Sleuth Home - Message Boards - Sleuth : Shades of Mystery

Nov-3-2007 23:56

I've put up a new screenshot and a gameply video on the Shades of Mystery page.

We've been doing quite a bit of work on the searchable locations (crime scenes and suspects homes) and I thought you'd like a look at what we've got going. Also, I think the video gives you a better idea of actual gameplay than anything I've posted up to this point.

The Shades of Mystery page can be accessed from City Hall.

Some notes about the video:

1) The actual game does not take nearly as long to load as that video. I'd actually recommend letting the whole video load before watching it, otherwise it will look choppy unless you have a very fast connection.

2) This video has been compressed and shrunken a bit to conserver filesize. The game is about 20% bigger than the video (the screenshots are actual size).

3) Right now, we only have furniture sets in for bedrooms. That's why there is a bed in the sitting room rather than something more appropriate.

Enjoy.

Nov-4-2007 13:21

LOL, I was expecting it to take awhile to load Ben. It went by fairly fast on my computer and I had to watch it twice and pause it several times to actually understand what I was seeing.

Oh boy does it look like I'm gonna have a new addiction!

Nov-4-2007 15:01

I think we all will have an additional addiction... not just a new one, I highly doubt some of us will leave Noir and do Shades of Mystery. Some of us will find a way to do both. If not all of us :D

Nov-4-2007 15:05

Stooby, not everything you find in scenes is considered evidence. Things like keys and some notes allow you to advance the case but aren't useful in proving guilt.

Still, the Crime Scene in the movie does have an unusually high number of items. I chose an example that showed off a lot of items on purpose.

Nov-4-2007 18:10

Looks great, Ben! Can't wait to play!

Nov-4-2007 21:19

That looks awesome, Ben. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks.

Nov-5-2007 04:37

Looks good :) - (but I do miss the noir-feel that Sleuth has *blush*)

I'm also wondering about the cursor turning into a hand when you come across a clue/piece of evidence - just in terms of getting to feel like being a detective investigating the scene, I mean. Still one would probably go nuts from all the random clicking around if it didn't :)

Nov-5-2007 05:36

Can't wait :)

Nov-5-2007 09:21

I don't like the idea of the cursor turning into a hand when there's something to investigate. it's what makes otehr games of the same nature (CSI games etc) boring and unthinking. You cna just wave your cursor around until you see the change. Much better to ahve a cursor or hand all along and have to be locial and think about where to look.

Nov-5-2007 12:17

Most people get horribly frustrated if they have "pixel-hunt" which is why those games make a concession in so far as they turn the cursor into a hand when over a hotspot. Or the hotspot/item gets highlighted when the mouse is over it.

Generally pixel-hunting of any sort is bad idea. But if the point is to "pixel-hunt" (as would make sense when searching a crime scene) then I'm with Stooby. It should be done full on.

Though I suppose a smart-skill that highlights certain types of evidence wouldn't be out of place. If so, it would make sense if that evidence would be highlighted all the time.

Nov-5-2007 12:24

Yes great idea Dave. Dont let the cursor turn into a hand all the time... to easy. But if we learn skills, say note finding, blood spotting etc then great stuff, highlight certain areas to search or something...

Some of those searchers look obvious such as the ashtray etc. so they wouldn't be ahrd to find. A tutorial where the cursor changes would help people learn the ropes, but if you are going to the bother of making a game where the crime scene search is so important don't make it dull and obvious....