FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD42 → Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia

By dangogamedev

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall5832.9764
Fun6112.7062
Innovation6252.5964
Theme4703.3062
Graphics1973.6562
Audio4442.6763
Mood1213.5164

Comments

chaitae 2018-08-12 23:33

What do i do after i pull the lever?

reboundgames 2018-08-12 23:38

It's very short, but it has great atmosphere. For me the mouse pointer stayed in the middle of the screen the whole time, which was a little distracting, but that wasn't a big deal.

mrbehemoth 2018-08-12 23:40

Short but fun booby-trap escape. It took a few attempts to get the puzzle but I eventually got out. I might have left my Indiana Jones hat in there.

dangogamedev 2018-08-12 23:44

@chaitae Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn't think of how to show it in any way which wasn't too obvious so I just added a noise when you hit the right one. Not the best way definitely. But, from the way you enter, you hit the the second one closest to you, then the one at the entrance, then the exit-side one, then the one closer to that.

omniorcus 2018-08-13 01:00

This is a game where half the players will solve it immediately, and the other half will get really frustrated wondering what to do. I was in the first set. Despite the game lasting less than 30 seconds, I liked it. It's annoyingly short, but the graphics are very nice. I was instantly immersed in the world and really wanted more to be honest. Kind of leaves me with a weird feeling of longing. I look forward to playing your entry in the next Ludum Dare.

akros 2018-08-13 06:00

The best visuals I have seen so far! Did you draw all the textures? A very fun short experience, I would play more of it!

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 08:13

@akros Means a lot! Yep, I drew all textures in the game, though tbh there aren't many. I'll definitely make sure my next game is longer, as I was just overly cautious this time and was sort of testing the waters.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 08:14

@omniorcus That's great to hear, I'll make sure to make something meatier next time!

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 08:16

@reboundgames Ah, sorry about the cursor issue, I thought I'd quashed any little issues, I know to test for this next time though.

psychead 2018-08-13 10:30

Fun little idea. The ambient noise has a subtle, yet fitting effect. However the game ended for me when I swung my hammer at the exit. I was a bit disappointed that the solution for the game was just to smash the exit door, but then I realized it was probably a bug and restarted the game to play it the intended way.

ajay-2002 2018-08-13 10:50

@omniorcus 'This is a game where half the players will solve it immediately, and the other half will get really frustrated wondering what to do.' You said it correctly! I am a bit slow, and in the other half category, but really fun! :)

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 10:50

@psychead Oh wow, now that bug I didn't expect at all. Never even thought of that happening haha, thanks for pointing it out/playing.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 10:57

@ajay-2002 Thanks for playing! Also, out of curiosity for my next project/future reference. What do you think would be a fair way for me to show you a hint on how to solve the pressure plate puzzle?

blueblu 2018-08-13 11:10

A little music would go a long way! Kinda short, not sure if there's multiple solutions but I just hulk-smashed the door

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 11:12

@blueblu Ah, yeah that's a bug that I never noticed sadly, but thanks for playing!

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 11:13

@reboundgames @mrbehemoth Thanks for trying it out : )

ilseroth 2018-08-13 11:19

Oh wow, I didn't even think to try it till I read the comment above, but sure enough you can just hit your way out of the situation. Well in any case, I really like how much texture everything has, looks very physical. It's a bit short but I had fun with it. :smiley:

tontonpizza 2018-08-13 11:25

Seems like i escaped with my life in 30 secs. What would you like to add to the game if you have more time ?

fryderider 2018-08-13 11:38

A bit short, but a fun concept :)

Good job!

ajay-2002 2018-08-13 11:40

@dangogamedev I told you sir I'm so slow that I can't solve the first level, I hit the door with the axe and you win, but when I pull the lever in the box nothing happens. I was so confused, I have tried around 15 times with no idea how to solve this... :cry: Or is hitting the door the actual way to play? I would really love to see the next level haha

wolfrug 2018-08-13 11:54

Also finished this by hitting the door. Figured you need to hit the plates in the right order etc, but couldn't quite be bothered to get to the end of it :D Still, nice graphics, sound, and all the rest! Good work.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 11:54

@ajay-2002 Ah ok, sadly there isn't any other levels - it's very short, but once you pull the lever you just have to step on the plates in the right order, (taken from another comment) from the way you enter, you hit the the second one closest to you, then the one at the entrance, then the exit-side one, then the one closer to that.

But yeah, the hammer is a bug. Shouldn't work that way haha.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 11:55

@tontonpizza I'd like to flesh it out more in general, and maybe add more types of puzzles. I may consider doing this now that I'm not fighting against such a strict deadline.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 11:55

@fryderider Thanks a bunch : )

talios 2018-08-13 12:06

Uh. Interesting game where I died 2 times clicking everywhere, until I realized that you just need to smash the exit with a giant hammer xD Weird solution and pretty short but still enjoyable, the art, sound and mood are excellent !

figjig 2018-08-13 12:11

I did the hulk smashing of the door too, it's the tool that indicates to the player that's the 'correct' solution. If it wasn't a hammer but something else there it'd work.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 12:14

@figjig Interesting, I'll be sure to think about that then if I decide to expand on it. : )

somuch 2018-08-13 12:15

A bit too short XD? Also mouse sensitivity is super high. Nice little game otherwise :)

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 12:15

@talios Thanks : D, though that solution is actually a bug : /. Either way thanks for playing.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 12:33

@somuch Yeah length is definitely the downside. Thanks for playing : )

ngupsilon 2018-08-13 12:42

Interesting game! Took me quite some death to understand the trick with the slabs x) Loved the graphs too :)

rosden 2018-08-13 12:43

So I did the bug solution to win then XD. Well I felt a bit smart doing it so to me its fine.

earnso 2018-08-13 12:43

I was really expecting someone to touch the theme of claustrophobia. Great work!

mathiouza 2018-08-13 12:46

Quite short ^^' But nice experience though. But I think that's frustrating that your hammer desappears when hitting the crate x))

Keep coding :)

starven 2018-08-13 12:56

Interesting little game, I too "solved" the puzzle first by hitting the exit.

Might be more interesting if instead of the spikes being timed, they instead close in on the player when they make an error in the order of pressure plates they step on - this might give a bit more feedback to the player on how they are doing, and some more time to think about the puzzle itself.

As others have said it is very short too (although I understand that giving the development timeframe!)

Well done!

pedro-m-marangon 2018-08-13 12:57

I stucked after I pull the lever. And if I use the hammer to smash the exit door, it ends the game. That's the intention?

eric-kulbiej 2018-08-13 13:11

Nice game, enjoyed it very much. Keep it up!

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 13:15

@pedro-m-marangon Sadly no, that's a bug. You have to solve a small pressure plate puzzle. Thanks for playing though : )

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 13:15

@eric-kulbiej Thanks a lot : )

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 13:15

@starven That's actually a great idea, one I'll implement if I do continue to develop it.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 13:16

@mathiouza yeah, I should make it be more useful in general if I continue it.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 13:17

@ngupsilon Thanks a bunch : D

sloyd 2018-08-13 13:40

lol your idea is very similar to one of a few I had in mind. Good thing I picked another one :)

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 13:45

@sloyd Pizza Defender is very cool : ) I really like the bites getting taken out of the pizza.

gulfick 2018-08-13 13:50

A cool little game with nice lighting and graphics, but I would have made the mouse sensitivity smaller in game

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 13:52

@gulfick Thanks for playing, I'll be aware of that for the next project : )

ace17 2018-08-13 14:54

The thumbnail picture looked so cool, I desperately *wanted* to try this one!

But too bad, Windows only .... :-(

missalpha 2018-08-13 15:08

this is a fun and nice little game!

teo-miklethun 2018-08-13 16:04

Not the greatest game play ever, but it doesn't need it, the atmosphere is where this game shines.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 16:32

@ace17 Ah, sorry about that, I never looked into other platforms, out of curiosity which are you using? (future reference) it would be interesting to see how difficult building for other platforms is, though I can't test it.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 16:36

@teo-miklethun Thanks : ), out of curiosity though, if you don't mind what would have liked to have seen from the gameplay? (I struggled to think of what could be fun to do, other than just more puzzles as I didn't have time).

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 16:36

@missalpha Thanks : D

teo-miklethun 2018-08-13 16:46

I'm not entirely sure. I might have the pressure plate order found in some different way than with audio queues. For example, in the starting room, there could be something subtly hinting at it Alternatively, if you wanna keep the audio puzzle, you could have the pressure plates have a different sound when it's incorrect than when it's correct. As silly as it sounds looking back on it, since the pressure plates are so hidden, without a sound coming from the pressure plates that weren't correct, I wasn't even sure they were part of the puzzle or just a strange variation in the floor.

ace17 2018-08-13 16:51

@dangogamedev I'm using GNU/Linux (64 bits). If possible, it's best to provide an extra build of your game targetting the Web/HTML5. Most game engines can export for the browser.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 16:58

@teo-miklethun Thanks for that : D Got some good stuff to work with now.

dangogamedev 2018-08-13 16:59

@ace17 The web export sounds like a good idea, thanks for that : )

teo-miklethun 2018-08-13 17:02

@dangogamedev No problem! Still, even without that, it's a great game, especially for 48 hours!

mariosmaniatis 2018-08-13 18:45

My biggest nightmare in a game. Like it even if I am claustrophobic.

neuralcoder 2018-08-13 19:00

Nice game. I like the mood, but sometimes the game doesn't react to my mouse movements.

mike-inprinciple 2018-08-14 05:32

My only criticisms:

1. It's basically impossible to complete in one go. You have to learn the switch pattern to succeed. 2. Mouse sensitivity is sky high.

Other than this it's a little short to properly evaluate it as a game idea.

catchthefloaty 2018-08-14 07:19

for a first entry this was better than i would expect, short and simple. the biggest issue by far is the camera movement was nauseating... it was way too fast...

hyprgloo 2018-08-14 07:23

Nice first entry! Very atmospheric. The hallway at the beginning actually had a claustrophobic feel as well, with the way the lighting and the angles were set up. The process of making progress on the puzzle, dying, and repeating to make more progress worked pretty nicely with this entry (not sure if that was intentional, but it worked). Overall well done!

jackou 2018-08-14 17:37

Sad it ended so quickly. I basically just got in took that Hammer and smashed something and the game seemed over. But with that said, I really liked the atmosphere and you got that feeling of no space / "claustrophobia". Well executed, just a little short to get all the way where it could get.

Little technical feedback: the mouse sensitivity was way to high for my taste, I use a mouse with pretty low dpi and sensitivity already and it just felt really fast anyways.

I think theme and mood are the best executed positions in this entry!

vekstr 2018-08-14 18:21

Great mood. But I feel like the hallways do a better job at being claustrophobic than the main chamber.

Could really use some hinting system for stuck players though.. I had to look at your comment to finish the game :sweat_smile:

dangogamedev 2018-08-14 20:01

@vekstr Yeah, if I work on it again I'm gonna change it up a little. Thanks for playing : )

dangogamedev 2018-08-14 20:02

@jackou Thanks for the kind words, sensitivity does seem to be an issue, will be sorted next time.

dangogamedev 2018-08-14 20:03

@hyprgloo Thanks for playing and for the kind words : D

dangogamedev 2018-08-14 20:04

@catchthefloaty Yeah, I'll work on that, thanks : )

svntax 2018-08-15 00:46

Pretty short but nice mood and graphics. I went to the controls screen first and couldn't go back, so I had to restart the game.

alex-brull 2018-08-15 09:59

Well... it was really really short. Too bad because the mood is cool! It's our first entry too (but in team so it's surely easier :) )

monetai 2018-08-15 15:33

It was really short but it was fun, I struggled a bit with the pressure plates thought. The mood is really cool very indiana jone like!

cayleblucas 2018-08-15 15:45

I like it Shane, visual style is really nice. I agree with a lot of people that it is a bit too short but its something that can be added to :)

dangogamedev 2018-08-15 16:40

@cayleblucas Thanks : D, yeah I'm mulling over ideas for expansion.

dangogamedev 2018-08-15 16:42

@monetai Thanks : ) The plate puzzle could have definitely been better.

zephyrextreme 2018-08-15 17:04

The graphics were great but I really couldn't understand what was happening.

outstar 2018-08-15 20:11

Hey DangoSama, let me give you a bit of the feedback that I hope will be useful for your design :) I think you could make the game easily longer and more fun/understandable for players if you introduced mechanics one by one. You have three mechanics in the game so far: spikes, pressure plates and hammer that destroys boxes/shows levers. What you could do to make this game way more appealing is to create separate, similar rooms in which you introduced all of them one by one instead of throwing them all at player at once.

So first, you start with empty room with just spikes - player goes through it, notices that spikes are a danger here, "alright, I gotta beware of spikes!".

Then, you put a single pressure plate in the middle - player presses it and door opens.

Then, you put two or three of them and player needs to figure out the order of pressing.

Then, you add a lever. Then, a hammer and a lever.

This way, you can make the game longer with assets you have already but teach the player through the gameplay itself.

Also, the pressure plates should have audio cues that tell player whether he does it in a good or bad order (it's a very simple trick to teach people how to do stuff).

I hope this was helpful!

noxalus 2018-08-15 20:19

I'm not really sure to understand what happened when I played. I just took the hammer in the spikes room and click on the door and it was finished :astonished: Did I miss something? Is there anything to do with the plates?

Anyway, I love the ambience and graphics of your game, it looks really great! :thumbsup:

dangogamedev 2018-08-15 20:20

@outstar It's very helpful. I'm definitely gonna take the criticisms and feedback and use it to make a new version with more meat and a clearer direction. Thanks a bunch!

dangogamedev 2018-08-15 20:21

@noxalus That was a bug, yeah. Thanks for playing and for the kind words though : )

ajay-2002 2018-08-17 09:06

@dangogamedev That's alright, it was a fun game none-the-less. It has great potential, just add a bunch of levels and you might have a winner on your hands :thumbsup:

void-productions 2018-08-22 20:07

@dangogamedev The visuals of the game are good and the mood is really cool. I don't mind it being short. Congrats on ur first ludum dare entry, we too are first-timers. If u feel it ok, could u rate our game too.

dangogamedev 2018-08-23 15:25

@void-productions Thanks a bunch : ), and done : D

andrei9 2018-09-04 18:20

Coool! nice game :thumbsup: +++++