Setting the Stage

Join in with competitions to make the best trials... with a twist!

Moderator: EN - Forum Moderators

User avatar
Salamence
Posts: 133
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 6:44 am
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by Salamence »

DJJ6800 wrote:
Spoiler : :
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Well, seems like you enjoyed it about as much as someone who hasn’t played Undertale could possibly enjoy it anyway. My next trial should improve, hopefully. It’s still in the planning phases but you play as Kristoph so I’m hoping that gets some attention when I release it. Anyway, I can’t wait to finally find out the real name of Turnabout Tape Recorder!
Spoiler : :
You have a trial planned where you play as Kristoph? What a coincidence, so do I!
Image

Part 1 complete

Image
User avatar
Vagrant
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:21 am
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English, Italian, some French.

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by Vagrant »

are you implying dwam's case isn't called tape recorder

oh yeah also for whoever wants the actual leaderboard from bigwins (i stole it) here it is

1. Turnabout Tape Recorder
2. The Enchanted Turnabout
3. Less BASEic Turnabout
4. Tales of a Turnabout
5. Turnabout Assailant
6. A Courtly Turnabout
7. The Supreme Turnabout
8. Turnabout With No Name
9. Turnabout into Oblivion
Last edited by Vagrant on Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
coming soon

turnabout in the mist
User avatar
DWaM
Posts: 1763
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:23 am
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English
Location: The Kingdom of Ellipses

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by DWaM »

I'd probably edit that last bit about the rankings out, Vagrant. I mean they're obviously not actual rankings (I'm assuming anyway), but I can't imagine people in the bottom feeling too happy to have their cases put there, even as a joke, especially since they aren't even out yet.
User avatar
Vagrant
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:21 am
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English, Italian, some French.

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by Vagrant »

DWaM wrote:I'd probably edit that last bit about the rankings out, Vagrant. I mean they're obviously not actual rankings (I'm assuming anyway), but I can't imagine people in the bottom feeling too happy to have their cases put there, even as a joke, especially since they aren't even out yet.
fair enough, it was a joke in the discord lol (some people were actually saying put my case low so that's why i posted it without issues)
coming soon

turnabout in the mist
User avatar
SuperAj3
Posts: 1309
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:19 am
Spoken languages: English, 日本語(少しだけ)
Location: Legal Land

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by SuperAj3 »

Considering no one's said they've played our case yet, I'll take 5th place on a whim :dekiller:
ImageImageImageImage
Avatar from the TSub website :april:
User avatar
trialdude
Posts: 96
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:45 am
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English
Location: What's that?

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by trialdude »

Come on, man, that's not fair.

My entry's eighth place AT LEAST. :)
I have the stupidest username in all of AAO. Nowhere else will you find one more stupid.
User avatar
Southern Corn
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat May 19, 2018 6:05 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English, Bad Jokes

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by Southern Corn »

I've also never bothered with UnderTale, so I can understand you there, bigwins. Must be a bit awkward there to have played a case themed around it. Sounds cool though.
Image
Image
User avatar
DJJ6800
Posts: 402
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 3:40 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English
Location: Somewhere on the Planet Earth

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by DJJ6800 »

Considering my entry is apparently the best out of all the newcomers, I'll gladly take fourth.
User avatar
bigwins
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue May 08, 2018 5:27 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by bigwins »

Yeah, everyone please disregard those rankings, partly because it's silly to objectively value your work over each other's, partly because I'll only be giving out 1st and 2nd place awards, and partly because they're way off :wink:

On an obviously completely unrelated note, I've got another review for you guys.
≿————- ❈ ————-≾

Apparently this guy made some other stuff:
Spoiler : ??? :
Image
A lot's changed in the future, huh.

"???" Okay, okay, Strangers In The Land Of Turnabouts is the new case by DWaM, featuring a stylish aesthetic and a unique twist on the Setting the Stage concept. There’s not a whole lot I can say about this case that wouldn’t be better experienced by playing it first, but if you’re familiar with the author’s work, you’ll have some idea of what to expect here. As mysterious civil attorney Mr. Albert, you’re charged with representing a landlord accused of stealing one of his tenants’ cars. Do things stay that simple? I mean, what do you think?

STORY - Strangers begins with deceptive simplicity, and as it expands outward to become a fairly sprawling narrative the twists start coming, forcing you to rethink what you’d taken for granted up to that point. One of the highlights here is the original setting, fed to you in drips of detail that paint a vague picture of what came before. But these successes come with many pitfalls. Dialogue is cleverly written but often goes on for too long. Conversations lose emotional weight because the identities of the people having them are hidden to become twists. Secret gambits and plans pile up on each other, causing confusion. There’s a lot of creativity on display here, but I felt even this relatively simple plot became overstuffed.

GAMEPLAY - Despite all the weight of its story, this isn’t a long case, so it only has a short bit of courtroom puzzling before its conclusion. There’s a noticeably small amount of evidence, meaning puzzles involve pressing to make sure you’re certain there aren’t any alternate possibilities, but this isn’t a problem- it just means that the case takes a more analytical, big-picture mystery approach (even if the mystery itself doesn’t end up being too complicated). I do wish a certain document in the Court Record was less full of information and a bit easier to parse, but in the end I found the puzzles solid while they lasted.

PRESENTATION - Strangers’ unique presentation is one of its strongest assets, selling the setting so strongly that the dialogue’s subtlety around it feels natural. The custom backgrounds look great, and the segments that make use of animated images and AAO’s built-in transitions make everything flow well together, look dynamic, and maintain a consistent visual style. The music, a collection of intense synthwave tunes, fits well with the setting, even if it can feel odd in the middle of court. The court sequences in general felt a little off, with elements such as the AAI backgrounds and sprites seeming out-of-place, but that’s a minor complaint.

THEME RELEVANCE - The setting in this case is close to its central focus. It’s clear that a lot of work has been put into creating a world that intrigues, and only becomes more mysterious and interesting as you learn more about it. Strangers’ setting also benefits from being original to it (...well...), though I was disappointed with some of the later twists surrounding the nature of the world, and would have preferred a mystery that incorporated the setting more heavily. Still, it’s an all-around impressively built setting that’s fitting to what I had in mind when thinking this comp up.

OVERALL - Strangers In The Land Of Turnabouts is creative, and has both smart dialogue and excellent presentation. Still, I found myself getting frustrated with many of the twists, as well as the intentional vagueness of so much of the characters’ conversations, and I wished that the courtroom mystery played a more integral role in the story. It’s stylish and interesting, so I have no doubt fans of DWaM’s prior cases will enjoy this one as well, even if I felt it could have used some editing.
And that does it for the completed entries. I'm about to start finals, but hopefully I'll be able to maintain this speed when you all join me next time for Turnabout Assailant by SuperAj3 and Ann-nna!
User avatar
Southern Corn
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat May 19, 2018 6:05 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English, Bad Jokes

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by Southern Corn »

Ooh, interesting, glad to see DWAM delivers as usual. I'll be sure to play this one when it comes out.
Image
Image
User avatar
bigwins
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue May 08, 2018 5:27 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by bigwins »

AAO being down gave me the perfect excuse for a minute there. Finally knocked the review out, though.
≿————- ❈ ————-≾

I see what y'all did with that title:
Spoiler : Turnabout Assailant by SuperAj3 and Ann-nna :
Image
She'll do anything for it, I guess.


I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this thing from the hypeshots, but Turnabout Assailant is a fun and interesting ride. Only the investigation is finished at this point, but the creators promise the next part to come soon. The case is set in canon and centers on Phoenix and Maya attending a sailboat race one of their friends has entered, but things get complicated quickly, and then they get weird.

STORY - The plot starts small, and so far doesn’t reveal too much about the mystery itself, though it’s a genuinely intriguing one. The investigation’s full of interesting moments and stays engaging thanks to its fairly quick pace, and while its place in canon means that characters like Trucy and Athena are present but don’t get much to do, the characters that take center stage are generally solid and well-written. Things can be slow during the middle stage of the investigation, but the writing keeps things interesting. The case has an overall fun and quirky tone and remains entertaining up until the end.

GAMEPLAY - As it’s still investigation-only at this point, Assailant doesn’t have any puzzles per se, though there’s a short sequence that requires some logic near the end. Overall, the actual investigating done here is fair, though I felt that some of the Examines required to progress were a little obtuse, asking for very specific points to be clicked. In general though, Assailant’s a straightforward and enjoyable investigation.

PRESENTATION - The case has some really strong presentation, packed full of custom art that includes an animated intro that looks great, as well as several pieces of evidence and many backgrounds. It’s clear that a lot of work went into making Assailant stand out visually. In some ways, the case can feel visually inconsistent: sprites vary somewhat heavily in style, as does the music, but for me this actually gave the case its own feel. The varying aesthetics come together to make something unique, and the extraordinarily impressive spritework from both authors helps to seal the deal.

THEME RELEVANCE - Unlike the other cases in this competition, Assailant doesn't have a radically different setting- it takes place in the main canon, not long after SoJ. But its setting still manages to shine, later on in the case: the custom art in the final location is really impressive, and drew me in, making me eager to learn what would happen next. Because it's only an investigation, Assailant doesn't yet incorporate its setting into trial logic, but it does successfully fit the theme, even if I wish it had been a bit further-reaching in its scope.

OVERALL - Turnabout Assailant is a fun and creative investigation, and promises to be the prelude to an exciting trial. Its custom art is great and adds a lot even if it can feel incongruous, and the dialogue's snappy enough to keep things moving. I'm not sure where it could possibly go from here, but it's wild enough as it is, and I'm appreciative of the creativity its authors are showing off here. I know one thing for sure- I didn't have anything like this in mind when I came up with this theme.
And four down already. Join me next time- soon, I swear- for A Courtly Turnabout by Tiagofvarela!
User avatar
SuperAj3
Posts: 1309
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:19 am
Spoken languages: English, 日本語(少しだけ)
Location: Legal Land

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by SuperAj3 »

Thanks for the review! (And thanks for realising the name's a pun XD)
I had a lot of fun working on making a case! I had started part 2 but didn't submit it because I really didn't like the dialogue I had written (and didn't finish the courtroom backgrounds at the time, so it looked incomplete).
Spoiler : On theme relevance :
When we started working out what to do, Iused the screenshot of Khura'in as my interpretation of what you meant by "setting" as in "in the AA world, but in a location never used before", hence the underwater and aliens. At least it still fit somewhat! (and the trial takes place in a non-conventional location - even if it uses official assets XD
ImageImageImageImage
Avatar from the TSub website :april:
User avatar
bigwins
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue May 08, 2018 5:27 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by bigwins »

Hoo boy, these are making me tired already. We'll get through it! Together!
≿————- ❈ ————-≾
Spoiler : A Courtly Turnabout by Tiagofvarela :
Image
Defense attorney-ing isn't exactly the focus here.

A Courtly Turnabout is Tiagofvarela’s new case, starring Mia Fey as she gets wrapped up in an odd incident regarding the assault of a passenger, I think. It’s odd. Not much of the case is finished at this point, being essentially an extended intro scene and the beginning of court, but there are some clever ideas, even if they haven’t amounted to anything yet.

STORY - Courtly’s story is simple, I think, though I’ve gotta admit it confused me. Mia is taking a fancy train and having a good time, when she runs into two kids who are in the midst of a very apathetic fight. It’s fairly short and so there isn’t a lot of time to get a feel for what’s going on, although the story doesn’t seem to be the focus anyway, and while the banter between the kids can be clever, it didn’t end up doing much for me.

GAMEPLAY - The case, in theory, will feature semi-Laytonesque logic questions in place of/in addition to cross-examinations, but at time of submission, Courtly has a total of one puzzle. It’s a fairly clever puzzle, though it’s meant as a tutorial and as such is pretty easy. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what Tiagofvarela can come up with in regards to these puzzles, but as there’s only the one here right now, I can’t really judge them.

PRESENTATION - Nothing too flashy here, though all the custom sprites are fairly different in style, as is the odd and quirky-sounding music. The train backgrounds, cribbed from Professor Layton, look nice and make for an interesting setting, though we spend precious little time there.

THEME RELEVANCE - The train, at least, is a different enough setting from typical AA that this case is ostensibly relevant, but if there’s a wider setting that would help it fit more solidly into this comp’s theme, what I’ve seen of Courtly doesn’t show it. And since it seems as though the logic puzzles will take precedent over any actual mystery-solving, the setting doesn’t have much bearing on the case itself. I don’t see much reason this couldn’t have been submitted to another comp and still have worked just as well.

OVERALL - A Courtly Turnabout seems like a worthwhile play! Shame there’s so little of it. I’ll turn things back over to Tiago to continue making the case, but the concept alone of logic puzzles during the trial seems like an interesting enough hook for me to come back to this one. Still, I wasn’t enamored with the writing and the central characters got old pretty quickly. We’ll have to wait to see how Courtly fares when the whole thing releases.
We're over the halfway point. Future bigwins will be bringing you the review of Turnabout Into Oblivion by trialdude.
User avatar
clcman
Posts: 1361
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:40 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English
Location: Classified

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by clcman »

Ah, Future bigwins. Love that guy. Much nicer and generally a better reviewer than Current bigwins. He's never quite on time, though.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
User avatar
bigwins
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue May 08, 2018 5:27 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English

Re: Setting the Stage

Post by bigwins »

Number six time babeyyy. I promise I'm working on the awards ceremony too, totally. (Also, thanks for helping me not double-post, clc)
≿————- ❈ ————-≾
Spoiler : Turnabout Into Oblivion by trialdude :
Image
So, business as usual?

Trialdude’s Turnabout Into Oblivion has a decent-length investigation and a good chunk of trial already made, and centers on none other than Phoenix Wright, who’s been in a coma for some time. He awakens in a dream world of his own subconscious and encounters various dream versions of series characters, but it isn’t long before he realises that one of them is secretly a dark force seeking to keep him asleep forever. Well, besides the villains that obviously hate his guts already, I’m assuming.

STORY - The case starts off with a confusing, illogical jumble of events that quickly levels out into something coherent (just like real dreams, in my experience). I’ll be honest- I was shaking my head at first. The idea of a dream world being the setting for an AA adventure feels a bit off, especially when the games’ various villains make seemingly arbitrary returns. And yet the dialogue’s snappy and there’s genuine intrigue and eventually an actual mystery begins to take shape, and when you reach the trial you find yourself invested. trialdude’s actually done good work with a premise I would’ve thought was too silly to try.

GAMEPLAY - Oblivion’s investigation has very little actual investigating, as the player never gets to control movement from place to place and there’s only one or two examine prompts. It’s the trial that has the meat of the gameplay, actually boasting a number of solid contradictions and present prompts. The mystery itself isn’t too complicated or twisty but it definitely keeps you on your toes and engaged in the unfolding story. Trial flow isn’t super long or canon-style, but everything generally makes sense and progresses well.

PRESENTATION - Apart from a couple of added sprite sets and a few custom backgrounds, this is an editor-assets-only case, and its presentation is very matter-of-fact. Music cues are from the various sections of the editor’s music menu, and start at times that can feel odd. Area and time transitions are abrupt, and characters leave the screen by disappearing. The presentation is essentially what the editor can do on its own without any fancy tricks, but it can be jarring to those who are used to more “polished” cases.

THEME RELEVANCE - Thanks to its bizarre setting, Oblivion manages to fit the theme. It’s interesting to see the characters try to figure out the rules of the dream world, but I never quite found it significantly different from the real one. The trial case, for example, doesn’t have any new “dream rules” to follow; it’s a mostly standard AA locked-room mystery. I give Oblivion points for managing to fit the usual canon assets into a pretty out-there setting, but it can feel perfunctory at times.

OVERALL - Turnabout Into Oblivion is a strange take on the Setting the Stage theme. It’s extremely out-there and very much not for everyone. But I think those who give it a chance will find something to enjoy, whether it’s the gradual intrigue of the plot hook or the straight-up murder mystery. The presentation is rough around the edges, which is another stumbling block for some, but I had fun here and hope to have more.
How's everyone holding up? My finals start tomorrow morning, so please excuse me if the reviews get delayed a bit, but I promise I'll be back for The Turnabout with No Name by DannyPlaysSomeGames... eventually.
Locked