Hiiii!!!
First off, congrats on getting such an intricate, well thought out story/game finished so shortly after working crazy hard on SuNoFes! You're a writing MASTER!
Josh and I played and discussed this game on stream... but unfortunately it seems the VOD didn't save :( :( But rest assured, we found it quite enjoyable! We enjoyed bringing the different characters to life. At one point, Josh gave Rusty a very old man voice. When we realized he was young like Ruby, I said "Well I guess puberty hit him like a tractor." xD xD xD
Anyway, on the note of characters... you did an amazing job making each character feel genuine and unique. Despite the characters only recieving a description and what they're selling, they each had such a unique voice! You also really nailed the small town, rustic atmosphere in the game, creating a sense of nostalgia even for those who never expierenced anything like it!
We also thought it was really neat how there's timers you can control, like exhaustion / sunburn, but also timers that can't be controlled like time till the market closes.
However, it would be nice if there was some kind of physical consequence for reaching the peak sunburn. Like having to stop the game early to find shade? The buildup from normal to pink to red to crimson was great! But once we hit crimson and nothing else came of it, it felt kinda confusing as to why we were worried about it.
Also, while I TOTALLY understand you were short on time for the jam, if you were to do more with this game, I think the game would benefit a lot from some visuals. Even if they're really small, clip-art esque things on the sides or top of the screen, just something to help the readers keep track of what they learned and keep them engaged. Just because, as beautiful and consicse as your writing is, it's still a bit easy to get lost in that amount of detail oriented text :) Maybe just little things, like a map of veggie stands, or a clock with the time till the market closes, or like a sunburn meter or something. I bet it would take the game to a whole new level.
Finally, we weren't 100 percent sure if the courthouse serves a purpose in the game. We thought it did? Like to accuse the culprit, but going over there didn't seem to have an option to accomplish that. That being said, we didn't solve the mystery, so that's probably why. If it IS possible to use the courthouse later, a clue might be nice like "I can't make a case till I have evidence." ... If it isn't possible, mayhaps it could be! We were hoping it'd be open so we could accuse Gordon Ramsay
Once again, great job on creating a game with such a homey feel just through the power of words. Regardless of whether or not you decide to do more with this game, can't wait to see what's in the future! (and the past! I'll be getting around to your SuNoFes game soon! :D )
-Sasha
Viewing post in Redbud Falls jam comments
Wow, thank you so much! I totally agree that some visuals would enhance this experience a lot, and I'm definitely planning on doing more here. I'm sorry I missed the stream, and it sucks that the VOD didn't save because I would have loved to hear your character voices!
There isn't much to do at the courthouse. It's mostly a pass-through location (it's the only way to get to the alley) and tells you whether the fountain is on or off. You can use it to travel between the sides of the market but you're better off using the car for that (because there's shade).
Getting a sunburn actually does have an effect -- it halves your maximum stamina (at least, it's supposed to... I'm not ruling out any bugs lol). This could definitely be better conveyed! I had assumed the player would think, "Wow, why do I get tired so much faster? Oh, it must be because I'm sunburned."
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your thoughtful review, and stay tuned: I think there's more to Ruby's story than one afternoon... ;-)