Lol I honestly didn't think you would remove or change anything on the word of a single person. And i didn't really mean for it to come across as harsh as it did. I supposed it's a little like the Wilhelm scream its been in everything that and has gotten to the point where when used most people are just amused that its still being used today. As you said its your game and you chose which direction you wanted to go for with the audio, that's fine. As I said before most people won't care too much. I main reason I brought it up was I have my face planted to the steam indie scene as close as I can get it. I constantly trying to see what works, what doesn't and what not to do in the eyes of the steam user base. One of the things is trying to make your game stand out and using anything that makes it have the whiff of stock assets seems to be a big no-no. Ever see those RPG Makers style games? Some have decent stories but the masses see the distinct RPG Maker character assets and simply ignore it.
Well, my thoughts on the game's sound design are not just due to your comments - I've had other people test that game outside of this forum, and I have received similar feedback regarding the volume levels.
In terms of the uniqueness of the sound effects, I'm not sure if I'd equate it to the Wilhelm Scream, which is just put into movies by sound designers as more of a wink at other sound designers than as a cliche. I also don't think using classic cartoon sound effects makes the game seem cookie-cutter like games made with default assets from RPG Maker. To me, these sound effects call back to the classic cartoons of old, and it lends the game a more authentic cartoon feel.
The player shouldn't have to balance the audio levels for you. The sliders should be there for the ease of the player to customize the game as they see fit.
That's pretty much exactly why the volume sliders are there. I'm going to do my best to balance the sounds and music myself, and then if any of it is really annoying to players, they'll have that further step they can take to make sure it works how they want it to.
Unfortunately the only way to find a good center point is testing. And not just yourself, get friends, family, that one guy that sits in the corner of the coffee shop all day playing video games, anyone willing to play your game. Also don't just give them the game and say have fun tell me what you think. Give them direction. A simple list or questionnaire highlighting the things you want them to really focus on helps. Contrary to what most people think. Hearing "hey good game" isn't all that helpful. I remember a long time ago I did a beta test for a game and submitted a 25 page report on a 2D platform game I was testing. The dev replied that he was shocked that I had spent so much time finding so many bugs, glitches, and design flaws. Some of the glitches the player had no way of getting unless they had the god-mode and infinite jump cheats I could used. Apparently the other testers simply replied "good game keep up the good work". But im getting off sidetracked sorry im kind of a long poster.
That's alright, i appreciate the feedback. Indeed, the other testing I've done so far has been more focused than just posting the link to the game here. I don't feel like the WIP forum is a good place to ask for super-focused testing, though. I appreciate it when people tell me they like the games I make, but I agree, that is not particularly helpful/critical advice.
I tried to playing the HTML5 version again and no luck. For some reason the game just runs slow. I seriously doubt its my hardware holding me back. Its a bit of a clunker now but when I build it a few years ago it was rock solid. Fallout 4 on HIGH is solid 60 fps (newest AAA game I own) If it can handle that game it sure should be able to play your game. Only thing I can assume is something chrome doesn't like about it and keeping it from running at the correct speed.
Eventually, I'll have a demo out that will let you play a native app version of the game. The HTML5 version is not ideal, I agree. Originally, that's all I meant the game to be - and there's still a bit of optimization I've been meaning to do under the hood. For now though, I'm more interested in just finishing the last bit of content up and
then worrying about the details.
The art style and animation looks good I truly hope greenlight is favorable to you.
Thanks - I hope so too!