2017-09-02 17:21:32 (edited by daisyalesoundworks 2019-09-01 08:34:26)

This is a fully visual game with a heavy audio focus. The story is explained below, but first is controls and links to the game.

ALL the mechanics take place through audio - information you need to succeed and mechanics of skill you need to execute.
Controls are narrated in game, and you can hold in tab to have them narrated again.

Sniffing sets off a sonar ping in the distance, so you can find your way back to places if you're lost. The world is pretty large map, so it's important to remember you can find your way back if you just keep pressing one of the sniff buttons and then spin around until it's equal volume in both ears, then walk to it.

You can find the latest build of the game here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dflwhlyi9pu6t … d.zip?dl=1

The story is, you're a fledgling rescue dog standing in for the local canine unit that has its hands full. The world's soundscape is incredibly lush and detailed, as in every tree has a separate creature living: different kinds of birds, crickets and frogs at nighttime, etc. I'm a sound designer so the sound was made with a lot of love in this game.
But, because of the natural mechanics of the scent hound, none of the information relevant to rescuing someone is visual. Scent hounds don't use their eyes, they listen and use their scent, so the two important parts of this game are the sounds of the natural world, and the scents represented by low hums. That means that blind people and sighted people are playing the exact same game, and I'm not catering to either group, nor patronizing either group. This is just how hounds work.

I made the game with visuals for one reason: the blind community needs a game that is commercially viable by the world at large. If sighted people buy this game when it comes out, it means the audiogame community will have a game with a budget so much higher than we're used to, meaning we'll get a game that is as deep and full as any indie game out there. Sighted people will have zero advantage over blind gamers because visual information is irrelevant to scent dogs.

Important note: It  will probably ask your permission to install a very small C++ processing file directly from Unreal. It’s safe.
Important note 2: Everything you need to know is narrated, and ALL the information in the game you need is audio. If you hear dog whining, that's the edge of the map signifier. Hold tab to have the controls narrated again to you.

It is the full game, with visuals, so if you have sighted people in your home, get them to give their opinion too, please. If your computer can't handle it try pressing number pad 0, which lowers visual quality to their lowest point.

Please think about these three questions while playing.
1. Is it fun?
2. Is it too easy, or too hard?
3. How can we get the players to care more about the dog and the rescue scenario? I need a carrot on a stick of some sort. Earning money, fame as a resource, etc? I mean I obviously want you to listen to the loved ones at the start, and connect with the missing persons that way but I need another motivation. Collect money to buy ... things? I don't really know.
Controls: arrow keys/WASD for moving. E/Left Mouse are bark, to keep the handler near you. F/Middle Mouse is to sniff, and sound off a sonar ping on the beginning of the level. G/Right Mouse is to sniff and sound off a sonar ping on the trail if you lose it.  E, F and G are the main controls of the game, remember them!

Directions: everything else will be told to you in the opening tutorial speech. It's a simple game that relies on skill, NOT on colourful narrative and conversation like many audio games. The skill is being able to concentrate enough to hear the sound that represents the scent trail and being able to follow it. Another skill is to spatially locate the sonar pings when you press F and G. You will lose the trail. When you do, press either F or G and spin around until the audio is equal volume in both ears. If you press F and the audio is 100% in the left ear, it means you’ need to face to the left a bit to be facing the direction. F will sound a sonar ping at the VERY BEGINNING of the level.

Things will get in your way - everything from inclement weather to your own footsteps is going to bar your listening ability. This is a camping site, with other people so you might run into an alternate scent trail that will confuse which way to go but feel free to follow it and explore. There is no time limit, and there are hidden extras to find. Well, extra. Just one alternate scent trail for now.

If you ever get lost or feel overwhelmed, just press F for sonar ping and start over. There are no time limits here.

I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN! If you aren't having fun, think about what might make it more fun and let me know.

2017-09-02 17:26:56 (edited by daisyalesoundworks 2017-09-02 17:27:12)

What an absolute nightmare that whole process was. Dropbox is not as awesome as I thought. I must have exported the two versions and uploaded them at least 4 or 5 times in the past 24 hours.

2017-09-02 20:13:01

smile Hi, I will tri it. smile I like rpg.

2017-09-02 21:29:06

Hello daisyalesoundworks. And what about 32bit version? I'm using windows x86, but i realy want to try it!

2017-09-02 21:38:46 (edited by daisyalesoundworks 2017-09-02 21:39:33)

Hi deathtime, I set it to upload a few hours back but it failed. I just reset it, so hopefully a few hours from now it will be this, but it might not be:

x32 http://daisyalesoundworks.com/Lost%20an … %20x32.rar

It will be an error until it uploads, if it uploads. (I live in Australia, it's 3:36am here so I can't monitor the upload)

2017-09-02 22:03:16

can you do a recording of the game so that I can hear it in action before I download the full game?

2017-09-02 22:08:54

I really like this, but I have a few questions. The trail will die away, and I will have to sniff it, then I line it up, and I walk some and it dies again, it goes away completely. Then I found a spot where I heard the noise without sniffing, so I walked into it, but it was the edge of the map. So, what is it I'm doing wrong?

This is a really cool concept though, and I hope it becomes a fully fledged game.

Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
End racism
End division
Become united

2017-09-02 22:59:14

Yo folks. Ironcross, the trail is there, the sniffing thing is just to put you back on it. So basically, if you're lucky or good enough to memorize the map or your own movements, you may be able to find it without having to snif at all.
Best regards, Haramir.

The true blind is the one who refuses to see.

2017-09-03 03:01:07

Yes, Haramir is right. The trail is permanent, it will never leave its location or fade or anything. The game can be played completely without sniffing - sniffing is just to orient yourself.

Nick - I'll do that today in a few hours.

2017-09-03 03:10:31

Death time - updated it with a 32 bit version. It's also here. http://daisyalesoundworks.com/Lost%20an … %20x32.rar

2017-09-03 13:45:04

Version 1.02 fixes from 1.00:
Autorun bug is gone
Level skip bug is gone
Scent trail is a little wider and a little louder - might not be a good thing
Scent trail is optimized for land height - wasn't before
Tent visual was added to the alternate scent trail scene - collisions, listen for footsteps
Another audio extra was added to the alternate scent trail scene
Underwater sound was lowered
Visual stones were added near the river - no aural/collision change
Dog footstep volume was raised 100%

x32 windows is here: http://daisyalesoundworks.com/Lost%20an … %20x32.rar
x64 is uploading now

2017-09-03 14:36:08

hi can i play it without mouse?

2017-09-03 15:03:13

Hi Atlan, yes you can. Controls are above but I'll repeat them here too.
W/Up arrow is move forward
S/Back arrow is backwards
A is strafe left, left arrow is turn left
D is strafe right, right arrow is turn right

E is bark, F is sniff 1, and G is sniff 2.

2017-09-03 15:13:40

Nick, I haven't forgotten about your audio demo. I've been working on the game all day and need a break otherwise I'm going to start hating developing it. I'll do an audio demo sometime tonight, within a few more hours.

2017-09-03 15:17:14

Update is up, both 32 and 64 bit windows systems.
x32 http://daisyalesoundworks.com/Lost%20an … %20x32.rar
x64 http://daisyalesoundworks.com/Lost%20an … %20x64.rar

2017-09-03 16:50:12

Wait, the file names in your last post are the same as in a previous post. Yet the last post says they are updates.

So is there a difference or what?

2017-09-03 16:58:04

I updated the first post so new people wouldn't have to go all the way to the bottom to get the recent version of the game. Should I leave the older versions in the top post, do you think?

2017-09-03 17:08:11

But yes, there is a difference. Version 1.02 has taken two rounds of user feedback into account and made changes in the game.

2017-09-03 18:17:55

Is there going to be support for 32 bit systems?

I ask because of all your messeges, only messege #11 has a 32 bit link to version 1.02.

Messege #1 and the message where you said the updates were up have a 32 bit link to version 1.01 while the 64 bit link is to version 1.02.

2017-09-03 18:33:53

Yes, sorry Orko! I uploaded it but did not update the 32 bit in message #1. Here is the link. It's updated above too. http://daisyalesoundworks.com/Lost%20an … %20x32.rar

2017-09-03 19:43:42 (edited by Nick 2017-09-03 19:45:46)

I've downloaded the 64bit version of the rar file for the game but I don't know what to do now.
there are 34 folders but how do I install the game?
what file should I click on to launch the game?
can you give me instructions on how to get the game up and running?

2017-09-03 20:11:09

Yes sorry Nick. There is one executable to run the game, called MyProject2 in the first folder. There is no install, it just runs immediately so unzip everything into a folder and run MyProject2.

2017-09-03 20:37:16 (edited by Orko 2017-09-03 20:40:30)

@daisyalesoundworks

OK, I found the one 32 bit link to version 1.02, I was just wondering if there was a reason for not including it in other messeges with updated links.

@Nick

What I do for games like this one that doesn't have an install is I create a folder on my hard drive's root directory called "Games". The when I run across a game without an installer, I create a folder inside the Games folder and call it the name of the game, "Lost and Hound" in this case. Then I unpack the game into that folder. Then if I want to I create shortcut files to put on my desktop and start menu.

One of the nice things about this setup is that the folder you end up putting the game into isn't under the supervision of the UAC so if the game wants to store configuration and saved game files in it's folder, UAC won't block it.

HTH

2017-09-03 20:41:59

Hello,
I'm having an error when I try to launch the game. A 3d audio DLL is missing, and I have no idea what software should I install in order to fix it.
Could you please give me some advice?

2017-09-03 21:15:56 (edited by sito 2017-09-03 21:16:38)

yo. i just would like to say that the game seems promising but i do have some issues.
first. if the game is supposed to be 3d it's not doing it's job quite wel. you don't get the feeling that the track is really behind you. secondly. this might just be me but the sound for the track is super low which means you got to consentrate allot to actually know if the track is behind you or not.
but other than that it sounds fun