Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → jordanvang
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 45 | Start with nothing | Zombug Slayer | jam | 387 | 3.60 | 3.64 | 2.83 | 3.20 | 3.53 | 3.10 | 3.70 | 3.27 |
It's a fun game for the timeframe it was made in. I think the controls for PC are a little strange, but that's only because I played on a laptop with the windows button right next to the "z" key, so it was constantly unfocusing. Also, I'm not sure if the blocking has a limit, but it seems like I was able to block forever, essentially. It was pretty fun though, and I'm glad you finished your game! ;)
I love the music so much! What program did you use for it, do you mind asking?
Wow that was extremely unexpected going into it. At first, I didn't quite understand the premise, but after tinkering around, I realized just how brilliant this was! The theme fits so well, and it engages the player from the beginning. The puzzles are a little confusing, and it would be cool if at the end of the level, it played a video of what you did in reverse, so it looked like you were moving forward to the end (just hopeful game suggestions from a fan). I really hope you continue this concept!
Well, that was creepy. Dang, the audio, the visuals, everything was blended nicely to create such a creepy atmosphere. The only jarring part (at least for the web build) was that whenever a cutscene was going to begin, the sound glitched and repeated like 20 times, and the game froze, which took me out of the experience, but it was pretty fun!
Aw, of course... I'm a sucker for these types of games.
So, at first, I didn't quite understand how to play, but I very quickly understood the basic mechanics--I think that the game is simple and intuitive enough to require only minimal instructions. I do think that it is a little frustrating that the resources you buy are seemingly random and that the cost of buying resources grows VERY quickly, but I suppose that it keeps the player moving from city to city, but sometimes, it feels like since the resources are random, the game begins to feel like a game of chance and luck. I really enjoy it, though, and all in all, it was a great entry!
So to begin with, I want to say the audio was really good; I found myself realizing that halfway through playing. Secondly I love the simple story you tell with a very small place, and it feels like the player isn't rushed for anything, so it creates a scenario which you can truly wonder who your player is without worrying about any threats.
Now there are some things which were a little frustrating: - Of course, mazes are guesswork, however in this maze, it felt frustrating to head down a long corridor at a not-so-fast sprint speed. So I think it would be better to increase speed perhaps, or maybe allow the player to return to the main path without backtracking (though, I know that you had limited time, so you're excused ;))
- The collision on the trees, rocks, and the other things were a little wonky, and made the *spoiler warning* amulet a nightmare to search for. I kept thinking "hey, I can walk there," but then it turned out that a tree was blocking me from moving, even though it shouldn't. A good way to do that is just putting the collider where the base of the trunk is, as in life no one collides with the top of a tree, unless they are climbing.
- There were some bugs which, but every game has them
- Lastly, I love that the paths were subtle ways of guiding the player, but I often found myself getting lost. Adding a few landmarks in the middle would help orienting players.
All in all, though, I liked your game quite a lot, and it really has potential. The concept of isolation and amnesia go very well with the theme, and I think you implemented it really nicely. Well done!
@mathstr0fficial It was one bug in particular which I was particularly affected by. When you go to retrieve the shield, apparently there is a hidden collider in that area which stops you from leaving, and every time you touch it, it triggers the "firework" animation (for lack of better words). I thought I was going to have to restart the entire game, but thankfully, I was able to get out!
Yeah, I want to say, what got me were the visuals and the audio. It's very stunning work I would expect to see in a final product, done in such short time! It was enjoyable to progress through the history of the world in such a funny and quirky way, and it leaves me wondering what the alien thing was... The game however kept freezing up, but I don't know if that's my connection or not. I think adding in more feedback when you pressed space would go a long way--everytime I pressed space, I didn't know if I was doing anything, so I just spammed it. But it was a really cool experience!
I just want to say, this game sets mood very nicely. With the dark colors and the Very atmospheric audio, I was very enthralled by the immersion. It's also a grim tale, which I enjoy completely, and there is some replayability, which is awesome. All in all, a great story!
Dang, unfortunately I dont have a vr headset (yet)--and don't worry, I'm not looking for new people to play my game. I'm actyslly commenting because I'm genuinely curious about how to develop a vr game. Like how hard is it for a solo developer and what is the learning curve? How did you guys get started? Are there any good resources to point me towards?
Again, I'm so sorry guys that I can't play your game at the moment, but from the graphics... my type of game. ;)
That was a short fun game! The music is super good, I love it! I think that gameplay-wise, there wasn't that much, but I assume that was a design choice, and it was really cool--and the story was pretty funny!
Well, I think that gameplay-wise, it's pretty similar to "Little Alchemy," but the part where it is unique is with the ability to not only create new elements, but to have them shared through multiplayer. It adds an extra layer of excitement (and perhaps mischief), and it serves as a great way to populate your game with fresh-content, as it is constantly changing. As mentioned above, I think the one thing lacking was polish, which you could further use to push for a little cool artstyle.
I like the audio in this game, I think it fits quite nicely! And stated before, there are a lot of bugs which take away from the experience, but given the timeframe of the jam, you created a coherent level, so props to you! Some things I noticed was that with the "How To Play" screen, there was no clear way to exit and get back to the main menu, and I had trouble with that. Secondly, the movement seems a little to clunky (I should know, my game movement is like that too LOL) to be a platformer type game effectively. I think if you were to make it a more momentum-based movement system, it would be super cool. Thirdly, I think that there is very little game design in actually aiding the player through this journey, which can get frustrating a lot. Many times I found myself unsure of what to do and almost unwilling to progress in fear of restarting. So yeah, just a little bit more subtle hints would have been helpful. But awesome game, and keep creating!
Oh my, this inspired me to want to make a game like this, dang. Props to you guys, you guys did fantastic!
I was actually looking forward to this game when I first saw a post about it. It carries a relaxing charm along with it, and even though it differs from most of the other games in this jam, I think it will be memorable. I love the graphics so much, and it fits with the concept of the game. Perhaps from a gameplay perspective, more interactivity is desired, but I think the concept fits with the mechanics.
Dang it, you already got me at the artstyle. But that was such a relaxing game. I think that the wind is a little weak, as it's really hard to orient the seeds where you want them to go before they hit the ground. But the music, the graphics... mmm, you're good. You're good. ;)
EDIT: Rather, all you devs are good.
Well, that was... weird LOL! I really liked trying to make the guy trust me--I just wish that convincing him was harder. It's really cool, because you're detatched from any playable character, almost making you feel like an omnipotent being talking to someone trying to convince them. Now that'd be a fun game!
I love this game! First off, the graphics and sound are really good. It does take tetris, which I think fits awesomely, and blends it with a sort of platformer, which is a really interesting twist to the mechanics. As mentioned above, I do think the game needs more maneuverability, most of the level design is built upon verticality, so I feel double jump could work. But It was a really fun game!
Firstly, I found the cover to be appealing. But wow, I was surprised at how the theme was integrated with the game, and I can only praise you for that. I really enjoyed it, and it was quite fun. Perhaps maybe implement more variety in the combat mechanics, as to make it less monotonous (because there felt to be little difference in gameplay depending on which weapon was chosen). I could see this as a larger game, perhaps in the future, but for the timeframe given, it was well-made! Good job!
I see, so although I didn't have anyone to play coop with (because I have no friends, of course), I can see the way the game mechanics will rely on the interdependency of the players. It's a really relaxing game that allows you to go at your own pace--I really like that idea. I think some more gameplay to keep players busy between aborbing and growing then waiting for your bar to recharge again would go a long way, so it would keep the current mechanics from going stale. But I really enjoyed the experience! ;)
Okay, so being honest here, I'm pretty dumb LOL. For like the first quarter of the game, I was frustrated because I was not being told what the symbols meant, and for ten minutes straight, I was in a blind fury of guess-clicking (literally I was stuck on the second level for a minute because I didn't know you could left click). But, and I thank your soothing music for this, I calmed down, and I realized, it wasn't so hard. You guys had given me all I needed to figure it out--but this wasn't a shooter like many other jams (I'm guilty for this lol). This was an actual stimulating puzzle game that I needed to fundamentally understand; this added so much more depth to the game. And so, I want to say I really enjoyed myself. I think that this was a beautiful entry to the jam, and wow, I just wasn't expecting that. Perhaps cipher is a worthy title. ;)
At first when I was drawing, I was like "hmm, okay, so it's like a drawing simulator," but then I saw that you could apply the painting onto the planets, and I don't know why, but that really makes it way cooler! This is a really cool little game, and I hope you do more!
Ah two of my favorite things. Velocity and sm...smelling the roses. ;) But for real, I enjoyed this a lot. The particles when you killed the things were pretty satisfying and the camera shake as well. But I think you should add more, because after all--this is a game about DESTROYING THINGS AAAAAAAH! No, I loved it though! I think if one thing, sound is what is lacking which seems to be holding it back a bit, but with the timeframe given, I totally understand. ;)
Even though that bug is prominent, I think that this was a very strong entry for this jam. I love games like this, and it's even better when there is a cool style, such as this. The art and music fit very nicely together, which helped form a charming experience. I think that if villagers used their own houses rather than just one single house (I don't know if this is the case, but it looked like it), it would allow for some interesting gameplay. But I really love games like this!
Dang I wish you could recycle things... but hey, I don't know why, but it has kept me engaged for so long. You picked the perfect music for this, I love it! (And black holes take forever to get)
Also, I don't know if it's a game design, but you can stack infinite planets on each other and just use one star to reap the benefits. Seems kind of cheap, but I'm doing it... LOL
Rip, I wasted my blackhole
That was pretty humorous, I liked it. I wish that the story was a little less linear, because it felt like I was just watching an interactive movie, but I really do like the atmosphere you guys made. One thing, is I wish you could skip dialogue, because after dying, it would be annoying to read the same dialogue over and over. I liked the game, though, and the music was good!
Oh wow, that was super wholesome. I really liked that. The controls were nice, although a little clunky sometimes. My mouse would freak out every few seconds, which made traversing the maze a nightmare, but it was extremely well done. The visuals were really stylized in my opinion, and the fact that the only thing that had color was N seems very interesting to me. I think the only things to do would be to incorporate more story, and then as stated above, definitely have some music or ambient noise, even if it isn't yours. It really goes a long way.
One of the first things that stuck out to me was the audio, that really drew me in. I also like the graphics, but the tiles are a little offsetting, because I'm not sure where a "square" begins and ends, so I end up walking where I don't want to. I really like the concept of using eggs as lives, as stated above. Keep making games, I can see you'll be really good, even better than you are now!
I love the graphical artstyle a lot. The game was pretty fun, especially for a short game jam. There were some parts where the graphics were bugging out and glitching, which confused me, because I was unsure whether that was part of the game or not. Also, I want to mention how I love the feedback for killing the enemies--it feels really satisfying to do so. I also love how the level distinctly tells you without tutorial that "RED IS BAD," which is always good in games. Ambition is good, I would say, but I also see that it seemed like it was missing a little intensity, which I think would have been really cool, and animations, of course, but it was a fun game. Good job and good entry!
@pinosaur Thank you greatly for your feedback! Yeah, I was being a dummy and tried to crunch in the audio and polish in the last two hours before the submission time... You can see how that turned out LOL! Thank you again for playing, though!
@changemewtf That's awesome to hear, it sincerely made my face light up! I messed up a bit with the intro being unskippable, and I'm not sure on the rules to tweaking your submission after the deadline (bugs and what not), but thank you so much! And I know exactly what part you died at! ;)
@james-beninger Thank ya very much. ;)
@justinooncx Thanks for the incredible feedback! I did have a lot of trouble with the movement and collisions, so hearing the circular hitbox thing--it seems like genius to me. And reading the comments, I realized the horde *might* be a little too much lol. Yeah, I was not able to get too much testing and balancing done, so it's awesome to get feedback like this.
And I've also been trying to fix the lagging at the beginning, where I can say for certain it's not the tiles that cause the lag, but it's actually the enemy pathfinding, so I'll have to fix that bug when I have the time, but I like the idea of using a big plane.
Thanks again for spending your time playing and writing this... and to the final boss inquiry... I've got nothing to say. ;)
@coldsanwdich189 No, that's my fault. I'll actually be uploading a bugfix ( 'cause I'm a zombug slayer, myself ;) ) in a few minutes here. Thanks for playing, though!
@ryzy27 @technsmile I'm glad you guys had fun, and thanks so much for the feedback! I'll be sure to try to adjust these things! And darn I thought I fixed the boss spawn, but I'll have to do some more testing. It's awesome you guys made it there, though, I think you guys may be the first ones!
@paulsams Thank you so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! But just a question: when were you able to play the game? I think I made a hotfix for the lagging, but maybe it didn't update or something?
But awesome feedback, and I'll be sure to make things much more clear. And I'll definitely work on balancing things!
@fupi Thanks for playing and for the feedback! I'll try to fix the controls being laggy, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. And it's a bummer the "boss" doesn't spawn, but I think I fixed that in the newest hotfix, but thanks for bringing that up to me! ;)
I first clicked on this game, because of the title, because it reminded me of Detroit: Become Human and I was wondering if it was going to be like that. I was pleasantly surprised. It got me frustrated at times, but that's good, because I was invested LOL. I really love the mood in this game.
That was very fun and very-well polished for what the time frame allows. The graphics and audio were awesome! I think the archers were a little tough, but only because you had no idea when they were going to shoot. Maybe a little more emphasis on that would be nice, but nonetheless, I loved it!
As others have said before, the art is phenomenal. It's so clean and polished, it feels like it could be in a full version. I like that there are tight corridors, keeping everything confined, and the music adds well to the serenity of the game's mood. I think that the timer is an interesting choice, and I yet have to form an opinion of it, but I love the simplicity of the game's mechanics. It's really good!
Wow, I love this concept a lot. I'm not smart unfortunately, so I couldn't progress too far, but to me, I see so much potential in this. I really hope you stick with the concept and build upon it!
I love the concept LOL! One thing, however, is that the very first time I played, I got the wheelchair and teleported outside of the map.
It was a pretty cool game. The art was pretty awesome and pretty cohesive throughout the game, and it was boosted by some pretty nice music. If I had to make a complaint, I would say the controls are little strange. I see that the way you press is the way to shoot but move in the opposite direction--and that's a very cool design--but it leaves the player a little confused when it comes to controlling the character, especially when you need to react quickly. But it was a little fun game, and I hope you do more!