Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → Users → Toxoid49b
| Year | LD | Theme | Game | Division | Rank | Ov | Fu | In | Th | Gr | Au | Hu | Mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 46 | Keep it alive | Replica Null | jam | 4.00 | 3.00 | 3.50 | 3.50 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
The web build of the game had some serious issues so I removed it. I thought I had updated the links but I guess not, sorry about that. Still trying to get Unity to build a working version for web but the older version of Unity I use is having a lot of problems.
@acgaudette Thank you very much for the detailed feedback! Great to hear you found some enjoyment with the game. I agree with pretty much everything you said, although I think should clarify some of my statements more.
In terms of scope, I think the core idea I was aiming for was probably fine, however, I feel as though I overcomplicated the core design to the point where the scope was too large. For example, the game actually has the ability to generate maps procedurally using a tile system, however, I was unable to implement an algorithm to generate sensible road layouts, so a static generation algorithm was used. I also planned on adding multiple types of "enemies" as time progressed, but had to cut them due to time. The environment was also supposed to be more dynamic, for example, when the server load got high, the environment would begin to visibly degrade and become unstable. This was also cut due to time.
In terms of gameplay style, the original idea actually was to have things progress far slower, creating something more like a survival and exploration type experience. However, I felt that due to the lack of machines and enemy variety, the game would have been quite boring if things progressed slowly. Due to this, I made the difficulty ramp up much faster than I had initially planned.
I definitely agree on focusing on a solid, playable loop right at the start. I initially focused more on creating assets and boilerplate object interaction code than the gameplay mechanics, and I think the game suffered because of it. The final idea for the game actually manifested about halfway through the jam, hence the lack of polish on the core loop.
I have a lot of ideas on where I could take this game, and I do plan on addressing many of the issues in a post-jam version. Procedural worlds, more entities, more machines, multiplayer, a modding API, and more are all on the roadmap.
Thank you again for your feedback, it was very informative and certainly not unwanted :]