Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → TeslaCools
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 36 | Ancient Technology | Ancient Island Simulator 2016 | jam |
The idea of balance added a surprising amount of depth to the concept of a runner game. The use of physics also allowed things like destruction to factor int other gameplay. I'm impressed with how far engaging you managed to make a typically stale genre.
The depth of this point and click is staggering considering it was made during a jam. There's a little bit of dissonance between the humorous dialog and the otherwise serious theme, but otherwise it provides a deep and enjoyable experience.
Thematically this game crushes it! the retro aesthetic is spot on and consistent, the beat-em up gameplay is reminiscent of older games. It feels a little sluggish on my browser, I'm not sure if that's due to lag or the controls, but everything else is great. I especially love the screen shake that gives punches a bit extra substance.
The game is quite clever, and I suppose it would be economically interesting with a larger playerbase, but with just two people and an AI (which is how my game was) it was a little slow. I like the natural text communication interface, and appreciate the idea of letting players figure stuff out, but it would be cool if all the players options for interacting with the AI were given to them (so they have something to do when no humans are online). Most of the criticism only stems from the fact that the playerbase wasn't large enough to provie the full experience, it seems like it would be great otherwise.
I agree with skele_blade. The mechanic has a lot of potential, and even in the games current state I can spend a lot of time in it mentally zoned out, but for it to be a game in the truest sense of the word, it needs to have amount of thought required.
Wow, the polish on this game is fantastic. The mechanics are deep, it really embodies the theme, and it has a great unifying aesthetic. I'm having a hard time coming up with any criticism. One thing that may be helpful is clear feedback to the user as to how well they're doing. There's the report card at the end, but it would e nice to have that info during play.
The game has a solid base, it just needs a little bit of tuning to be engaging. Currently, the optimum strategy's pretty straightforward, you fight deer until your health runs low (which happens before the bag fills up), then go to camp to recharge. Perhaps add more options so there's some strategy involved in combat? Create a more complex relationship between the resources (health, stamina, and food) to get the player thinking about how to play your game. There's also a lot of walking right now, which tends to be boring. That being said, you manage to create a unified aesthetic despite your simple graphics, which is impressive. You're really close to having a really fun game on your hands!
Watching things get destroyed was pretty satisfying, as was summoning a huge horde of little dinos, or a couple big ones. The controls were this game's weak point. I'd have like to feel more like I was commanding the horde. More direct control of destruction would help the satisfaction you get from it as well.