Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → Damien Black
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Hu | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 56 | Tiny Creatures | Quantum Swarm | jam | 105 | 4.06 | 3.96 | 4.44 | 3.69 | 3.61 | 3.73 |
Ok, I love CGoL, but this seemed like a dumb idea. Only because I've tried to make games based on the rules of CGoL before. I WAS WRONG. This was very fun, and the patterns you used made for very cool puzzles. Soooo, I tried to optimize. Open challenge, 135 moves, read them and weep.
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My feature request would be to see an animation of what just happened after you complete a level. I think that'd be awesome.
Awesome. Well executed. I love the sound effects. Art is suuuper cute. I'm sad to say that I can't read the text at all. Is there a wat to select a card or zoom in that I'm missing?
Very well made. Difficulty is very steep. As devs, it is good for us to remember that our games are always much easier for us to play than the user that is opening it for the first time.
Reminds me of Liero. Did anyone else play that game?
Nice mood! Good fit with the theme. Took me three tried to get through the potion room, it was hard!
Very impressive! I love the goofy models of the customers and slimes!
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Classic tower defense! Well made. Impressive getting all the targeting options working! Scaling is really good.
Nice platformer. Mashing with my left hand is hard!
Fun and hard. I love the audio.
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Great mood! Graphics are very interesting. My stomach dropped the first time I got a glimpse of a critter. The flashlight battery going down is terrifying.
Fun! I like the idea of using sound to locate them. I though I had limited ammo until I realize, no, just go at them!
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I like some of the visual polish you put on things. The Beetles only sell for $225, so I couldn't get enough for a spider. :(
From a gameplay perspective, there seems to be no reason to keep any creatures besides the two you are breeding. All-in-all, congratulations on the game.
I completed 2 of the 4 goals. It came together well. The webpage is cutting of the camera a bit, I couldn't see the edges on chrome.
Very pretty, cool idea! Puzzles were tricky. I clipped out of the world once, not sure if it was a bug.
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Your lemon-things are cute. I like the idea of having to keep everyone awake while accomplishing other things!
Very good fit with the theme. Double jump works well (people mess it up often). Cute graphics.
I did something! I really like the vibe, great job. More feedback that I'm clicking things would have helped me out. The mouse cursor feels in the wrong spot for me. Really love the approach though.
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I hustled those rats!
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If there was supposed to be an end game screen I missed it! I thought it would be funny to fold when I was the only one and soft locked it, lol.
While it was cute and fun, since these is no ante I made a fool of those rate. Wait for a good hand then raise my heart out. I don't know what they had, of course, but at least once I think I beat a flush with a higher flush. That poor mouse was raising like crazy. When I won, I think I could see the pixelated disappointment and sadness on his face.
Well executed. Add an ante and it becomes more of a challenge.
That is really great! I really like it.
I LOVE that you have high scores. I wanted to do something like that so badly. I had a server up and ready to go but didn't have a chance to use it.
I was surprised when other creatures started attacking! I didn't expect there to be new content! Is there more? Am I missing a boss or something?
Drinlan! You only barely got away from me!
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If I were to give constructive criticism, I would recommend faster, smaller danger boxes. The slow blasts though really do give an ominous feel, so I'm not sure my suggestion is a good one. You do you!
Ok, I played this for waaaay too long. I guess it gotch me. It makes me want more. If a bit more was added I could see myself really sinking into this. It was fun. The stats didn't always seem right though. I always lost to creature that had worse stats?
There is a bug where if you click on an upgrade button that is maxed, it just closes the upgrade menu even it you have more points. Additionally, the Vit Attack button (is that attack speed) doesn't ever switch to say that it is maxed like the others do.
Bears are OP. Forget the snake, it just dies on me. Give me a bear anyday.
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I'd like to also give it the highest complement I can give -- it makes me want to make a similar game!
I like the "switch the roles" aspect of the game. I could not figure out how to get very far though. I think it is generally bad practice to require the middle-mouse button, a lot of people don't have one. However, I also used middle mouse button for movement in my game. Shame on us both.
It looks pretty polished. Congratulations.
Great proof of concept for a stealth game. I think the audio that was there was good. Here are some suggestions:
Level design was pretty dull. I know, we don't have much time for it, but that is the biggest improvement you would need to make.
The visible box is a little to large. I though I was hidden a few times but got caught. Remember, hit boxes, visibility boxes, jump timing, should always favor the player a bit more than is "realistic". Always give them a few pixels of wiggle room.
In level 3 you introduce a human, and let me know that they can't see me through walls. This is a great "show not tell" moment. Give me a easy path that will get me caught, and a slightly different path that keeps me safe behind walls. I'll mess up, then realize I need to stay behind the walls. I'll feel smart and want to keep playing.
I'm attaching a screenshot of a place I think the level was poorly made. Finding a spot like this isn't "fun". Finding hidden spots can be fun, but you've gotta really guide the player into them and there should be a much better visual cue.
I would always offer WASD as an alternative. My right hands and left hands just work differently.
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I know it isn't easy making these game, so congratulation on getting something working that has a good mechanic and a framework that can be built on. Remember that only 0.01% of people could do what you just did and keep up the good work.
Well done. Great all around. Actually feels balanced to, I know many of us don't really have time to find good balance but this feels done well.
I liked that in the first level the germ's attacks were synced with the music. It would be cool for it to stay that way as it sped up.
I didn't realize you could shoot. First level took me forever. Very Funny!
Cute! Great music. I'm having a little trouble with the mouse not being captures. When my system mouse hits the edge of the screen I can't go further in the game. Small issue. Very polished otherwise!
Got to wave 6 on my second try. It seems like there is a lot of skill expression in this. It is very polished, great animation, great sound design, all around impressive.
I'll throw out one suggestions, camera zoom in and zoom out should be centered on the mouse. My game has that problem too! I couldn't figure out the math in time, lol.
Great game y'all.
I love the idea. I could not trap the rabbit :(
Nice, cute art. I was trying to to use WASD, but my mouse cursor was in the window and it lead to be jumping around strangely. Took me a moment to figure out. Fits the theme well.
I have discovered that tranquility hurts my ears. I think you really nailed an aesthetic. I did get stuck, I didn't seem to have a place from this checkpoint, and tranquility would get me before I could backtrack. I might have missed something.
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Well done. I'm always impressed when people come up with a cool puzzle mechanic. I'm even more impressed when they come up with good puzzles too.
I gave up on puzzle 5 or 6. Don't get me wrong, I would have kept playing, but having to restart a puzzle because of a mis-click or a mistake is really rough. And I've got other games to rate. I think it is good practice to allow a one-step undo when you die. Now if I get myself into an unwinnable position, that's on me, I'll use a restart button. But I don't think the game would suffer from infinite undo either.
At the very start I didn't realize that they can move sideways. I think I was thinking of that cars game where they only go forward and backward. Having one of two levels where all you do is move one creature sideways is never a bad idea.
On web, at least, the clicking and dragging was really rough. I got unexpected movements when I just clicked and let go a few times. One led to a death when I was already in the clear. The 1x1 shrimp does not like leaving, I've gotta really slam him, lol.
I wanted the level to end when I only had one color left, but mostly because moving then was tedious. If the controls were cleaner I probably wouldn't have had that thought.
I'm giving a bit of criticism, but this is coming from a place of love. If you clean up the graphics a bit, fix the mouse controls, add one or two more mechanics that you sprinkle in later on, then bam! Put it on steam for $1.99, have occasional 50% off sales. I can't guarantee that it will sell, but it will deserve to be there.
Also, I need something better than color to keep track of who eats who. I don't have any good ideas, but we should brainstorm some up.
Very cute. Come up with a few more mechanics and maybe long term goals and we have a solid game. Obviously some maps are much easier than others, but that's just how it goes.
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Beautiful game. Nice audio. Cool concept. I do think the platforming is really hard. Hitboxes are pretty unforgiving and some of the jumps are really tight.
Solid, I got 15,000+ using only artillery, lol. Stay on the end screen so I can get a screenshot!
Classic tower defense. I know it's hard to find time for audio (I didn't get any in my game) but it always help the feel.
Sorry, I'm stuck on the web version I'm stuck on the menu screen. Can't click "play". :(
EDIT: I figured it out, I'm dumb!
That was fun. I liked the unique movement. I feel like there was actual strategy I was able to use. I was surprised when I got to a "boss". Well done!
Cool! The connecting wires to program little buddies is the same idea as my game! You did great, I know exactly how hard it is!
Very atmospheric. I played until the end. I was going to grab a screenshot but it auto jumped to the menu :/
I'm super interest in the physics of the branches swaying. Did you get an existing physics engine to handle that or is it something you cooked up yourself? Well done in any case.
I'm bad at this. It is really easy to "fall behind the curve" and end up with no characters. The red triangles were really kicking my butt until I realized I need to be behind them.
Well made. The audio and graphics are really good. This is the type of game I don't even know how to start. Well done!
Very cute! Great graphics. I couldn't figure out the fishing mini-game :(. Love the music!
The enemy sprites remind me all original DOOM for some reason. :)
I really like the idea of a tower defense game where you don't have static towers. Just an all out battle. From a gameplay perspective, it didn't make any sense to place units anywhere besides the very front. From a balance perspective, once I started getting ahead, the enemy had no chance.
The art is really nice. Good work.
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Nice job. I have yet to make any 3D games so when I see this stuff it just makes me want to just in. Congrats on the game.
I enjoyed this game a lot. I got to 9 minutes but couldn't pay the 90. I think, optimally I could probably pay day 10 rent, but I'm not sure.
Paying for customers doesn't feel like it did anything :(. I was hoping to get two customers at a time.
Fun and addicting. One of my favorites.
Nice, gg. End screen was out of frame? It had fun to it.
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It's hard to reply to people individually, but thank you so much for the response! I've added documentation to this page for everything. Both the stuff in the regular game, and things that are only in the sandbox.
I've pickup some great ideas from you guys! Of course I wanted it to save your board when you go back! I'm literally only 8 lines of code away from having it working. I just ran out of time.
Having a legend is a ... well ... legendary idea. Being able to pick the nodes back up and move them is just smart.
Playing all these other great games has made me realize that I missed out big time by not putting in some sounds and music. It was planned, but I just ran out of time. In hindsight, some good music and sound effect are worth way more than... pheromones...
If I had 24 more hours I feel like I really could have knocked it out of the park. I haven't done a jam myself before, and now I'm even more amazed at what you guys can accomplish in the time. Cheers to everyone who has taken time to play my game and cheers to all of the great games I've gotten to rate!
@hexstart I hadn't yet thought of moving whole sections. That is a good idea.
Very cute. I was looking for the sim-ant entry. I enjoyed playing, actually fun. I spent the first 5 games trying to control the ants myself and completely failing. it was only when I stopped looking at the map and focused on creating ants and setting their ai goal that I made progress. Still didn't get very far, but I'll probably come back later :)
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Also, the variation on Ant Go Marching is wicked good. Sounds great!
Ok, it's a simple game. But I think there is always a quite power in doing something simple very well. Map gen seemed really good. I liked the background elements that made reading the map non-trivial. Animation on our character was a good touch. Particle effects were an unexpected detail.
One time the two coins were right next to each other. I did get the "stuck" bug when I was spamming left while hitting the level end.
Congratulations on the game.
I think something is wrong. I just die after 1.5 seconds with the message "You Fail. You survived for 3 years".
The window here on ldjam seems to be cutting things off, perphaps I'm missing something? I'd recommend getting the game on itch.
It looks really cool though!
Definitely giving good horror vibes!
Hey, this is really well laid out, and an excellent framework. Well done. The UI told me everything I needed to know to jump in. What is happening is clear. This is good game dev right here.
I love it. I'm definitely using this as inspiration in the future. I beat the game, but, uh, I never figured out the red triangle rule. I'm missing something. A few more levels and I would've figured it out...
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I like it. I didn't realize that it was kinda a puzzle game at first. With these games sometimes I don't know whether it is well laid out and I just need to think harder or whether it's just tweaky. Luckily yours was the former and quite smart.
Like other have said, the hitboxes are really unforgiving. Normal procedure for platform games is to make the hit boxes smaller than they "should" be. I think it is good to keep in mind.
I got softlocked on level three. I don't think there was a way for me to restart the level and I couldn't die.
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For anyone trying to figure out what to do, click on the creatures to damage them. It takes more than one click to kill them.
Nice art, animations are very hard for me to make. Well done.
Great start on something unique. Tiny recommendation, it is hard to read the words when they are bouncing up and down. I don't know if that is a bug, but it made things challenging.
I slowly discovered several strategies that help, which is always cool in a game. The difficulty ramps up really hard. World two's first fight beat be 5 or 6 times. I finally got through but then got demolished by the world 2 boss. Didn't even do 10% damage. I like the graphical idea of finding more colors, but I only got to see the one red :(
I played for a good half an hour, it is fun, but probably much harder than you realize.
Also, some of the difficulty seemed to be from unforgiving RNG. I had a world 2 first battle where I only saw 4 or 5 summon squares and they were all in corners.
I think the difficulty would be pretty balanced if I kept my army when starting world two. But since I start from scratch it is really hard.
I really did enjoy the game.
Hey, can you put the post-jam HTML5 somewhere? Glad you went to turns, I think slowly!
I really like the idea!
Congratulation on getting a game working in three days! I'm gonna challenge you to add to this game.
* Make the creatures come from random locations * Add randomness to the spawn times * Make them move slow at the start and become faster as your score goes up * Give me a "you lose" screen when I miss enough and give me a final score
And just like that, you've got a full game.
Actually a really interesting idea for a maze-like game. If I were to run with this, I'd zoom out so you can plan a little, and have other things to collect for the end goal. Perhaps there is a reason to be big as well, like to break through things. So the game would be you figuring out how to manage your size to be at the right size in the right place. There would be many ways to get somewhere, but many would leave you at the wrong size.
I got to an open area. Was there more or is that the end?