Judge feedback

Judge feedback is anonymous and shown in a random order.

• SUMMER THEME: 5/5 The voxel seas have never looked so good as in "Eco Diver: Ocean Cleanup" (what else does Eco Diver clean up?). Eco Diver is an arcade-style game where you remove trash from the ocean floor to help fight pollution. Eco Diver fits in very well with the summer theme of the game jam (set entirely underwater) and also includes a summer activity (scuba diving). While this doesn't impact my score, the graphics and atmosphere are sublime. There are many fish that swim around, and the VHS filter helps create that underwater feeling. Added touches like a sunken ship, anchor, treasure chest, and what appears to be a compass are very cool. But I wish we could have removed them. They are polluting the ocean too! STORY: 2/5 In a strictly technical sense, Eco Diver: Ocean Cleanup used the dialogue system (and/or display_message) to explain the point of the game (cleaning up trash before running out of oxygen). I understand that it would be more difficult to implement dialogue in a scuba diving game. My suggestion would be to add (for example) a rope that the player "talks" to in order to finish the level. This would have added an extra layer of skill to the game (choosing to withdraw before oxygen runs out). Sadly, Eco Diver did not include any form of quest system (as per RPG in a Box). Something such as a UI that shows how many trash the player has collected (with a set goal) would be an easy way to accomplish this. UI: 5/5 Eco Diver has a wonderful custom main menu that truly showcases the power of the RPG in a Box main menu creator. It's a visually engaging scene of the ocean floor, including rising bubbles and underwater plants, almost like being inside a fishbowl. Eco Diver also sports a summer-themed custom user interface that changes the colors to a yellow and blue motif accompanied by a bubble font. Very fitting for a game where you need to collect oxygen to stay alive, and equally as fitting for a summer game jam. ITEMS: Items+/Gear- (3/5) Collecting trash on the ocean floor is the name of the game, and as a result, items are central to player's goal. Rather than having effects for items, they have been represented by a pretty wide variety of trash to pick up. Junk such as tires, grocery bags, milk jugs, plastic bottles, paint cans (?), crates, even an entire television! Picking these up gives you points, which lends Eco Diver: Ocean Cleanup an overall arcade quality. What the game lacks, however, are any form or type of equipment. I would suggest that this could have been a snorkel for longer air or flippers for faster speed, both of which are important elements. These could have been found on the map, in the chest, etc., or they could have been upgrades that used or spent trash. COMBAT: 2/5 While not a true flaw of game design as a whole, Eco Diver: Ocean Cleanup tries to fight pollution but lacks any true form of combat. There are no enemies and the player has no form of an attack. I think this could have been accomplished by (for example) giving the player a water gun or hose to break some lodged debris free, or a shovel to dig out some trash in marked locations. A saving grace for Eco Diver is that gameplay revolves around a status effect which constantly drains the player's oxygen. When oxygen runs out, so does the player's adventure.
• I love the game concept; the educational lesson of pollution with the combination of gameplay to improve the pollution was refreshing, outstanding concept!
• The game looks very pretty! It's a shame that behind such pretty graphics is a simple garbage collection mechanic with scoring. At least it could use some scary moments and related plot (for example, about a sunken ship) to make it interesting for the player to keep playing.