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A jam submission

ProspectorView game page

FREE DEMO AVAILABLE
Submitted by MathiasKaindl — 26 days, 25 minutes before the deadline
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Prospector's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
MOOD | Did the game have atmosphere or make you feel something#313.6673.667
AUDIO | Did the game have great music or sound design#423.3333.333
VISUAL | Did the game have nice graphics or art direction#443.6673.667
Overall#573.2673.267
FUN | Was the game satisfying to play or did it bring you joy#733.0003.000
IDEA | Was this game super interesting or innovative#962.6672.667

Ranked from 3 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

Submitted (3 edits)

Hey Mathias!

I enjoyed playing Prospector, here's my feedback, I tried to be quite detailed as I find this more helpful when I'm receiving feedback:

Menu:

  • Compliments:
    • The menu's music brings delightful "Halo" vibes, enhancing the initial impression.
    • The visuals are strikingly well-crafted, setting a high standard from the start.
  • Friendly Suggestions:
    • Perhaps consider looping the main menu music for a continuous, ambient experience.
    • Adding pop-ups to describe each menu option could enhance clarity, especially for the less obvious choices, making navigation more intuitive.

After Pressing Play:

  • Constructive Feedback:
    • Introducing control functionalities gradually can significantly smooth the onboarding process. This method, from my own development experience, tends to be especially helpful for newcomers.
    • A visual representation of arriving at the "small space trading post" could be a powerful addition. Showing the ship docking, rather than just describing it, might deepen player immersion.

Upon Closing the First Pop-Up:

  • Observations:
    • Displaying controls on the top left is helpful. Encouraging players to actively use each control before it fades could further ease them into the game's mechanics.

Main Gameplay:

  • Enhancements:
    • The shift functionality for more information is quite useful. Modifying this to an automatic hover-over display for interactable objects could streamline gameplay and reduce the need for constant button pressing ( maybe as a toggle option in settings?).
    • The game's notification of being saved is a reassuring touch.
    • Implementing a camera mode that locks onto the drone, if not already in place, could be a significant quality-of-life improvement.
    • Assigning WASD the same functionality as arrow keys could offer ergonomic benefits, considering the concurrent use of the mouse.
    • The eerie ambiance music contributes effectively to the game's atmosphere. Smoother transitions of music when moving between the shuttle and the outside world could enhance this experience.
  • Gameplay Dynamics:
    • Adding details about mineral resource capacity and shield information upon hover could offer players deeper insights into game mechanics.
    • The drag and drop functionality for item transfer, along with auto-saving upon base return, transfer all, and sort items features, are appreciated for their contribution to a seamless experience.
    • After toggling off the shuttle music, a consideration for making the ambient music play in the shuttle, this could maintain the immersive atmosphere and avoid complete silence.
    • Introducing a visual cue, such as a slight sparkle on interactable items, might reduce the frequency of needing to press shift.
    • Adjusting the initial damage rate from environmental hazards like ground heat to be slower could offer players a fair chance to react.

The game shows great potential, especially for a fan of base builders and crafting. Adding a few more quality-of-life features could make the experience even more enjoyable. Your dedication to refining the game is evident, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Developer(+1)

Thanks for the detailed feedback! Most of your recommendations are on the todo list, so it's great to have them validated this way! I'm still working on the mechanics so I haven't had time to work on the story yet. Assuming my future players will not read this, I can reveal here that the ship didn't arrive at the trading post, it's been sitting there for several thousand years :)

Submitted

Ahh, I see, noted! You can now remove that portion of your post just in case. ^^

Developer

No need for keys, download the demo, it's the full version