Aura

senokos 2018-08-14 07:10

This is a clever concept and a suprisingly effective mechanic for conveying it! The game was supper challenging for me, though. I died twice on the very edge of Level 3 and rage quit :)

Maybe it would be nice to make the starting point of each level a kind of safe space so that the player cannot be killed before they have even moved.

There also seems to be a bug: when another object keeps pushing into you, the lines like "I need more space" and "Please" replace one another in milliseconds so it's impossible to read them... and then you die:)

One more thing: I'm not sure how I feel about my sphere changing direction when bumped into. On the one hand, it helps to avoid walking into an object that's causing you damage. On the other hand, you momentarily lose control of the sphere, most likely resulting in walking into another danger...

But it's a fun game overall, and I'll probably return to it once I feel like playing something challenging.

papaver 2018-08-14 11:58

@senokos: Thank you for playing and your comments! :smile: You make many valid points that I will consider for a post-LD version.

The game is meant to be somewhat challenging (and a tiny bit frustrating, to fit the concept :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:). Did you discover the boost function and how shift/B can help?

I am myself also not sure about the changing of direction when you bump into another sphere. It does encourage you to avoid hitting other people. Did you try slowing down sometimes to avoid collision, and maybe even refill your energy meter?

mgoadric 2018-08-14 20:17

Nice clean graphics! It took a while to figure out why I was losing, and the relationship between keeping people away and my meter going down. I found it easiest to make progress if I didn't move all the time but stopped and let other people move away. How did the purple things help me on level 2? I never understood why I needed them. I liked the boost mechanic, very smooth movement.

papaver 2018-08-18 21:27

@mgoadric: Thanks for playing and your comment! Indeed, it is sometimes helpful to stop for a moment. The purple things can be activated with Shift or B, and it will push other blobs away for a moment. I should find a way to make this more clear.

galan 2018-08-18 22:51

This felt _far_ too real… **Great job**! You absolutely nailed the feeling of being stuck in a social situation when all you want is space. Every mechanic: even the tank controls, helped to reinforce that feeling. I particularly like the health regen mechanic. I caught myself taking a breather every time I got space.

It took me a while, but I managed to get through level 2. Level 3 seemed impossible. So, uh… thanks for making the most frustrating game of this jam. :stuck_out_tongue:

Oh, and for something more constructive: the flute music worked really well on the whole, but some of the high notes hit a bit…piercingly. It did add to the overall vibe, but maybe **too** much.

shakedimus 2018-08-19 12:01

I really felt like beaing at a festival trying to reach the bar, well done! Love the name of the game also, "respect my aura" sounds so helpless it's perfect. I'm not sure how I feel about the controls, making it just go forward left right would be easier but you would probably lose the feeling of walking around in a crowd. In the beginning however I didn't see the pointer on your sphere so maybe you could make it stand out a bit more.

rend 2018-08-19 18:07

Great little game, I like how you captured that feeling of overwhelming pressure. The "make room" mechanic was not clear at first, maybe the small pentagons could be explained/introduced a bit better. I like how at first I was going full steam ahead and never made it but when I started to make pauses from time time, the game became easier. That's a nice entry, congrats!

papaver 2018-08-19 23:09

@Galan: thank you! I noticed that without my external speakers, indeed the flute music is too intense and my laptop speakers can't handle it very well...

@Shakedimus: Thanks! I like how everyone creates their own scenario in their heads, that's exactly why I wanted to stick to these abstract blobs. :smile: I considered four-way controls, but it seemed too 'square' compared to all the round objects (and also with these 'tank controls' your blob behaves similar to the other blobs).

@RenD: Thank you! Indeed, sometimes you need to stop to catch your breath. :smile:

mza 2018-08-20 14:16

fealt like a little racing game. Interesting mechanics and also quite enjoyable too. Controls are very simple too. I also like the detail when you are low in aura. It would be interesting to know what our plans would be with this game - because of its potential.

niterich 2018-08-20 14:49

I think I like the idea, but the execution was a little rough around the edges. On its own the movement felt natural and fluid, but I couldn't stand how you got turned around when you hit something. More often than not, I was trying to reorient myself around already, but then I get all turned around, lose my sense of direction, and wind up running into another blob (or, in some cases, the same one again!)

Adding messages during gameplay was a nice way to add a bit of context to the game, but placing all the story-important ones at the top of the screen, far away from where the player should be looking, makes them difficult to read.

The use of your flute for both the music and sound effects was a pretty clever touch, though that also meant it could be hard to separate the two, leading to some instances where the music and sound effects clashed pretty badly. On another note, I'm pretty sure your song starts note-for-note like the riff from the Rocky theme song - probably not intentional but I still thought it was funny.

I think the 'give me my space' mechanic could be better explained. I didn't make the connection between the purple stars and the shift button until about level 5, leaving me wondering why I couldn't use my ability some of the time. I think it would help by giving the player a free shout at the beginning of each level, and playing a sound effect and/or having the empty shout meter flash when you try to use it when empty. Just something to say "that isn't going to work and this is why".

I managed to make it to the fifth day, at which point it got so hard I couldn't go on. It just seemed to me that there were just too many people and I kept getting quickly overwhelmed. Not sure if that was some kind of 'supposed to lose' fight, but I though it was a fitting end nonetheless.

papaver 2018-08-20 16:19

@MZA: Thanks. I don't have any particular plans yet, except making some changes in a post-jam version.

@niterich: Thank you for your detailed comments, you make many valid points. :smile: I will reconsider the bumping mechanic, more people seem to not like it. It's a nice idea to make the 'shout meter' flash!

thepiratenun 2018-08-26 23:40

Wow, this is the coolest game I've seen in the jam so far! I really loved the concept, and the game play was just enjoyable. The visuals were simple and nice, and I was extremely impressed by your ability to create an actual mood in a game jam game. It's also super cool that you wrote and recorded the music yourself, because that's super difficult to pull off in 72 hours. Overall, that was amazing!

ratstail91 2018-08-28 14:22

I think "Claustrophobia" would be a better name for this.

lexyvil 2018-08-29 05:26

This game fits the theme perfectly! I got to the last day/level, and it kept going on forever, so I'm assuming there's no easter egg? This was fun and very innovative, I'll give you that~ And the audio/sounds count as funny in book.

appix 2018-08-29 16:20

Interesting little games. But the sound is strange.

roman-petrov 2018-08-30 11:53

The game is simple, but it fits the theme perfectly! And I liked your flute playing :)

icarus-nb 2018-08-30 21:33

I really liked the ideia of the camera going black as you lose your energy. Nice work!

borjan1peovski 2018-08-31 17:23

interesting game. The idea is unique. I gave up on the fourth level bu overall the game was fun. Good job.

naali 2018-09-01 19:55

I liked the flute and thought the concept fit the theme really well.

martyxgames 2018-09-02 23:37

Pak Aura!

jesterseraph 2018-09-03 05:29

The graphics and audio were very high quality. The game play itself was smooth, no apparent bugs. The game play is also obvious once you see the circle go green to red. Great work!

gregor 2018-09-03 17:10

Really awesome game. One of my favourites from this LD. Fits the theme very well

papaver 2018-09-04 20:11

@martyxgames: Thanks? I thought about it for a while, but I don't get it...