FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD43 → Graveyard Manager

Graveyard Manager

By manimal

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall4162.9222
Fun4262.7022
Innovation1783.3722
Theme1933.6222
Graphics4422.5022
Audio2113.1222
Humor223.9522
Mood3642.8022

Comments

p0nce 2018-12-03 23:27

Great humor, I was laughing a lot! Only bad point is that it doesn't seem possible to win in any way, and funeral stones don't get replaced somehow.

manimal 2018-12-03 23:35

@p0nce grave stones are fixed images, what is changed is their properties, you can inspect each grave by right click on the grave stone

wizard-exe 2018-12-03 23:49

i wasn't able to figure out what qualities had what effects, so i couldn't really form a strategy. but the concept is amusing and i had fun picking bodies to throw out and which new body to accept. graphics were minimal but did their job and weren't bad, though i would have liked if there were more gravestone styles and they were swapped out when changing corpses.

wowa 2018-12-04 08:46

The concept of two win conditions is interesting and i like it kind of. The mood is nice and the management concept is nice but i could be more handy, like a functionality to show and hide the income overview anytime or to show the stats of the grave stone just by hovering over it. But overall it's a nice little management game :)

eatatjoes 2018-12-05 22:55

I liked the audio and gfx, the handmade touch was nice. The concept is quite funny, and i see the inspiration. A bit of a confusing concept even after reading the instructions, but i could have missed something.

jimbly 2018-12-07 04:28

It was hard to tell what was having what effect, it was difficult keeping my karma up, ended up just shy of 75% when I ran out of money :(.

Amusing text and ideas though!

darkwing00duck 2018-12-09 22:57

Excellent audio accompaniment, enjoyed music and sounds :sound:

candlesan 2018-12-10 04:59

Interesting game. Found myself wanting to make decisions to maximize profits but some of the professions gave me pause. Had a real "Papers, Please" vibe. Love some of the real life references.

elnu 2018-12-11 22:25

"finnish" this compo... are you Finnish? :flag_fi: :laughing:

manimal 2018-12-12 15:25

@mertios thanks a lot, I m always fighting with this word :smirk_cat:

elnu 2018-12-12 18:00

@manimal Good luck in the battle. :crossed_swords:

derek-volker 2018-12-14 17:12

Interesting concept and funny to hear the "REFUNERATE", however i couldnt think in a strategy as everything i tried seems to lead to bankruptcy. Also kind of sad to remember that this kind of practice is ongoing for ages in graveyards.

cerno-b 2018-12-16 17:19

The game was really funny! The song fits the concept and despite feeling a bit simplistic, it works surprisingly well with the overall black humour. The game is very charming with all these little backstories.

I am not sure I understood the game well though. I played it twice and lost two times (once with with good and with bad karma). I suppose you can only lose the game because the taxes are crushing you eventually. Also I could only guess which corpses gave good karma, but I suppose it is like "more money = less karma". And I guessed that jobs with higher social standing gives you more money and therefore less karma.

I would have loved if the game was beatable, having the player manage a balance between money and karma, so that the graveyard is both sustainable but also affordable for people with less money. With some extensions this could be a quite addicting strategy game. Some idea:

- Communicate the economy clearer to the player, with permanent indicators instead of right-clicking - Extend the game through multiple levels and add lots to manage (introduce micro and macro economy) - Make the economy a bit more complex, like removing karma when someone is exhumed too soon - Add random events, like some star's fan who is outraged that their favorite celebrity isn't there anymore (public outrage = less money) or a family member who visits a loved one's grave that has been changed too soon with the opposite effect (less karma) - Some additional challenges, like two people who hated each other in life and may not be buried next to each other.

All in all I think it's very clever idea that fits the theme well, good job!

manimal 2018-12-16 22:38

@cerno-b thank you for your feedback. Currently there is no way how to not get bankrupt. Only karma matters now. Cos 2 days is pretty short time to get proper balance of this kind of game.

I have to calculate it well + the people in the game have to be clear for a player so player is always should know which one gives you more money and which one more karma. ,

So I just focused on the working prototype first.

I thought even about to extend a graveyard for another places but for me it is difficult in 48 hours now. So I m glad I was able to even do it in this form.

I never tried to create economy game so this is my first one and it is a bankrupt. :)

cerno-b 2018-12-17 06:15

Don't worry too much, you did a great job!

Getting faster in game jams is something that comes with experience. I would suggest you write a post mortem (if you haven't already). Identify things that went well and things that didn't. Try to make a list of things that took most of your time and think about ways to improve. Before next LD, take a look at your post mortem to freshen the memory.

My first LD too way too much time, but switching from C++ to gamemaker made a huge difference. During my second LD I learned to be less ambitious and to not overdo it on graphics.

Just keep at it, you will notice a huge improvement over time if you analyse your work.

nekonyo 2018-12-19 06:52

The music and sound effects were quite fun 😂. And the idea of refunerate was also fun. But I only urn out of money one time after aanother, taxes are really high. Overpopulation may be coming 😆

geckoo1337 2018-12-19 17:12

Good project with an unusual gameplay. You managed the theme as well as possible. Of course, the aesthetic could be improved if you had time, but for a first participation, you surprised me - well done ++