With IFComp starting to wind down, I want to remind everyone to continue to get their recommended daily requirements of IF and check out the Ectocomp 2021 Entries.
And while I’m at it, please check out my entry into the competition, The Lookout. If you aren’t aware, Ectocomp has two categories of entries. La Petite Mort is for speed entries, created in 4 hours or less, and Le Grand Guignol, is for anything taking longer than 4 hours.
I had conceived of The Lookout as a Petite Mort entry, coming up with an outline first, then getting all the mechanics of the game built in 2 hours. But then found it was too hard to create the kind of narrative I wanted in the remaining two hours. However, it was still done within the span of one week (about 15-20 hours of total work).
The result is a relatively short game, which should be a pretty quick play. It’s not my typical puzzle-fest, having only a few puzzles. It’s really more of an interactive story. But I’m pretty happy with the result and would love people to get a chance to play it and provide feedback.
Thanks in advance for checking it out and checking out the rest of the great Ectocomp entires!
I second this! An extremely creepy setup-- isolated, stalked, damaged. Well worth reading.
I have to play it again, as I did not get an ending that worked at all for me-- I’m always shocked when my choices don’t lead to victory, and this cannot stand.
Can’t believe you did this in only 15 hours. Have you thought about extending it? The setup is good enough to warrant a longer game.
I really stopped counting time after I blew through the allotted four hours. But the rest was done in just three evenings after work. (Plus I had some friends playtest it the Saturday it was due, making last-second edits and bug fixes).
It would be fun to expand it. I think there is a lot of room for more puzzles and interactivity. There are plenty of times when I took over narrative control and I could have let the player do more. Those are the things that really take the time to get right.
And I think EctoComp entries are a great way to pace IFComp entries. I find going through two long entries or once can be tricky. And after an hour of reading and looking for meaning etc., or solving tricky puzzles, it’s nice to have something light-hearted and/or low-pressure, and relatively quick.