doey 2018-08-12 23:34
Really interesting mechanic and a pretty funny game. My main issue was that the controls were a bit too fiddly and none of the levels I played through made the best use of the space. That being said it was good fun.
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD42 → Finite Factory
By astavie
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3.62 | 6 | ||
| Fun | 3.50 | 6 | ||
| Innovation | 3.37 | 6 | ||
| Theme | 3.12 | 6 | ||
| Graphics | 3.12 | 6 | ||
| Audio | 3.00 | 6 | ||
| Humor | 3.87 | 6 | ||
| Mood | 3.37 | 6 |
Really interesting mechanic and a pretty funny game. My main issue was that the controls were a bit too fiddly and none of the levels I played through made the best use of the space. That being said it was good fun.
I have to admit that I got stuch on the "simultaneity" level which seemed much harder than the previous ones.
Maybe the controls would feel better if we had separate item for the conveyor going up, down, left, right, etc. instead of having to place the mouse in the right place (or instead being able to drag to draw a line, but it might be much harder to implement on your side). An other improvement could be to be able to keep an item selected without having to keep the mouse down (select the item once in the menu, and then click to place). It would be much more fluid !
And the idea that we have to use all the space makes the puzzle more difficult but I think it should only be left as an option to earn more points on a level or something. In some cases (cf simultaneity) we **have to** use more space to get the level done, so we don't need this constraint to be mandatory.
Also, I quite liked the music, but it felt more like an RPG soundtrack. For an industrial theme, it may be better to use synthesizers or metallic sounds, eventually some strings, but the winds just don't match with the theme.
I enjoyed the time I had with this, The humour from the narrator had me laughing a few times. I did not play to the end unfortunately but could see the progression and difficulty increasing as I continued. Well done and this game has promise if you chose to continue. The music was industrial and fitted the theme.
*This got a lot longer than I anticipated... I probably wont do this again for anyone else ^_^ ... I also ran out of space, and had to break it up into multiple comments...*
I enjoyed playing this. The last few lines of dialogue were pretty amusing, and you had a nice reuse of your mechanics to make a wide variety of puzzles (the "efficiency" angle was a neat take on the theme).
It's a shame it looks like you will probably not get enough ratings to be ranked, in that light I will let you know what ratings I gave this game, and why.
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::last_quarter_moon::new_moon: **THEME** * 1/2 merits *for clear use of theme* * :heavy_plus_sign: The theme was present in every aspect of the game * :heavy_minus_sign: It was a sort of "anti-usage" of the theme... where you had to go out of your way to fill the abundant space (a fun mechanic by the way). * 2/2 merits *for a unique take on the theme* * :heavy_plus_sign: Going with an "anti-theme" made this one stick out to me. * 1/2 merits *for the theme strongly influencing the games design and mechanics* * :heavy_plus_sign: The puzzles were deeply tied to how much space you had. * :heavy_minus_sign: The theme interpretation was not straightforward enough to really feel like it was a core part of the game.
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::new_moon: **FUN (ENGAGEMENT)** * 2/2 merits *for my personal enjoyment* * :heavy_plus_sign: I enjoyed the puzzles. * :heavy_plus_sign: I played to the end. * 2/2 merits *for consistency of fun* * :heavy_plus_sign: Each level seemed to pose a good level of challenge for where I was in my understanding of the game mechanics. * 1/2 merits *for quality of content* * :heavy_plus_sign: I could tell you put some thought into the types and specifics of the puzzles. * :heavy_minus_sign: I wish there was a bit more content, either more levels (or even better) a few more interactive bits. * :heavy_minus_sign: I was a bit cumbersome to place the tiles.
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::new_moon::new_moon: **INNOVATION** * 0/2 merits *for landing one "new" mechanic (or attempting two)* * :heavy_minus_sign: The mechanics themselves are not new. (The first instance of hit all the tiles in a path I can remember is from "TLoZelda: Link's Awakening") * 2/2 merits *for subverting an expectation I had* * :heavy_plus_sign: The twist "you have to fill all the space" was a surprise, and I was very happy it could detect when I tried to cheese it. * 0/1 merit *for flipping it's genre (failing to be categorized)* * :heavy_minus_sign: I'd say this is a clear puzzle/engineering game. * 1/1 merit *for being the first time I've seen this specific combination* * :heavy_plus_sign: I've seen "fill the space" and "build a factory," but never this specifically (typically factory games are about building small).
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::new_moon::new_moon: **GRAPHICS** * 0/1 merit *for my personal appreciation of the graphics* * :heavy_minus_sign: I feel the graphics exist in an akward state between minimal, and detailed. Some things like the bumpy edge of the conveyor belt bother me. * 1/1 merit *for consistency of a style* * 1/1 merit *for consistency of presentation (resolution, menu layout, ...)* * 0/1 merit *for quality (how technically good is it in it's style)* * :heavy_minus_sign: It would have been nice to see some animated tiles. * 1/2 merits *for having the graphics be deeply integrated into the game* * :heavy_plus_sign: The tiles showed the grid lines nicely. * :heavy_minus_sign: Some tiles did not convey their purpose clearly graphically.
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::new_moon::new_moon: **AUDIO** * 1/1 merit *for having sound effects* * 0/1 merit *for me personally liking the sound effects* * :heavy_minus_sign: There were only a small set of sounds, and they were pretty basic. (I did like the "talking" sound ^_^) * 0/1 merit *for the sound effects fitting well with the game* * :heavy_minus_sign: It would have been nice to have many more sounds, playing for various in game events. * 1/1 merit *for having music* * 1/1 merit *for me personally liking the music* * 0/1 merit *for the music fitting well with the game* * :heavy_minus_sign: It was mentioned above that a different genre of music would fit better with the gameplay and atmosphere of this game.
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::last_quarter_moon::new_moon: **MOOD** * 2/2 merits *for narrative (explicit of implied)* * :heavy_plus_sign: HAPIS let me know what was going on. * 0/2 merits *for being emotive (making me have a feeling)* * :heavy_minus_sign: I enjoyed the puzzles, but didn't have an emotional response to anything in the game or narrative. * 2/2 merits *for settings (making feel like I was somewhere)* * :heavy_plus_sign: I could feel the hostile workplace...
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::new_moon::new_moon: **HUMOR** * 1/1 merits *for not taking itself too seriously* * 1/1 merits *for making me smile* * 1/2 merits *for making me laugh (on the inside)* * :heavy_plus_sign: Some of the dialogue was pretty funny. * :heavy_minus_sign: Sometimes HAPIS was a bit cringey. * 0/2 merits *for making me laugh out loud*
:full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::last_quarter_moon::new_moon: **OVERALL** * Overall is a weighted average of what I feel is most important in a Ludum Dare game: * 3 parts THEME * 2 parts FUN (Engagement) * 1 part INNOVATION * 1 part GRAPHICS * 1 part AUDIO * 1 part MOOD
In general, fairly high marks from me, I really enjoyed playing this!
I don't think it fits the theme that well, but I see what you were going for. It certainly wears its inspiration on its sleeve. I wish drawing conveyor belts was simpler
Ignoring the theme, because I wasn't apart of this, the game seems very well done, the placement of the tiles is a little weird and the rotation was slightly confusing. The concepts were quite easy to grasp, and I love how "efficiency" is determined by filling up all the squares; however, it is a little misleading, even with the humor.
It plays as well as a phone time waster would. When the machine is moving things, I suggest making the conveyor belt be animated.
4/5 Score