It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Community
General discussionRelease: MechoEcho(42 posts)(42 posts)
(42 posts)
Pages:
1
2
3
This is my favourite topic
Posted May 18, 2016
Domo arigato Mr. Roboto



<span class="bold">MechoEcho</span>, a construction puzzle game where you build ingenious robots to overcome obstacles, is now available, DRM-free on GOG.com with a 10% launch discount.

Did the world really end? Or is this all an elaborate simulation dreamt up by a powerful machine? That's up to you to discover, by overcoming the obstacles of this puzzle-riddled gauntlet. Your physical body has no bearing here but the rules of physics still very much apply. All the incredible robotic creations that you build will have to obey them, if they are to overcome the obstacles and drive your ethereal self to the end of each level. As the challenges get progressively more daunting, so must your machines keep evolving with more imaginative, versatile, and efficient designs. Humanity's fate rests with you but should it all get too overwhelming, consider taking a step back and experimenting freely in the addictive sandbox mode.



Construct complex robots and let your <span class="bold">MechoEcho</span> get carried through the perilous halls of this intricate simulation, DRM-free on GOG.com. The 10% discount will last until May 25, 6:59 PM UTC.
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
J_Darnley: Oh lord, someone turn down the bloom!
While I stand by my unwavering opinion that there is no such thing as "too much bloom", you can turn that off from the options.
Post edited May 19, 2016 by SandDragonRG
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
SandDragonRG:
Thank you for hanging around here to answer questions.

Would you recommend this game to someone who has zero interest in the sandbox mode and derives no enjoyment from just "seeing things work"? In other words, how does the story-driven puzzle-game measure up? How fleshed out is the story and how easy or difficult are the puzzles? Do you have an estimate for how long the game is?
Post edited May 19, 2016 by mrkgnao
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
SandDragonRG:
avatar
mrkgnao: Thank you for hanging around here to answer questions.

Would you recommend this game to someone who has zero interest in the sandbox mode and derives no enjoyment from just "seeing things work"? In other words, how does the story-driven puzzle-game measure up? How fleshed out is the story and how easy or difficult are the puzzles? Do you have an estimate for how long the game is?
My pleasure, it's actually quite relaxing to take break every now and then and chat on the forum, amidst the otherwise hectic madness of a game release. :)

What separates MechoEcho from other machine construction games is the focus on puzzle solving. So, although there is a sandbox, the main focus of the game is really about solving puzzles by learning to build progressively more advanced machines. Personally, I am a big fan of Spachem, so that's why MechoEcho has a different approach to the machine building genre.

As for the difficulty curve. If you were to see the final levels right away, chances are you'd never believe you could solve them. However, by the time you reach those levels, you'll have learned all you need to solve those puzzles while feeling a definite challenge but no frustration. At least, that's if I have done my job right! :)

A for the story, it is delivered in a similar fashion as Braid and The Bridge (with text appearing at the end of levels). It's always available but it's not intrusive.

To figure out if MechoEcho is the game for you and whether the narrative provides the levels of engagement you are looking for, I'd suggest you watch this let's play video (just keep in mind that the first 4 levels are really easy):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDB0zYijva8
Post edited May 19, 2016 by SandDragonRG
Posted May 19, 2016
It's not Droidworks, but it still looks pretty cool :)
Posted May 19, 2016
I'm currently on Chapter 12, and I have to say I'm really enjoying the game so far. The visuals are absolutely incredible, and in some ways remind me of Bioshock. My mouth was agape for a while at the beginning. The story telling reminds me of Braid, as you mentioned, and so far I'm liking that as well. As for the gameplay, it's great! There's a lot of creativity involved in figuring out what will and won't work, and finding a solution to a tricky puzzle is very satisfying. The trail-and-error doesn't feel frustrating at all, at least not yet, and failure can often be funny. I got a lot of amusement out of trying to pathetically climb up the stairs in one puzzle.

Minor error report: In the tutorial for the movement tool, it says something about dragging a blue arrow. However, all of the arrows are red.

There's one small thing I would recommend changing: It should be explained as soon as possible that you can change the center of the building camera by holding shift and using the right mouse button. I figured it out somewhat instinctively thanks to having played Kerbal Space Program, but without knowing about that it is very difficult to add to the bottom of existing blocks.

Overall, this game is fantastic so far. Great work!
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
J_Darnley: Oh lord, someone turn down the bloom!
avatar
SandDragonRG: While I stand by my unwavering opinion that there is no such thing as "too much bloom", you can turn that off from the options.
Yes, there is...
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
SandDragonRG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDB0zYijva8
Cheers. I took a look at the video (or actually only part of it --- hint: if you ever add voice acting to your games, do not hire that guy). After watching for 15 minutes or so, I think I can safely say that this is indeed my kind of game. I find both the graphics and gameplay potential --- as far as I can evaluate it --- quite appealing. Good show.

On the negative side, I find it disappointing that you have opted for an aggressive regional pricing scheme, which rather dampens my enthusiasm.

I guess I'll debate with myself the pros and cons, but I do wish you all the luck with your endeavour. It does look like a great achievement indeed.
Post edited May 19, 2016 by mrkgnao
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
SandDragonRG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDB0zYijva8
avatar
mrkgnao: Cheers. I took a look at the video (or actually only part of it --- hint: if you ever add voice acting to your games, do not hire that guy). After watching for 15 minutes or so, I think I can safely say that this is indeed my kind of game. I find both the graphics and gameplay potential --- as far as I can evaluate it --- quite appealing. Good show.

On the negative side, I find it disappointing that you have opted for an aggressive regional pricing scheme, which rather dampens my enthusiasm.

I guess I'll debate with myself the pros and cons, but I do wish you all the luck with your endeavour. It does look like a great achievement indeed.
Thanks. Glad to hear you like the game.

Sorry about the regional pricing. Naively, until a couple of weeks ago I had not even considered that I'd have to set prices for over 30 countries. As I found myself overwhelmed by the task, I decided to go with Steam's suggested conversions. That may have not been the best choice, and I understand how that could be upsetting. It all boils down to the fact that I am a game developer new to publishing games on my own: I can code, design and make 3d graphics... but marketing and business are very much new to me.
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
mrkgnao: Cheers. I took a look at the video (or actually only part of it --- hint: if you ever add voice acting to your games, do not hire that guy). After watching for 15 minutes or so, I think I can safely say that this is indeed my kind of game. I find both the graphics and gameplay potential --- as far as I can evaluate it --- quite appealing. Good show.

On the negative side, I find it disappointing that you have opted for an aggressive regional pricing scheme, which rather dampens my enthusiasm.

I guess I'll debate with myself the pros and cons, but I do wish you all the luck with your endeavour. It does look like a great achievement indeed.
avatar
SandDragonRG: Thanks. Glad to hear you like the game.

Sorry about the regional pricing. Naively, until a couple of weeks ago I had not even considered that I'd have to set prices for over 30 countries. As I found myself overwhelmed by the task, I decided to go with Steam's suggested conversions. That may have not been the best choice, and I understand how that could be upsetting. It all boils down to the fact that I am a game developer new to publishing games on my own: I can code, design and make 3d graphics... but marketing and business are very much new to me.
I can certainly relate to the trials of having to deal with large corporations and their well-oiled marketing machinery. For now, your game goes onto my wishlist. It is a bit too expensive for me, even with the 10% discount, but I do expect to buy it later down the line. Good luck.
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
Marioface5: I'm currently on Chapter 12, and I have to say I'm really enjoying the game so far. The visuals are absolutely incredible, and in some ways remind me of Bioshock. My mouth was agape for a while at the beginning. The story telling reminds me of Braid, as you mentioned, and so far I'm liking that as well. As for the gameplay, it's great! There's a lot of creativity involved in figuring out what will and won't work, and finding a solution to a tricky puzzle is very satisfying. The trail-and-error doesn't feel frustrating at all, at least not yet, and failure can often be funny. I got a lot of amusement out of trying to pathetically climb up the stairs in one puzzle.

Minor error report: In the tutorial for the movement tool, it says something about dragging a blue arrow. However, all of the arrows are red.

There's one small thing I would recommend changing: It should be explained as soon as possible that you can change the center of the building camera by holding shift and using the right mouse button. I figured it out somewhat instinctively thanks to having played Kerbal Space Program, but without knowing about that it is very difficult to add to the bottom of existing blocks.

Overall, this game is fantastic so far. Great work!
Awesome, thanks! I waited 3 years to get feedback about my game, so it's great to hear positive reviews.

And yes, the infamous blue arrow thing... I have had nightmares about that for the last few days! :D It was missed by all my testers, and I only noticed it a couple of days before release. It was just too risky to make an update (even that small) and then try to test everything again with that little time left! - It will be fixed with the first update I make.
Post edited May 19, 2016 by SandDragonRG
Posted May 19, 2016
this game is awesome, but needs some polishing
Post edited May 22, 2016 by apehater
Posted May 19, 2016
Hmm the game looks nice, maybe not my first genre of choice but still I think it is something enjoyable. And the dev's presence and replies make it seem like he's someone I would like to support with my money.

Still, I have spent too much lately. Gotta put a hold in my purchases for a while. To the wishlist with it, aye.
Posted May 19, 2016
Quick question first up

1. Can I rebind keys ? Being left handed I don't use WSAD etc I use up down left right arrow on the right side of the keyboard. I just wanted to ensure that is there so I can play it.

2. I am absolutely ASTOUNDED at how this game looks. When I first saw a lets play I thought Tron and then reading the posts here from the Dev, they stated there was a Tron influence. I just LOVE these kind of games.

3. How many levels are there ? (Just wanted to see the game length and inquire about replay value)

Normally I always wait for GoG sales but occassionally a game comes along that I go "come on! give them the full price you want them to make more don't you?" and the answer is hell yes !!! I have a few indie devs which for me are proven and I have bought every title from them both direct and if it is available, on GoG as well. These two devs for me are Introversion and Positech. I also support Blendo Games but oddly they are not here on GoG.

So if someone could please let me know if I can rebind keys or if the arrows work, then I will insta buy this title. Any fan of Tron is a friend of mine ! Amazing work.
Post edited May 19, 2016 by styggron
Posted May 19, 2016
avatar
styggron: Quick question first up

1. Can I rebind keys ? Being left handed I don't use WSAD etc I use up down left right arrow on the right side of the keyboard. I just wanted to ensure that is there so I can play it.

2. I am absolutely ASTOUNDED at how this game looks. When I first saw a lets play I thought Tron and then reading the posts here from the Dev, they stated there was a Tron influence. I just LOVE these kind of games.

3. How many levels are there ? (Just wanted to see the game length and inquire about replay value)

Normally I always wait for GoG sales but occassionally a game comes along that I go "come on! give them the full price you want them to make more don't you?" and the answer is hell yes !!! I have a few indie devs which for me are proven and I have bought every title from them both direct and if it is available, on GoG as well. These two devs for me are Introversion and Positech. I also support Blendo Games but oddly they are not here on GoG.

So if someone could please let me know if I can rebind keys or if the arrows work, then I will insta buy this title. Any fan of Tron is a friend of mine ! Amazing work.
1. Keys are fully rebindable. You can change the default keys to control each block, as well as changing keys for controlling individual placed blocks.

2. I don't see a question here, but yes, the game looks amazing!

3. According to the store page, there are 30 levels. According to the developer, later levels tend to take much longer to complete than earlier ones due to the difficulty curve. It is possible to skip levels and come back to them later, though I'm not sure if there are any limitations to that. Any level can be selected from the main menu, and there is also a sandbox mode with its own special level.
Posted May 19, 2016
Hi styggron, Hi Marioface,

I just got up, so apologies if it took a while for me to reply.

As Mario says, keys can be rebinded and there are 30 levels.

Regarding the game's length, my fastest speed play is about 4.5 hours - but I know all the solutions and I have played this game for 3 years! The most seasoned testers (designers with over 10 years of gaming experience) needed about 8-9 hours - and that's with them skipping some levels. I think the best players would need at least 10 hours. After that you can still try new things in the sandbox level, and even try to solve the same levels again in different ways (for instance, without using any wheels, or motorized parts, etc...). I'll update these timing stats as I get more feedback from players.

Also, you can skip up to 3 levels if you really get stuck on a puzzle and still finish the game, but you can always go back and finish them later. All unlocked levels are always re-playable from the main menu, which means you can experiment with different solutions.

And thanks for the comments on the graphics, I am an AI coder and I had to learn to use Blender in the last 3 years just to finish the game (although an artist friend helped here and there). So, graphics is what I am most proud of.

Also, a little secret: the characters were initially made of particles because I didn't know how to model detailed human characters and I couldn't find a character modeler to help in time for steam's greenlight. I am glad it worked out that way. ;-)

===============================
Edit: 22 May 2016
===============================

One note about the estimated play time. It turns out that neither me nor my focus testers are the fastest players. It would seem that I play the levels the way I (personally) meant them to be solved, but other players are finding faster solutions. So far the fastest confirmed play time is just below 4 hours, with a few other players reporting 6 hours. Apologies for the incorrect initial estimate.
Post edited May 22, 2016 by SandDragonRG
Pages:
1
2
3
This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionRelease: MechoEcho(42 posts)(42 posts)
(42 posts)