Comments on Above 49: Starting Down The Path

@Michael Samyn Coincidentally, I figured that out ...

2009-03-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

@Michael Samyn Coincidentally, I figured that out just yesterday morning. It was in the ReadMe file, which I didn't do, so this is definitely a mea culpa. To be fair, in the app path (\Steam\steamapps\common\the path\userdata) there's a SavedGame.cgr file, which is what I initially tried to move.

But yes, I don't have any excuse for not RTFM.

Shame we didn't run into each other at GDC. Despite my grumping, I think you guys really did pull of something excellent with The Path and I would have like to told you so in person.

The Path saves its games in your Application Data ...

2009-03-31T02:11:00.000-07:00

The Path saves its games in your Application Data folder. If you copy the files there, you can re-use them on another computer.

I agree with Jorge Albor. While the "no input" co...

2009-03-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

I agree with Jorge Albor. While the "no input" control scheme is a bit of a roadblock for some gamers, it's very important to the themes of the game. In fact, if they released a new, easier control scheme tomorrow I would probably still use the current one.

I'm usually a stickler for transparent UI and controls, too, but in this case just seems like it was done for a reason rather than because of a lack of skill on the developer's part.

@Greg Yeah, after having played it more, I saw tha...

2009-03-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

@Greg Yeah, after having played it more, I saw that control to force interaction. But from looking at the way its presented, there's nothing to explain what "interact" versus "action" means.

I think these issues just emphasize how hard usability is to get right. A lot of people, including the very talented and experienced, still often forget that after about a week, they are too close to the project to offer meaning insight into how new players will experience it. It's absolutely vital to test and retest with people completely fresh to the game. I get the impression that didn't happen as much as it should have.

I know ToT is a very small shop, and since at least some of their funding comes from the Belgian government, maybe there were some budgetary constraints about that kind of testing.

Regarding the interface issues, there is indeed a ...

2009-03-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

Regarding the interface issues, there is indeed a "force interaction" button, which I was shown in-game as well as on the help screen. It's enter/mousewheel up/some gamepad button.

The translucent overlay that shows on some non-interactive objects is an image of a girl that can interact with that object.

Your other points are entirely valid, though. Interaction is often clumsy in The Path, and there's no excuse for the bugs I've found during play. However, I disagree with Michel's statement that the game demonstrates a complete lack of skill. It's a well-crafted game with several flaws, but it took a lot of effort and knowledge to put together. Are there flaws? Sure. Does it mean ToT is totally incompetent? No.

I'm with LB on this one. Not pushing a button, con...

2009-03-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'm with LB on this one. Not pushing a button, considering its only one interaction between pauses, seems just as feasible of an interaction method. More importantly, I mostly consider the "non-input interaction" as maintaining the inevitability of death motif. Though I agree with most everything else. particularly the girl in white. I've only played through the little girl and I never found my way back to the path, opting instead to hop on the back of the wolf.

@Michel I get that Tale of Tales aren't experience...

2009-03-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

@Michel I get that Tale of Tales aren't experienced gamemakers. I can kind of forgive the clipping issue were because solid collision detection and good pathfinding aren't trivial. But things like the font colour thing are really just unforgivable. I know Tale of Tales is trying to make art, but damn guys, don't forget you're making something that people have to use.

@L.B. Jeffries I'd say this is fundamentally different than the controls in Silent Hill or the crazy camera in the earlier Resident Evil entries. Whether the controls in Silent Hill were intention or a happy accident, it worked well either way. It created tension and did so elegant, especially given the technological limits.

The Path is a very different game though. It's not tense; it works though atmosphere and immersion. Having to dance around the girl in white doesn't unsettle me, it reminds me that I'm playing a game with crappy object picking. Minotaur China Shop worked brilliantly in having a character that's intentionally difficult to control. But, and this is only me experience, my experience with The Path a bit diminished by this. I still like the game a lot, don't get me wrong, but dealing with these issues would have made it even more enjoyable.

Graphically I understand but the controls don't re...

2009-03-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Graphically I understand but the controls don't really bother me. Part of why the game is so disturbing for me is how little control you have over the character. It's enough to move around, otherwise everything is outside of your control and impossible to predict.

It's a contentious issue, I readily defend Silent Hill 2's crappy controls for the same reason but not everyone agrees. I just think that one of the best ways a game can make a player scared is to take their ability to interact with the environment away.

The game is, on many levels, about helplessness after all.

I agree, the game demonstrates a complete lack of ...

2009-03-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

I agree, the game demonstrates a complete lack of skill and knowledge of the craft of game creation on the part of Tale of Tales.

The best art is made by people with a technical mastery of the medium, even if the end result is abstract. Playing with punctuation in poetry works because the author understands the rules they are breaking. There is no intent behind the clipping issues and other things you've mentioned, just poor craftsmanship.