marvis 2022-04-04 19:33
I don't feel like there's enough light
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD50 → Zom-Beware!
By adam-gould
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 142 | 3.73 | 21 | |
| Fun | 90 | 3.84 | 21 | |
| Innovation | 159 | 3.65 | 21 | |
| Theme | 257 | 3.73 | 21 | |
| Graphics | 242 | 3.60 | 21 | |
| Audio | 196 | 3.47 | 21 | |
| Mood | 145 | 3.61 | 20 |
I don't feel like there's enough light
A very solid effort! I got a little stuck on my first attempt (on a 3x3 grid) and gave up halfway through because I'd used all my tiles for banks and houses - I'd been under the impression you could reassign them later. A little more information on screen would be welcome, particularly how long it takes to train a unit. I also found it difficult sometimes to click on a unit instead of the tile it was on. But the game as a whole is easy to read, I think - I didn't find the lighting to be a problem - and the pawn style pieces have a surprising amount of character with their little hats! It's also quite satisfying to see your little army come together.
>ARGUABLY SPOILERY DETAILS BELOW:
>I know you say discovery is part of the fun but I would have welcomed some hint as to what the zombie invasion would involve. You're committed to five minutes or so of preparation, and the invasion itself (at least on a 5x5 grid) seems to go on even longer, so it's not the sort of game I think really lends itself to multiple attempts in a single session. Assuming that you only lose when your last unit falls, I feel as though I could have gone for far longer by clustering mine together closer - I'd spread them out because I suspected that there might be some kind of penalty for allowing zombies onto my tiles. That also takes me out of the game a little. Obviously it's all pretty abstract, but it would be good to know up front whether tiles need to be defended, whether units can move once placed, etc.: the people these pawns represent would know that from the start, so I feel as though I should too. But those are pretty minor complaints - it's worth a trail run just to get a handle on how the thing works.
All in all, a neat game that I think I may well come back to sometime in future!
I feel like this is an excellent entry. The simplicity of the graphics really worked for me. The music loop was a bit short, but it didn't get old, even after listening to it for over ten minutes. I enjoyed the board game aesthetic. I completely goofed the first game I did, and then I gave the complex a try with the realization that I could probably survive for a while. I never needed more than four builders, and honestly managing four was often that one was walking to a place while it was being completed. I ended up with six warriors and seven archers, and that got me to almost 20,000 points!
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Probably my biggest time sink of all the compo games so far. Boardgame aesthetic was great, lots of replay value from exploring the mechanics and strategies. Only minor gripe I had was that the board pieces block mouse raycasts (I'm assuming?) when trying to move other pieces, so a few times I had to move one piece out of the way so I could get another one into position. All in all, great entry, fantastic job
Some quality of life functions would walk a long way for this game. Skip to the zombie hord. Tear down buildings and so. But I liked the game a lot. If it wouldn't take like 15 mins to play one round, I would play more. Art was nice tho. You rarely see something that fits the mood as well as this.
Made me remeber the entry I made for LD 39, which was also building in a grid. Really enjoyed playing it.
Agreed about the QOL potential, regardless this is really neat. The most fun I've had from the game mechanics alone this jam so far!
So this is absolutely the best tile based game I've played in a long time. I was kinda confused about what to do in the first round but in the second round when I knew what the buildings and units were doing I had a blast preparing for the oncoming apocalypse. Also the ragdoll physics deserve a prize. I love them.
I love the little board game aesthetic! And that extra flourish when the pieces get knocked away was a very nice touch.
Like others have pointed out, my main complaint is that the invasion phase can take too long. I lasted for 6 minutes on 8 minutes of prep - that's nearly half my time spent doing nothing. Some interactivity during that phase - being able to reposition pieces, having buildings get knocked down and needing the builders to repair them - could go a long way to help alleviate that boredom.
@j0ye @roryh @niterich Thanks for the feedback there! The #1 thing I wanted to do was add a "skip to zombie invasion" button, but didn't have the time to add it... #justcompothings
Other things I really wanted to add included: UI that isn't just the Unity default stuff; more terrain types instead of just grassland that would improve/hinder certain buildings and units; buildings that maybe allow you to do things when the board flips to the other side for the invasion; more building types in general; and building upgrades to give builders something to do once you've fully built up the board.
One of my favorite compo entries so far!
A very nicely balanced gameplay loop: build your city as panic of the upcoming attack grows and then sit back and watch it unfold. Beautiful. Clever usage of chess-like mechanics in an unexpected way. The overall mood is also very well set.
My only very minor complain is that the night is really dark, and it's hard to see what's going on. But overall a really great experience for something done in 2 days! Love it :heart:
Thanks for coming to my stream! Here's a recording in case you'd like to refer to it https://youtu.be/aJkdjOKW03M
Could use some QoL improvements like skipping directly to wave, also more ways to spend cash, as well as more zombie variants (ranged for example). More ways to spend cash during the zombie hoard would be nice. But great game for a compo!
@alexthehuman2 Agreed on all points! Maybe one day in the future I'll pick this back up again, flesh it out, and polish it.
This is a nice concept! I really like the overall feeling, and while it can be improved here and there (stuff I assume you yourself are already aware), I do feel like it's a really good project for a jam setting. Nice work.
Interesting concept and mood! I agree on things others said, like skipping to the zombie wave etc, but great basic concept!
Well done!
Very impressive concept! I loved the audio and the suspense!
I played it twice because I messed up on my first attempt, trying to maximize my building potential first by having lots of banks and houses. I then realized that you could not reassign buildings :D
I finally understood on my second try that you actually have to build as much builders as possible to fight of the invasion (well... I think ? Maybe I misunderstood something ?)
The game feels a little bit slow and uneventful, but I definitely like the music and the board game feel. Also, noticing that it's turning dark and the invasion is getting closer was a nice use of dynamic lighting :)
Very nice ! Music remind me of the first Age of Empire, maybe one of your inspirations ?
Cool game. Love the chess figures with the helmets. Funny idea!
Attack animations for the zombies would be nice. Also you don't have to make the game so dark when the battle begins. I could barely see anything.
Good job with the game. I enjoyed playing!
Your mac build doesn’t open (using MacOS 12.3.1). Just says ‘The application “ZomBeware_Mac” can’t be opened.’ I think that’s usually caused by some file(s) having incorrect permissions in your zip archive.