Shovel Master by DBRalir 2013-12-17T19:05:00
That was really fun, simple and fun. Also, the music was very cool.
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → Jeasonfire
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | Co | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 36 | Ancient Technology | In Ancient Wilderness | compo | |||||||||||
| 2016 | 35 | Shapeshift | Perspective | compo | 340 | 3.35 | 3.25 | 3.95 | 3.20 | 3.05 | 2.84 | 3.21 | 36 | ||
| 2015 | 34 | Two Button Controls / Growing | Finite Growth | compo | 474 | 3.24 | 3.14 | 2.95 | 3.67 | 2.90 | 2.63 | 2.38 | 2.72 | 41 | |
| 2015 | 33 | You are the Monster | Cruelty | compo | 540 | 3.04 | 2.43 | 2.57 | 2.09 | 2.91 | 2.55 | 41 | |||
| 2015 | 32 | An Unconventional Weapon | The Higgs' Gun | compo | 305 | 3.45 | 3.20 | 3.37 | 3.43 | 2.70 | 2.50 | 2.08 | 2.96 | 52 | |
| 2014 | 30 | Connected Worlds | Galaxies | compo | 17 | ||||||||||
| 2014 | 29 | Beneath the Surface | Engineer | compo | 270 | 3.48 | 3.17 | 3.48 | 3.41 | 3.29 | 3.23 | 2.55 | 3.35 | 40 | |
| 2013 | 28 | You Only Get One | Stranded | compo | 491 | 3.00 | 3.05 | 2.74 | 2.79 | 2.63 | 2.22 | 2.20 | 2.56 | 47 |
That was really fun, simple and fun. Also, the music was very cool.
Very interesting idea, only one limb, but it was quite frustrating after a while. Good graphics also.
Pretty fun.
The dialog was hilarious. Some kind of enemy other than turrets would've been fun but oh well.
'Twas fun, collisions were quite weird and the controls weren't as tight as I like, but otherwise very good.
The ship moves a little slow, but otherwise pretty fun. I guess I need to play these sidescrolling shooter thingies more. The graphics were good, but the gameplay was repetitive (but fun as stated earlier).
Almost for the whole game I thought it was the labcoat guy.. But then I realized that it was supposed to make me feel that way so I shot him. Well, dunno if I chose right. Anyway, very cool game, 5/5 for mood. Cool graphics also, and the sounds added to the mood.
@lordjosephdeburg I think you have an old version of Java.
@Masadow Yeah, I could've told that you can press esc in the end screen to restart :'D Also, the lighter lights the tree up when you press space.
Sorry guys, my domain name expired (I think) so now I don't have a website. I'll make a new one but it'll take a day or two. Meanwhile, you can download the html & jar so you can play it.
@Ariake81 I think you have an old Java version. (Do you have Java 6?)
Fun and awesome music, what else does a man need?
Really solid controls, loved it. Beautiful art. Only a fine piece of music would've made this better.
Fun, and the graphics were cool! Hard game tho.
That was fun, I won after a few tries :)
Very cool graphics and sounds, creating a good atmosphere. I especially liked all the spike-y-circle-y-spinning things.
Little bit confusing but good graphics, music and sound effects. I played around but didn't get any meals done :( Main problem in that was that the font was really hard to read.
Not much to comment on graphics or audio, very simplistic indeed. Gameplay was very interesting and fun, only downside was the lack of a singleplayer experience. Still, a very good game.
Fun game, very interesting to navigate based on the magnet mechanic. Graphics were fun and the music was good.
Well, there goes 20 minutes. What a great game. The sound of mining/digging is satisfying, as well as all the gold popping up. One thing that was kinda frustrating though, was that the gold slowed down when near the mouse so you had to wait for it. Also, I found a bug, that when you buy things in rapid succession (eg. double click an upgrade to upgrade it 2 times) it buys the second one even if you don't have the money to do so. Anyways, such a great game.
Very good. There is not enough of these games where you can directly control things' stats and see under the hood. Nice music and graphics. A very solid entry indeed.
The game's very linear, music is good, and the story was amusing at times. Would've still liked a bit of openness. (Though, I didn't complete the game, so if there's exploration later, I'm very sorry.)
Great graphics and sounds, could be a bit more responsive, though that is a common problem in point'n'clicks. Good game.
@IcyLava Yeah, I updated the wall of text above, the level editor wasn't designed for non-dev use.
@sam101 Yup, I try to make my games very hard to complete so there's more playtime. :) Well, at least in Ludum Dare since I don't have time to make many levels.
@Covenant Yeah, I was thinking of implementing like a marker that would indicate where the shots are coming from but didn't have the time :(
@AmmoreChicks He isn't Spongebob, but now that you mention it, he does kinda look like Spongebob. :o He's "The Researcher Guy" though, if you want a name for the "face".
Got bad end 2. Very good story telling, occassionally funny options and great graphics. A very solid entry.
Cool lighting effects, just the right amount of challenge and nice sounds. Solid entry.
Good physics, good concept, fun game. Well done.
A pretty cool simulation, the lack of gameplay didn't bother much while I stared at moving colored rectangles for a few minutes.
@IcyLava
Whoopsie, seems like I missed something when testing then ^^'
@uprightpath
I was intending to add controls like that too, but didn't have enough time :/
Pretty fun, a bit larger "field of view" (I don't know if the term applies in 2D but I hope you get what I mean) would be good though.
That was really interesting. I didn't finish the game (walked around, trying to follow the companion until I felt like I was going in circles, and then went on a while, probably 5 minutes), but that was a really cool and refreshing experience.
New, different and kind of weird. I approve.
I thought hugging was a melee move, but I guess this works too. Good game.
Great game, if somewhat boring after a while.
The controls felt a bit clunky, otherwise this was a nice game. Nothing like rudely interrupting a crowded classy meeting!
First of all, the music is brilliant. Also, the "pen is mightier than the sword" stance is very well implemented. The art is very nice, and the debates are absurd and hilarious.
The game is very simple, and that's a virtue in this case. It's all very pixel-artsy and chiptune-y, both very well implemented. A good entry, I like it.
The controls were a bit weird, the view seemed to rotate in a "teleporting" fashion when I moved the mouse too fast. The GUI wasn't fully visible. Good things; the footstep sound was pretty good, the artstyle was interesting and the concept was good. Needs polish, otherwise a neat game.
Potatoes are the best weapon, especially when infiltrating a bunker that houses a president. Sounds were good enough, graphics were a bit bland but worked, and the gameplay was brutal. A bit smaller hitbox for the enemy shots would've felt more fair. All in all, good game.
A bit short, but really innovative and fun. The minimalistic graphics were good enough. The difficulty curve was maybe a bit steep, but still enjoyable. Very good.
The graphics were very good, jumping was hilariously overpowered and I had fun.
Reminded me a lot of One Finger Death Punch. Very good audio and overall enjoyable.
Well that was.. interesting, to say the least. Pretty easy, but fun. Solid entry.
A very solid entry. Sound effects were cool, the art is good. The slightly surrealistic "glitch" effects were really cool. I also liked the story.
Really fun, pretty good music and lovely physics. I especially liked that you can reflect the shots of enemies with the ball. Also, the game was very hard, couldn't get over 50 seconds, haha.
What an amazing game. The graphics are beautiful, the sound effects are really good, and the gameplay is good. One of the best entries I've seen.
Well that was.. humorous? Something along those lines. The last stage upped the difficulty a lot. I liked how the camera followed the player.
What a fun game! Some feedback from hitting probably would've been a plus, but otherwise, a fine game you have made!
Very interesting. Mouse controls were very weird, maybe the acceleration was too strong? Definitely can see @WilliamChyr's influence ;)
The graphics are great, and the game is - for some reason - really addictive. That was fun, good job!
Thanks for the feedback everyone!
@Raspadsistema @Shinmera
I guess I should've made my point a bit clearer, about how "you're the monster". The point is that you're an evil overlord that controls every aspect of his/her subjects' lives (ie. where they move and what they gather in this case) and makes them kill other tribes' men. I guess it's a bit of a leap of logic, but eh, I couldn't come up with anything better to fit the theme :D
@raducumiczzz
Thanks!
@commodoreKid
Yeah, I didn't bother to give the AI the ability to look at where they're pointing their spear, so accidents happen ;) At least it's realistic!
Also, no, I didn't have time to implement a capture mechanic or anything like that, the objective is just to kill the green guys.
Nobody was there with me T__T Still, I can see this being potentially fun.
The sound effects are hilarious and the game feels quite good. Only minus that comes to mind as a problem is the rather lengthy wait times for an LD game.
Very good. Nice graphics, fun gameplay, just overall a very good game! :)
The narration is silly and the graphics are awesome. That's a recipe for greatness if anything.
Quite a hard game.
Pretty fun. The movement was a bit annoying since you couldn't move diagonally and the movement near to the borders was rubberband-y. Otherwise a fine game.
I liked the graphics and the UI. The game also handled very well. (Though mouse support would've been good ;))
That was really good. I don't know if it's because I've never played good VNs (or twines), but that was a really good experience.
Very cool graphics and a good concept.
The sound effects are hilarious, the gameplay is responsive and the game is just overall really fun. I had fun! Did I mention fun?
What a great game. It's simple, casual fun. The unique characters are interesting, especially when they are related to some other characters, or have their own stories told through different "questions".
I played for 25 in-game days, and at that point, it seemed that there was no more unique encounters, but that's understandable, it's Ludum Dare after all. Actually, I'm surprised at how much content there was for a Ludum Dare game! My stats after 25 days were around 700-something people, 200-something happiness and 500-something money, I think.
The art and the effects are great, the music was very good (a major reason to why I managed to play it for so long, way longer than any other Ludum Dare game *ever*), the stories were fun and interesting, and just the overall feel of the game was brilliant. Best game of Ludum Dare 34!
What a great game. It's simple, casual fun. The unique characters are interesting, especially when they are related to some other characters, or have their own stories told through different "questions".
I played for 25 in-game days, and at that point, it seemed that there was no more unique encounters, but that's understandable, it's Ludum Dare after all. Actually, I'm surprised at how much content there was for a Ludum Dare game! My stats after 25 days were around 700-something people, 200-something happiness and 500-something money, I think.
The art and the effects are great, the music was very good (a major reason to why I managed to play it for so long, way longer than any other Ludum Dare game *ever*), the stories were fun and interesting, and just the overall feel of the game was brilliant. Best game of Ludum Dare 34!
While the controls feel a bit too.. loose, the game is actually pretty fun. And the graphics are quite fun. Overall, a very good game.
Today I learned that my eye to finger coordination skills are bad :D That was surprisingly fun. The sounds were simple but okay, and the parallax effect with the stars was a cool touch.
I enjoy this game. It's obviously mostly enjoyable when playing with someone else, but the effects look great, the sounds are pretty good and the gameplay is simple and fun. It's like reaction-speed-based rock paper scissors!
The art looks very good, though my depth perception failed me with this game for some reason. Things that look near are actually pretty far.
Otherwise, the game feels pretty good and I like it.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! C:
And just to say it, the lack of a proper ending was intentional, since I made it to be like a little thing you can play with for a while. A toy :)
Theming is spot on, the graphics are fitting, sounds are a bit meh at times (or maybe I just don't like random non-word sounds) and the game is fun. Another critisism I have would be that the jumps in "amount of subscribers per video" was a bit jarring. I'd prefer the amount increase subtly over time, rather than going up in magnitudes every now and then. Overall, the game is very enjoyable and simple (in a good way)!
The idea is great, but I would've found the controls a lot better if the bellows rotated between only 2 angles, for example, -45 and 45 degrees (if 0 would be pointing straight down). That way you could kinda toggle the direction and it would require less looking at the bellows' direction and more looking at the (beautiful) game.
That said, the graphics are quite good, music is great and the gameplay is very fun (minus the point made in the first paragraph). A clever idea with a pretty good implementation.
Looks great, good tutorial, great music and an interesting game. Sadly, I'm very bad at rhythm games (/games where you press certain buttons according to symbols) so I didn't get very far. Still, a good game! Also, the menus were weird. In a positive way. Interesting is the word, I guess.
The game is very simple and fun. I didn't like how slippery the controls seemed, but otherwise no complaints! The sounds fit the game very well.
Controlling the particles is a bit clunky at times because of the sticking-to-the-walls-mechanic, but otherwise the game is quite good. I like the idea of controlling a swarm of small things, so this is definitely cool.
When I understood what I had to do (after reading the LD description, haha), the game got a lot more interesting. It's not very intense, but with some atmospheric music this could be a very cool "chilling game". Now, it's relying on the graphics for the atmosphere, which were pretty good. So, good graphics and nice gameplay :)
The graphics are nice and the game.. works very well? It's very good at what it does. Also, I'm very bad at the game, though I imagine not being a native english speaker might contribute to that somewhat :D
They all seemed so guilty, yet I was right only once..
The game is simple but, for some reason, quite fun. At least for a while. I like the graphics, and the Ace Attorney-ness of the game.
The game looks very nice and seems quite polished, but the controls are a bit iffy. I imagine I'm missing some throwback to a very old game where the controls were clunky or something, but such are the woes of young people.
This is super. The game looks very unique and has a great feel to it. The transitions between the animal forms and the music are very smooth, and both the mechanics and the graphics are very fitting to the theme.
Still, there are flaws. Well, two, and both are about controls. First, I'd really like if there were specific buttons for specific forms, since my brain really likes to connect A to "water being" and D to "air being", because the "earth being" is the default form.
Second, the controlling the water being is very counter-intuitive, being used to Space being jump, ie. "go up". Space for going down feels somehow wrong, on top of the already tricky controls. By tricky controls (which I actually kind of like with the "air being") I mean that it isn't very arcade-y. The creatures are very floaty and gravity is brutal. Which fits the look and feel of the game. Though, in the end, both of these issues are mostly just about getting used to it.
You'd think I'd already gotten somewhat used to it since I've played this game for 20 minutes. Which is more than I've played half of the Steam games I own.
Love it, good work. (Now I'll check the post-compo version)
I really wish I had a VR headset just for these experiences.
The graphics are nice and minimalistic, and the atmospheric little sounds make it very kind of.. living? The mood is good? It's a very enjoyable experience, is what I'm trying to say.
Just to comment on the gameplay, I didn't really get what I was supposed to do with the runes, or if what I found were even the runes. I found a fairy-like thing that made a shimmering sound, but couldn't figure out how to interact (or if I could at all) with it. Also, I sometimes clipped through the floor/objects I jumped onto.
Still, jumping around and looking at and hearing things was quite enjoyable!
@blinry
Thanks for the comment! <3 I would've also liked to make the game longer, but I didn't come up with enough different kinds of puzzles with so few mechanics. Such is the nature of Ludum Dare.
Also yeah, the WebGL version was kind of an afterthought, mostly submitted it because it was an option in Unity. :)
@zzapp @suurin Thanks for the nice comments! <3
@Sean Thanks! <3
Yeah, I thought about it and ended up removing the web version. I initially thought that maybe more people would try the game if it was playable in the browser, but not much point in that if the version is bad.
@ratking Thanks! <3 I was thinking of adding a story, but alas, there was not enough time. And it might've even made the game worse because of my writing skills, haha.
@sftrabbit Thank you! <3 Yeah, the theme connection was quite the stretch. It really just came down to the fact that I didn't come up with anything remotely interesting about "shapeshift", but I did come up with this idea. So I ended up making a better game, with less connection to the theme. I imagine that is a good thing considering the nature of LD.
@everyone-in-the-comments Thank you all! <3 For the first time I apparently succeeded in making an actually fun game, so thanks for pointing that out!
The graphics are cool, minus the occassional clipping. I like the gameplay, though sometimes it feels like there isn't enough "warning time" after a curve, so it feels a bit cheap when you hit an obstacle. Still, quite a solid game, and it's fun!
Didn't finish it, got to the point where I got the shovel :/ Oops, spoilers!
But oh well, I'm not good at adventure games anyway. Still, the game was quite good. The graphics are really cool, the trees' animation for example, and I like the pixely look. The music adds to the very slightly supernatural feel of it all. The movement could've been a bit more free, but I understand why it's not. Having the mouselook be a toggle, instead of holding it would've been a plus, but that's just my preference.
Overall, a very interesting experience. I like it!
Nice graphics and music, but the mechanics could use a bit of polish. The hitboxes felt a bit off, and the view was a bit narrow. Still, good job and keep on developing!
What a cute game!
At first I was very confused as to what I was supposed to do... Until I read the description. I'd say to put a tutorial in the game, but this is Ludum Dare after all, so no problem really.
The models/textures are really cute and the animations are very fluid and squishy. Very cuddly. The music is appropriately upbeat, and the sound effects are alright.
The controls were a bit clunky on the keyboard, and I'm pretty sure the experience would've been a lot better with a gamepad.
The transforming mechanic was really fun. Shooting with yourself as the projectile is just somehow really fun.
Still, the game is quite good overall!
The concept is interesting and well executed. The writing and the humor is great, and the music adds to the atmosphere. The art is also very fitting. Overall, a very cohesive and good game.
First of all, what an amazing game. The graphics look very good, the controls are tight, and the game was just very fun.
To give some criticism, I'd say that the bullet could have a bit more visual "oomph" when it hits something. The sound it makes is very satisfying, but it doesn't look very powerful.
That said, the shapeshifting mechanic is amazing. I'm inspired to make something like it myself, though I doubt I could do it as good as this game does it. It just feels so good to load it up and launch somewhere. The gifs don't really look like it, but it feels super tight.
Verdict: The game's great.
Got 118 houses! Don't know if that's good, but most of the world was pretty green, so I'm alright with it :D Probably spammed a few water tiles too many though..
The graphics are really neat, and the animations very fluid. The artstyle seems very consistent, and the only graphical gripe with me was the description font (seems a bit too thin), but even that stopped annoying me after only a little while. And font tastes tend to be quite subjective.
The lack of audio is a bit disappointing, but the graphics & really cool gameplay more than make up for it. Good work!
Well hot damn were the sounds super loud at the start. That's the biggest critisism I have of this game, and that's just as much my system volume's problem as it is this game's.
To the game itself. The bugs flew just as weirdly and randomly as one would assume. The mouse was really afraid of lights. (Except when the light comes from organic sources? What is he, some kind of a luddite?) Good job on the realism there. The writing was funny, the graphics were alright, and the sounds were hilarious. Good work!
Some audio would be nice, but aside from that, the game is very good! I like the flavor texts.
Nice graphics, especially the particle effects, which are lovely. Music is very intense and fitting, and the controls felt pretty good. Maybe a bit unresponsive when clicking very fast, but that's a pretty minor problem. The difficulty was a bit weird, since the game felt very slow and easy at the beginning, until almost out of nowhere there started to spawn quite a few enemies. Maybe shortening the "easy beginning" time would be better?
Overall, very enjoyable. Good work!