FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD39 → The Fifth Exponent

The Fifth Exponent

By axoona

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall5803.1120
Fun4453.1120
Innovation3533.1620
Theme3083.6620
Graphics2284.0020
Humor344.0020
Mood4193.2220

Comments

neowhoru 2017-08-01 11:16

Well more explanation what to do in this game would be good... i dont get it.

somethinboutgames 2017-08-01 11:41

As @neowhoru said it is quite difficult to figure out what to do in this game. I get that I have to use the right power of two to visit certain places, but once I reached the tea station for example I couldn't talk to the merchant nor get back in the car and got stuck...

I do like the pixel art, the animation of the characters hopping reminded me of the tentacles in "Day of the tentacle". Some music, sfx and maybe even voice acting would've benefited the game greatly...

I love the meta humor in the game, especially the ending if you fail. A clever way to avoid implementing a restart mechanic :grin:

To make solving the whole thing a little easier a mini map on the top of the screen would be great. That way the challenge of the game wouldn't be mapping out where to go by trial and error and then solving the puzzle, but just solving the puzzle instead.

axoona 2017-08-01 11:42

thanks for your comment @neowhoru. I see people are rating the game without leaving any feedback, that's usually not a good sign.

I had hoped it would be clear but visibly it isn't. I'll add more explanation on the game page. Did you try moving the space car?

This game is a plain and simple Point & Click adventure with a little twist as in order to arrive at any destination with your car, you first need to load the correct exponent of 2 (ex. loading exponent 5 lets you travel 32 parsecs). The objective of the game is solve the double puzzle (the exponents puzzle to arrive at any destination and the classic adventure puzzles that are present on the islands).

sgt3v 2017-08-01 12:03

I liked the art style, reminds me Day of The Tentacle. I gather I needed to make the right length of movement using the exponents to stop on the islands and I did couple of times but the events did not improve the story. Probably some un finished parts.

Sadly I was not able to talk with the brown guy, interaction just did not start, and when car runs out of power nothing happens just waiting :D

axoona 2017-08-01 12:20

hey @sgt3v yes you guessed it right! :grinning: The ending when you do the right combination of actions is implemented, but as you can move back and forth and do or not do certain actions on the islands, there is a number of combnation I probably didn't test at all..

If you care please try the 1.0.1 version. In the original version the game gets stuck when you accidentaly clicked on the car, it's probably what you encountered.

digitaldude555 2017-08-01 12:27

Graphics. I like them reminds me of 90s adventure games, animation is good. 4/5.

Humor. Pretty funny compared to most LD entries. 4/5.

Theme. Very good take on the theme, made it an interesting game mechanic.

Fun. Mostly just clicking buttons, but interacting with the characters is fun. 3/5.

Innovation. Just seems like a text adventure, nothing really innovative. 2/5.

Overall I didn't notice a restart button would be great to have, maybe some hints, right now it's very trial and error.

tkuusis 2017-08-02 06:58

This game captures the 90's point&click atmosphere really well! Too bad there's no music or sfx whatsoever, I'd really like to hear some midi sounds. Interesting puzzle mechanic but the game depends on trial and error maybe a little bit too much. Anyway good work!

wheffle 2017-08-02 08:58

Fun idea. Is there a way to restart the game though? I couldn't find a way, I just had to close the window and restart the game. Loved the art and animations, enjoyed the dialogue as well. Nice work!

celia14 2017-08-05 22:42

This is really fun! The classic point-and-click gameplay of figuring out who needs what was enhanced, in my book, by the brainteaser aspect of using the powers to get to different islands. The initial mapping out of what was where was a bit slow, but made me feel accomplished when I finally put it all together. I love the quirky characters and art, too!

2017-08-07 13:27

Very cute game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 39 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XAlLzxVYeo

pixel-game-wizard 2017-08-08 01:46

Definitely takes me back to old point-and-click adventures. I actually really liked this entry.

I was able to figure out what to do based on the description.

I loved the art! It made me smile. :-)

The humour was good too! I also liked the meta stuff if you failed (or succeeded!)

Yeah mapping the islands isn't too fun. A map would probably help to avoid trial & error, make it feel a bit more like a puzzle.

Overall fun! Thank you for sharing this! :-)

treasonousflock 2017-08-18 00:05

The exponential engine was a really interesting mechanic! I feel like it was a creative twist on the concept of a machine running out of power. There characters were definitely unique and I got quite a few laughs out of it. Overall pretty enjoyable and an idea worth continuing to work with!

norrimo 2017-08-18 18:32

Nice Point & Click. It reminds me of 'Day of the Tentacle'. The idea of calculating exponential numbers is smart. I also liked the graphic style but the light of the car don't fit in. Sounds would be great.

badly-drawn-rod 2017-08-18 21:04

The graphics took me back in time. They were very good, and the game was humorous too. It's a shame that you didn't get around to the sound, but even without it the game had a great early 90s feel to it.

lereveur 2017-08-19 01:37

The art and animation are funny, it's really like old fashion point'n click. Did not understand everything about the correct use of this exponent thing, I go back and forth few times, reaching only two places and finishing in middle of nowhere. Did not understand the point, too, but it was fun to try. Hope you'll make something strong starting on this entry, if you want to. Anyways, good job. :)

galaxstudios 2017-08-19 12:48

This game captures the 90’s point&click atmosphere really well! Too bad there’s no music or sfx whatsoever, I’d really like to hear some midi sounds. Interesting puzzle mechanic but the game depends on trial and error maybe a little bit too much. Anyway good work!