Agaric Abyss

2017-04-28 14:50

I couldnt figure out how to make the mushrooms grow :( I included it in my Ludum Dare 38 compilation [video series](https://youtu.be/TFsh4EsXErU), if you’d like to take a look :)

torcado 2017-05-02 04:47

Ohh man this is so cool!! super great atmosphere. The movement and jumping was frustrating at times, but i liked it! reminded me a lotttt of rainworld, mostly because of the movement but also those water orbs look just like the water berries from rainworld. I loved the mushroom variety, and i'm really glad I didn't give up half way through haha.

Really nice job!

veralos 2017-05-02 08:58

This seems really cool. The mechanics are very interesting and definitely allow for some complex puzzles. I'm really impressed by the how the water behaves and looks, as well as how the mushrooms move and bounce when you land on them. The graphics look great overall. The background ambience is also nice.

Unfortunately, it's too difficult for me. I managed to progress up a few ledges before getting stumped by an area that seems way too high to reach. Even after building an elaborate staircase of mushrooms I still couldn't figure out a way to get up. I think the game may have been a bit better if the difficulty increase was more gradual. It would also be nice if you could jump through the mushroom tops from below.

tommyflower 2017-05-02 10:23

Beautiful athmospheric game. Loved the graphics and the physics of bouncy mushrooms. The environment sound is quite nice. I had to lighten a bit the screen to read the titles and to play easily. Would have loved a easier jump. The growing idea is very interesting. Lovely game!!

cerno-b 2017-05-02 19:58

I love what you attempted to do and it looks really promising, but for me, the controls were not very approachable. Even after reading up on the different things you could do, it was tricky to get it right. Having to 'hold' the left mouse button to transport water was not mentioned anywhere and even after I figured it out, I had trouble getting the water infused. I managed to grow one mushroom but then gave up.

I think with complex controls like these, it is important to have an organic level design that introduces mechanics bit by bit. It's probably a lot to ask for in a game made in 48 hours, especially after you put a lot of effort into the mood.

The game looks and sounds fantastic and creates this very dense atmosphere. I have to ask: How did you produce the wind sound? Did you tune a synth until you got it right? It can't be a real recording. Very well done. I also loved the water effects.

I think if you polish the controls and level design, a post-jam version of the game could become really great.

chris-delta 2017-05-02 22:45

@cerno-b You're very right about the controls being complex if you found a quirky control that wasn't even supposed to be in there! I'm not sure what's going on there, but you shouldn't need to hold anything down to hold droplets, it should be one click/press to pick up, and one to drop. I definitely could've done the controls better.

The wind sound was actually quite easy, I basically just poked at sliders in [bfxr](http://www.bfxr.net/) until it sounded right. If you want to try that yourself, I find that the most important piece in general for making nice atmospheric sounds is to turn 'compression' down.

If you'd like to play a version that introduces controls and mechanics more gradually, you should check out the current post-compo version, which adds an interactive tutorial to deal with some of the control weirdness.

Thanks to you and everybody else for the feedback so far!

superpokeunicorn 2017-05-03 18:19

I see the you're taking cues from the Hideo Kojima philosophy of game design, because that intro cutscene was looooooong.

All jokes aside, this is a pretty chill game. It's nice and relaxing to slowly build my way up. In a way, it reminds me a bit of Grow Home. Unfortunately, the frustrating platforming in the compo version can interrupt the flow of the game. Also, it took me quite some time to figure out how to play (I didn't realize that growing mushrooms meant growing NEW mushrooms) but it was pretty simple once I figured things out. Again, apparently the post compo version remedies this issue, so it seems that you've already addressed most of my problems with the game. With the negatives out of the way, I have to say that this is one of the more visually striking games of the compo. The minimalist aesthetic suits the game nicely and the mushrooms wiggling and bouncing is very smooth. The visuals along with the audio make for a calm atmosphere which I enjoyed greatly. This is certainly a very well made entry which is apparently made even better in the post compo version.

turncoda 2017-05-04 07:12

Oh my gosh, the mushroom is super awesome. I love the way they curve and grow upwards and jiggle around. They just **feel** alive and real. I love that you not only had a strong artistic vision but also had the technical ability to make it a reality.

I can see that there is a variety of fauna to encounter in this game, each with their own unique platforming traits. I rather like that idea, I think there's a lot of potential for that to make a very deep and engaging game. Unfortunately, I only got to the sideways growing mushrooms before I had to give up.

Jumping from mushroom to mushroom is just kind of finicky. It is rather difficult to gain height with only the basic mushroom type, since you effectively have to grow an entire staircase. If there was some way to climb the stalks of such mushrooms, I would feel much more free. Another thing that would have made my experience smoother would be if I could jump straight through the bottoms of mushrooms, rather than having to do lateral aerial maneuvers just to get on top of a mushroom. From a aesthetic standpoint, I do like that the mushrooms jiggle around when you walk on them, and that they have a curvature to them, but it sometimes gets in the way of making that precise jump.

I'm super impressed with how deliberate this game feels. It just feels like you put a lot of thought into this idea and executed on it very decisively. Definitely a Ludum Dare favorite of mine.

2017-05-04 11:51

I'm really impressed. Everything feels really cohesive, and the gameplay is quite clever and interesting.

clickmation 2017-05-06 06:12

the little physics you implemented makes the world more lively. I also enjoyed the freedom in this game. Of course there's a basic goal but you can play your spores anywhere you like. The mini tutorial within the game made it easy to understand the controls. Overall a great game! Good Luck!

Oh right, and we did manage to make the transition time shorter, and movements less sluggish. More levels weren't added though due to technical difficulties. More info is at the bottom of this page! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/$19665

tselmek 2017-05-13 11:01

I was and still am confused about the controls despite having read the description multiplie times. As a comment above mentioned, it would have been better if we were introduced to the mechanics in-game as we progressed. I didn't pass the first obstacle so I won't be able to judge the mechanics fairly. But what I can say is that the atmosphere of the game is really well built, cute little graphics (although a bit too dark to my tastes even if it's supposed to have a cave feel) and nice background sound. I also wish we could resize the window of the game.

chao 2017-05-16 12:43

Hey, another Löve game, nice. I'm impressed with the level of quality you managed to fit in given 3 days, those water shaders and the mushroom physics felt just right. I really liked the idea of a platformer where you have to grow the platforms, but it might have been nice to have some way to destroy plants, sometimes it felt like I had way too many shrooms and they were just getting in the way. Otherwise, great game! Had a unique and fun idea.

chris-delta 2017-05-16 21:21

@chao there was actually a way to destroy plants! Holding 'down' at the base of a shroom uproots it! Totally understand how you missed it in the pure text tutorial though. Thanks for playing!