FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD34 → Root-gen

Root-gen

By chewie

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CategoryRankScoreCount
Coolness364
Graphics1333.89
Theme1614.09
Innovation3063.43
Mood3843.09
Overall3883.35
Fun5193.11

Comments

shadedvertex 2015-12-14 03:45

This idea is great and innovative. However, the amount of energy gained when the orbs are collected is pretty unreasonable. Other than that, it's really awesome!

dyn 2015-12-14 13:41

Awesome visual style and simple yet cool idea of gameplay.

holyblackcat 2015-12-14 19:47

Nice gameplay and great visual style!

borodar 2015-12-14 19:52

Intriguing concept!

dvdking 2015-12-14 19:55

I like how it really looks like a plant.

multiplexor 2015-12-14 20:10

I love how it looks and feels! It really matches the theme perfectly! The art is also refreshing! Maybe some more game mechanics would be nice! Keep up the good work ;) !

deviousdeviation 2015-12-14 20:14

Really cool visuals. The wobbling takes a while to get used to but after that it's pretty fun.

nonentheless 2015-12-14 21:05

Very nice art!

beanallean 2015-12-14 22:52

Cool game, the root is really pretty to look at. The restart button is slightly off centered when you die which confused me for a little bit on how to restart.

blobo 2015-12-14 22:53

I couldn't get used to the movement no matter how hard i tried. the graphics looked really cool, and it's a shame i couldn't get far.

evgenii-petrov 2015-12-14 22:55

Nice style, actual impression of some strange root/mycelium.

Sometimes growth direction changes by itself right near the obstacle, giving almost no time to react.

sineglitch 2015-12-14 22:55

This is a super fun game, darn roots keep getting me!

2015-12-15 01:59

Awesome

dmitrix 2015-12-15 04:58

Interesting and fun mechanic.

trasevol_dog 2015-12-15 20:07

This roots look really good! The minimalist yet pretty graphics suit the game well. It's a shame the game is totally silent :/ My advice to you: Drop the buttons, clickable text is the future!!

elliottd 2015-12-15 21:12

I like how the wandering in your direction makes the simple turn-left-and-right controls interesting. good job on the growing animations. I wonder if having the end of the player show its direction (like an arrow head instead of a circle) would make it feel a little less out of control. some subtle ambient music or noise would have added some more mood. great work

rialgar 2015-12-15 22:20

I made a video of me playing it: https://youtu.be/KVLRlym1o0g (still uploading at time of writing, should be done 90 minutes (12-16T00:30 CET), my upstream is slooooow)

I really liked it, it was fun to explore the cave and the tunnels, even if I randomly crashed into the wall because the random wiggle turned unexpectedly. Ideas for further awesomeness:

Adding a glow to the plants, I was thinking a bright bluish for the player and some dark purple for the obstacles.

Add some predictability to the wiggle, maybe follow a sine or another repeating wave that is only modified slightly by randomness?

Overall, Great Job! Congratulations on your first LD game. I hope you return.

chewie 2015-12-15 22:53

Thanks everyone!

For so much feedback and good ideas how to improve my game.
I'd like to spare some more time on it to add some elements like:
*Indicator of direction where root is moving to, hope that will make it easier to control it but stay chaotic
*Checkpoints system so you would not need to start from the beginning (and so it can be longer with more interesting twists and challenges)
*Visual effect of glow/light around root and spheres and maybe some POI on the level.

Maybe it'll become somewhat decent game someday =)

nopogo 2015-12-16 12:08

Really cool to see a game that has the same idea as I had at its basis, but it turned out sooo differently :D really cool implementation. Love the art and the growing environment.

nopogo 2015-12-16 12:14

I am wondering, did you draw the root using unity's linerenderer? and how did you get the effect of the root gaining width over time?

retraffic 2015-12-16 13:52

nice use of themes and visually pleasing. good work :)

chewie 2015-12-16 14:58

@nopogo yes, I was using modified trail renderer for the roots. Tweaked it's lifetime and that's it. You can check the source for more details.

cilerba 2015-12-17 04:45

Super cool! I was already impressed with the growth of the plant, but once the walls started working against me, my jaw dropped. Fantastic work!

joror 2015-12-24 00:50

I dig the visuals! A tune would be needed to complete the mood, which is nice.

Gameplay feels a bit in flux because the root random movement is a bit too much, which is random-death when forced close to walls.
Love the growing of you own roots, very lovely effect.

Improvements: With the timer already providing a lose-condition, you could have removed the death-on-walls one.

drinkadriu 2015-12-29 10:02

Really cool

geckoo1337 2015-12-31 15:32

Awesome visual style and simple yet cool idea of gameplay. I like aesthetic and the way you manage the root. No music?

jupiter_hadley 2016-01-03 21:39

Neat graphics, cool game. I included it in my Ludum Dare 34 compilation video series, if you’d like to check it out :) https://youtu.be/3B2_gBg5rhI