Hi everyone.
I just wanted to say thanks to the persons who commented and rated my little game. Hard to make something nice in half the time (for various reasons), but I'm glad some of you found it worth a vote.
I also played some really good games that showed that it's not because it's Halloween that a jam game needed to be scary (it was not even the official theme).
See you in the next jam !
Sorry, but I didn't understand what I had to do.
I could fix the first plugs (as dictated), I could use the grappling hook, but either I am stuck on the ceiling, or I manage to get in front of the TV and nothing seems to want to happen.
The mouse makes the camera move way too fast to let me control anything. I don't run straight forward because of this, and jumping doesn't work much either. The camera goes as well through the walls.
And the music doesn't loop. There was a start of fun urgency mood, but it stopped all of a sudden. That's too bad.
I think you published your game without properly testing it, or at least making someone else play it. You may have missed a lot of opportunities for improvement without a second opinion.
Side note : don't select Linux if you don't provide a binary for Linux. I'm under Linux, and I couldn't play the Windows build with Wine.
Sorry that you didn't like my game.
I couldn't do anything on the first 5 days of the jam (for personal non-critical reasons), so I had to take shortcuts.
About the color, I had a first idea that I dropped due to lack of time, so I tried a second idea of night vision, that was at least working but was missing some effects.
About what happens when hit, I had a couple of better ideas after having submitted the game. Since they were improvements and not bug fixes, I wasn't allowed to implement them.
I know my game needed a lot of improvements. But I think it's better to send something that works than to give up on the last day.
I like the first sentence we can read in your game : "Humanity is long gone, wiped out by the AI it once created." LMAO ! This is unfortunately a wise prophecy.
I love the aesthetics, it really feels oppressing. And the music is very well chosen (it doesn't start directly on the web build, only on the desktop build ; I need to click somewhere to start it).
You used the theme very well. The tricks that you had to explain are clever ; without your hints, we would have needed to think out of the box, which is difficult under the watch of our modern Big Brother. We're so used to get a high score or to collect candies like everyone else, when suddenly : "Oooah, what are all those things doing here ? Why are they bouncing all around and attacking me ? They are too many, THIS IS INSANE !!!"
3 small things, though :
- the footsteps SFX is not synced with the character's actual steps. In Godot's animation timeline, you can ask to play a sound on a specific frame, which is useful in your case (works well, I did it in an unpublished project).
- in other infinite runners, pressing left or right makes the characters directly jump on the adjacent line. Here we need more time, but since there are obstacles to dodge, it's not a big problem.
- I had to ALT + F4 Windows's build to end it, as it's in real full screen with no cross. An exit button is missing (like in my game, actually).
That's a good game ! Well done !
... Man, this cat is scary ! It will haunt my nights !
...
And there's a New Game + ? Wow ! I didn't understand it, but that's a great idea.
Thanks for your nice review !
Following the theme is what makes this jam fun. I've played as well other (good) games that used only a Halloween theme while it was not the goal.
Concerning the mobs, I wanted them to get to the TV that was activated ("the bonus that turns against us"), but I needed path finding and I could not train me on this with the time I had left. In addition, I wanted the mobs to wander instead when a TV is activated, but only the first one reacted, the other 2 ones stayed still. I don't know where this is coming from, I may have missed to connect a signal. I'll have to fix that in the future.
I notice on your screenshot that the web build is missing one light at the end of the corridor, and there are other display issues. The desktop builds look as expected. May be due to Godot using a less powerful engine on web builds ; I'll work on that as well.
Thank you !
I used a realistic run speed, but it's true it can seem slow compared to more dynamic FPSs.
Concerning the lack of mouse support, it was not intentional. I didn't use any pre-existing template, I made the controller myself before with another project. At that time I focused on commands with gamepads and on-screen for phones or tablets. I tried to add mouse support for this game, but I started really late (5 days too late), and I couldn't make anything usable so I dropped it. I'll definitely work on this for next time.
Welcome to the jam to both of you !
It's hard to quantify what you can do in 10 days when it's the first time. This is my second jam, and I was also quite optimistic for my first one (with this one as well, moreover I started too late).
Your game is a pretty good one for a first one. The remote control playing hide-and-seek is a daily struggle for some people, here there's some curse added.
The set is pleasant, cartoony, very lively and well built. The contrast with the stressful music is interesting. The flashes are too strong, though, you didn't need to go from zero to one. Thanks for having thought about the epilepsy warning.
The gameplay is simple and intuitive ; using the left mouse button in addition to the spacecar to pick up the remote control would have been an asset.
A quite big problem : the player moves really fast ! And when using the controller, it rotates slower than when using the mouse. If you were to lower the player's speed, you would need to give more time to find the remote control (which is hard to find, by the way ; is it placed randomly or on predefined spawn points ?).
Good job !
See you on the next jam !
Very interesting. I found your game just OK when playing it for the first time, but after a second run I found much more positive to say.
It's true that the main theme is not respected (the TV only makes a small cameo and has no role), and the secondary trick-or-treat is not used at all (no double-edged bonus, no checkpoint), but the rest is very good.
The aesthetics is pleasing, I like the fog effect and the spooky surprise wen you get out of the town. Town which is procedurally generated, that guarantees new games every time. Just a marker for home on the map would help a lot, it's a procedural maze.
Very good choices of musics, the SFX are simple and efficient. The "trick-or-treat" does not sound very "childy", is it your voice ? Maybe a bell sound could have been added when the clock is short and, a fail sound when you cannot head home on time. Clearly showing what treats we got is also missing.
It's a good piece of work, even if off-subject. Bravo !
The graphics are nice, the little ghost is cute. The music blends well in.
But I don't like the commands : the only used mouse button could have been mapped on the keyboard. Even one key for the normal attack and another key for the strong one.
As said by other comments say, the game lacks sound feedback for the attacks and when hit ; I didn't even understand when I got hit.
Honestly, I must add that my daughter looked at the game and went away, disappointed.
The idea is good, maybe more time and tests would have made it better.
Great game for one person !
It's fun and quite accessible, even my kids were able to play and liked it.
I love the aesthetics of playing on an old TV, with the scanlines effect on it. That blends in really well. Reminds me of my NES.
The characters are cute. Going cartoony for Halloween is refreshing.
There are some bugs, though : sometimes we're stuck after attacking, and if we switch in the middle of a platform, we can get stuck inside.
The jumps are really tight, especially those when we need to switch while jumping. Lower platforms at the beginning would have been easier to start with.
Other thing : I played perfectly with an X360 controller, but the layout is not perfect. Maybe the switch command on an R button would have been better.
And my computer's fans go crazy when the game runs ! Maybe because I run it under Linux with Wine but it's strange.
Overall a very pleasant piece of work. Good job !
This is an original idea. Helping these kids achieve their dreams feels gratifying.
I was destabilized by the door knock. I heard it so good in my headset that I really thought someone was actually knocking at the room's door ; I even went at the door to find no one. Nice choice of music as well.
But I'm quite frustrated my the mechanics. Pointing-clicking is no issue, but I didn't notice that the spacebar was needed ; and even when I used it, I failed most of the ingredients. I'm not even sure all this makes an actual difference.
A 4th guest would have been interesting, just to bring some variations from one game to the other.
That's a good start, but the mechanics and the events need refinement. Good job anyway !
Ouch... Thanks for the report.
I tried to add the mouse to control the sight, but it was not satisfying and I was very short on time (I started 5 days late), so I dropped it.
I think I'll revise the game to add keys on the right side of the keyboard as a quick fix. It may not be comfortable, but it will help TKL owners.
---Hi Jogglebrott.
I just published a fixed update. Do you think you will have time to give it a try and tell me if it works for you ?
Thanks in advance, and have a nice day.
---
Thanks a lot for having tried again, it really helps.
Have a great jam !
Hi, dear game jammers.
For my first game jam and my first published video game, I was positively surprised by the reception that my submission got.
All the reviews I got were very constructive and encouraging. I felt happy and proud of what I could provide to you.
I saw as well from the comments on other games (I didn't read many, though) that the community is very friendly and willing to give feedback.
So I wanted to say a big thank you to the people who played, rated and commented my game, and globally to all of you.
For the people who were expecting a little more, I'll say that I'll continue working on my game, as another project (to keep my very first published game as is), and I'll try to bring most of the updates that I planned and that you gave me :
I hope to meet you again in comments or during a future jam.
Take care, everyone !
Hi Nicolaas.
Thank you very much for your review! I really appreciate you liked it!
The game here is indeed very short, due to the time restriction and my main life (as for many other jammers) . But if I jump back on it (under another project, I'll keep this game jam one frozen), I'll definitely add more challenges involving each robot's capabilities while developing the story.
I wanted to add more texts when the robot picks the spring or the battery up, but I didn't use the best way to display text, I need to revamp it to allow for more hints and dialogs.
Thanks again.
THIS IS TOO CUTE !!!
I also used creations from my kids in my game, but you made a real team work.
The game runs smoothly and is accurate, and the design is lovely. All hand-drawn elements work as game elements.
The music is too loud, though, it partially covers your daughter's voice.
That's a delightful submission. Thank you !
This is actually good to have kept the partial translation, it proves you worked on it, even if it's not finalized.
Concerning the movements (I'm talking about the walking speed, not the mouse speed), they're fast in both levels. They're faster than what we have in FPS like Unreal Tournament (the 1998 one) or Xonotic. I think that running this fast should be kept right after being shrunk until we enter the second level (to emphasize the escape).
Too bad your game is not finalized, it's a nice submission ; but timing is really tough.
The detection system works nice and makes me think of MGS. The soldiers should be alerted directly when we run in front of them.
The environment itself works, but the soldiers' sprites are too big. I'm sure there are better sprite sets whose resolution matches the rest better. And a random dungeon music would have helped getting more into the ambience.
A nice and simple point-and-click game in an everyday-life dungeon. That's an original interpretation of a tiny world : adventure can happen home and last hours. And the story relates so much...
Abby's manga style and the apartment's realistic style don't blend in well. It's probably due to the assets, maybe another set would have been better (but are there any ?).
It seems to be your first submission. That's good work. Well done !This is a good start point for a longer story, with meeting with friends, preparing food, or other stuff, always with the key that can be lost.
Thanks for the Linux build, by the way, not everyone thinks about it. ;)
This is cute ! Easy to play, peaceful and not meaning any harm, I'll definitely make my kids try it.
The goal is crystal clear. This is a really good point. You made this brown rabbit pop out to invite the player to speak with it, this start point works perfectly.
The main character moves a little too fast ; you could compare it with Zelda A Link to the Past on the SNES (I'm not particularly young ;) ).
The overworld music is nice but maybe a little sad. Not the best choice but it's pleasant to listen to, I'm still listening to it while writing this review.
On the contrary, the victory fanfare is too 8-bit and doesn't work well with the HD music.
The theme is not really followed : I don't feel anything tiny here. The human-sizes rabbits, maybe ?
Since it's your first game jam, like for me, I'll say it's a very good start. The world is well built, the goal is clear. You used good mechanics that you'll be able to apply to more complex adventure games.
Keep up the good work !
A text-based game ? That's a risky bet. I remember Radical Dreamer, the sequel to Chrono Trigger that eventually inspired Chrono Cross ; not the most comfortable game to play.
It's good to have warned about the content before the start of the game. The introduction is indeed very hard.
Exploring tiny interior worlds of memories and feelings is an original way to follow the theme. The story is well written, but there's a lot to read for non-native English speakers. On the other hand, I was about to say that more pictures would add value, but no, it's better to let the player-reader imagine for oneself.
And the music and the ambient sounds are here to help the reader to imagine. They're light, setting the mood of each location. Good job on this.
It's not the most fun game to play, but there's an audience for this kind of games.
The presentation is accurate and looks very professional.
Everything is consistent, the game really happens in a cartoony gold mine, which is funny, and the SFX are well chosen ; I like the sound of the wind when the coaster is falling. But I didn't hear the music... I think it's supposed to start when we click at the beginning. Am I having a bug ?
The gameplay is minimalist, only one button is necessary (it could even be played on a phone, I didn't try). This makes the game instantly accessible.
Your game is a fun one. I may come back every now and then to take a ride down the mine. ;)
The biggest problem is : you're absolutely not in the theme. There's nothing tiny here. I don't really see how to fix this. But maybe it's not the purpose of this submission.
Technically, this is interesting. The way the "web cords" (I don't know how they're called) behave when they're cut is something that could apply to other things like bridges or curtains.
But I didn't understand what to do at the beginning. I thought I had to go past the spider in the first scene, but I kept on dying, do I didn't really know what to do. A dialogue box when the "bug" is saved (I mistook it with a baby spider, so I tried to cut it) would have helped : "Thanks for having saved me. Please take me out of here !" The spider could also follow the player when the bug is freed.
Your submission is good as a technical demo, but not as a game. But I'm sure you'll be able to implement this in a later project.
EDIT : I understand this is your first jam, as for me. This is a lot of work and you tried to focus on making the technical things run correctly. Do keep in mind what you learnt, it will be useful in the future, I'm sure of it.
Thanks for the Windows build. It runs perfectly under Linux with Wine.
I truly liked the ambience. The tranquil forest with birds singing, then this tiny village with a Hobbit-like music and these strange but relaxing colours. And a giant banana ! :D Theme 100% respected ! (watch out, its texture has a watermark)
It's a little too bad that the assets were not animated, but it's a whole different kind of business.
Too bad as well that the multiple languages is limited to the main screen and the settings. Still, this is a good start.
2 things I didn't really like :
- the player moves very very fast ! Like he's running the 100 meters final at the Olympics. I would not wander this fast in the woods. It removes some of the fun.
- the ground's semi-realistic texture doesn't blend well with the assets' hand-painted textures. It's more disturbing in the first scene ; it's OK in the village and its unrealistic colours.
That's a good game. There's room for more adventure !
PS : DJ Square L is funny ! :D
Since you were the first to rate me, you are the one I'll rate first. ;)
You game is very interesting. For me the theme is respected, having this gigantic astronaut trying to save tiny towns on a tiny planet. I like pixel-art, I had a NES in my hands, so I like it
The controls are simple yet hard to use, because when we are upside down, the movements are backwards ! I ended up jetpacking all the time because it seemed faster. Maybe a fuel gauge that would allow to take off only when it's full would prevent this and add more challenge (it's already challenging). Still, the asteroids have a high tendency to spawn on the other side of the planet and to fall very fast, which is frustrating when 2 cities are erased without any chance of salvation.
The sounds blend in very good. They're not too many and well chosen. I was upset when I stomped on the first city, hearing the shouts of the poor citizens. :( A small alarm sound when an asteroid is about to land would not have hurt, IMHO.
The music ... is ... great ! Spatial and with a sense of danger. Really good choice ! Did you get it somewhere or did you compose it yourself ? I love it, I'm ready to listen to it much longer.
Thanks for the game session. See you on the next jam !
Hi Mr. Fork. ;)
Thank you so much for your comment !
Making a game alone is definitely a hard thing, but I learned a lot on everything.
Initially, even the dash was faster than it is, but I slowed it down mainly because the robot took off ! Maybe I'll implement power ups if I make a bigger game out of it.
Hi Beebster.
Thank you so much for your kind words !
Yeah, Godot is really great for 3D. The engine's settings are lower for the web-based build on purpose in Godot, this is why I attached a Windows build and a Linux build (and also because I prefer playing out of the browser, but it's my personal preference).
Hi Tezzy.
Thank you so much for your comment ! (my very first one as well :) )
You're right that going back down is quite long, even by dashing. I intentionally blocked the possibility to jump down the cliff to avoid coding difficulties (time was of the essence), but it would have been so satisfying. I'll keep it in mind if I jump back on this project.
