I'm sorry to say that the
Canalyst Demo did
not make the cut for BOTB this season; as a majority of BOTB Judges voted it down. Below are a few comments and critiques by the Judges:
Quote: "-The only thing custom about the loading screens is a screen capture image from in game - hardly impressive. Sorely needed game information could have been given here.
-The save load screen is stock.
-Perhaps he did the best he could, but there were too many issues (bugs) for me that could have been fixed.
There were some nice ideas - the in-game videos, instructions on the walls, peeking and crouching, talking to AI, etc, but they were not implemented well.
-The text looked stretched (not as clear as it could have been).
-There was no explanation or reason given for the crouching/sneaking.
-You could talk to the AI or choose not to, it made no difference unless you did and picked the wrong response.
-There were issues with the weapon.
-The level design and look was basic - nothing impressive.
-Text on the screen saying I died came up intermittently though the game continued to play.
-The level crashed at the end.
The entire game/Demo amounted to less than a good size level. The first level in which there is no game-play at all could have been a cut scene. It took longer to load than it did to crawl from the crib down the stairs. The second level took less than a minute, and still, hardly any game-play at all. -BOTB Judge"
Quote: "- The wording of the AI's when they were talking rather small and hard to read.
- No objectives at the beginning to tell the player what the purpose of the game is.
- Should have had some information in regards to the crouching through the 2nd level.
- I got the constant clicking sound when you picked up the weapon -BOTB Judge"
Quote: "Cons:
Too incomplete. Seems a bit too alpha still.
The numerous game over things were distracting.
When I picked up the Makarov it never equipped I just heard constant retrieve sound looping.
The text was way too small at 1920x1080
Got stuck a few times and had to crouch to get unstuck.
The dialogue cycle left a bit to be desired.
The barrels in front of the bar are strange and i was standing on one the first time i talked which made the camera jiggle like crazy.
Can see the level for a brief moment before the video starts.
A few instances of z-sorting issues with geometry.
The guy you follow around in Lvl2 looks pretty poor quality compared to the scene.
Bland load-screens.
Had a tip to press F to pick up the gun but don't think there was a key tip for the conversation- which is encountered first.
Very short and no real game-play.
Pros:
Beautiful installer and options changer thing.
I really liked the videos
The first level had a very short load time.
Reminds me of Fallout3 (lvl1) and Metro 2035 (lvl2)... In a good way.
Nice in-game scene with the cart being moved and lowered.
Levels look overall nice at 1920x1080
No performance issues.
Final thought:
Seems about 70% complete. Would very much like to see continued development and a resubmit down the road. -BOTB Judge"
I think I speak for all Judges when I say that we'd like to see this game worked on and resubmitted for next (August '12) Season!
A big thanks to all the BOTB Judges who took the time to review this fine Title. See you next Season!
-Keith
