A very fun high score game. It got very difficult very quickly sometimes depending on what fire rates I got which was really funny just seeing heaps of enemies closing in on me.
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Forced Directions's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Fun | #303 | 3.730 | 3.730 |
| Overall | #537 | 3.604 | 3.604 |
| Presentation | #1004 | 3.568 | 3.568 |
| Originality | #1880 | 3.153 | 3.153 |
Ranked from 111 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 player has no control over the direction where he will shoot and the frequency of the shooting. A lot other stuff are all randomized (like enemy speed / points you get for an enemy etc) - so it's also a bit out of my control. Also added a (last minute) idea where enemies have a chance of dropping powerups. And when the player picks that up, something is randomized (enemy speed, enemy points, player shooting rate etc). And it's all visible in the PAUSE screen (on purpose - so no debugging)
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?
No
We used pre-existing audio
Comments
Thanks for your feedback!
Yes, maybe I shouldv'e added some kind of health system ... and/or a little easier ramp up. It's difficult to balance a game when you're the only one playing it ^^
At some point I figured the game was too easy - so I added more enemies - when you kill an enemy another one is spawned ... and the timer is increased, so they spawn more quick. The attack-timer (the fire-rate) is totally random though - so there is no ramp up there. Wasn't sure if I wanted to have it more organised or keep it more out of my control and keep it totally random (which I did)
Your game had a really similar concept to mine! Good take on the theme and great execution on it. Great job!
Submitted
Toggle ArenaSimple idea that really changes the way you play the game. Nice presentation as well, nice entry!
Submitted
Tricky KeysVery simple and yet effective and great concept! :D
Besides that, the art was nice and fit the minimalistic style and, to my very surprise, the music fit perfect to some gun sounds!
An addition that would make the game probably more interesting would be additional types of guns that you randomly cycle through!
Submitted
TrainwreckThanks for your kind words.
I also was surprised that the tempo of the music sometimes perfectly matched the rythmn of the guns. It was mostly a lucky coincidence ... or just a great choice of music :P
I wanted to incorporate random cycling through guns, but in the end focused on other things to finish. Maybe will add those random weapons later - looks like people really enjoyed it.
Really simplistic concept thats executed extremely well. Has some nice polish and is very easy on the eyes! Super awesome job on this.
Submitted
Tower of the UnknownVery simple idea executed well. The randomness is just enough to be interesting but not infuriating. I like the music as well!
Submitted
The Pit And The Double PendulumSuper simple and fun. Executed perfectly. Your idea translated very well into a finished game! The music and art were also nice.
Submitted
All Hands!Pretty cool, but kinda hard to see the enemies. Not sure if that's because I'm colorblind or what. Maybe having a black outline around the enemies would be helpful!
Submitted
Wacky BunnyThanks for your feedback. I never realized my color palette would make it harder to see for some people. If I could, I would update it right away to fix this - I feel kinda bad about this.
Can you recommend me some color schemes and/or sites where I could check if a specific color scheme has enough contrast, so I can fix this later / in a next game?
I like how clean the aesthetic was and how simple the game was. The only complaint I have with the art is that the pickups are kind of hard to see. Game play wise I felt like the game could get pretty circle-strafey. Perhaps having the enemies spread out a bit more would help alleviate the problem.
Submitted
The Walls Have BulletsGlad you liked the aesthetic and 'simple' gameplay.
The pickups are something which was added in the last hour of the jam ... so had not enough time to make them work as intended. Don't think many people even realise that picking them up will randomize something in the game. It's visible when you pause the game ... but that's also not worked out very well in the UI. Not even sure if I will keep then in, in the end. Might have to tweak it a bit to make it more clear for the player what's happening.
I agree with how the enemies feel like they will follow your every move ... was planning to change that as well ... but yeah, time constraints again. They do spawn on a random location in the game ... but since they will be drawn to you, in the end they will all swarm around you :D
A focused game with clean aesthetic and clear concept that fits the jam theme! I loved how the audio and sound effect choice enhances the core gameplay. I didn't make it super far, but I felt that the enemy hitboxes could be a bit bigger. When the fire rate is high, it is quite satisfying to mow enemies down as the screen fills with enemies. But when the fire rate is low, the small hitboxes are a bit unforgiving if not paying attention to your shots.
Overall, great execution and presentation of the core jam theme and gameplay concept!
Submitted
HellsawNice and simple. Lots of ways to take this project. Keep it up!
Submitted
Curse of the Black HorseI really liked that there was a timer so I would know when the shooting changes. Otherwise I would've been quite angry if I died because of it.
Submitted
Can't catch me!A simple yet well executed idea. It was nice that the music was in sync with the flow of the game. We would appreciate a clearer indication when the shooting changes, but the direction remains the same.
Submitted
Floor is LavaThanks for your feedback.
I dabbled with the idea if I should enforce a direction change every time the timer runs out - just to make it more consistent ... but felt it was more 'out of control' if it was completely random. But yes, maybe the shooting-speed should be displayed somewhere or anything - so it's clear the speed changed (and the direction maybe did not)
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