Rude Bear Realms

Category	Rank	Score
Coolness	2	92
Audio	259	3.39
Graphics	261	3.92
Humor	307	3.20
Mood	320	3.39
Innovation	349	3.25
Overall	378	3.38
Fun	563	3.00
Theme	609	3.35

vdz 2015-08-27 23:51

It's a very cool game, but it's clearly unfinished. This was clearly too big a project for a 72 hour jam. I know the appeal of overambitious concepts better than anyone, but it clearly didn't work out here. Perhaps next time it's better to cut features as you approach the deadline (the merchant doesn't add a lot to the gameplay, the game would function almost identically without the fear mechanic [though it does admittedly add a lot to the atmosphere], guard interaction could be simplified (like just have the raiders fight guards instead of having it as spy action), and so on) and reserve more time for playtesting.

Things that stood out to me in particular:

- Game balance is horrible. The only challenge in winning the game is finding out how to get the Lions to the dungeons (didn't understand the exact summoning mechanics at first); they're super-cheap and money is way too easy to come by.

- The game needs a lot more explanation/some kind of tutorial. I read the whole description, yet it took me quite some time to figure out most elements. This mainly includes minor elements like having descriptions for all the spy options in the menu where you're able to select them.

- It needs more/clearer info on the current game state and potential consequences of your actions. Mainly, I had no idea what my units where doing exactly - where they're heading, what they're doing there and when they'll arrive/return. When they report back, they also don't even name the village they returned from. (There's also a bug in the spy menu where ETA and Risk don't update as you check/uncheck boxes until you've closed and re-opened the window.)

The game was a lot of fun during the short time I played it, but its unfinishedness completely kills all replayability.

crucknuk 2015-09-12 18:18

Well the content is massive and i can see what you were trying to do Game in this genre is just too damn fun :)
It is a bit sad though i couldn't see all the branch work you have done because it is not finished and this is sad because your game is a genre that i very much like it.
Nostalgy does hit back sometimes reminding me of heroes 3 :)
well Jam done :)

maplequest 2015-09-12 20:21

Played it for a bit, and I really like the idea and when it worked, it seemed fun.

I came across a game-breaking bug where my troops returned home with no gold, and they were stuck in a loop where either their fear would go down, or I'd kill them. The loop only seemed to break when I killed them all, and there was no one left to report... leaving me no way to make money.

I also found things were a bit dull when I didn't have the chance to do anything on some days.

The appeal is there, the writing and humour and aesthetics are all great, the game's just a bit unbalanced and a bit too buggy to really see the 'fun' in it yet. Would love to play a more polished version.

antisc2 2015-09-12 20:24

Massive amounts of content for a game created in 72 hours so I was a bit sad to see that the game was unfinished. It was a very fun game to play but the unfinished state really took much of the experience away.

darkflint 2015-09-12 22:58

The first look is very, very nice. But somehow it lack feedback. I send my minions and spy to towns, my wizard to a dungeon. Couldnt enter the dungeons, the spies only reported after the first town, at second town the vanished after some time, minions too?

Shadow 2015-09-13 01:59

This is a VERY interesting game!
I managed to win my second try, although the game never properly ended.
Had no idea what to do with the info the spies gathered. Sending raiders to the villages until I got enough money to afford the lions (and win) worked for me.

It's interesting how polished most of the game is, despite being incomplete. Perhaps you could have traded a bit of polish here and there for "completeness".

There's clearly a lot of potential here, but this was perhaps a bit too ambitious for a ludumdare entry. I'd love to see this game developed to completion.
It's an incredibly good work for 72 hours though. Puts many entries (mine included) to shame, for sure.

I'd say you did an amazing job. Please work on this post-compo so we can all play the finished version!

alexrose 2015-09-13 02:44

Yeah, I took on too much stuff for a jam. Shouldn't have tried an RTS :( . To be honest, I shouldn't have done the spy system. It seemed like a really cool idea but it doesn't actually play very well and it took the vast majority of the jam. If I'd scrapped the whole "non realtime knowledge" thing I could've added loads more of the other stuff I wanted. Alas. Maybe next time.

To be honest, I'm really disillusioned with this game now and it makes me not want to work on it again, feels like the first time I've properly failed a jam since Ludum Dare 26 (when I had a finished game but it had a restart glitch).

Cheers for the kind words in spite of that though. It's a fixer upper.

kaiseangames 2015-09-13 06:27

Very nice production, keep up the good work.

creative-sectors 2015-09-13 11:06

Well, you got me, I'm a fan of turn based strategies and this one was kind of fun, but not enough challanging as such.
I love it.

Creative Sectors: Kardfogú

poptartftw 2015-09-14 16:18

a bit confusing, but overall a good entry! nice!

xanjos 2015-09-14 16:40

Pretty overwhelming on the first go since there's no instructions screen or tutorial to help you but it's an interesting entry nonetheless. The ability to dispose of minions to raise your fear (and also keep them in line like the evil overlord you are) is a brilliant idea though.

ludipe 2015-09-14 16:50

Wow, this looks super ambitious! Looks cool but needs some more work, quite a big concept for a jam, really awesome that you made so much content

tayl1r 2015-09-14 18:06

There is a lot going on!

yuigoto 2015-09-14 23:57

Whoa, this is some massive game idea here. A bit unrefined, I'd say, mostly because 3 days for such a game wouldn't be enough, but this is one really interesting game. :D

The graphics are nicely done and are what caught me for this game, but that's some nice work on the audio too! It helps set up the mood in a pretty convincing way. :)

The mechanics, though, are a bit complex for a jam game, I think. Sometimes it feels a bit unbalanced, but still an amazing work you've done, sir! The fear system and the spy system are really a great idea, I think. :D

I'm gonna keep playing it more, and then play the others in the Rude Bear series! ;)

Cheers! :D