I recently looked at the older games and came to the conclusion that they really could use some improvements and smaller changes.
But I would like to hear your voices on this, what you would change, etc.
What would I want to change for this game?
- Add more puzzles - Improve/Enhance many of the existing puzzles (I would keep the vast majority of them.) - Replace "22"? (the one with the cubes at the roof which causes way too much confusion and people think that it is "trial and error) - Replace "15"? (the only puzzle in all the games that has a timer in it, which is kinda stupid.) - Remove the sound-buttons (these are just normal puzzles anyway with an annoying extrastep) - Graphical improvements (allthough I would try to stay close to the original layout) - Saving now would be possible everywhere, not just based on autosaves. - better working physics stuff and cube handling - "My precious" would not drop anymore when you pick something up - for the ones of you who know what that is :P - Maybe add new features. (for that I need to look at "what makes sense")
What would that look like?
Keep in mind that these are just "mockups", they are (obviously) not visually finished, but functional.
As you can see here, the "idea" behind the puzzle is still the same, the rough layout too, but it got a small change to make it more interesting. (its not a bit more than just "take cube, put on pressure plate".)
The performance improvements are also noteworthy, 52 FPS -> 72 FPS, allthough this is not final, so dont take it as "written in stone".
This Image shows Puzzles 2, 3 and 4 which are the same as previously but with better visuals.
Feel free to voice your opinions on this, its "your game" after all, I just happen to be the one who made it.
My goal ist not to "take away" parts of the game, I want to "upgrade" the game while keeping the vast majority of puzzles as they are.
This also would be a free update, no cost for you, but it would take some time since this is time consuming and expensive for me.
ReThink | Evolved 4 released, Sale for the older games.
Hello,
as the title already implies: ReThink | Evolved 4 has been released on the 6th.
You can find more detailed information about the game and its changes/additions in the Changeblog for it: https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/1260580/view/2105937327552351376
Aside from ReThink | Evolved 4, all the other ReThinks are on Sale for the entire Week.
Thank you, have a nice day, stay safe.
Creator Homepage
Hello,
today i have something that is not a bugfix.
Valve created a "Hub" that is known as "Creator Homepage", which puts all Games related to a certain creator/publisher in one place.
Features (i have noticed so far, still in Beta.):
- All games in one place
- All sales listed
- upcoming games are listed too
- You can "Follow" to get notified about things like sales, new releases etc.
- Forum that is not specific to a single game
- Social Media integration
==========
Link: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/yaekogames
(also accessible from the store page, just click on the name on the right side)
I think that this is a good thing since it allows people to not "miss" something new.
In the past i had multiple people coming up to me, and telling me: "I didnt even knew there were 2 new games, why didnt you tell me?" (despite the fact that there were announcements on steam about it etc.)
Unlike social media, this page is integrated into steam and does not need a seperate account to use. (or for me, 20 different social media accounts... and you still cant reach the people that dont have social media -.-)
It is currently in Beta and things probably will change/get enhanced, but you can give it a try if you are interested.
ReThink | Evolved Bundle (contains this game and the new one):
14.11$
http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/4387/ReThink__Evolved__Bundle/
The Bundle contains this game, and the new one:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/820600/?snr=1_5_9__205
Thats all for now, thank you.
Sale, Bundle changes
Hello,
due to the Release of "ReThink Evolved 2" this game will go on sale tomorrow, for 14 days. (I messed up the date, initially i wanted to have it go on sale right now... sorry)
Besides that, i changed the Bundle so that this game is bundled with the new game instead of the old one.
Thats all for now, thank you.
New screenshot (ReThink | Evolved 2)
Hello,
just in case someone missed it, i posted new Screenshots for ReThink | Evolved 2, which can be found here:
there are a few things i would like to talk about today, one of them being a sucessor to this game.
*The original ReThink will also get such an Announcement, but a ddifferent one, because there are a few other things to adress.
Contents
- Link to the new game (for all the People who dont want to read my "bla bla".)
- Changes and additions to the new game (in comparison to this game)
- Personal Message
Besides that, feel free to follow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/YaekoGames
The following changes are in comparison to this game, and include all the improvements made from "ReThink" to "Rethink | Evolved".
Things that got removed
- The "Floor Tiles"
They were a "leftover" from the 1st game that only appeared a few times in the 2nd game.
- The "Orange/Blue Cubes"
Mainly used to pull around the floating platforms, which were experimental.
Since the Platforms are now controlled by lasers, there is no need for these cubes anymore.
- The "music" puzzles
Was an experiment, removed.
Things that got changed
- The "Light Bridges"
They were meant to replace the Cubes from the 1st game, and are now part of the room itself. (you cant place them anymore, they technically work like a door that can be enabled/disabled.)
- The "Floating Platforms"
These Platforms are now controlled by "Anchors" that can be activated/deactivated with lasers.
This properly connects them with the core gameplay-mechanic of these games, the lasers.
- Movement
The initial acceleration of the Player is now gradually, not instant.
This allows for a better control of movement over very short distances (a few centimeters)
- Shortened Tutorial
The "Tutorial" is now a lot shorter than it was in the 2nd game
- Higher difficulty
The difficulty (should) be higher than in the 2nd game, at least that is what i am aiming for.
New Stuff:
- Reflections
Lasers are now reflected from specific surfaces
- Two new Cubes
Both interact with the lasers, one of them can be seen in the Trailer, the other is experimental.
This makes a total of 8 cubes.
- Additions to controls
There are now two seperate mouse-speeds which allow you to switch between them for mor precise alignment/aiming. (Both can be adjusted freely)
Cubes can now be rotated in place, without picking them up again.
- It is possible to move around freely (again - was possible in the 1st game, but not in the 2nd.)
You can walk back and forth between puzzles as you desire. (This allowed for a more intricate architecture with "puzzles inside puzzles" etc.)
- Jump pads do affect Cubes now
Pretty self explaining: Throw cube on jump-pad, cube flies away like you would do when you step on the jump-pad. (There are no jumping puzzles! These pads are used to get the Player to a higher position without having to use elevators and/or stairs all the time.)
- Up to twenty "targets" per room (technically more is possible, but for now this will do - need feedback on this)
Targets do now have different symbols, which allows for more of them.
- New Visuals
Almost every single Asset the game is made of has been changed, including the cubes, walls, floor, background-city etc.
There are also a lot of new Objects, Effects and Textures/Materials that replaced existing ones.
- Sound changes
This is still work in progess, but i want to replace a lot of the sounds in addition to the new ones that are needed.
- Narrative
Currently working on it, my goal is to have at least 10 times as much as the older games have, combined.
This is something i will say a few words about further below.
Personal Message:
The following text is a personal message, not marketing-blabla.
When i made the 2nd Game (ReThink | Evolved), my goal was to create better gameplay, which required to completely recreate everything related to it.
I later added a lot of the newly created stuff to the 1st game, which is why they do now have the same Menus, Visuals etc.
Due to all the problems that appeared when i recreated the gameplay, this time involving physics and the changes that were needed in they way the levels were built, some things fell behind. (The most crizised thing here is the "Ending", which i simply had no time left at the end because some major bugs were found two days before release.)
I then had to choose:
- Fix the bugs and leave the ending as it currently is
- Move the release-date and probably upset a lot of people
- Change the ending after Release
I chose the first one, because the 2nd option would have upset people, and the 3rd option would lead to the problem the 1st game currently has.
If you go through the Screenshots/Videos of the 1st game, you will notice that they often look completely different, this is due to the "visual rework" from mid 2017. (The 1st game also had its ending changed from the initial version, on top of everything else)
I decided that it would be the best to go forward and build on top of the newly laid foundations. (ReThink | Evolved 2)
================
This time i had the time to change the visuals, and add new features because the core-mechanics were already working. (i worked for 9 months on the 2nd game, no holidays, no weekends, and definitely not "9 to 5" either.)
And this also is the reason why these games do not have a Story on the levels of Portal 2 (for example), there are simply limits to what i can achieve as a single person, in a given timeframe.
I have to do everything in these games:
- Technical stuff
- Visuals
- Content
- Gameplay
- Sound-related things (i cant do sounds, so i have to buy/get them from others)
On top of that, someone actually has to come up with the puzzles, which also is me.
And then there needs to be a "Story", or at least a Narrative.
Oh, and of course someone has to support the older Games too :P
To put things into perspective: Portal 2 had a total of 3 Storywriters (according to Wikipedia), they already had 3 times more storywriters than i have for everything, including story.
I simply cant compete with them, at least not for a price of 9.99$ (this price includes VAT and a few other things, just in case you thought i would get what you pay.)
But i dont want to raise the price either, because i think that a price of 9.99$ is "enough" for a playtime of 4-10 hours. (what i see on the reviews)
================
TL:DR:
I try my best to deliver Games that are worthwile for their respective target audience, given the limitations that i have to overcome.
The Player/Customer always comes before the money, which also is why i am not using DLCs at all. (or any of the other money-grabbing things that are currently trending with indie-games)
I read through all the Feedback, i watch people play, because i care, and this wont change in the future.
Thank you.
[Update 3] VSync, Small Fixes
Hello,
I added VSync to the games settings and fixed a bunch of smaller things. (Things so unimportant that i dont even remember what they were)
Thats all for now, thanks.
[Weeklong Deal] 20% off
Hello,
as many of you probably already noticed, the game went into a Weekly Deal on Monday.
I decided to wait with the announcement until today because the reveal of Rethink in this years Humble Jingle Bundle was on the same day.
This was not planned by me, i had no influence on the day of the Reveal.
