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A jam submission

Trolls vs RobotsView game page

RTS game that plays itself
Submitted by Retsa Games (@retsamuga) — 21 minutes, 36 seconds before the deadline
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Trolls vs Robots's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Originality#29192.7502.750
Presentation#29212.6502.650
Overall#36202.3502.350
Fun#40992.0502.050

Ranked from 20 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

How does your game fit the theme?
The game plays itself, with minimal player input

Did your team create the art for this game during the 48 hour time slot?

Yes

We created all art during the game jam

Did your team create the audio for this game during the 48 hour time slot?

Yes

We created all audio during the game jam

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Comments

Submitted (1 edit)

This is a really interesting idea. I love the concept of a game that plays itself and have tried something similar in the past (less elegantly). The trick—if aiming for more than a gag—is to find some way to make it still fun. In this case there's definitely the potential for a management-sim-type experience, which you tapped into with the upgrade system.

I was confused by how that system actually works, even with the game description, and would suggest adding more feedback and clarity about a) what the currency actually is to buy those upgrades (is it money or experience?), and b) what the upgrades actually do. To be fun any management sim has to offer an intimidating level of granular control and detail with clear cause-and-effect for every action, so it's quite an ambitious goal to tackle for a jam—kudos to you.

I enjoyed zooming out and in and watching the little people battle it out. It reminded me a little of Red vs. Blue. Overall, a cool idea and project. Congrats on your submission!

Developer(+1)

thanks a lot! i kind of ended up messing up the upgrade system, was made really close to the end :P . I think in the future i may simplify some of the few mechanics, for example, getting rid of the "money" and just making everything with experience. Also, units would "level up" instead of getting cheaper, or getting some kind of cool visual upgrade. In a nutshell, less numbers and more visual stuff !

Submitted(+1)

Loving the idea, and the art! Great entry! :D 

Developer

thanks!

Submitted(+1)

I really like the concept for this game. While I'm not sure that it fits the theme very well (I'm not sure anything is out of control), it is has a lot of potential and is the kind of game I would play! For that reason I'll give some critical feedback.

There isn't much variety to the upgrades. One simple thing you could add is upgrades to unlock the higher tiers. Of course, I'm sure you have plenty of ideas for more complex upgrades that aren't achievable in a 48 hr jam.

Personally, I played the game as if I was on the red team only. It is just more fun to me that way. Extending the enemy AI to make some simple upgrade choices would be a neat way to make this experience more fulfilling.

The camera is a little slow (with WASD, fine with mouse pan) and can also pan away from the playable area. I really liked being able to zoom in to see the details --- the animations are simple but nice!

This is a really impressive submission for only 48 hours and I hope one day to be able to play a fuller version. Great work!

Developer(+1)

thanks a lot! yes i think the upgrade system is the weakest part of the game, it came right at the end, before that the game was like a really elaborated screen saver. Making an enemy commander purchase upgrades is a must going forward. I think the most important aspect is the one you described in the other comment, the visual upgrades, it would give the game a new layer of depth.

Submitted(+1)

I really loved the idea! Maybe you could make the exp and money in the interface bigger. In the future you can add more upgrades! Or besides making them cheaper, making them bigger or stronger too. The game has future! If you could check my game as well I would really appreciate it! 

Developer(+1)

Thanks! i'm seriously thinking on changing the whole "cheaper" mechanic for making units stronger, feels a lot better

Submitted(+1)

I think that stronger units is a step in the right direction, but still doesn't allow enough visible growth for the player. Ideally, I want things to look different on the battlefield when I buy upgrades. Like unlocking new units, giving units weapon upgrades that change projectile colors, or equips them with new weapons entirely (guns -> lasers, etc.). The jetpack units could be an upgrade to the ground units to make them move faster too.

I hope you don't mind me giving so much input. I just find the potential in the game exciting!

Developer(+1)


Totally! the visual aspect of the upgrades is super important, because it doesn't feel as good to watch numbers go up as to see an actual change in the units behaviors. I think that changing the guns the units handle could be a good idea, because i could change the gun sprite without animating or changing the units much, like the laser example. In the flying units case maybe i could give them a bigger/ more badass jetpack when they level up, making them faster and deadlier.

Don't mind the input at all, i could be talking about game design all day to be honest haha

Submitted(+1)

I really liked the concept! It's a cool idea to have a couple different sides automatically duke it out. Maybe in the sequel you can have a campaign mode where you the player has to pick the right upgrades for the mission vs an AI that controls the upgrades of the other side. More units too! Nice game!

Developer

thanks! yes, the upgrade system ended being a bit limited but a "leveling up" units and things of sort could really elevate the game

Submitted(+1)

nice, reminds me of flash games I would play with my mates at school. bit confused on how exactly to purchase new troops though, whether its with xp or money.

Submitted(+1)

+ Also liked the music!

Developer(+1)

thanks! yep, the upgrade system seems to be a bit confusing. The thing is that the AI buys everything, you just set the price. In a future update i'm going to address it 

Submitted

nice!

Interessting concept. But the red text is a bit hard to read and I was at first confused with what I pay the upgrades (money or exp). I guess it’s due to the “price” being so big in the upgrade menu that I first thought it’s the money I have to pay with.

Developer

you are right about that! needs a bit of work in the user experience, specially the user experience