I've uploaded the beginning of a game I had started a while back. It has basically a puzzle or two in the beginning, but then peters out... But I'm wondering if the initial puzzle is too easy, too hard, too obscure, too boring, etc.

It was my first attempt at a puzzle design, and I wonder how well it works.

Any feedback welcome! (I'll also take feedback on how much the scenery fulfills a player's desire to look around.)

Thanks in advance!

Game: http://www.textadventures.co.uk/review/1180/

A few notes, some of which may be helpful, others of which probably just highlight my own inadequacies!

Select the text below to see it - I've written it in white text to avoid it being a spoiler for others since I couldn't see a "spoiler" command on the forum

spoiler wrote:- I took me a while to realise I could open the backpack, but just about got there!
- I wanted to try to "remove string" or even "examine string" on the package (before I'd found the string in the backpack) but it said I couldn't see string, which was a shame as it was the main feature of the package
- I had to google "rappelling" to find out that it meant abseiling
- I wanted to read the registration card
- When I try to "rappel", it tells me "It's critical that the package go with you. Otherwise all your effort is for nothing. You can't carry it. How else can you get it down there?". But I _am_ carrying it. It's in my inventory. Do you mean that I can't keep carrying it when I start rappelling because I'll need both hands on the rope?
- Can you include "abseil" verb as an alternative to "rappel" - I really have never heard of that word!
- Despite the earlier comment that it was impossible, I tried "Put package in backpack". It told me "Done."
- "Remove package from backpack" gives the message "You pick it up" rather than "You take it out"
- "Remove instructions from backpack" works, but "Take instructions out of backpack" doesn't which might be a helpful alternative
- At the start, the items in the backpack are not visible in the inventory pane. But when I put them back in the backpack, they do stay visible in the inventory pane (just that they change position on the list) and it's not clear (a) why they're only invisible to start with but not later and (b) whether they're in or out of the backpack based on the inv list.
- I can't carry the package because it won't fit in the backpack. But I seem to be able to rappel down while carrying numerous other things that I've taken out of the backpack and not put back in.
- Given I can 'lower package', I tried 'lowe me' as an alternative to 'rappel' but it wouldn't work
- I wanted to tie the package to the harness, thereby taking it down with me by tying it to myself. Happy that I can't do it, but would be good to have a message telling me I can't do that because of some contrived reason like being unable to make sure it doesn't break on the way down or something

- "...the news spreads a higher..." -> "...a bit higher..."?
- "the hook" - being unfamiliar with abseiling equipment, what hook?

- while "freefall, next to a balcony", I "grab balcony" and "hold balcony". But it tells me I can't do either which is a shame as a second ago the text told me it was within reach.
- I also try "use rope on balcony". It tells me "I can't see that (balcony)".

- while on "another balcony", I try to "examine balcony". I can't see it.

I take it this is as far as I can get at the moment? That was fun - not massively hard (but then I don't think it should be otherwise you get stuck at square one with nothing else to do), but neither was it really easily spoonfed to me

Thanks very much! This is all very helpful. When I get back to this (which I would like to do someday), I'll incorporate changes to address what you ran into. I'm glad you were able to at least get through it.

Thanks again. It's much appreciated.

It took me about 20 mins to get stuck at the last part. Can you give me a clue to solve this response just to see how it ends:
'You don't have enough confidence yet to make the rappel. There must be something that will give you a boost.'

Also there is an error if you type e.g. X PACK:
Error running script: Too few parameters passed to ShowMenu function - only 3 passed, but 4 expected

You should make every scenery object available to a response which would make it more user friendly.

So scenery and synonyms issues are the most common faults. Using the 'a' command to tie things together took a while to figure out. But tie is a synomym for the 'a' command and should be used as such which made it unfair.

Also, add extra text to the 'examine harness/descender' to say things are tied together like you did with the other things. I got to a point where I forgot what I had done. Also, as a rule of thumb for my games, READ and X objects are used separately especially involving object with writing on them.

Apart from that it's not bad at all.

Thanks for the feedback. The ShowMenu issue is due to the fact that the 5.4 version of Quest I used had an show menu problem (I didn't run into that myself since I had coded this in 5.3, and I hadn't tried that case in 5.4 before the quick upload).

Some questions:

1) What is the "a" command?
2) Which scenery objects did you not get a response to? I had made a decent effort to cover all the ones I could think of, so the priniciple was there. Could you tell me the ones you hit that I missed?

I like adding additional logic to the description to indicate the changed state of things.

For confidence, besides what's in the instructions, there are two items of clothing that will help.

Point taken as well (by both of you) about "read".

jaynabonne wrote:

1) What is the "a" command?

2) Which scenery objects did you not get a response to? I had made a decent effort to cover all the ones I could think of, so the priniciple was there. Could you tell me the ones you hit that I missed?

1) I was trying not to give it away - attach. Same as tie?!

2) Anything that is a noun that you can touch, basically. You can interact with the railing but not the balcony or the bolts on the railing. Once you get used to covering the small things that aren't necessary to the game it gets less frustrating to the player giving them a better response than 'I can't see that.'

Ok, thanks.