Seeking Feedback on Timecrest: The Door

By cowbunny, 10 July, 2016

Forum
iOS and iPadOS Gaming

Hi all,

I'm a developer for the game Timecrest for iOS, a choose-your-own-adventure style interactive fiction RPG. We received an email from a voiceover user named Brad who told us that our game was 95% accessible and gave us information on this forum on how to make our game better accessible for voiceover users.

When we came over to check the forum, we were humbled that Timecrest was recommended by users here, and embarrassed that the game was not 100% accessible to voiceover users, and have to admit that we're very new to developing accessible software.

We're investigating what we can do to improve the game and I've personally been trying to play our game fully in voiceover to better understand the experience.

I wanted to post here to gather your feedback as well. Please tell us what we can do to improve your experience playing the game, so we can integrate it into our improvements for you.

Here's a link to the game: https://itunes.apple.com/za/app/timecrest-the-door/id1027546326?mt=8&uo=8&at=11l4LS

Thanks!
cowbunny

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Comments

By That Blind Canuck on Friday, April 21, 2017 - 21:06

Hi CowBunny,

Quick question, if we've collected a huge number of void crystals, there isn't a way to convert them back to teleport orbs is there?

Thanks and keep up the great work!

By cowbunny on Friday, April 21, 2017 - 21:06

Unfortunately, there isn't a way to convert back to teleport orbs at this time. Each time you teleport, it generates a new void crystal, so if you could turn it back into a teleport orb, that orb would make a new void crystal, you'd effectively be able to teleport forever on one orb!

By That Blind Canuck on Friday, April 21, 2017 - 21:06

Oh yeah, that's true, then nevermind. I didn't think of it that way, then it makes sense that you couldn't convert them back.

Any hints on approximately when TC3 may be available? I am sure you probably get that question from hundreds on a daily basis. At least that is a good indication that people love the game and are anxiously waiting for more.

Take care and keep up the amazing work!

By cowbunny on Friday, April 21, 2017 - 21:06

I don't want to make any early promises on TC3 is available. Our main goal is to make sure that TC3 is an emotional, epic and high quality story in the saga. It focuses on one of our most important characters, Luthor Timecrest. So we will keep working on it until we're satisfied with the quality of the game and the story, and only then will we be comfortable giving an indication of when it'll be coming out.

By cowbunny on Sunday, May 21, 2017 - 21:06

We wanted to thank you all for the support, and were amazed to hear that we were nominated for the AppleVis Hall of Fame.

https://applevis.com/blog/advocacy-applevis-ios-apps-news/vote-now-2017-inductees-applevis-ios-app-hall-fame

Thanks to everyone who voted for us, and we do hope you continue to give us feedback on how we can improve Timecrest for you. We're still working hard on Timecrest 3 and will share any news about it as soon as we can!

By DrummerGuy on Sunday, May 21, 2017 - 21:06

Hi:
Let me start by saying that I don't normally play text games because I don't find them as good as other types of games but Time Crest has definitely captured my attention and has turned into a very pleasant surprise. I downloaded this game probably a month or a month and a half ago and I have to say that, so far, Time Crest has become a very special game and I would like to continue playing it and to discover more and more things about it. I may be wrong but I just don't trust Chronus.
Although I haven't gotten too far into the game yet, for sure, I know that I will play it many times for I am interested to see just to what other paths this story can take me based on my decisions.
Thank you, Cowbunny, for this wonderful game.
I am sure that we are all waiting for the next Time Crest.
Finally, I just want to say that I am happy I made an exception and decided to give this game a try.
Thank you, developers, for this wonderful game. KODP and Time Crest are the only text games I have found really interesting.
Cheers.

By Rhymers on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 - 21:06

I left you guys a review on the app page on iTunes. I know you've made this game voiceover accessible now. But I thought some thanks were still in order, and I can expound further now that I've got a keyboard in front of me instead of just my phone keyboard.
I want to thank you for this game. It's absolutely lovely, and I'm glad to get to play it. I also hope you all do many more games in future, because with your games, I don't feel as if I'm being talked down to just because I can't see the screen.
Also, I really like that, as far as I know, you never truly give Ash a gender. That way, they can be whatever the player imagines them to be.
Personally, I think Ash is gender-nonconforming, like me, and it's really nice to have that lack of specificity in the game for me.
Thank you so much for all you do, and thank you for putting down alt-text for the silhouettes that you have put up to describe people. It makes me super happy, as does your game, and just. thank you.

By Ekaj on Monday, January 21, 2019 - 21:06

Hi everyone. Just got this game so I thought I'd come here. My brother texted me a link to your game a few days ago, and I just downloaded it on my iPhone. I've played a little bit of it and really like it. Everything is working very well thus far for me with VoiceOver. I'm just wondering though if there's a way to quit or pause the game without closing the app via App Switcher? Other than that, great job and I like the music and game sounds.

By cowbunny on Monday, January 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by Ekaj

Hello @ekaj, thank you for your feedback and we're happy to hear that you are enjoying Timecrest. The app is designed to feel as realistic as possible, as if Ash is texting you in real time, so closing the app doesn't change the progression of the game. That said, when you are offered a choice, the game is paused, waiting for your decision. So if you wish to pause the game, simply do not make a choice until you are ready to move forward. We hope this helps and thank you for playing Timecrest!

By cowbunny on Monday, January 21, 2019 - 21:06

Someone wrote to us in our support email, asking for a feature that would read punctuation out loud at the end of a statement or question. She wrote that it was very challenging to know if the option she was choosing was a question or a statement. We wanted to ask the community here if this would be a desired feature, and how the feature might work that would be beneficial to your understanding and enjoyment of Timecrest and if it is something you all would like added to the game.

We would love your feedback on this. Thank you so much.

By Clare Page on Monday, January 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by cowbunny

Interesting that someone asked to have punctuation read by VoicerOver to be sure whether something is a question or a statement! if that helps some players, fine, but I personally think this feature should be optional: speaking for myself, I would find it distracting to hear a sentence end with question mark or whatever, so i wouldn't want to make use of such a feature, but with some voices it's not always easy to tell from the inflection whether a sentence is a question or a statement or whatever, in which case some users may perhaps find the speaking of punctuation useful.

By Brandon X on Monday, January 21, 2019 - 21:06

i know this might not happen but, what if we could get 5 crystal a day.

By cowbunny on Monday, January 21, 2019 - 21:06

@clare page, Thank you for your feedback. Perhaps then it might be useful as an option you can enable or disable in the settings menu?

@Brandon X, Thank you for your feature request. While we don't have a feature like that, you are able to earn 50 Time Crystals per week by sending Tweets to the characters from inside the Relationships tab of our game. Instead of having to come every single day, you only have to do this once per week to earn your Time Crystals. Please tell us what you think of this feature.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

I've been playing this game for about a month now, and it's really interesting. It definitely keeps me busy and thoroughly entertained throughout my day. Timecrest really makes you think about the choices you make, what if I had done this instead? It makes you value your time more, and puts situations into prospective.
I'm really invested in the characters and the magical elements are powerful enough to do some damage, but it doesn't totally overwhelm the story either. Problems are not magically fixed with a spell.
Unfortunately though, when I just started playing this game, I didn't really know anything about it to be honest. I didn't save my game, and my little cousin was playing with my phone and accidentally deleted my game so I had to start all over again. I lost some gold, about 100 time crystals, some memory remnants I had baught, and about 3 pieces of Irillium. Yeah, I was angry about it, but you really can't get mad at a toddler, right?
I'm here wondering if there is a way for us to get the teleport spell, or find some of those shadow flower roots I have been hearing about. I'm wondering if Ash will gain a water based spell or if there are other quests to do rather than trying to put out the forest fire.
My main goal is to collect 50 pieces of Irillium in order to purchase the teleport orb generator in the future.
Anyway, the timer can be a bit annoying though. It's fine when you're just playing the game, but when you're really interested in the story and you're willing to play multiple times, the weight can be a bit of a challenge. I understand why it Hass to be like this, but as the story gets more complicated, the timer might be more of a hindrance rather than giving the game a realistic feel, especially because some of the wait times don't always seem to make sense, and they are not always explained to the players.
Also, to answer the question from the developer, having voiceover reads out the punctuations in the game should be optional. After all, you could read statements by lines or have voiceover read some, none, or all of the punctuations using the rotor.
Wonderful game, and keep up the amazing work.

By treky fan on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

I've been playing this game for over a year now. It never gets boring, even though I've played threw it multiple times. I can't wait for timecrest three! How do you get Irillium? I've only gotten one peace so far.

By Laura on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

When you go to Ion for the first time you will need 2 teleport orbs to cross the cazom and collect irilium from the fountain and cross back over.
When you are on mount ashra, in Chapter 5, you should take the left path. Eventually, you will find a family of muffies who will cough up irillium. Please note that im still trying to find out why the muffies only show up during some runs and not others.
In Night Shade Forest, choose to stay and look for anyone who might need more help. You will find more muffies, and if you decide to help them, you will get irillium when you go back to collect your gold from the mission.
If you decide to go to winzorhowl, offer to get water for alease and yourself. Make sure you have 1000 gold even though you will not have to spend it.
You will need to use the fire spell for this next one. In Chapter 10, you will need to defeat a large spider, and you will get irillium once it is defeated.
Have i missed any other way to get it?
Does anyone have any tips on how to unlock Rodger’s memories?

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

Wow, I didn't know that there were five pieces of Irillium in the game. I always thought it was four. Maybe because I don't have 1000 gold so I've never seen that one before. I'll definitely have to collect on that the next time I start a new game.

By Laura on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

Just realized there is another way to get irillium. If you go to Orumhalla, choose to go with Roger, and listen to Melvin until he gives you a piece of irillium.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by Laura

Nice. I will for sure collect on that when I get to that point in the story.

By KE7ZUM on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

Well since I have tht dispell ring I can't save pitora on mount ashra. But I will try those other tips . I'm on my 4th palythrough and on chapter 7 now.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

Does anyone know how to collect the Irillium in chapter 5 when you have the dispelled ring?

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by Laura

I visited Orumhalla, but I didn't see Melvin there

By Laura on Sunday, July 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by Unregistered User (not verified)

Have you gone to Drape Heaven both times you had the opportunity to wonder around Timecrest?

By Laura on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

In order to find the Muffies on the left path, I had to kill the king. I would also advise you to minimize the interactions with the henchmen. I heard something about getting irillium from rats of some sort just before meeting the king. Am I doing something wrong, or is this false information?

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

If that's true, I haven't found that path as yet. It could be though. I mean, I have played the game multiple times, and there are still scenes that are completely new to me. Even when you read the story, there are still references to places and events that I haven't found as yet. For example, I recently discovered the scene where Ash goes to the Griffon's Delight Diner or when Ash meets Riley in the gardens during the Timecrest fire. From my understanding, the smallest options can make big changes to the story and in order to open up some scenes, you kind of have to think outside of the box. You don't know what you're looking for, you just go places, and things happen. When Ash waters the dead Twinkle roses, he says that he found them in the gardens using a hidden path, so i'm wondering if that's another scene to be unlocked in the game or not. Also, when Drape Heaven was going out of business, Roger mentioned that he got a flyer for the going out of business sale, so I'm wondering if there's a way for Ash to get an invitation as well. I also found out that if you decide to kill the king right away, Ashe will think about it for two hours, but if you go outside, then come back in, and tell him that you change your mind, you don't have to wait for that two hours in the game

By fatih on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

Is there any news on timecrest 3? I don’t want to play untill timecrest 3 gets released

By KE7ZUM on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

I would just keep playing 1 and 2 so you can prep for 3.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

If you choose to go with Riley instead of Roger, how many opportunities are there to get Irillium in that section of the game?

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

Are you talking about the Nightshade forest fire? The last piece of Irillium is the one from the spider in chapter 10, regardless of if you choose to go with Roger or Riley. Seems to be more reward for me if I go with Roger instead

By Laura on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

If you go with Roger, you can get irillium in Winsorhowl. Offer to buy 2 cups of water, and you will receive a piece of irillium and a dragon berry elixir. You’ll need 1000 gold, but you won’t need to spend it.

By KE7ZUM on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by Unregistered User (not verified)

I never get that with the spider, ever. Riley or roger kills it or what ver but yeah I never get the rirliam.

By KE7ZUM on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by Laura

Huh? I only get the irilium. With the thousand gold, I think? I'm almost at that part though again so we'll see.

By Laura on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

In order to kill the spider and earn irillium, you need the fire spell from the bomb.

By KE7ZUM on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

Yeah I saw that last playthrough. I keep forgettinig. I might just write this stuffdown so I remember. Lol!

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 21:06

On my next play through of the game, I'm going to try to find out if there is any irillium right before meeting the king. I'm trying to save up for the teleport orb generator at the moment. I need 50 pieces of irillium to reach my goal, and I have 27 pieces so far. To my knowledge, there are six opportunities in the game to earn some irillium.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Monday, October 21, 2019 - 21:06

I bought the TOD generator today. Do we get to keep the time crystals?

By Laura on Thursday, November 21, 2019 - 21:06

In reply to by Unregistered User (not verified)

Just got it! To answer your question, you do loose all 5000 time crystals, but it’s worth it.

By cowbunny on Friday, February 21, 2020 - 21:06

We're pleased to announce Timecrest 2.9, a major update with a completely new soundtrack in collaboration with Dibur Music! Timecrest will continue to be 100% accessible. This update will be released in early March.

We're using a new feature in iOS called International Phonetic Alphabet attribution which allows us to give hints to VoiceOver on how to correctly pronounce the magical names, places, and artifacts within Alyncia. Because of this, we'll be removing the Pronunciation Mode feature of Timecrest, as correct pronunciation will be built directly into the text moving forward.

Check out the announcement details here:

https://www.sneakycrab.com/timecrest-notices/2020/2/10/a-major-update-with-new-soundtrack-coming

By tunmi13 on Friday, February 21, 2020 - 21:06

This is cool. Although I like the soundtrack the way it is right now, I understand that moving forward sometimes requires change, and I feel this will be a perfect way to do so.
Also, how are you guys doing with Timecrest 3?

By Mich240 on Saturday, March 21, 2020 - 21:06

I just downloaded the game last week and I personally think this game is excellent. The depth of the main character especially, as well as some of the other characters is really good. Thank you for making this game accessible and keep up the good work.

By cowbunny on Saturday, March 21, 2020 - 21:06

tunmi13, We're still working hard on Timecrest 3. We'll have more to announce about it later this year.

Mich240, thank you for your kind feedback. Who is your favorite character?

By Winter Roses on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 - 21:06

If you're still playing Timecrest, feel free to join the unofficial fan made discord server if you haven't done so already. You can discuss the game in details, or win time crystals by participating in the weekly trivia.
Here is the link.
https://discord.gg/xBKYJ8cFfY