Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD47 → Let's Circle Back
By Gnolfo, alex-the-bear and ssellvf
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2.90 | 13 | ||
| Fun | 2.59 | 13 | ||
| Innovation | 2.40 | 13 | ||
| Theme | 3.31 | 13 | ||
| Audio | 2.90 | 13 | ||
| Humor | 2.90 | 12 | ||
| Mood | 3.33 | 11 |
Some particle effects would have greatly improved the gameplay, a response to being hit and hitting enemies is all that is needed really. I would also say that the view is too zoomed in, you don't get a great idea of where enemies are approaching from. Great idea though, would love to see this done with more time.
nice trailer, main menu is great! the game is goodly made in 3 days time.
I will say right off the bat I didn't find the complaints button too funny. Part of the beauty in game jams is to receive constructive criticism to help further yourself as a developer. I may just be a stickler on this, but I don't think it was a necessary feature.
With that out of the way, it is an interesting concept, but I don't believe it was well executed. I was just able to stay in place, hold down the spacebar and shoot at any incoming enemies. The building didn't seem to provide any cover for me so if anything, moving around just seems discouraged. The intro screen was pretty neat and the alerts were funny, but I wasn't able to close them easily so sometimes it blocked the view of my tank and incoming enemies.
What would be cool for this is if you had some cover at the edges of the loops, similar to what you'd find in those classic Atari games. That'll give some more incentive to move around as you try to repair your tank!
I hope you guys keep at it!
Thanks for providing the intro video on YouTube. I'm on a Mac and have to play the web version. Were the models in the video also used in the game? What were they made with. They looked great up close in the video.
I think the mentioned buginess of the web version kept the repair mechanic from working well for me, it responded way too slowly. It was easier and more fun just to die and start over than to try repairing the tank.
I like the idea, with a little bit more speed I think the game would've been a bit more fluid. It's missing a little bit of music. I do like the Idea behind it!
The intro video was pretty epic, I can't understand why you opted-out of the graphics cathegory, I would have rated you nicely in that one! I think the idea of game is interesting and could be further developed into a nice project. Of course there are things that could be more polished, but I can see that you had fun creating this and that's great!
Well, I'll be honest... This game needs some serious bug fixing
I'll name the bugs I encountered in the game
1. UI is interfering with the gameplay. I can't see the enemies or where I'm aiming at with the "Alert" windows on screen that I can't seem to close
2. The building in the center doesn't block bullets
3. I can still shoot after I'm dead apparently
4. I can shoot when I click on an "Alert" message
5. Health indication is misleading. I have no idea if it's representing my health or the health of the building I'm "protecting"
6. I can keep going at zero health apparently
7. The circle that my tank keeps going in seems to "expand" as I keep going, which leads to having only the turret sticking out of the ground at some point
8. An enemy type (The one that shoots regular bullets) deals no damage as it seems
9. The "Quit" button in the main menu crashes the game
Sorry if I'm being too harsh, but I have to be honest so that my feedback can be more useful to you. I know that the game was made in 3 days, but this is not an excuse for a malfunctioning product
Well, at least the "Complaints" joke was kinda funny
I hope this mostly-negative review doesn't deter you from improving your game development skills. Keep at it
The Good ---- I liked the choice of assets for the enemies as well as the player and the environment. The desert background and the overall aesthetic are really nice and they fit together. Really strong introduction to the game with the cut scene (although I was expecting a 3D game after that but I didnt really mind). Good choice of music and sounds. Also good variety of enemy types. I like how there are tanky, ranged and kamikazee enemies.
The Bad ---- The camera is too zoomed in. I dont know if this is done on purpose to encourage moving around, but it feels weird to be seen by the enemies but you cannot see them (unless you move). Maybe camera movement could be associated with moving the mouse to shoot. I found it quite hard if you move around, but it is pretty easy if you just stand stationary and shoot, which kind of defeats the purpose of being stuck in a circle (since it is more efficient to stay stuck at a point)
Other comments ---- The big building in the middle really makes you feel it provides cover, but you can shoot through it and enemies can pass through as well. I think it would have been better if you had some other element in the middle like a lake (or oasis since we are in desert), an underground station / rocket launch pad or some rocks and sand dunes, to signify it is not an obstacle.
Congrats on finishing the game. Keep up the good work!!
I like the way you had the player managing health vs. movement, but unfortunately, since it took so long to switch between the two modes there was really no choice for the player to make; you have to be healing all the time and shoot in place or you'll lose. I liked that there were multiple enemy types to give the player something to manage. I liked the intro music but thought it was weird there was no in-game music.
I appreciated the humor of the corporate-speak, and I thought having a broken tank tread that makes you literally only able to travel in a loop was a really clever take on the theme. Good job!