Cool! I think it would be nice to make the sub feel more like it's moving in water and experiencing more realistic physics, even if still simplified. Should I do much more, I'll definitely aim to achieve something like this.

And thanks for your vote of confidence on the 2.5D! (: I do think it could work well in a final game.

Awesome! Subnautica is probably an obvious influence. I really enjoy that game. The main aspects being strong atmosphere and the theme of an exotic, alien planet. Hopefully, I can find my own approach to those shared ideas.

Better controls or definitely a possibility. This was more or less a pretty basic example, so might not feel very aquatic, but if I continue development in a serious way, I'd want to revisit this. Can you tell me more specifically what you felt wasn't quite right about the sub controls as they are now?

Upgrades for the sub have been mentioned by more than a couple people already, so I think that's the favorite request at this point. I'm not sure yet what exactly I'd want to do with that, but I will definitely give it some serious thought.

Crafting hasn't been mentioned until now, but I could see that working into vehicle upgrades or even base building, and then we suddenly have Subnautica. haha So I'll definitely hesitate to do everything Subnautica does since I'm interested in doing my own thing, but at the same time, if I were to make Subnautica 1:1, it'd probably still turn out pretty differently since it'd be me making it. At least I'd like to think so.

Not sure if you are requesting that I turn it from 2.5D side scrolling to a fully 3D exploration space (again, like Subnautica) or if you meant something else by "3D update", but for now I think I'm a little more interested in 2.5D games at this time. I like how 2D spaces simplifies choices and puts an interesting design constraint on me but offering 3D visuals (and sound) provides a deeper artistic richness as a backdrop. Similar to an Ori game's visual depth without being truly fully 3D. Please let me know if there's more to what you were saying.

Would love a little more detail on the items above if you have another moment.

Thank you so much for playing and sharing your thoughts! Super helpful. (:

Wow! Love this. Glad it feels like a solid start to you.

I had someone else tell me they wanted gem spendable upgrades for those same sort of things. And someone else agrees with the full screen map idea.

As I was making it, I kept wanting the sub to bob on the surface of the water, as well, so I wholeheartedly agree with that. I simply hadn't got around to that sort of thing because I wasn't polishing it to that degree, but definitely will if development continues.

More levels i.e. places to explore, especially places that feel very distinct from one another is one of the big ideas behind this game concept. What you see here is essentially a single, somewhat polished "level" to test the waters. I set out to build a prototype and think I wound up with more of what some call a vertical slice of a full game.

I built it to demonstrate if the game idea and world design could be fun enough to pursue further. If I don't do something more serious with it, I don't expect to expand it with more places, but if I select this for my next commercial title, then it would definitely see a noteworthy expansion of the world (or worlds) you can adventure through.

Your breakdown of specific things you'd like to see added to Exo Diver is very insightful. I really appreciate you taking the time to play and hope you got to experience all it has to offer. I'll take your input very seriously to heart when I decide the fate of this project later on.

Thank you so very much!!!! (:

Thank you so much!

Yes, I definitely want to experiment with the ability to scan and catalog every kind of thing in the world, making knowledge a valuable resource and thus emphasizing pure exploration. For now, I think it would be wise to focus the game's scope on submarine only, but I do love the idea of having various forms of traversal as a way to open things up to even more variety.

I really enjoyed watching your stream of it. And I hope you'll revisit it sometime to see what you missed. As it stands, there's a small yet complete game here. Of course, the game doesn't communicate these things super well, so I'd be interested to make that more accessible if development continues. Nonetheless, I'm glad you found it interesting and see its potential.

Oh ok, I saw a picture you shared. That little edge surrounding some objects against the ocean backdrop is likely just a graphical glitch, but if someone appreciates it, then I appreciate the appreciation. (:

I take full credit for whatever you're talking about that is good. ~(: I'm not really sure what you're referring to, however. "Night run" does not compute, but "outline" does. I do highlight things to help you know that you can interact. If I have failed to understand, please explain further. I'd love to know what is working well.

Huzzah! (: (: (: Thank you for giving that a go.

Oh that's a funny one! I don't think that's a bug per se, but possibly an unfortunate behavior. For some reason that key is mapped as an alternate for Cargo Eject, so it does pop out a gem. However, I also just noticed that sometimes a gem will pop out too close to the player sub and instantly get picked back up. This might be what you were seeing. Please let me know if there's something more to it.

I believe there is no faster diagonal movement, but up/down is slower than left/right. You have perceived well a subtle difference.

He typically finds at least 50% of the frogs in a simple run of the game. It's a good time no matter what.

In fact, he just played it again with his mommy to show her. He does get slightly nervous about clicking on the shark. You can see him get startled just a touch when the music suddenly changes. I think it's cute, though. Every kid/family is different, but in our case he clearly has a good time with the game. Not sure he's figured it out that much, but playing with a parent makes up for that and everybody has a good time. It has good humor and sweetness throughout, so anyone can appreciate it. I appreciate how it sometimes does offer a challenge.

Whoa! Very interesting. Came over from Frog Finder and I was instantly cool with the food themed Tetris, but then you introduced that squeeze option and the ability to create full cakes and I was super intrigued. Had some fun playing a full, proper level.

I feel like the gameplay could be a little snappier, but I guess it depends what you're going for. I personally would like things to combine faster, pieces to settle into their spots quicker, and squeeze action to start happening right away. It's mostly about a sense of feedback as I try to place pieces where I want them. Waiting even a second to know if it took feels a little slow and disconnected. Even if it's just something for a hard mode, I'd be a fan of quicker responsiveness. Otherwise it's a fun, new spin on a classic, so great work!

haha Very cute. My 5yo and I enjoyed it. Everything is adorable and pleasant. Thanks for sharing this and keep up the good work. (:

Whoa!!!! I'm so excited to try this. You may have solved a very common problem for me. Setup sounds challenging for a n00b, but could be very worth it.

What an honor! haha Thank you for the immortalization and also the brutal move space. I really like figuring out all the unexpected abilities for each piece. It is painful, to be honest, to have one of my precious pieces captured and gone, though. But it's also fun to play. Nice work. (Also, hi, Dan, if you're reading this.)

What an honor! haha Thank you for the immortalization and also the brutal move space. I really like figuring out all the unexpected abilities for each piece. It is painful, to be honest, to have one of my precious pieces captured and gone, though. But it's also fun to play. Nice work. (Also, hi, Dan, if you're reading this.)

Thank you so much! That cat and mouse experience is one of my favorite aspects of the game. And I, too, could see this getting some refinement and a little expansion and possibly become a much more engaging experience. I think I'll consider it for a future full game. Not sure yet if I'll update it, but there's a chance it could get a sequel or spin off project down the road after my next 30 day prototype. Thanks for the encouragement. (:

This is a standard US QWERTY keyboard. Nothing odd with the hardware. ASUS brand. Came with the desktop. If I press Z the claw on the left of the screen activates. If I press X it also activates the same claw. .........NOOO!!!! WAIT! I'm wrong. I was pressing Z/C for the left and it turns out that X (as advertised) and V handle the right claw. *derp* I made this mistake because my keys are rubbed blank from use and I had a mental moment of confusion. The bug is me. Plus I didn't expect the C to function. We good now. Carry on.

haha Nice. It's cute. Love the music. Z/X seem to both snap the crab's right claw, no way to snap the left one. Otherwise, it's cool. I snapped 16 apples.

You're not the first to mention it. The first thing I tried was relative directions so that either left or right (or up/down) would send you full circle. The problem is when you're making fast decisions and need to nudge left so you press left which then sends you right while on the ceiling. I found it confusing. Unfortunately, the current scheme is also confusing. It's a trade off. If I were to update the game, I'd offer both control schemes, but I'm not sure which would be the default since there are problems with both configurations. The game really needs a dial input instead of a directional input.

WASD/Arrows are mapped to cardinal directions. Want to go more left, press left. Want to go more up, press up. To get to the top, you have to press up or W. So it's working as intended. Another option, however, is mouse or gamepad. Those might be more intuitive for you.

Dear Leaf & Company,

I've prepared my game to share with early testers, but not ready to hit Publish, so I've set it to Restricted. I love that I can offer a password to access the download page. More recently, I've enjoyed testing how download keys work.

Unfortunately, download keys don't take people to the game's main page, it goes to a download only page I have no control over.

What bugs me, though, is that the link to the Game's Page on that key landing page does not give access to the game's page. It only gives them a chance to enter the password. Why would I want to hide the page for those with a key? Is there a way to offer automatic access to the game's page via a password bypass setting on a key? Can the page be set up to allow anyone with a key access to it without a password?

The documentation reads in such a way that I would think a key supersedes all Restricted requirements: "People who already have access for another reason do not need to enter a password." (from https://itch.io/docs/creators/access-control)

• Is it intended to work this way?
• Could documentation be clarified?
• What are the chances of altering this behavior?

Thank you for your time and attention,

— Drew

haha no, the game is a complete experience, just like it was the first time. i think you've overlooked something. it is a prison and you can try to escape. the game plays from beginning to end.

very glad the sound and picture is better now! thanks for letting me know. if you spend more time with it, i'd love to know how far you can get.

i really appreciate you testing it twice now. (:

just made a significant update to Abyss! you can read about it and if you try it again, please let me know how it is

update to Abyss! you can read about it