2020-06-05 08:44:13 (edited by shiftBacktick 2020-12-25 03:09:14)

Explore endless worlds, play an instrument, and save bookmarks to revisit for meditation, studying, and sleep. All of its sounds are synthesized in real-time to evoke naturalistic, abstract, and musical environments.

Thanks for playing

Please let me know if you encounter any issues with your setup. Feel free to ask me anything, leave feedback, suggest features, or share your favorite bookmarks below.

2020-06-05 10:41:24

Hey,
the approach of the game sounds interesting! I tried the demo, but I don't really know what to do. The controls are working as you said but I didn't get yet what to do exactly.

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2020-06-05 11:05:26

so this is some kind of walking simmulator yeah?
I wish that foot steps are change depending with your environment, also a setting to adjust the volume would be nice too,

2020-06-05 13:47:40 (edited by Dark 2020-06-05 13:54:44)

Okay I gave this a try.
i love the idea in principle, and the soundscape is lovely, (particularly like the use of muffled affects for sound sources behind you), but at the moment I'm having miner issues with what to do.
The manual claims that adventure mode will provide a tutorial and challenges, however there is nothing of the sort, or if there are, instructions are not being spoken. I'm using  the latest version of NVDA with google chrome, and need to switch  focus mode to interact with the game, however tabbing around the page just gives me buttons to randomise and start game and the text generation of my seed.

I here a thing beeping three times which I can walk towards and presumably pick up, and I gather the thing that sounds like a phone pad is some sort of sonar, however other items, such as the thing playing a three note arpeggio I am just not sure what they are or how I am suppose to interact with them.
I've tried walking towards the thing that sounds like a phone, but again, other than the soundscape changing, I'm not sure if this is doing any good or not.

Again, I really like the idea behind this, and the soundscape is really interesting, however it would be really nice to know what the heck is going on, and what some of the game's basic elements are, and indeed how to progress in the game as a game.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2020-06-05 15:19:19

ok, so I downloaded the demo, and extracted, but I hear no music, all I hear is a constant beeping noise when I hit enter. I can not press W, A, S, or D, it is thinking I am in a web page. I am using jaws btw....what am I doing wrong?

can i get a peace double harmony burger? no chaos

2020-06-05 16:28:59

The game is an html 5 game, which means it plays through the browser.
Go through the buttons to start the game, then when you've hit "start game", use whatever controls jaws has to make the keyboard interact with webpages, rather than navigate around EG, so that itting e doesn't jump you between edit areas.

Sorry I can't be more specific, I've never used Jaws due to the inflated price.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2020-06-05 16:43:08 (edited by Minionslayer 2020-06-05 16:50:42)

The audio stutters and cuts in and out on my end so much that it's hardly playable without a headache. I'm using the latest Firefox beta build but I'll try downloading it and using with Chrome maybe?
Edit: Just tried the demo with Chrome. The audio still stutters beyond use, but slightly differently.

If you for whatever reason wish to contact me, the best way to do so is through Discord (Minionslayer#2980). You'll get the quickest response times, and by extension, a higher priority. I also sometimes post my thoughts (for the better or worse) over on Twitter at @Minionslayer2.

2020-06-05 17:33:47

hey! i tried the game on firefox and the demo runs perfectly fine with nvda, it's so nice to use the xbox one controler to play the game, i'm still learning how to play, but now that i've read the development blog i have a better understanding of how the game guides you to form the whole scenario together, so it looks like you must turn to the broken notes and fix their pitch until they seem to fit correctly, then turn again and repeate. i found a way to turn my footsteps into the sand and managed to hear the beach in the distance, that's why your goal is not to center the sonar and try to walk to it. you must experiment and connect things together. the game looks so much promising! i've only spent an hour on it, but will be trying it again today to give more feedback, and if i'm successful to complete the demo adventure i'll purchase the itch and steam versions!
thanks so much for the hard work put in the development, more than 600 hours, so impressive!!

contact info
email:
matrheine at gmail . com

2020-06-05 17:42:42

I do have a feedback about the sounds
The way the sounds are positioned is excellent, good audio engineering!
However some of the sounds are unnecessarily very loud and When passing through them it does really hurt my ears. So i really don't like some of the very loud beeps that are in the demo and you have to pass through them.

By the way guys, just press R so the game autowalks you through the demo environment, but be aware there are some annoying loud areas that it takes you through

twitter: @hadirezae3
discord: Hadi

2020-06-05 17:43:56

Hi.
It works nicely in Crome on Mac with Voiceover.
First I picked up a beeping thing, and then I found something like a radar which just beeps faster when I turns towards to it and walk closer. But nothing happens when I walks up to it.
I couldn't find anything else at all, and I wander what to do in the game, and how it can be a game if the only thing you are doing is walking around listening for sounds.
However, it seems to be a great and interesting project. Especially because you can share what you like with friends. I'm just not sure on how to make any progress.

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2020-06-05 19:05:55

same hear. can you add a learn game sounds option? it will help alot.

2020-06-05 19:54:03 (edited by Dark 2020-06-05 19:55:54)

@drg, DID YOU GET ANY INSTRUCTIONS IN THE DEMO?
I admit I have just played for a while and am utterly confused.
At the start, you hear the beeping things that you seem to be able to pickup, and then there is another thing playing an arpeggio which you can't. Then the sonar sounds, indicating a direction of travel, with different sounds if you turn other directions.
I tried hitting r and it just walked me along the sonar, so I just followed the sonar for a long long long long time!

the sound scape is amazing to listen to, but at the moment I have no idea what your supposed to do, since there were no more of those beeping things to pick up, just the sonar going on and on and on in one direction through a bunch of different tones. When I hit R, it just moved me along the sonar again, so I kept going, but honestly holding the w key for a good twenty minutes, even whilst listening to an amazing landscape did not really make for an exactly enthrawling game, albeit I kept going just because the sound scape was so good.

This is why I'm wondering if the game is missing some screen reader output on Chrome, or some instructions on what to do, since the manual indicated as much, but at the moment it just seems to be hold keys down and listen.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2020-06-05 21:44:02 (edited by shiftBacktick 2020-06-05 21:58:02)

Hi all, thanks for the initial feedback! I apologize for not giving more info but it was interesting to read how you experienced the game and interpreted it without instruction.

  • This is definitely a chill walking simulator. Adventure mode is a guided exploration mode with simple quests whereas Free Roam is an open-ended experience without quests.

  • The main gameplay loop of Adventure mode is to locate waypoints (the beeping sound) and connect them. Connected waypoints leave a breadcrumb trail (the arpeggio sounds) that you can follow to retrace your steps. Or you can venture into unexplored areas to find more waypoints.

  • The compass (sonar sound) works opposite than expected. It's quietest when you're along the right path to limit ear fatigue and allow you to enjoy your surroundings. What would improve the compass?

  • There is no tutorial text in-game. Adventure mode attempts to teach all its mechanics in the first 30 seconds and can be skipped by moving forward. My goal was to do something quick, nonverbal, and cinematic. What would improve the tutorial?

  • The HTML5 version is best experienced in the latest Chrome or Firefox. I'm looking into specific hardware requirements and performance optimizations to eliminate drop-outs.

  • I understand that the audio mix is not for everyone. I'm looking into providing an options screen that will allow adjusting of levels (master, environmental, footsteps, navigational cues).

  • Edit: I should add that the auto-move toggle (R) still requires you to steer! But it frees you from holding W to play. smile

Thanks again for playing. I really appreciate those of you who have purchased or left feedback. I'll watch this space and continue to update the thread.

2020-06-05 22:16:20

Hi.


I tried this and like others am very confused. I picked up a 3 tone thing, with the other tone bleaping in my ear, sorry but how is this meant to be relaxing? Oh I know it's a walking simulator but I was thinking when playing, I wish I could run. I don't get it, I know you're meant to pick up the 3 toned things and they leave a bred crum traile but it's just so confusing.


Are there any visuals that would help a sighted person understand what's going on? Because i think I'm missing something.


I think the game made me feel nervus instead of relaxed. Maybe you could give us a small video walkthrough to get the hang of the game?

I'm gone for real :)

2020-06-05 22:22:54

Suddle but identifiable Drones and low pitched slowly pulsing hums tend to be more relaxing as navigation aids for this kind of thing.  Maybe that could be an alternative?

2020-06-05 22:32:31

ok seems the game works with firefox, but I don't know how to turn off the web commands for jaws so I can use the keyboard, I see most on the post is using NDVA, so whats the command for me to turn it off with NDVA?

can i get a peace double harmony burger? no chaos

2020-06-05 22:46:54

I just uploaded a hotfix that improves screen reader support. It turns out that the game was being read in document mode instead of application mode. Thanks @Dark for the tip about changing focus mode.

@defender: I like this idea. Something that might work is a Geiger counter sort of sound. The challenge here is that with nearly a hundred unique sounds (each with a wide range of variables) it's tough to find space in the mix for alerts or cues. I'll look into this more and work it into my next update. Thanks!

@smoothgunner: Please reload the game and let me know if v0.17.1 works better with your NVDA.

2020-06-05 22:59:51 (edited by Dark 2020-06-05 23:00:23)

@shiftBacktick, good to know that the game was working correctly big_smile.

I'm afraid some of the confusion is because "tutorial", implies instructions, not just running across a couple of in game objects kicking around the place in the first few seconds, which is why I thought we might be missing some screen reader output.
Also, generally speaking in audiogames, continuous sounds are used to indicate the direction of travel you should go, not the other way around, which is why the compass sonar confused me so much.

I would personally suggest, either A, making the compass work like a compass and actually give you directions to track which direction your facing, or B, simply having a command to play a single sound once in the direction of highest audio confusion. Indeed, now that I know the purpose of the compass is not to actuallly find your way, I find it's continuous tone rather off putting and have been walking in the opposite direction purely to hear the soundscape more clearly.

I personally love quests and exploring in games, but at the moment finding the way points doesn't quite feel game like enough to count since there is no counter or real reason to find them, or indeed much reason for a player to go back to previously visited way points with the breadcrumbs, meaning that the two modes are fairly similar.

I would suggest personally, making a system whereby a player was actually given more definite tasks to do, with each waypoint a player finds given a number or a name. After a player has found a certain number of waypoints, say 5, have them need to go back to a previously discovered waypoint, before heading out to be able to find new ones.
that way, players could go on discovering, and experiencing the really nice audio landscape, and get the satisfaction of feeling like a real trail blazer and increasing their score incrementally.

Indeed, if you were going to do something like this, you could reconsider the sonar compass as a beacon for player's next quest target.

BTw, I also tried turning on my monitor to see what my vision could make of the visuals. I am not sure I'm getting everything, but I like the crazy purple swirliness, though it would be nice if there was an option for integrating more or brighter colours into the experience, if this is the idea, indeed I was a trifle disappointed that the sounds I heard didn't always get landscape representation, or at least not what I could see anyway.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2020-06-05 23:06:57

i'm so sorry for giving bad explanations on gameplay info, now it all makes sence and i can now find the right way in less than a minute, i mean, the next objective!
man, now i understand what you mean by psychedelic, sometimes the sounds connecting together gave me chills, almost like binaural listening experiences like idoser, ahaha
i wonder what the differences between the demo and full versions are. are there different quests and more sounds in the complete version? i'll go buy it right now and recommend everyone to give the game a chance, it's so worth it!!!
i'd love to play it on the iphone, is there a chance for the future? peraps with an app.. i could even connect the xbox controller...

contact info
email:
matrheine at gmail . com

2020-06-05 23:50:03

@Dark, seriously thank you for the detailed feedback and suggestions.

You're correct that I created false expectations by describing a brief attempt at tutorialization as a real tutorial. My approach to game design is to find natural ways for things to explain themselves. I'll consider the language in the manual and how I talk about it in the future. Possibly a rewrite of the manual to describe your first adventure and the sounds to expect would go a long way. Overall my aversion to verbal description in-game, including the way I've structured the quests, is because I'm afraid of internationalizing dialogue and the interface. It's something I have no experience with or budget for at this time.

Thanks for pointing out that my game defies some conventions that could be confusing or unapproachable to first-time players who already have experience with audio games. That's valuable for me to know. Honestly, I've only played a few, but I joined this forum to study them more seriously. I'm looking forward to playing more and improving my game based on what I learn.

I love your suggestions for increasing the usefulness of breadcrumbs/waypoints by designing quests that require backtracking. One thing to mention is that the demo only contains A-to-B expedition-type quests. These can definitely be improved. You might be interested the quest types that are available in the full game. Please find my response to @drg below.

P.S. I'm so glad you were able to check the visuals. With this game I wanted sighted folks to have relatively the same experience, just with something simple and pleasant on the screen. Personally I close my eyes while playtesting.

Here's a description for others (apologies if unsolicited): It's similar to window blinds. Basically they visualize the intensities of sounds with horizontal colored bars. The colors cycle between night (black/pink/yellow) and day (pink/yellow/white) over a 30-minute period. For folks who don't prefer reduced motion there's a breathing effect that makes them oscillate in height like ocean waves.

2020-06-05 23:53:19

Hi.


I agree with dark. Having no objective to me just makes it sound like a bleapy game where things are unclear.


What exactly do the two sounds mean in the beginning? I go forward and one sound increases in pitch making me think i'm about to find something and then... I don't.


Like I said, I think a video or something would be useful.


Oh and don't try this on firefox, it crackles a lot, the best thing to do is use chrome or maybe even edge.

I'm gone for real :)

2020-06-05 23:53:51

Guys
You need to walk the opposite direction of the long beep that guides you.
This is an interesting concept for sure, because once you walk opposite of the guiding beep, it fades and lets you to hear the other things.

twitter: @hadirezae3
discord: Hadi

2020-06-05 23:55:12

One thing that i noticed is that you need to walk a very long distance, so that may be one of the things that confuses people.
Press R guys, you'll see how far you have to walk for the sounds to change

twitter: @hadirezae3
discord: Hadi

2020-06-06 00:05:58

hi.

@shiftBacktick, If you could make your manual in to an html document or a plane text document, blind people will find it much easier to read.


PDFS can be read, with the right software but HTML and TXT do not require any downloading and are much easier to navigate, HTML because of its structure and plane text because words don't get squoshed like they do sometimes in PDFS.


The document mentions something about seeds? Where you can type in a word for fraze, I've not come across that yet in adventure mode, what exactly does it do?


I'm going to try the game again and see how far I get.


Oh by the way; I was wrong, the game doesn't work with edge. I thought it would because it's running a version of Chrome.

I'm gone for real :)

2020-06-06 00:07:41

Hi.


@hadi.gsf, you have to walk backwards or left when starting out? I'll try it, this is strange smile I like it.

I'm gone for real :)