entropy by alyphen
Updates:
8/12/14: Bundled versions are now available.
Reasoning behind the naming:
Definition of entropy (WordNik):
n. For a closed thermodynamic system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not available to do work.
n. A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.
n. A measure of the loss of information in a transmitted message.
I felt it matched the second and third definitions.
Although it usually refers to chemistry, the game is still a closed system of sorts, and there is much disorder and randomness. (Some of the events that occur are actually chance-based)
Espionage & hacking is also closely related to the interception of transmitted messages.
entropy is essentially a form a visual novel, about espionage, deceit, hacking, and some other stuff.
It's not quite as polished or smooth as I wanted it to be, but it runs decently well to a standard I'm happy to publish.
The entire game plays with the left mouse button, as there is no free movement, only your choices affect the flow of the story.
For Linux, there are both 32 bit and 64 bit versions, so I linked to the GH release page - get the one for your platform.
For Windows, if you get MSVCR100.dll errors, make sure to have Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable installed (you can get it from Microsoft's site at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5555 or searching Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable should allow you to find it)
Have fun.
8/12/14: Bundled versions are now available.
Reasoning behind the naming:
Definition of entropy (WordNik):
n. For a closed thermodynamic system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not available to do work.
n. A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.
n. A measure of the loss of information in a transmitted message.
I felt it matched the second and third definitions.
Although it usually refers to chemistry, the game is still a closed system of sorts, and there is much disorder and randomness. (Some of the events that occur are actually chance-based)
Espionage & hacking is also closely related to the interception of transmitted messages.
entropy is essentially a form a visual novel, about espionage, deceit, hacking, and some other stuff.
It's not quite as polished or smooth as I wanted it to be, but it runs decently well to a standard I'm happy to publish.
The entire game plays with the left mouse button, as there is no free movement, only your choices affect the flow of the story.
For Linux, there are both 32 bit and 64 bit versions, so I linked to the GH release page - get the one for your platform.
For Windows, if you get MSVCR100.dll errors, make sure to have Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable installed (you can get it from Microsoft's site at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5555 or searching Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable should allow you to find it)
Have fun.
Ratings
| Coolness | 100% | 1 |
| Overall | 3.18 | 578 |
| Audio | 3.44 | 154 |
| Fun | 2.64 | 929 |
| Graphics | 2.95 | 645 |
| Humor | 2.78 | 367 |
| Innovation | 2.84 | 767 |
| Mood | 3.64 | 90 |
| Theme | 3.80 | 311 |
Exception in thread "main" com.badlogic.gdx.utils.GdxRuntimeException: Couldn't load shared library 'libgdx64.so' for target: Linux, 64-bit
I *am* on a 64-bit system. Googling around gives this:
https://github.com/libgdx/libgdx/issues/1127
Still, bravo for coming out with a visual novel for a theme like this! Thank you for the game.
// caryoscelus
I thought...if only I could move my desk next to the door!
Also the writing shows promise but is pretty exposition-heavy. You're doing a lot of legwork to set the scene and tell us about Erica but the main thing a player wants to know, and the main thing that will drive tension in a piece like this, are the stakes. What are we trying to achieve, how are we trying to achieve it, and what have we got to lose if we fail? The choices presented to the player were unknown quantities with no clearly defined stakes, so they all felt pretty arbitrary. The best interactive text games I've played have given players choices where you never truly know the outcome, but can make an educated (sometimes hilariously wrong) guess based on the information the story has presented.
It's cool though, great for a 48 hour game, keep at it! (sorry for the long critique, but I hope it helps. Full disclosure: I studied creative writing 4 years, currently running a studio experimenting with digital storytelling and a small games studio)
I wish that the text was a little bigger, also in a future version it would be cool if there was a visual difference between the IRC chat, real life dialogue, etc.
Nice job!