jeffchen 2017-12-05 11:42
Very challenging and fun,and i like the graphics.I can't type without looking at keyboard,so it's very hard for me:)
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD40 → Chuckles, the Word Juggler
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 454 | 3.55 | 68 | |
| Fun | 144 | 3.83 | 68 | |
| Innovation | 470 | 3.28 | 68 | |
| Theme | 237 | 3.86 | 68 | |
| Graphics | 782 | 3.10 | 68 | |
| Humor | 520 | 3.04 | 65 | |
| Mood | 834 | 2.93 | 63 |
Very challenging and fun,and i like the graphics.I can't type without looking at keyboard,so it's very hard for me:)
Nice and clever idea. It is always nice to play something that is different. Good job.
I love this kind of concept, well done !
Ooh I love typing games, this was a lot of fun! Would have been cool if the knives were always synchronized with the words (with more knives being added in over time), but I guess it would be tricky to have him catching them all properly then. At the moment the clown feels a bit unrelated to the game (not even any indication of him dropping/fumbling the knives when you miss a word). Pressing backspace deletes two chars at a time for me (web version). Quite an odd selection of words I got, what sort of dictionary are you using? :)
@jeffchen Thank you, although it's probably way too hard for people who can't touch type. I'm thinking about a post-jam version with a speed slider to remedy that. I wish my game were as cool as yours, though :smile:
@svenfrankson I was orginally planning to do a hex-based TBS, good thing I came up with something different then. :wink:
@tgiant Thank you. I've got your game on my list to checkout, but it's gonna take a while. So many awesome things to check out...
@sebastian-lague Glad you liked it and even happier because of the lovely feedback. The progression goes upto 4 knives and longer words. I should have just let the jester-clown-pirate drop the missed word/knife and re-add it later. That would ease the difficulty curve and would provide more feedback to the player. Oh well... I'll take at look at the double-backspace bug. The words are from [this list](https://github.com/first20hours/google-10000-english). That might be why there's a lot of technical terms and abbreviations.
Love the idea! Very fitting for the theme, though the graphics could have been a little bit better. But I'm very impressed by the quality of the idea you came up with :) Sound & music is perfectly fitting here. Didn't see anything like that in LD40 since now :3 Well done!
Oddly relaxing game. I liked that the words followed the same flight path as the knives, that was a nice indication of how much time you have left. I didn't mind killing chuckles in the end :D '52 knives' marks his gravestone.
Very hard,very nice! Love typing games
Yeah, the backspace bug made it much harder if you messed up even 1 letter, but overall nice game
I do love a good typing game, and this is a fine one indeed! I just wish that the double backspace bug was fixed, and perhaps there was a nice pirate circus background worthy of Chuckles. Regardless, I juggled 54 knives. Well done friend!
Super Fun! Even better if english is not your birth language. Good way of learning more, could easily become something more! Keep working on it!
@nivbeth I'm not an art guy, so the visuals leave a lot to be desired, although I think it's not a bit better than I expected, although worse than I had hoped. Certainly it doesn't come close to your adorable art.
@gatinmnsok Relaxing? I think from 50 onwards it's anything but :smile: I'm actually pretty happy about the way the movement of the knives reflects the juggling bit of the game.
@petr-belohlavek A fellow Czech dev, I assume by your name. The difficulty curve definitely ramps up too quickly. Anyway, thank you.
@lamossus, @koficola: Sorry about that! It's finally been fixed. @koficola: Thank you. I considered some background art, but I wanted to keep it super clean, so the text was easily(ish) readible with it moving all over the place. I should have at least chosen a better gradient, but I had no time for that anyway...
@davi: Not sure if the vocab is actually that good for learners, since the source contains a lot of technical stuff. I intend to switch to a different source in a post-jam version.
Nice game ! So original, like' it !
Nice concept! 159 knives baby! I kinda was hoping knives would keep getting added eventually. Gotta pull down those 100wpm freaks at some point, right? Really awesome, simple and well-executed.
really fun game! I love getting tested on my fast typing skills right after LD! haha. I got a score of 57. It got so hectic after the words went from KEN to OAKLAND and I had to use keys from all over the keyboard. The graphics and especially the UI looks very clean and I really respect good looking UI, so kudos for that! While I was playing I got a lot of words like "RAY" "TYPE" and other things similar to that and it made me smile as I thought of a dev trying to cram some more words into the game before the deadline and just looking at their code. Good submission and great first published game!
I suppose you know this already, but It is indeed confusing that incorrect entries don't cancel automatically. By the time I realized what had happened it was too late and now poor Chuckles is dead. The juggling animation was fluid and satisfying though. Good job.
Nice concept. I wish the game would just play a buzz sound when miss-typing a letter, that would be a better feedback than just changing text color to black. Congratulation on your entry.
This game is pretty innovative with the option of using backspace and enter. I would like the audio to be more intense, though.
Woah ! A really hard game but fun to play ! It test our real agility and it's a great idea to link it to juggling ! It's work good
Simple concept but executed really well. I just plain liked playing this. Boy does this game get hard if you drop the ball on something (backspace issue especially). Like real juggling, you just kinda mess up the following items as a result. I'd love in a future version to be able to jump towards the harder levels right off the bat, I was totally in the typing zone and wanted to get right back in there after the loss!
Very cool :) I love interesting typing games, this one's pretty cool, everything works, though I feel like there could be a lot done to make the game feel more natural, for example a lot of typing comes with anticipating the next word, and typing in sentences, which this lacks. Also there's definitely a deadly game end problem as in having 3 lives was almost not useful given that unless you were really good, missing one word quickly cascaded into losing 3 lives consecutively because you're stuck typing the previous one. An automatic clear or something when you miss a word would go a long way towards making players feel more comfortable.
Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful feedback. I really appreciate it.
@roland-de-tomasi Thank you, there are no shagging bunnies though... :rabbit:
@wheffle Wow, that's what I call a score! I put you into the description. Let's see if someone can top it. I doubt it, though. A 4th knife is added at 200 and after 250, only long words are at play, so even very good typists should break a sweat :smiling_imp:
@jack-maxwell I used a pre-existing dictionary, but I was cramming stuff in less than half an hour before the submission alright...
@mase, @tuism I don't think that's doable as auto-clear could mess up a different word or would be inconsistent as all words are taken into consideration. The only autoclear is above 20 characters or along those lines, but that's just a sanity check. I considered clearing all words on a miss, but I think this nicely matches the juggling aspect - if you miss one, then it might and probably will all descend into chaos.
@eptwalabha I wanted to add more player feedback like more sounds on clears and misses, nice particles etc, but I just spent time doing other, frankly less important, stuff, so that it unfortunately didn't make into the game.
@kyle-pham I'm not sure about it being innovative, but it's def a quality-of-life feature. The only problem is, that one uses it as they aren't, well, used to it... I wanted the music to be actually be quite upbeat and only had like half an hour to add all sound, so I don't think the selection is that bad.
@ribout-horace Thank you. I think I nailed that quite well. Then again, I can't actually properly juggle (no more than 3 anyway and def. not knives). Also, the animation should probably switch between 1-hand and cascade juggling...
@peachtreeoath Glad you liked it. Again, wanted to add that, but didn't have/budget enough time. Scope-creep anyone?
@secretpocketcat oooooo, I might give it another go and try to get the 4th and 5th knives.
@wheffle I looked into the code and I switched it - from 200 there are only long words (which is 10+ characters) and at 250, there's the 4th and final knife. I'm considering doing a post jam update in which I would probably add knives periodically and they would progressively get longer (and the sprite would be replaced) and if they get dropped, it would spawn in later on. If it sounds like someone you would try it out, gimme a follow on [twitter](https://twitter.com/secretpocketcat) :wink: and thank you for being so enthusiastic about the game.
Nice idea, didn't think that the games was too hard. In fact I'd like it to become harder even faster when you have 3 knifes or more then it really starts got get fun and interesting. Music does get on your nerves after a while. Good edu kind of game, well done!
Nice music and implementation! Does work pretty well, until you mistype something, and at least for me it happens that I want to retry, and retry, and *bang*. Game over ;-) So for me it's more a psychological difficulty than a typing difficulty :-P
Was pretty good! I found it fun to just keep typing. I wish the difficulty ramp was better for advanced typists like me: I never had any challenge until I had done over 100 words, and I only lost because I didn't hit a letter on my keyboard hard enough – by the time I deleted out the following letters, 3 in a row hit the bottom. Didn't feel like I lost because I was bad but just because of an input mistake after like 5+ minutes. Also, sometimes I'd have long words that had unusual letter combos ("Brooklyn" for example) and then have stupidly short stuff immediately afterwards ("R" or "CV"). Fun overall!
Solid game!
Terrifying clown. It was fun though, a very well implemented typing game. Great job.
I do agree with some of the other comments that the difficulty could speed up a little quicker. I would have played many more times if I didn't have to go back to the start and play a couple of minutes of the easy levels to get to the challenge!
That said, it seems like you are really listening to feedback, so if you do make a post-jam version please let me know - I'm always looking for ways to procrastinate!
60 for me ! I like the progression precisely, even if the game for me becomes interesting from 3 knives ^^. I play on a AZERTY keyboard, I don't know if it helps or not :p
Fun game, but the difficulty could scale up a little bit faster.
Thank you all, for the great feedback. I'm looking forward to playing your games as well :slight_smile:
@cg-fred, @krammetje I wanted to let the player start from the most knives they've had, but alas, didn't have enough time to implement that. I do agree that the 50 before the mid words kick in is a slog, but then the next step is way too sudden. It should be more progressive.
@mshopf I quite like the panicky nature of it.
@tinis-games Keyboard layout should hopefully make no difference. In any case, it's nice to see a French dev.
@eli-delventhal Well not hitting the key hard enough is not my fault, is it? :wink: And a mistake is still on the player, although I do agree the game should be more forgiving. The words are picked more-or-less randomly from 3 length categories.
@mundis Thank you. I decided I'll do a postjam version based on the ratings. If that happens, I'll rework the progression and add in way more player feedback. If it comes to it, I'll definitely let you know :wink:
nice concept! I had an easy time up until the words became much longer and more real and not just acronyms. Then I died right away haha since I'm not great at typing. The game is pretty straight forward just typing, but maybe if there were other events other than just juggling to make things more interesting. Some ideas off on the top of my head to make it more interesting (and not necessary in scope/doable in a jam). Perhaps other objects being thrown across or trying to type a full sentence in the background while also typing out random words, perhaps tied into a narrative, etc. Anyway, keep up the good work!
@aeveis I originally wanted to tell a story through the juggled words (and then make it available in the menu or smt. like that), but it didn't make the cut. My writing is pretty bad, so maybe it's for the better...
That's the type of game (no pun intended) I wasn't expecting to see here. Nice idea! I used to play some typing games when I was younger, and this has contributed a lot to my good typing skills today.
Great game! Very unusual idea! i really enjoyed it, unfrtunately i'm a pretty slow typist :(
Very fun game. Love the light adrenaline from the stress when you hit three words on screen at once. The aesthetic and theme are very cute too.
Really happy that someone went with typing games, as I really like them. I think you did really well implementing your idea. As a small feedback when I was playing the game the first time I got little bit irritated from the | and thought at first that is part of the word, before I understood that it is just an additional position marker.
You did it right! Got the theme, not too hard (at the beginning^^), gameplay aspects, fun, nice sound and art! Hard for a non native speaker. Would like to put my own wordlist in it :D
Nice game! I just had to try this, as a juggler. ;) I got till 100+ or so, (the end screen dissappeared too soon because I accidently pressed a button) and I wondered if he would juggle more knifes later on. :) The player actually never sees a finished word, because it immediately disappears on typing the last letter. Maybe some tweening or spicing up could help to celebrate and visualize that the player completed a word. :) Well done!
I'm impressed I got up to 33 since I can't touch type or spell :D. Was fun though and I like the theme! The only thing is perhaps why a clown and spelling? Maybe could a Spelling Bee or some other pun?
This is really nice, an original concept, and a lot of challenging fun to be had. I like how you chose to give visual aid through a charismatic character, it helps staying focused on the game ! Good idea and good execution, this is very nice !!
Come play my game if you've got the time ! : https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/technologis :)
great idea. Had fun juggling some knives even though I'm kinda tipsy. Cheers!
@SecretPocketCat – I was more saying that something like hitting delete once removing all the letters (instead of just one at a time) would be a a good solution, or something similar. Typing a long word like "celebration" and hammering it out quickly but not hitting the "c" (ending with "elebration") means I'm screwed because it takes too long to delete the previous letters. Pretty much I'd like the power to be able to correct after a mistake, and for this particular kind of mistake that isn't possible.
Thank you all for the kind feedback. I always feel humbled when someone considers it at least a bit unique. :blush:
@ryuzaki-mrl Glad you liked it and what a score! I put you up to the top where you deserve to be.
@behenate Me too, but don't tell anyone. :wink:
@trenogre I wasn't going for cute, but I'll definitely take that, thank you. Thrilling/exciting, however, is something I do aim for. BTW. I had to Google you to find your game, maybe you should mention it on your profile or smt along that line.
@shito Huh, interesting. Maybe I could make it blink and make the shade even more distinct from the color of the actual word. Will keep that in mind, thank you!
@muffty :hugging: If a postjam/full release happens an import feature is gonna happen for sure.
@papaver Words were to be animated on success. I wanted a simple tween and a few particles (not too fancy though to not distract the player), but alas... I should definitely have blocked the restart till the score is clearly shown. I thought of that too late, but I don't consider that a bug, so I didn't fix as I wouldn't consider that fair. You can get 4 knives, but that's only after 250 words and as far I can tell nobody reached that and I'm frankly not sure if that's at all possible.
@ozbrikk I'd think spelling is not that relevant since you actually get to see the words, but I had problems spelling out some words as well... No pun was intended. The character is just a mixture of a clown and a jester (and a pirate as well I guess) since that's my association with juggling. A bee is a great idea. I will think about that one. BTW. Where can I find your game to check it out?
@thefunattic Thank you. As far as I'm concerned, you don't even have to mention your game. I do rate the game of everyone who took the time to provide feedback, but maybe that's just me. If I don't leave a comment it's only because I don't feel I have anything to add to the conversation. It will take a while before I get to it, but I will make time to do so. (Hey, I rated over 60 games, gimme some credit :wink: )
@pcmxms Remember, you shouldn't operate heavy machinery or juggle sharp or heavy objects when under the influence of drugs. Hard games should be OK, though, so knock yourself out.
@eli-delventhal I feel like someone didn't read through the in-game instructions: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: 2017-12-20 21_42_49-WordJuggler.png
I do thing, however, I should have made it more clear and there should be a sound when making an error (not matching any of the words). Though, I don't get how could you type 'elebration' without noticing it sooner, but maybe I'm just not fast enough...
Sadly I couldn't break the current highscore, but I had fun playing anyway :)
Typing games always tend to get me into an: "I'll just try one more time"-mentality, and so did this one.
The only thing I'd change is not taking wrong letters as input instead of making the player go back and delete everything since the mistake. So if the typed letter wouldn't be the next letter in any of the words on screen then it just doesn't get registered. nitrotype.com does it that way for example. All of that is a question of taste though, so if you like it the way it is, why change? :)
Fun game, got 178 :)
It would be nice if the words were more consistent; some of them are acronyms or abbreviations (exp, ld), some where names (claire, dave). If it were my choice, I'd only use full dictionary words.
It was a little frustrating sometimes to get the words out once you messed up --- I eventually got used to resetting with space, but it was still annoying. It would be nice if it just noticed that you were typing the beginning of a word again and reset for you.
Overall, well done! It was fun to play.
wordjuggler.jpg
@jeremy-ryan Dang it! I just got 168. Maybe I'll try to beat yours later, but I'm all typed out for now. Nice job!
Looks like I'll be replaying this one lol
@SecretPocketCat I guess you win, then. ;-)
Maybe I was wrong and one of you guys will get to the 250...
@jeremy-ryan Wow, nice. :flushed:
@wheffle, @ryuzaki-mrl Bring it on, guys.
@somethinboutgames, @jeremy-ryan I wanted players to face the music even if they can screw themselves over. Also it's meant to be educational and when you type, most times no one will magically erase your mistakes. I'll probably try it out though. Heck, originally you'd have to commit each word with space/enter, but I removed that since it just felt like extra fluff and the difficulty curve was even worse.
@eli-delventhal Frankly I'm at fault as the designer so no winners there I'm afraid. In any case, thank you for bringing it up. :wink:
Maybe it's just me, but I noticed a vocabulary bias towards the tech industry.
Great to see an entry that is both fun and useful. My keyboard finger placement for several years, ever since work caused me to "juggle" different keyboard sizes. This might be one of those entries that I find my self getting back to long past this LD.
I replayed it a few times after seeing the posted scores... I don't think I can get over 100 honestly haha. I do enjoy typing games but they do make me wish I was better at it. Great job on a fun, challenging and practical game! Now I'll go give a few more tries. :wink:
This is very nice and a neat idea! I do wish the knives sped up faster because initially it feels like a long time without any challenge, but that's just minor issues. Good stuff!
@jordgubben So nice to hear that. I'll keep in mind to let you know if there's a postjam version :wink: and it's not just you. It's [this word list of googled words](https://github.com/first20hours/google-10000-english), so it contains a lot of technical stuff. It should be alright for the programmers around here, but less than ideal for the rest.
@youbestrong I can't get to 100 either :cry: I'll have to work on that...
@diptoman I'll try to be better at this next time around (and for all my future games in general).
A pretty nice game! I'm a pretty fast typer, so it wasn't very difficult at all. Difficulty ramps up a bit too slow to see the theme in it's full glory, in my opinion. The typing system is a TAD odd, where you have to get the whole string correct, and you're allowed to backspace out of it... but it wasn't bad at all. Words seem to be rather random in terms of length, too. Still, it was a solid entry, good job!
Realy fun :) and the game based on typing words is interresting. Good job!