Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD40 → ZhenCo Ghost Management
By amras0000
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 309 | 3.43 | 25 | |
| Fun | 434 | 3.09 | 24 | |
| Innovation | 53 | 3.88 | 24 | |
| Theme | 495 | 3.04 | 24 | |
| Graphics | 311 | 3.36 | 24 | |
| Audio | 199 | 3.31 | 23 | |
| Humor | 435 | 2.31 | 23 | |
| Mood | 225 | 3.31 | 23 |
This looks like it had a ton of effort put in. Great work!
The GUI could maybe use some work though - buttons seemed particularly hard to click. As well, the game has a pretty steep learning curve, but I guess that's a tradeoff with this concept.
Just a heads up, the mac version isnt compiled correctly I think. Its just a folder with all the assets. Did you zip up the .app file? I think that causes some problems when downloading it.
How you made something this complicated in 48 hours, I'll never know. Great Work! However, as @init-py pointed out, the UI isn't great.
@jons-games I'll try to get a tested mac .app together later this week when I have access to a mac machine. For the time being, you could try to install Python3.5 (not 3.6) in `/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/Python`, make sure you're cd'ed to the game directory, and run the `ZhenCo` executable. I can't promise it'll work, but I'd appreciate the feedback.
There's a lot of complexity here for a jam game which I think is impressive. Sadly in a jam atmosphere it's unlikely people are going to invest enough time to learn it properly. Good job overall though.
Very impressive, the scripting is super easy to pick up on and I can see how this could easily grow to a be very very difficult puzzle game. Nicely done ;)
@init-py @wskilljoy Would you be able to elaborate on what bothered you in the UI? Was it just difficult to interface with (hard to click on things? generally clunky feeling?), does it look bad (too messy? weird fonts/colors?) or is it hard to find your way around it?
I know the GUI was one of the big hurdles while designing ZhenCo, so I'd love to know where it failed.
This is a really interesting game. I have no idea how you managed this much complexity in 48 hours, great job. This does seem like a game made for programmers though, i don't think the average gamer would figure it out. I do think if you added some work into teaching the mechanics to the player you could probably release this as a full game. Really good job!
I like the idea, but I think you needed to slowly lead me into this game. Too much going on right off the bat for me to completely understand what is important and what isn't. For example, in the tutorial level, there is so much text displayed to the player right away. Made it hard for me to understand what I need to do. I would have introduced the idea of customizing your own "actions" later and kept the tutorial about learning the game first.
Cool idea tho :)
I love the actions, never seen that in a programing game. It adds an interest while the puzzle is being solved, and you managed to keep it zen. Nice work!
@amras0000 I thought the buttons didn't seem very button-y. If they changed colour or the cursor changed to a hand, they would seem more intuitive.
The interface did seem a bit complex and overwhelming at first. Maybe if the action boxes were collapsed and greyed out in level 1, then introduced in level 2, as opposed to your "don't worry about this for now" text, it would be a bit easier to understand. When am I supposed to *start* using it? Level 2?
If the specification document is required to be read in order to play/understand the game, maybe that should be clearer. Perhaps open the document in the user's default browser/PDF viewer upon launch? Or...
I think there should be some sort of tutorial integrated into the game. Most people don't see "you have to read a manual in order to play this game" as very attractive. The specification document could be a reference thing to accompany the tutorial, and there could be a button to open it on the main screen.
Other than the steep learning curve, this is a great game. I'll keep playing it even after LD (after I figure out how :P)
I like the look of the game, and I think it could be a work of genius - but I don't have the time tonight to learn how to play it! Will definitely revisit when I have time.
Hi! Really neat game idea! Here are my thoughts while playing:
- Please add backspacing over multiple lines :D - Your game's description should possibly suggest only reading PDF as a reference stuck, the current wording made me feel like I should read it first. The PDF is much more intimidating than the game's in-built tutorial, and nearly scared me off! - A fast forward would be neat! - The menu button while playing could do with a "are you sure?" prompt, I clicked it looking for a fast-forward and lost my progress on a level! - I really like how the solution to "caution" is perfectly in theme to both your games name and competition theme! - I got stuck on "Collision Course" and lost steam playing the game
Thanks for submitting it! :D
Good puzzle/level design, the learning curve was on-point. The whole UI layout was a bit weird, with the start button completely separate from the code area, although in-game UI worked well with the aesthetics. I think there should be a mention when you play the first level that the player has to type something, at first it all looked just like a static piece of instructions text, and it was very hard to spot the cursor.
This one is better than I'm expected for a jam game.
First of all, design and innovation is great. As a programmer, I really enjoy while "learning this new language"
I just finished tutorial levels and I am satisfied for a game session. It's getting really complicated after tutorials. Recommended for complex puzzle lovers.
Game provides some opportunity for level designers with its mechanics. I wonder how many great levels can be design with these mechanics.
Great work!
Awesome! Need better UI though. I would play this for hours. Looks like a Zachtronics game.
I wish I can speed it up, maybe let it fast forward.
Very interesting.
Nice to see a game with programming like ! I actually never see something like that in 5 editions of Ludum Dare ! Great job ! The music fits well with the game, but I did not really understand the link with the theme. Moreover, maybe you could make the spirit quicker, because that is really too long to wait for the end of the level.
Dispite that, you made a cool game ! Keep coding :)
This is super innovative game! It's got a steep learning curve, but its also immensely satisfying to solve a puzzle. The spirits move a little on the slow side, and the UI can be really confusing. I'd love to see a more in-depth in-game tutorial; the ones you have work, but I definitely didn't know I had to type actual code at first. I'd also really like a 'reset level' after you've hit start. It was clunky to have to exit to the main level then reselect the one I was working to get back to the 'edit the code' screen. A way to toggle between start and code would go a long way to easing the learning curve too.
Great submission, and great complexity for 48 hrs of work!
I wish I had paid attention and noticed there was a PDF specification before learning the whole syntax from in-game example commands.
The game's mechanics seem to open a world of possibilities, and the levels you created do a great job at demonstrating it. Simple but consistent graphics also fit quite well with the theme you chose.
As already suggested, a fast-forward option would be a nice addition. Being able to insert a new line in the middle of existing code instead of only at the end would also help keeping the code structured when it starts getting crowded.
Overall, a really promising experience.
@serpentworks-games There should be a Stop button which replaces the Start button in the upper right which does what you're looking for.
This is a very complex game- kinda hard to believe you made it in only 48 hours! However it's a little painful to play because of the UI and the slow pace.