lakshyaisagod 2021-04-26 06:05
TODO: review game
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD48 → Silent Growth
By bar0net
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.00 | 5 | ||
| Fun | 4.00 | 5 | ||
| Innovation | 4.16 | 5 | ||
| Theme | 4.50 | 5 | ||
| Graphics | 4.50 | 5 | ||
| Audio | 4.83 | 5 | ||
| Humor | 3.50 | 4 | ||
| Mood | 4.50 | 4 |
TODO: review game
That was pretty cool! I think the bottom of the text on the tutorial page got cut off a bit. It's a cool set of mechanics, it just took me rereading the tutorial a couple times.
I liked both the look of the tree and the grid on the ground. The monochromatic scheme with color for the resources was really slick.
Some of the resources, like the black gem were at a better scale than others. The blue resource was the only confusing one, since it looked half-black. It would have been an interesting decision if it was (whether to go all one color, or use 50-50 to play safe). The scrollwheel controls and UI weren't immediately obvious so I'm glad you wrote out how to play, but the general scheme of clicking to place resources worked well (and it always placed where I was expecting).
If I could wish for more, it'd be for more of my decisions to interact with the systems you already have... Like more ways to direct the roots, perhaps based on which of the 3 resource slots you picked, or resources push/pull in a specific direction based on color, so I can choose to play risky to split a root, or use the "wrong" resource just to be safe. Also would have been nice to be able to plan further ahead (maybe by seeing both the current root and what the next split will be).
@s1lv3r-dr4g0n-games Thank you for taking the time to play my game and for pointing the issue in the tutorial screen. To be honest, I rushed all that last minute and I just checked that the 'back' button was working.
@goodgamesjames I think you just pointed out all the things I struggled the most during development xD I maintained the blue resource from the first pass (I was intending to do something more 'reality-based' and I intended that to be water). Finally, I went with something more symbolic and I wanted everything to have disctinct colors and shapes but... Let's say I should spend more time honing my visual design skills.
The magnet idea was a compromise solution to make things clear and easy. My first idea was to make them grow towards what the tree needed the most (but that could lead to a less predictable behaviour), the second idea was to have every root favor something (that ended up being the split mechanic) and I ended up settleing for the magnet. If I had more time, that would defenitely be something I would spend some time prototyping and trying different ideas!
Thank you for the extensive review and all the insights!!!
Nice game. I liked the puzzle. Has a nice gentle pace.