Incoboto - (by Fluttermind)

[syntheticvoid]

Originally Posted by etonblue

Finished last night. Great experience. Enjoyed it immensely. While I had some difficulty with the control scheme at some of the more fidgety timing bits, overall, I never found it overly frustrating.

My one comment (and it is more of an observation than a complaint) is, and while I'm not sure that it is technically a game spoiler, I am going to spoiler it anyway because it discusses the mechanics of the ending: •••Spoiler:  There was a bit of a disconnect between the first 75 stars, which I felt like I earned by solving puzzles, and the last 25 which consisted simply of flying around from planet to planet using my jetpack and seemed tacked on for the purpose of extending the life of the game for an extra 15 minutes. It didn't spoil the game for me, but it would have been nice if there was a similar puzzle aspect to them. Frankly, I probably would have been fine had the game ended after 75 and the "final" boss.

Overall, very clever and highly recommended. Impressive work Dene. I look forward to your next solo release (which I'm sure you will have ready for us by next month).

I agree... and maybe having a

•••Spoiler:  portal after the end boss that went from there to the planet where you needed to use the sun to power up the universe...

it did kind of seem... tacked on.

[Cool Panda]

I like it

[crunc]

I didn't mind that last part. It was kind of a relief. LOL. It felt light and joyful in a way, which I think fit the mood of that part of the game. The only bummer for me was that the star maps didn't do anything other than get you an achievement. Surely something fun could have been done with that.

[Glerick]

Dene, since you seem to be very active on this thread, I just had to make an account to thank you personally for this brilliant masterpiece. I am a big fan of 2D platform and puzzle games. But this is more than a perfect combination of that. It's a work of art. Everything, from the mechanics to the music and texts, they all fit together and merge into an absorbing experience. One of the best I've had on my iPad2. I am simply stunned after having found out that you did it all by yourself. Seriously, thank you and bless you. (And your wife for giving you a figurative kick in the ass when needed)

I played Incoboto the last couple of weeks each time when I was alone in bed, just before I went to sleep. And I feel that those moments couldn't have been better spent.

[Dene]

@Glerick: That might be the sweetest thing anyone's said to me that didn't involve my buying them dinner first. Thank you so much.




As for the Jetpack thing: here was the thought behind it:

"You've got 75 stars? Well done. Some of them were a bitch, weren't they? You know what? I've got something for you. No, it's not a puppy. No, it's not more punishment. It's nice. It's a toy. It's a fun toy you don't have to worry too much about. You'll enjoy using it. You did well, so I'm giving you a present. What's that? You don't take gifts from strangers? Well, that's probably for the best... 'cos the ending's going to rip your heart out and dangle it in front of your eyes. In truth, I'm kind of giving you a toy which really speeds you toward heartbreak and devastation. But it's a fun toy though. Fun. And, really, life doesn't get much better than that."

I thank all of you who have joined me on the weird ride, and hope you had 'a time'. Exactly what kind of time, I couldn't possibly guess - but if you felt anything, I'll be content.

As for 'next'... well, I've started 'Another Place Productions' with a few old friends. We're talking to all sorts of folks at the moment. Hopefully next time around, I'll make people *really* miserable. I've watched 'The Fountain' - I know all about misery.

'Night.


P.S. To anyone struggling with the jump mechanism because they're 'flicking' Inco... can I point out that at no time does the tutorial suggest you do that.

Nobody is allowed to complain about a car's steering if they're trying to drive with their elbows.

Just nudge your finger up 10 pixels and Inco jumps. It's faster than tapping, and less disruptive to smooth play.

Don't flick. I said DON'T FLICK! GODDAMNIT STOP FLICKING AND GAAAAH! Can't watch any more... <click>.


P.P.S. The reason the Star Charts don't do anything was that I was *that* close to shoving a pencil up my nose by that particular point in the project. I also didn't think even one person would play that long. Sorry! Thanks so much for playing that far.

[crunc]

Getting all the star charts was easy once you had the Jetpack, perhaps unless there were some hidden ones you didn't uncover while playing.

•••Spoiler:  The ending was sad, though I thought I felt some hope in there anyway. Wishful thinking, perhaps. LOL.

It really was a fantastic game. I'll be looking forward to your next project.

[Xenon219]

Absolutely Fascinating game! Reminds me a bit of Mario galaxy. Thought the last 25 stars fit perfectly and the game wouldn't have been as much without it. I hope this is successful, the iPad really needs more fleshed out games and I hope more ppl are willing to start paying $5. A real steal if you ask me.

[ItouchBrett]

I know it can be solved with one finger. But ong I can't figure out the first part of a "kindword system". The spring is located inside a force field. And I have no idea how to get it out

[deanmary]

I am stuck at 59 starpieces on Dreadthought! I can't figure out how to get the starpiece on Dreadthought-Shield which is above a microportal in a rectangular chamber. Any tips, help, etc. would br greatly appreciated.

[Dene]

Originally Posted by ItouchBrett

I know it can be solved with one finger. But ong I can't figure out the first part of a "kindword system". The spring is located inside a force field. And I have no idea how to get it out

You don't... yet.

•••Spoiler:  There's a clue in the fact that there's a Microportal with a platform above it. Microportals preserve your momentum and relative direction, remember.

If you want to come out at a specific angle, go in to its twin at a specific angle. Think about what else (other than jumping) might give you a boost up at high speed.