or other users. Do you think I'm misunderstanding or responding to criticism? I'm honestly interested. "

Define "criticism". Define "has any benefit".

Most of what I said was dismissed out of hand. So does that mean you don't view my thoughts as criticism?

Most of what I suggested was ignored because you don't want to do. So does that mean my suggestions lack any benefit?

Honestly, I do think you are responding poorly to criticism because you are labelling all stuff you disagree with as being an attack on you, an attack on the game, or an attack on what the userbase wants, and therefore you can safely ignore it and call it not criticism, but worthless information or attempts to censor your viewpoint.

Its like radical feminists refusing to listen to reason because the facts don't align with their echo chamber and therefore they feel they can ignore it.

Seriously? Your 'criticism' fired off with a fucking one star review to blast your opinion everywhere JUST LIKE A RADICAL FEMINIST. If you want people to take you 100% seriously, try not going the stupid route first. Some of your criticisms were fair when posted here, others were due to your rig as others pointed out (the darkness). Stop with your blasting Kodman over his reaction to your opinions as its hypocritical the way you started out. Even if everything had been done in an even-keeled way, he is not REQUIRED to heed your opinion. He did, however, respond respectfully and you STILL accuse him of perfidity. Good grief.

 

[DKOC]

I'm done fighting with you and your insanity.

I will leave and not come back.

 

[KashKa]

This is pretty good, i look forward to more, will we have the ability to control the "adult scenes" in future or do you plan on having them play out as cutscenes?

 

[Kodman]

I'm done fighting with you and your insanity.

I will leave and not come back.

That's the problem: you perceive our discussion as a fight, not as an exchange of opinions to see the other side.

I don't really like to end a conversation on a conflicting note, so I'll try to explain what I mean again, but using your game as an example, if you don't mind.

You sent me your game in DM, I played it for about 40 minutes and didn't understand it, I didn't really like it. Does this make your game bad? Absolutely not. I'm sure your game has a lot of fans and will have even more.
If I had suggested changing the elements of your game that I didn't like (make the graphics 3D, reduce the amount of text in the beginning, change the controls), you would probably have rejected most of my suggestions. Does that make you a bad developer? Absolutely not. Because I don't have the knowledge of your vision of the game and the development capabilities you have. You, as the creator, set the rules and conditions of the game, and I, as the player, will agree to these rules or not.
You tried PI, you didn't like it, and you gave your honest 2 stars in the review. I tried to reveal my vision of the game and my capabilities in terms of development in response to some of your comments. You didn't like my rules that I put into the game and that's okay.
I repeat, I respect your rating of my game and your opinion in general. As well as your intention to "not come back". If you were offended by anything I wrote, I apologize. English is not my first language and I may not express myself correctly, so I have no intention of offending anyone.

 

[Kodman]

My only complaint is the flashlight is nearly useless in any red lit area, so I missed the edges of two vent shafts I kept passing by. If dev wants to keep the flash light as is, could you put some red lights near those places to draw attention to them?

Spoiler: Locations

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Thank you for your comments. I tried to arrange the light for the main line of the game and deliberately hid the "secret" places. I'll see what I can do about it.
By the way, in the 0.1.2 update, I added a brightness setting (pause menu) if you find the game too dark for you.

 

[Kodman]

This is pretty good, i look forward to more, will we have the ability to control the "adult scenes" in future or do you plan on having them play out as cutscenes?

Thank you for your feedback.

For now, I plan to make cut-scenes + their variants in the gallery, as it is now in the game. I had some ideas about adding a QTE system to some scenes, but I'm not sure if it would be appropriate.

If it's not too much trouble, could you write down what kind of interactivity you would like to see during the adult scenes? I'd appreciate a specific example in the form of a game title.

 

[smn743]

When do we actually get to fight with those brothers? And if possible can we get an option on wardrobe to make our character futa? A passive futa ? Plus in hard mode you can give character energy bar if you don’t sleep you may pass out anywhere on ship and wake up somewhere else if you know what I mean

 

[Kodman]

When do we actually get to fight with those brothers?

I can't tell you the fate of the brothers because it would be a spoiler. I can only say that the player will have the chance to meet them again (optional).

And if possible can we get an option on wardrobe to make our character futa? A passive futa ?

I didn't think about it. Adding such a feature might complicate the game development. Because I would have to change the main plot.
I can only hint that the game tags will be expanded over time and Futa may well appear there.

Plus in hard mode you can give character energy bar if you don’t sleep you may pass out anywhere on ship and wake up somewhere else if you know what I mean

It's an interesting idea. I will definitely think about it. Thanks.

 

[TJ412]

I see the contradiction in your message

Care to elaborate?

Let me ask you one more question. Did you have a feeling that you downloaded the wrong game? I mean, you had a vision of the game before it was launched, and when you started playing it, it was not what you expected?

Generally, the bar for adult games is so low you couldn't use it for limbo, so I try not to have any expectations - unless the dev has previously made games I'm familiar with.

My metrics for a good adult game are "do I like the adult content, and how it's integrated into gameplay?", "does it have a sufficient amont of such content for the length of time, and/or the level of effort I'm putting in to playing?", and "is that content relatively easy to access?".

Then there's features like galleries, level select, language support (or being self-explanatory to the point understanding text isn't necessary to play through) - then general stability, optimization, control fluidity etc - but these are all secondary, or just go without saying.

So no, I didn't download the "wrong" game - by all indications it would appeal to my tastes - just one that doesn't score highly on those primary metrics, subjective and arbitrary as they are.

One of the last things I want to feel when I'm playing an adult game is that my time is being wasted. I've played no adult game that I'd truly enjoy over any of the 'normal' games I play, if adult content weren't a part of it. There are some that I still find fun nevertheless.

Searching around large rooms and sections of corridor and vents, and using deductive reasoning to get to the next trigger to open up the next area and the scenes within, just doesn't do it for me. If an adult game's doing it's job right, there's less blood going to my brain while I'm playing it - so generally, the more straightforward and simple the task, and (to a certain point) the more instant the gratification, the better. There's building tension and anticipation, but the other side of that is tedium.

If you were to make the game more in line with my personal ideals, it'd look something like adding roaming enemies with scenes taking place within gameplay. Some of the areas might be a bit tight and cramped for that, but that could work to the game's advantage. Maybe each area of the ship could have its own enemy or group of enemies - maybe you have to hide from certain ones, fight others and run away from more. For example, have the brothers roaming around the animal labs area. Or alternatively, just have a "wrong" room to go in that triggers another scene with them.

As it stands right now, most of the gameplay sections are all competently designed, just there's close to nothing to do or experience in them that really does anything for me.

 

[Zero28]

This game is so well optimized that it even runs on my prehistoric laptop (celeron, 4 RAM) and this game is Unreal Engine 5, Even though I'm not going to 60fps, I can enjoy this wonderful game.

 

[DashUOfficial]

hilarious such a minor opinion from a random stranger on the internet prompts you to start typing essays calming down the dev, his feelings arent hurt :/