Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD31 → Maze Race
By urbanhelsing
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coolness | 2356 |
Literally the worst game ever made. If this is what Ludum Dare is leading people to think gaming is about, I don't want any part of it.
I would offer constructive criticism, but I can only tell you to rethink your entire concept of what a game is. There is not a single positive thing I get from the game.
Ha, this is exactly what it says on the tin! I appreciate that. :P
Local multiplayer is always a good thing so I'm happy to see this, even if it is impossible. Reminds me a bit of Kururin Squash, but obviously much more unforgiving. I'd actually be really interested to play a version of this with checkpoints.
Decent enough idea but this game really really needs checkpoints of some sort or some way to progress. In its current version its just frustrating.
Checkpoints are for weak people
This must be the most frustrating LD game I've ever played. Congratulations, if that was you purpose.
I am not against hard games which need a lot of repetition to master but come on, has someone really got that maze through?
O wow and I thought my game was hard. At least I could finish my own game :P
I really would like to know how far you got? I can't even get through the top part without breaking my screen with my keyboard :D
100% Guaranteed IMPOSSIBLE
Really fun! I imagine it would be a blast to play with friends. However, it's really simple so it doesn't stick out much.
Wow, some harsh criticism. This game is hard, very hard, but that's not a usually a problem. It's that when you fail, the game is completely throws you back to the beginning with no sense of progression. You get 90% through and die, all progress is stripped away. So there's a few ways to fix this up:
- The obvious answer, one that has been mentioned before is checkpoints. I'm going to guess you don't want that one.
- Make the levels smaller and ramp up by making each a distinct race. Looking at the level, you've got probably 7 or 8 distinct levels in the game design, but because of the theme they are mashed together. Make each one a separate accomplishment so the player gets that punch of endorphins for completing a section and getting one more star over their competitions.
- Make this game much more deviously competitive. I noticed that you can push people into walls to destroy them. Build on that instead. Make the game about sabotaging each other and the level it's a little easier.
- Add some pacing. I noticed you can't stop in the game, but actual racing has a surprising amount stopping and slow time. Let your players stop for a moment to think about the challenge they are facing. This will let the other players catch up and keep the game hectic on the players terms, not the games.
You should watch this "Extra Credits - Difficult Games vs Punishing Games" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea6UuRTjkKs, it's give you some other ideas on how to make a game hard (which I really like) but not punishing.
This game is great because it has no checkpoints.
You say you complete 90% and progress is stripped away?
- No, you get the experience and you get better at the game, making you probably be able to reach 91% next time, 94% next time, etc.
Let players stop for a moment to think about the challenge they are facing? We should change the classic snake game so the snake can stop. We should make tetris players be able to slow down time too.
The only thing I'd like to incorporate would be some kind of music sync with the game start, which would be pretty hard considering it's a multiplayer game. And it's a bit rough on the eyes.
We lack games like this today. Today it's all about winning without effort.
I'm making it to around 50% now.
okay, let me get the first criticism out of the way - this maze is WAAAY too big for a number of reasons.
First of all, it's a significant eyestrain to have to find your tiny character on such an enormous landscape built out of sharply contrasting colors which are really harsh to look at.
Second, there is just far too much content to expect a player to complete, especially in the brief five to ten minutes that many people try to burn through jam entries in.
This problem of difficulty is made even harsher by the multiplayer component. I played this on my own (and had a rough time doing so) but made sure to test out how two characters could interact with each other. The element of bouncing wildly off of your opponents is an added layer of difficulty that I don't even want to think about having to deal with.
Okay, criticisms out of the way, let me hit on the good stuff.
Firstly, I liked the BGM. I think it would get repetitive after the thirty to forty minutes it might take to complete this game, but it's still a fun song.
Second, the player bouncing is actually a good idea, just not in this particular setting. Many multiplayer games fail to let players directly interact with one another and feel the impact of each other's actions, and the bouncing is a simple and elegant solution to that shockingly common problem.
Leaving character deaths persistent on screen is pretty cool. It lets you easily visualize choke points and feel real satisfaction when you clear them.
Finally, the controls were smartly done for a multiplayer game. Many keyboards have a limit to how many inputs they will process at once, which can be a problem with local multiplayer games where upwards of four keys are being pressed at any given time. By setting a character in motion permanently after just one button press, the issue of overloading the keyboard and creating unresponsive controls is largely reduced.
Oh, and don't listen to CreatorOfWorlds. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you to tune out haters, but I still wanted to offer the advice. Anybody who can't at least pinpoint what they don't like about a game without just objectively calling it "bad" has no idea what they're talking about and isn't really worth hearing.
Nice game there. I can't make it any further than the spiral :D
That is cool-Too hard, but cool.
The music is good, the graphics are okay, the concept is nice.
I would prefer it with checkpoints, but if some people want it without, defining a difficulty is certainly possible.
Good job. o/