FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD47 → Light footsteps after the rain

Light footsteps after the rain

By chocolat-endive

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall6673.5993
Fun13942.7589
Innovation4983.6193
Theme14072.8891
Graphics5103.8894
Audio1404.0195
Mood184.4495

Comments

darthdeus 2020-10-05 19:45

I like the mood but I'm a bit confused as to what the objective is? Is it just about exploration, or is there something hidden?

mari-anna 2020-10-05 19:47

I love this kind of mood. I wish it was raining now...

chocolat-endive 2020-10-05 19:48

I'm afraid there's nothing hidden. It's a pure contemplative exploration game. I'm glad you enjoyed the mood! Thanks.

@mari-anna and @dartheus I'm glad you enjoyed the mood! Thanks a lot!

sayuri 2020-10-05 19:53

Did you really took that photos. Nice photography there.

cuoshen 2020-10-05 19:53

The sound effect is pog. Love it.

julius-vander-arend 2020-10-05 19:57

Lovely photography, I really like the atmosphere. Its a bit weird and unusual, and compelling in its own way, this is a submission I will remember.

codeforjoycaro 2020-10-05 19:59

I liked the experimental character of the game and your use of photography.

chocolat-endive 2020-10-05 20:08

Thanks everybody! @sayuri I'm a hobbyist in photography so I'm glad you enjoyed my work! Thanks!

ree-rolph 2020-10-06 04:00

I liked it a lot! A nice mood piece, it kind of feels like you you'd find it hidden on a scratched-up CD-ROM you'd unearthed from a drawer. If that makes sense? It probably doesn't. Lovely photographs.

zagganoth 2020-10-06 05:01

Definitely an interesting experience! I didn't even realize the voices were automatically generated for a bit. Seems like a perfect experimental piece for a jam

sprotex 2020-10-06 10:28

I agree with other people here that the atmosphere is great and so is the mood! :slight_smile: I think a light rain sounds would amplify the experience even more, since the ingame characters are talking about it. :cloud_rain:

frozentape 2020-10-06 11:37

The combination of excellent photography and relaxed meandering synth soundtrack created a really wistful experience for me. Brilliant use of synthesised voices too, gives it a slightly eerie sort of vibe! In fact, now that I realise that the only 'real' (non-generated) part of the experience was the photography, that has really made me think. Kind of like an algo-ghost town or something?? Hmmmmmmmmmm...

vsi 2020-10-06 14:39

interesting idea)

anniv4x 2020-10-06 14:43

Wow the mood is perfect.. I loved the way you made the dialogue sound- very eerie indeed. I really enjoyed this experience and I could definitely see it going further and being expanded upon. cool!!!

mungobulge 2020-10-06 14:45

Bold idea. I love the ambiance. Very poetic. Would be nice to add some sort of intrigue.

chris-fagan 2020-10-06 15:31

Very nice photography and you nailed the mood!

le-slo 2020-10-06 15:47

I really enjoyed this. Personally I think that you are not doing a favor to the photographs when blurring to overlay the text on top of it. I wish there could be a way to have only image and sound and no text. Apart from that tiny detail I really felt like I was going on a quiet walk under a quiet rain (AWESOME generative music) Great work!

chocolat-endive 2020-10-06 16:11

Thanks everybody!

@mungobulge we hesitated a lot about making a story or some kind of intrigue, but in the end, we decided to focus on the surreal atmosphere. A longuer game would need more narration and some kind of puzzle/intrigue.

gridsane 2020-10-06 17:11

Incredible music! Photos are great, ambience is dense. Text effect in the end was a nice touch. Great!

bereg 2020-10-06 17:46

That's the type of game I've been searching for in game jams. Very strange, unusual, and atmospheric. The aesthetics, sound, and narrative fit well. It was interesting to listen to these memories and try to put together the whole picture. The fact that these people and voices are don't exist, adds a new layer to the narrative - I don't know if that was intentional or not. Great job!

infinitestatemachine 2020-10-06 17:57

Is there a different ending depending on what you type in the memory box?

Nice work!

asue 2020-10-06 18:02

What an unexpected experience. It's really original and confusing at the same time. I loved the music and the voices of the people. I would have liked a little more gameplay but what you've produced is already incredible.

chocolat-endive 2020-10-06 18:13

Thanks everybody!

@bereg It's not really intentional, but we indeed played with the artificial/distant feeling created by the generated assets.

@infinitestatemachine No, but that could be a good idea indeed!

@asue Thanks! We used to say as a private joke during the developpement that we were making a game that could be made with powerpoint. Next ludum dare, we'll make something with a real gameplay!

hank-ather 2020-10-06 19:20

Beautiful photography. The synthesized voices were particularly unnerving. I think you could take this aesthetic and turn it into a really interesting point/click adventure game.

zepapa 2020-10-06 19:28

This is very artistic and entertaining in it's own unique way! The music gives it a kind of eerie, poetic feel. Overall, entertaining an a new experience :)

gelgavish 2020-10-06 20:32

Oh my god, this game was so amazing, weird, and creepy at the same time. I've never seen anything like this, especially in LD. The game is really creative, polished, and unexpected.

Amazing job!:D

rhoff95 2020-10-06 21:48

Nice aesthetic, but would have liked to see more 'game' in this game. The atmosphere and audio is nice, but there is nothing to make me invested in exploring or caring about the game world.

necauqua 2020-10-07 00:21

It's all about the moody games..

There was not a lot of gameplay, but still audio and photography were nice, you've managed to build an atmosphare

Hat off for both Godot and the web version :)

cyphyrgriffon 2020-10-07 00:48

This was really well done! Very eerie and uncanny, I felt compelled to look at all of the images and listen to all the little audio files. Good work!

kevin-mooney 2020-10-07 04:47

wow i really loved this. very striking photography and you've managed to tell the outline of a story that leaves space for players to fill in the rest. good work

bredera 2020-10-07 08:32

I really enjoyed exploring this city and the memories it holds within. The audio and voice acting really helps make a great atmosphere. Good job!

etrealjunior 2020-10-07 09:18

I liked your game my congratulations, I also did one if you want to know, and give me your feedback I am very grateful, this is the link https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/resurrection

etrealjunior 2020-10-07 09:18

I liked your game my congratulations, I also did one if you want to know, and give me your feedback I am very grateful, this is the link https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/resurrection

lucien-catonnet 2020-10-07 09:27

What a strange experience! Kind of resonated with the whole pandemic situation. The photography and sounds were really nice, I can't say I felt too invested in the characters though, but it's hard to do that with a few lines I guess. Congrats!

chocolat-endive 2020-10-07 10:33

Thanks everybody!

@lucien-catonnet Thanks! The parralel with current events was not really a thing we had in mind but I guess it makes sense. And yeah, that's the main problem of this game, there is immersion, but not real interactions. Thanks for your review.

And @etrealjunior please, you don't need to spam the same comments on every game to have reviews. I'll look at your game later.

squidzilla 2020-10-07 12:40

Wow, you guys made me totally zen. The photography is really lovely, makes me wonder where you guys live. France, right? This experience was totally different from anything I've seen around. Lovely.

joskerdu 2020-10-07 12:58

But is it art? Yes; yes it is. Thanks for something very different.

vphyre 2020-10-07 15:22

Excellent atmosphere in the game. I liked the interactions and the photos. Good job.

oddsocks 2020-10-07 16:09

This was a really amazing creation. Atmospheric, emotional. I was not expecting that. Nothing like I've ever seen on LD before. The photography was fantastic. Massive congrats on an amazing and different LD entry :raised_hands:

kurt-roembke 2020-10-07 16:25

Easily my favorite submission I've played so far on this LD. The music, photography, generated people, and ai voices came together so well. Putting the player in a mood and then asking them to participate is also a really nice touch. Great work! Keep doing you. Also, who did the music? I loved it.

carraka 2020-10-07 16:30

I've been playing this game for hours now. I wander the streets over and over, searching. Did I miss a button? Perhaps there will be someone at this dead end, where there was none before. I want to honor all their memories. But I am losing mine. I've been playing this game for days now. Or has it been years?

jofish 2020-10-07 16:30

I love unapologetically arty things, so I was really pleased with this. I love the tone, I loved the photography, the mood, the atmosphere. Only minor gripes were things like a lot of the UI options being unintuitive (the opening "start exploring" text had me confusedly pressing standard movement buttons before it occurred to me to try and click on it), but that really doesn't detract all that much. You should be super proud of this.

(Also those photos are Crisp)

rafatic 2020-10-07 16:35

As everyone said, I've been intringued by the story and loved the ambiance. I had a "Covid lockdown" feeling, did it inspire you ? Or I am just reading too far into this. Anyway, congrats !

frecklebars 2020-10-07 16:39

i really enjoyed the mood. at first i was somewhat confused as to what i was supposed to do. but slowly as i went thorugh places it all kinda fit together and absorbed me. a really cool experience, and a weirdly cool surprise when i noticed the map was getting whiter and music more intense as i played. i loved it

shay-cichocki 2020-10-07 17:33

Definitely one of the best games this year. I feel that you have pushed the limits with this game and I really enjoyed the mood and the feel about the game as a whole. Great job.

tarfield 2020-10-07 17:39

This game is giving me an existential crisis, the fact that none of this is real though it looks completely .. real? That is seriously interesting...

wendel-scardua 2020-10-07 17:55

The memory we type, is that sent to you? Not that it matters, I felt like writing something even if it was just for me - and I don't even like writing, that's how much I liked your game. Thanks for making it.

chocolat-endive 2020-10-07 18:08

Thanks everybody! It's great to see you appreciate the game!

@squidzilla Indeed, we live in France!

@kurt-roembke Thanks a lot! I (Zhao) did the music and you can see my hardware here if you're interested: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/light-footsteps-after-the-rain/the-chocolat-endive-team-is-ready I'm glad you enjoyed it!

@carraka Nobody can tell, @carraka I myself have lost track of time... well... since... I don't seem to remember.

@jofish Ow, we did'nt even thought about that kind of possibility. I guess we should have say somewhere that the gameplay was mouse centered.

@rafatic It was not a direct or conscious inspiration, but I understand the parralel between "covid lockdown" and the mood of our game. Maybe that was an unconscious inspiration.

@tarfield The artificial VS. real thing is always a weird feeling. Glad you appreciate it!

@wendel-scardua Thanks to you for playing it! Nothing is sent to us. We would'nt do something like this without telling the player.

hamus 2020-10-07 18:38

Love the audio processing here honestly, really neat warbling effect on the voices. Cool use of the city generator too!

a-jeannerod 2020-10-07 19:27

The ambiance is perfect... I travelled for some time somewhere else. Feeling a bit empty now.

jakob-reborn 2020-10-07 19:45

Wow! I'm kind of speechless! This is a great, almost spiritual experience. Somehow it gave me reminiscence of a Russian game 'Pathologic' wchich is my Holy Grail! Loved the song playing in the background. Do you keep those answers that people gave at the end? It would be interesting to see what others wrote.

chocolat-endive 2020-10-07 20:06

Thank you everyone! :)

@jakob-reborn We don't know the game you've mentioned, but we're going to check it out! Nothing is saved or shared by the game, the memories are stuck in the loop too.

hansj 2020-10-07 21:06

Great atmosphere! Really love that you went outside to do this! Keep it!

azsteak 2020-10-07 21:17

Very interessting mood. It's not quite my type of game alas !

e-rvin 2020-10-07 21:27

Really interesting narrative, it works wonderfully well in terms of the story coming together piece-by-piece, but never being fully revealed. Especially given that the player gets to choose the order they check the places (or idk, at least the player gets the feeling of choice :D )

chocolat-endive 2020-10-07 21:35

Thank you for all the nice comments!

@e-rvin : Yes the player can choose in what order they visit places :)

zachary-granger 2020-10-08 01:02

Really enjoyed this. I'm always afraid that the submissions will try too hard to stick to the theme and this was a breath of fresh air.

The music is great, the concept is simple and freeing, and I enjoyed the writing. "Can paths extend over the roads? Can roads extend all over the world?". I liked that line.

The memory at the end was a perfect way to end it. I kind of wish we got to see what everyone added in there, but the idea is still great.

kate90 2020-10-08 17:07

Melancholic game. It is really well done, music, voices, photos. Some of the places where empty, loved them the most. In every other, voices were sad, whenever it was old or young men.

ryzy27 2020-10-08 17:14

What a unique experience. I enjoyed the story a lot. Wish I could listen/read till the end, but white screen was first :)

Thanks for linking all those generators. Might be useful in the future!

I think that background music was a bit too loud compared to voices, but that could be my headset.

Loved it. Keep it up!

narom42 2020-10-08 17:35

Really nice pictures. I recognized you are a fellow french :) Thanks for the experience !

darcytimms 2020-10-08 20:43

A great piece of interactive fiction, and a very unique way to deliver your story, especially using so many AI generated assets, the world and "event" you built had a very eerie nature to it, made the more eerie by the slightly less than human look of the faces, and their slightly robotic voices, you gave me enough to get me hooked, but just enough so that I left with a delighted intrigue. Great job!!

etrealjunior 2020-10-08 21:01

Congratulations, excellent game, your photography is impeccable, and I must add with great taste, it shows that you have a passion for art, the game ended up becoming very conceptual, you could have added some elements by clicking to tell a little more about the story as interactive fragments, more once it is an honor to meet people with such good talents, a big hug.

marc-antoine-girard 2020-10-09 00:17

I never played a game like this but I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere, the photographies, the story telling, really nice exprecience!

gungnir 2020-10-09 11:54

Great mood, great use of emergent technology. Impeccable photography. Thanks.

food-lovers 2020-10-09 17:40

Guys, it's awesome! I thing it's the greatest interpretetion of jam's topic, what I've seen so far! I've mentioned that all stories somehow connected to personal time loop, where no one else than person wich story we hear. I my mind it created feeling what that city — purgatory. Overal, it's cool game, I wish, I will see extended version on some exhibition of interactive art(and may be in Russia)!

classyboganstudios 2020-10-10 02:00

I really enjoyed being immersed in this and provoked by it. The photography, writing and music was beautiful and extremely moving. I found the presence of people's faces to be a really welcome comfort in this world - only to be wrong-footed and discomfited again by the realisation that "thispersondoesnotexist". The non-existence of the city, the people, the speech was a kind of kick in the gut somehow!

I was blown away by the intimations of mortality and infinity in lines such as "It rained again last night... It'll never stop, except maybe for me" and "before I join my parents and all the others". Existence as a grand loop that we join for a few rounds without ever really understanding why or where we are going.

It was through engaging with these post-modern fragments that the real deep connection to the theme emerged in such a powerful way - and I am sure will be received in a different way by every player.

Thank you for this piece, it's something that can change a person in only a brief touch. Outstanding! [@hapticfabric for Classy Bogan Studios]

roikku 2020-10-11 17:34

Very nice moody audio. :)

codertrevor 2020-10-11 17:36

This game is artsy af. It was a breath of fresh air to see something so different. It was cool how you hinted at the backstory but left the player to guess what was going on. There's not much "gameplay" but the mood is terrific. Having the player type something at the very end was thought-provoking. Good job!

trexxak 2020-10-12 00:21

aaah, love the idea of using ai to some extent in your game :) With how you filtered the voices, I didn't even realize at first that it's machines speaking and was about to write how great the voice acting was :'D The photographs look oddly familiar to me, like I want to say "these photos have to be taken in Germany", but I would think that was the purpose - to make you feel like you know the place.

You nailed the mood. I was immersed into a world with certain expiration date and really felt what the different people were saying. Especially following quotes hit right into the feels:

ld_s3.png

The background music really enhanced the overall feeling, too! The textbox at the end did ask me for the purpose, then I simply THOUGHT about the question and gave a somewhat vague answer, but I feel that doesn't even matter, it matters that I thought about the question asked in the first place.

Thank you so much for bringing this piece of art to us all u_u

honest-dan 2020-10-12 13:19

An artsy game indeed! I do enjoy that LD demonstrates not all games need to be about highscores, killing or puzzle solving. It was interesting to see the speech and images used were ai generated too. Really enjoyed the music - set the mood. I almost wish there was a little more direction with the narrative, as sometimes I am left feeling a bit short-changed when I invest in a story to feel its completely up to my interpretation. I don't mind doing some of the thinking, but quite often I'm interested in the story the designer had to tell. I enjoyed!

imod 2020-10-12 14:09

Very atmospheric! Music and graphics create very interesting mood!

fabula-rasa 2020-10-12 20:06

More an interactive experience than a game - reminds me of an installation I once saw in a modern art museum in Warsaw (I think it was Warsaw, it was sooo many years ago).

I really liked the mood you created. Reflexive but a bit disturbing, uneasy yet meditative at the same time. Or maybe rather - meditative with a hint of uneasiness underneath. The music really enhanced the whole experience - well-made, maybe just a hint too loud in comparison to the voice-over.

I really always liked existential art pieces. And this is definitely one of them.

Not sure about a relation to the theme of this jam, though.

chocolat-endive 2020-10-12 20:37

Thanks everybody!

@fabula-rasa I'm glad you enjoyed our little game. About the theme, well... every people in the town has faded away and left memories behind them... and, you are too. And the time seems to be stuck. It sounded like some kind of loop for us. But I agree it's really an "interpretation" of the theme, and not an implementation in the gameplay mechanics.

And yeah, we really should have added some kind of sliders for setting speech/music volumes.

msiddeek 2020-10-13 06:09

So eerie. One of the most artistic games I played this jam. There was a game about a ghost whisperer that had similar atmosphere which I cannot remember the name of. I'd love to see this developed into something like that. Congrats on the cool entry!

chocolat-endive 2020-10-15 18:40

@msiddeek I'd be happy to try this "ghost whisperer" game if you manage to remember the name. Thanks!

zaibakk 2020-10-17 16:05

Very nice mood here! I liked wandering in the city and talking to people. Gameplay wise is not very deep and dunno if it fits with jam theme, but anyway it's a very cool experience. Good job!

gorrgolem 2020-10-21 11:10

Very interesting and original, and poetic and all. The photographs are great. A very pleasant experience, well done :)

tamail 2020-10-23 14:29

This felt more like an experience than a game - which was pretty cool! I loved the visuals, it was great to look at "everyday, not special" places in a different city. I would love to see other messages from other players + I'd tone down the music, it was owerpowering the voice recordings and was a bit annoying after a while. Otherwise, nice game!

chocolat-endive 2020-10-24 20:07

@zaibakk We use the theme in the "scenario" of the game. People are stuck in an empty town and are vanishing, and the player is too. I'm happy you enjoyed the mood!

@gorrgolem Thank you! We indeed tried to make something different this time, and we're glad to see people enjoying it.

@tamail Thanks a lot! We thought about making a way to upload and share other people messages, but it was impossible for us in such a short time. And yeah, we definitely should have made some kind of settings for the music/speech volume.