April was a big month for Mayfly.
Firstly, I think it's worth saying, this is my first ever game, and it's a solo development project. It's around four years in the making so far - and I've loved making it, but I never anticipated the sheer amount of work this would take.
Actions from the first demo
The first Mayfly demo launched on the 10 April and though it was absolutely terrifying putting it out there for the first time, I have to say it went better than I expected. That being said your feedback is taken very seriously and I always listen to what you have to say, so I've addressed the following in time for the next demo:
Less passivity in the puzzles ... and more of them
A fair few of you felt the first demo was a little too generous with its assistance in the puzzles, as well as also making you feel like somewhat of a passenger. This was a conscious decision at the time but I do realise it doesn't really work as well as I'd hoped. So, the puzzles and triggered events now require a much more active role, and it really has made a huge difference. On top of this, there are now more puzzles. Around three times as many!
Demo length
The first demo was short, around twelve minutes or so on average. The next demo will be hopefully at least double that.
This means it'll still be the entire first scene of Mayfly, but with a massive increase in the depth. What's very exciting is you now get the torch (flashlight) in Scene 1, where currently you had to wait until Scene 2. Things are going to get a lot darker in the new demo!
New features
Music!
Mayfly now has music - a wonderfully dark ambient soundtrack to really underpin the tension and emotion.
Story pacing massively improved
Watching the streams and play-throughs was incredible, but one thing which was bothering me was that the plot just dropped everything all at once. I hated that because it just didn't fit the experience I wanted to create. I've found a really useful way to naturally pace the game in such a way that it helps that slow burn tension really escalate naturally. I really can't wait for you all to give it a go.
New cinematics
As well as new puzzles, I've also added new cinematics. In relation to the plot pacing another thing which didn't feel right to me was the reflection of Caroline's state of mind. It bothered me how Caroline seemed to just go with the flow when the world was falling apart around her. These new cinematics just feel much more true to life, reflecting how most of us would react faced with the same series of events.
Unstable reality and environmental changes are now a core part of the experience
Of the kind comments about Mayfly, the ones that resonated the most where those players who spotted the subtle changes in the environment. Those changes really creeped people out, far more than the more overt 'horror' elements - and I loved that! Now I have more confidence that this should be a front and centre core mechanic.
Fully inspectable collectable items
Items such as notes and collectables can now be inspected in game and from within the Inventory.
Emotive Story Interactions replace standard Text Interactions
The first demo's standard text interactions were missing a trick. New Story Interactions now replace these, and add an extra layer of emotion to the exploration. Caroline's inner state of mind is reflected in the way the text dissolves, be it Scared, Angry, Confused or somewhere in between.
Let's go...
I hope to have the new demo ready in the next few weeks. As ever, your feedback is very welcome.