2023-10-01 19:44
Like the idea (very relatable), the theme and the style Was not entirely sure if the choices are randomly generated and would be interested to play a more expanded versio n with more options
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD54 → Cramped Choices, a Lifetime Dilemmas!
By tommy, Beatrice and LudovicaPiro
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 989 | 3.04 | 25 | |
| Fun | 1046 | 2.67 | 25 | |
| Innovation | 659 | 3.23 | 25 | |
| Theme | 557 | 3.65 | 25 | |
| Graphics | 695 | 3.39 | 25 | |
| Humor | 422 | 3.20 | 22 | |
| Mood | 772 | 3.27 | 24 |
Like the idea (very relatable), the theme and the style Was not entirely sure if the choices are randomly generated and would be interested to play a more expanded versio n with more options
The concept is good but it's missing an identity. It's really generic and it's missing feedback from good or bad choice (I sound or particle effect). With few more hours, can be really fun to play
I liked the graphics <3
it's a fatalist game! unless i'm missing something, there isn't any way to influence or deduce crowdiness, which is unfortunate. interesting idea, though. i also like art style. watch me play it in [second episode of my ld54 letsplay](https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/54/cramped-choices-a-lifetime-dilemmas)
I agree with @caryoscelus, I wish there was a way to influence or deduce crowdedness ahead of time. There wasn't much replay value once I realized my choices were not really impacting the outcome of the game since there would be no way to improve upon my previous play without hoping for a better roll of the dice. If there was a way to influence or predict crowdedness it was not clear what those methods were.
I did enjoy the usage of the theme though. The story is relatable, and makes me feel existential dread lol. As uncomfortable as that dread is, it was very effective.
I liked the graphics and how simple it is to start playing it, also the music gives it a frenetic mood. After some times playing I felt like there was no way to influence running out of space, on the other hand maybe that was the whole point!
At first I thought I was competing with other players of this game, trying to pick choices that others wouldn't take - outsmarting them. Then I realize that the options were random, and that pretty much killed to fun for me: having no control just didn't feel good.
It's a shame, too, because the use of the theme is smart, the graphics are nice, the game animates well, the music is absolutely on point. (Why can't I give it the 5⭐ it deserves?)
Just being allowed to watch people _enter_ the spaces, and having to remember where people went, would give the player agency and be much more interesting.
cool game, keep up the good work
Thank you all for playing and rating the game!
@caryoscelus @matt-walak @greytyphoon the way that other people choose where to go is not exactly random, as they prioritize places that got them good rewards in the past (i.e., if taking the car when everyone else takes it and thus having strong maluses to both health and happyness, then in future days the car will be less likely to be chosen). I agree with you though that this behaviour is not strong enough to be felt by players (expecially in the first few days of the gameplay); with a bit more time (we had to restrict ourselves to 24 hours) and/or with a dedicated game designer this aspect could have been certainly been polished more.
@greytyphoon the music is downloaded from a creative commons archive, so we opted out from ratings as we did not produce it ourselves.
An interesting approach to the everyday life of an office worker. At the end of each day I expected something more. After the tenth day and the end of the music track, the motivation to play disappears.
Nice Game. I have to agree with others that it wasn't clear to me how to figure out how the others make their choices, which took out the fun for me. A way to skip the animations would also be appreciated, at the moment if you click during the card reveal you can choose one even if you do not see what is written on it :smile:
Cool game. Very unique spin on the theme. The graphics are surprisingly sophisticated, and the music is pretty cool too, but I don't think it loops correctly, as at one point I couldn't hear it anymore. Well done team!
I must have missed something, but I could not see any clues to the choices I should make. You say "choose wisely", but I saw no information or clues as to what could be crowded and what will not be, so it didn't seem possible to "choose wisely". All seemed just random and as a result, I didn't feel like I have much agency, like I'm playing at all, just clicking whatever. Maybe that's exactly what you were going for! The commentary on the actual uselessness of those small everyday decisions :wink:
The graphics are nice, and so is the music (it didn't loop, though, it just stopped at some point and there was silence). The concept itself is interesting and your interpretation of the theme is quite unique!
Haha it turns out it's easy to get crowded picking according to my first reaction. The three options were actually pretty well paced and I was expecting more questions and interesting feedback. All in all good job!
Cool concept. Simple game play, but it kept me interested. Good job.
I really enjoyed the game; it's quite simple but has its unique twist. The gameplay is quite original, in my opinion. Keep it up. I won't mention all the shortcomings and bugs in the game as they have been described above