Into The Fray by Naked_Samurai

[raw]
made by Naked_Samurai for LD32 (JAM)
Here is a quick tutorial to anyone who has difficulties playing :
* You play as the green character and the enemies are the red characters
* You cannot directly control the green or red characters
* If you click on the white dots they will turn into blue circles with crosses meaning that the path is blocked.
* If a character comes to a blocked path, it will find another path to move to.
* Characters select paths randomly
* If you close a path with a character already on it, the character will continues to move across the path until it comes to a junction
* You can only kill the enemy that has an orange triangle around it
* If you come to contact with an enemy without a orange triangle, you will die.
* You need to defend the purple shields from the red enemies, if they find a shield, another enemy will be added to the lev

*This game was intended to be a Compo entry but I wasn't able to complete it within the 48 hours assigned; therefore, I am entering it into the Jam*

Controls :
Mouse Click : Open/Close Paths
Q : Invisibility Mode
W : Stealth Mode
R : Restart Level

Tools used:

Unity 5.0
Visual Studio 2013 (C#)
Photoshop CC

Music by Martin Stig Andersen and Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)


Story :

Various organisations around the world have discovered the potential use
of perilous creatures as a means of fending off any opposition forces.
Even though this proves to be an effective method, these beasts cannot be
tamed. But by altering their environment, they can be forced to perform
the required actions to achieve the objectives the organisation desires.

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 2.93 755
Audio(Jam) 3.19 324
Fun(Jam) 2.52 874
Graphics(Jam) 3.02 650
Innovation(Jam) 3.27 395
Mood(Jam) 2.98 575
Theme(Jam) 2.64 900

Feedback

Lyje
20. Apr 2015 · 21:56 UTC
Afraid I'm not really sure what to do. Opening/closing nodes didn't seem to stop or redirect the green skull or the enemies... looks nice though, and the idea itself seems like a good one!
Blobo
20. Apr 2015 · 22:34 UTC
Not sure what to do, the alien just derped in and out. the doors didnt stop any enemies and i was generally confused. nice graphics and audio though.
Leandrus
20. Apr 2015 · 22:35 UTC
I got lost. didn't know what to do. y press the keys like crazy and nothing.
thanks for sharing .
hexdie
20. Apr 2015 · 22:38 UTC
This is pretty confusing. I don't seem to have very much control over what happens. All I know is when the green skull hits the red face, I win. But at the second level, all of those characters moved about randomly.
Sim00n
20. Apr 2015 · 22:38 UTC
As Lyje said before me, I don't really know what to do. The gates seem to repel the red sculls in some cases but sometimes they just go through. The green one is not affected and apparently when it contacts the red scull, it just dies. Nice graphics and appropriate music though.
Azlen
20. Apr 2015 · 22:39 UTC
The game does not seem to open on my computer (mac)
Multiplexor
20. Apr 2015 · 22:43 UTC
The Node openning and closing is a nice mechanic! I also like the art, and the music is fitting, the problem i can see is that the game is very slow, and I feel like i spend more time waiting than doing other things.

Keep up the good work! :D
thumbgarden
20. Apr 2015 · 23:42 UTC
very polished look. Now work on gameplay and you could have a hit. Im not sure what opening and closing the different nodes does, but it seems like it could be very fun.
sugarbyte
20. Apr 2015 · 23:43 UTC
I think I figured out how to work it, but I agree that once I was ready to do stuff, it seemed really slow! Love the music and mood though.
knarf2011
20. Apr 2015 · 23:55 UTC
Pretty good all around! The mechanic feels a bit like the vents in FNaF3, but there's more strategy as opposed to acting quickly.
gene-z
21. Apr 2015 · 00:11 UTC
I got lost
internetpaulicy
21. Apr 2015 · 00:18 UTC
This is a really neat all-round entry. I would definitely like to play something like this on my phone. The jump in complexity between the first and second level is pretty funny but also inviting. I did not get it right away but mostly because of when a path is blocked and that the visual indicator of blocked looks like the path is open.
w1n5t0n
21. Apr 2015 · 00:18 UTC
The game is very interesting but it takes a while to figure it out.
Supernovadx
21. Apr 2015 · 00:25 UTC
Confusing at first. For those of you that don't know what to do . When you click the white dot when it has a blue circle that means that the path is blocked, and will redirect any of the guys coming through. Your object is to get the green guy to kill the red guy with the orange around it. The game moves too slow. Still really cool, and I liked the audio.
🎤 Naked_Samurai
21. Apr 2015 · 00:33 UTC
Sorry to anyone who struggled to understand the concept. I should have play tested it with some people before, since when I was developing it, I was in the mindset of having understood the concepts very well and did not realize the learning curve involved for a new player. Some things I could improve later include covering up the paths that have been blocked so you can visually see the path blocked and maybe include a fast forward button
🎤 Naked_Samurai
21. Apr 2015 · 14:12 UTC
Here is a quick tutorial to anyone who has difficulties playing :
* You play as the green character and the enemies are the red characters
* You cannot directly control the green or red characters
* If you click on the white dots they will turn into blue circles with crosses meaning that the path is blocked.
* If a character comes to a blocked path, it will find another path to move to.
* Characters select paths randomly
* If you close a path with a character already on it, the character will continues to move across the path until it comes to a junction
* You can only kill the enemy that has an orange triangle around it
* If you come to contact with an enemy without a orange triangle, you will die.
* You need to defend the purple shields from the red enemies, if they find a shield, another enemy will be added to the level
daltostronic
21. Apr 2015 · 19:13 UTC
I didn't know what to do :( :D
wilsk
21. Apr 2015 · 19:24 UTC
A nice slow paced puzzle game with neat graphics.

Not sure if the green skull is meant to be redirected by closed gates as it sometimes seemed to be but not other times.
Mak
21. Apr 2015 · 19:25 UTC
The core mechanic of telling your agent where NOT to go is really great, I loved it! But the game is far too slow I think... got super frustrated each time I had to restart. Even I restarted several times in a row in order to exploit the randomnes, which, by the way, adds a cool layer to the game.
BlakeB
21. Apr 2015 · 22:27 UTC
Instructions were a little unclear. Gameplay was slow. Very interesting concept though. With a bit of polish this could be turned into a neat little game, perhaps on a mobile platform.
snade
21. Apr 2015 · 22:27 UTC
Nice concept! felt a bit slow in some parts. like when you compleet a level. takes forever to go to the next. and the first few levels were a bit confusing. maybe a bit of a tutorial would work nicely on this!
uniuni
21. Apr 2015 · 22:34 UTC
It could be a little more fast, i spend much time waiting for the skull, it made me feel like wasting time, maybe a button to accelerate the hole game would be interesting couse the mechanic is very good
HotBoxGames
21. Apr 2015 · 22:41 UTC
Really neat, I'll be coming back for more!
Red_Fan games
21. Apr 2015 · 22:53 UTC
WTF don't know what to do. seems cool and the graphics are neat tho. :)
Big Cow
21. Apr 2015 · 23:10 UTC
I think the core idea as good, could benefit from experimenting with the implementation - I found the random path choice frustrating, particularly the lack of ability to control the path your green skull takes. But I did find the puzzle concept a neat mechanic.
MiniBobbo
21. Apr 2015 · 23:18 UTC
It took playing through the first level twice to get the concept, and afterwards it was a lot of fun. Controlling the monster indirectly was a neat feature. I think what wasn't apparent and lead to some confusion was that you have to block off the paths BEFORE the monster walks down them to herd him into the red guys. That and the judicious use of the speed power made it possible.

I managed to beat all three levels once I got the concept and the control scheme. It plays nice and smooth, although everything moved a little slow for my tastes.
MikkelLevisen
22. Apr 2015 · 09:42 UTC
Really cool game! I didn't get it at first but after reading your clarification it all made sense. You should put it in the description.
This could really work well as a mobile/touch game
rgehan
22. Apr 2015 · 10:19 UTC
At first I didn't really understand how to block the "monster", but then I did: You have to close a node before the monster/ennemy engages in its direction or else it's going to go through it (you should modify that).

It's a good idea, it's unconventional. The graphics are great, not super awesome but great. The sounds/music is nice.

I really loved the menu, I don't know why, maybe the big font on a blurry background.

Good game anyway :)
nopogo
22. Apr 2015 · 12:42 UTC
A cool game, a good idea for next entry would be to start off with a tutorial section in which you explain the mechanics part by part.
SpringCabal
22. Apr 2015 · 13:37 UTC
Well done. I only wish it was a bit faster. I was also not sure how I died since it seems I can kill current targets as well as non-targets. Audio+mood is also great.
AinoraZ
22. Apr 2015 · 14:29 UTC
The game is pretty good, but I wish there was some kind of way to fasten the game! It's waaayyy to slow for me to enjoy
DarkwindMedia
22. Apr 2015 · 15:39 UTC
Not so sure what to do :(
lochmann-apps
22. Apr 2015 · 16:09 UTC
Thats a cool puzzle game! Wasn't too hard to understand and makes a lot of fun. Looks to me just like it didn't match the theme of the election.

For everybody who didn't know how to play it, turning the checkpoints to an x closes the way for everybody but only if the player isn't already inside the lane. If the x was set too late, the enemy inside the specific lane will be able to pass this checkpoint for this moment.
goblin
22. Apr 2015 · 19:41 UTC
Interesting idea and concept. But blocking paths when either the monster or the enemy is nearby doesnt work, they just go through
Check our game too http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=44367
fixitteam
22. Apr 2015 · 20:36 UTC
interesting gameplay.
it would probably need a bit more speed tho.
nice sounds :)
lucidsheep
23. Apr 2015 · 00:39 UTC
i figured it out. some things that might help would be giving the enemies an indication of direction, and make it so that you had to sneak up behind them. I see where this was going, and it could be cool with more work!
Awpteamoose
23. Apr 2015 · 07:49 UTC
The general look reminded me somewhat of Atom Zombie Smasher.
An interesting mechanic, that would work much better on touch devices.
rudra
23. Apr 2015 · 10:47 UTC
Pretty good one ! Good mechanics and audio. Keep it up !
Arowx
23. Apr 2015 · 13:06 UTC
Liked the puzzle style graphics and sound/music but lacked control. A way to control your character may be either choose direction, path or just pac-man style controls and you could have an amazing little puzzle combat game.
Pietdagamer
23. Apr 2015 · 14:52 UTC
Everything moves really slow.
raisedmedia
23. Apr 2015 · 17:15 UTC
looks and sounds great. a bit confusing
aCondor
23. Apr 2015 · 18:39 UTC
Very nice looking graphics and the concept is really fun! Sometimes, it wouldn't let me stop the skull early enough. Cool idea!
Nikteddy92
23. Apr 2015 · 22:26 UTC
Mmmh I'm quite confused.. btw nice style and audio.. ^^'
hbocao
23. Apr 2015 · 22:57 UTC
Very interesting concept! It was kinda too slow to wait for everything to move to the right place. You should keep working on it. This could work on mobile.
safran
24. Apr 2015 · 10:41 UTC
Even after reading the tutorial i'm still at lost.
mantis
24. Apr 2015 · 11:01 UTC
I really like the idea, I really like the clean aesthetics, but the game is just SO PAINFULLY SLOW. There should be a way to speed it up, or fill out the time.

When it was down to narrowly navigating separate enemies it was awesome. When I was waiting for 30 seconds to encounter the next enemy, it was horribly boring.

All in all, amazing idea, would love to see it polished into a great game.
lucien
24. Apr 2015 · 13:29 UTC
Nice Idea but it didnt work so well I think or I`m just stupid:)
Hectigo
24. Apr 2015 · 17:26 UTC
The game could be just a little bit faster-paced, other than that this is a really solid entry. Shouldn't you opt-out from the Audio category though, since as far as I understand the music wasn't made during the jam?
12 Pechás Of Souls
24. Apr 2015 · 19:55 UTC
Interesting mechanics. It's hard to understand at beginning but fun when you understand it.
abcdef65g
24. Apr 2015 · 20:52 UTC
I got confused at what to do but by the last stage I suddenly got a decent grasp of what I should be really doing. The idea is interesting, and I could totally see it in a commercial game, if you manage to add more interesting decisions to waiting periods, enriching that, I would really say it is a game I would see me buying.
filipe.silva
24. Apr 2015 · 21:11 UTC
Very good. The mechanics of the game was very good. The characters could move a little faster, but that did not diminish the fun. Levels and graphics were excellent. Great work. Congratulations
evilseanbot
25. Apr 2015 · 00:39 UTC
I liked the mood and the unique play style, but it was pretty tedious on the later levels when the green guy would take his sweet time to get to the delicious red guys.
Plustech
25. Apr 2015 · 01:11 UTC
I like the mood in general, great music, great art proposal.
It seems that closing doors do not affect the enemies or your path, dont know if it is a known issue.

From level 1 to level 2 the jump in difficulty is very big.
The unconventional weapon is hard to see. Looks more like a system than a weapon.

I really like the idea but I think it needs balance.
Great entry nevertheless!
Please let us know if you resolve that bug!
Octopus Melange
25. Apr 2015 · 03:07 UTC
I understand how the game works but it doesn't always work the way you want it too. Sometimes placing a block on a node doesn't do anything, other times it works well. Could stand to have a bit more of an obvious 'IF THE RED GUYS SEE THE GREEN GUY THEY KILL IT AND YOU LOSE' sort of message...
john wasteland
25. Apr 2015 · 03:39 UTC
It's pretty good, I liked the concept.
syncxzoz
25. Apr 2015 · 04:33 UTC
the audio was great.. i love it..
Huo-cuo
25. Apr 2015 · 05:19 UTC
Characters could be a little faster. At first, I thought that he is chasing the targeted enemy. Sometimes, he crosses the blue cross, but in the first level he did not. After a while learning the mechanics I had a great fun chasing down the enemies, good job overall.
eott
25. Apr 2015 · 08:36 UTC
Short, but sweet.

I think it would have helped understanding if instead of just the node the whole blocked path would grayed out. The nodes look like gates, but actually just block the entrance to a path.

I really liked how crisp clear the graphics were. Looks like a UI professional was at work.
Pixel Heart
25. Apr 2015 · 10:33 UTC
Sorry man, this is too hard... Too many things for a jam game :/ . This sucks because I see you put a lot of effort in building a solid and complex game, but I think this kind of complexity needs a tutorial section of the game. I read your instructions few times before playing again (and really, the mechanics SOUND really interesting!), but I just can't play, I feel a little bit random. Why don't you try to create a tutorial section and upload an updated version? You still have time, and I'm sure people will be able to appreciate ll this complexity! I will be the first one to play it again :)
rplnt
25. Apr 2015 · 13:03 UTC
Really nice, had fun playing it. Not exactly clear at the first time (from the game only), but once you figure it out it's good. Some sort of visual warning that I've used all blocks would be nice (or how many I have left). I also like the audio very much. Good job.
gruhn
25. Apr 2015 · 13:44 UTC
Good game with an interesting mechanic. Initial feedback could be a little more clear about the objectives.
Mekuri
25. Apr 2015 · 14:25 UTC
Took me a short while to figure out that it was the entire "side" that got blocked, not just the point. After figuring that out the game suddenly made a lot of sense and I had fun. I managed to beat all the levels, fairly easily. The idea was awesome, albeit a bit too slow. I do believe that more complex levels won't feel that slow :-) I Loved the Agility boost. All in all a great idea, and I was entertained. Good job!
sekaru
25. Apr 2015 · 17:11 UTC
I'm in the same boat as everyone else. A bit too confusing for me.
FuzzyWuzzie
25. Apr 2015 · 19:41 UTC
Kinda neat, but things are moving a little too slow to keep my attention.
F. Wiktora
25. Apr 2015 · 21:34 UTC
Well, this is my new favourite. Absolutely amazing!
QuestionableQuality
25. Apr 2015 · 22:56 UTC
The amount of paths and the uncertainty of where the player and enemies would go was quite overwhelming, but It is an interesting concept.
spin-down
25. Apr 2015 · 23:20 UTC
Looks great, good concept and the music was nice. Once you figure out what you need to do and how the game plays it makes sense. However, it was very slow, and this made it not as fun as it could otherwise be.
Toby Pinder
25. Apr 2015 · 23:23 UTC
Really cool atmosphere, but has a little trouble conveying the basic strategies to the player (which is admittedly par for the course for an LD game). The fact that you have to close routes a "step ahead" of the dot itself is especially unclear at first. Once I grasped it though it's a pretty cool "door opening simulator", pretty satisfying and balanced.
Squarlboy
26. Apr 2015 · 00:45 UTC
Interesting mechanic, although you have to figure it out by your self. but diffidently interesting.
nameoftheuser
26. Apr 2015 · 02:05 UTC
Pretty good, difficult in a re-playable way!
Kaijuu
26. Apr 2015 · 05:58 UTC
One of the best games on ludum. Great job!
KaiseanGames
26. Apr 2015 · 09:28 UTC
I liked the game. Are there only two levels, or did I miss something?
MonoS
26. Apr 2015 · 14:22 UTC
Very nice mechanics, to bad there are only 3 levels i wanted more.

The control need some better explanation, took me some time to understand how the game works.

In the end interesting game, put some more time into it :D
tughan
26. Apr 2015 · 15:44 UTC
A better introduction level (or levels) would work a lot. Nice idea, nice polish, nice game.
Danman9914
26. Apr 2015 · 18:58 UTC
Interesting puzzle game. I would never have figured it out without the out-of-game explanation of the mechanics, but it was quite engaging after I did. It really could have used an option to speed up the movement of all the units. I loved how the music picked up in the third level.
Vulture Tamer
26. Apr 2015 · 20:39 UTC
great game!

maybe make it more clear that by clicking on the circle you close the entire path, not just a gate at the circle, people are confused that the entities still go through it :p

awesome music and mood

good interpretation of the theme!

was lacking some 'fun' aspects though, game has way more potential that delivered, but that's to expect from such a short deadline :D
steboots
26. Apr 2015 · 21:25 UTC
I was able to play, it was a little slow though, a ff button would be nice :)
Flayk
27. Apr 2015 · 07:12 UTC
I feel as though I had some fun, but the combat is a bit too abstract. What am I using to block the paths? The mood of the game reminded me of stealth classics, and the audio, although repetitive was fairly well thought out. In the future, I'd consider changing the tempo and key of the song for each enemy killed. I feel like you are onto something here... Keep making games, and don't be afraid to get messy.
jk5000
28. Apr 2015 · 06:28 UTC
Good music, sounds, and concept. A possibility to change game speed, can do the gaming experience better.
eskivor
28. Apr 2015 · 19:09 UTC
A button to accelerate or decelerate the global game time speed (like the sims, or many tower defense) would be cool.
highlyinteractive
28. Apr 2015 · 20:07 UTC
No idea what stealth was for, but still managed to complete using just agility. Once you get the hang of it, it's good fun. More levels please :)
elefantopia
29. Apr 2015 · 04:19 UTC
Interesting game. Although I tried to close off and open paths by clicking on the white dots, it didn't always work. The skulls (red or green) could pass through the blue X's. Maybe this wasn't intended? Good job though!
TailyILoveYou
30. Apr 2015 · 15:54 UTC
Neat little game, but the characters move painfully slowly. The agility ability is good, but it doesn't really last long enough. Anyway, nicely done!
tomhunt
02. May 2015 · 02:56 UTC
The gameplay was kind of slow, and the agility and stealth modes seem a bit superfluous, at least in the earlier levels. The node structure and flow gameplay idea is neat, and I'll tip my hat to the protagonist killing enemies on contact for once. I might suggest increasing the difficulty in the earlier game by picking up the tempo slightly, rather than making the levels more complex - they seem to get rather complex quickly.

So yeah, pretty cool. Nice work.
2R
02. May 2015 · 07:45 UTC
Pretty cool, well done!
Fluffy Tigers in the Sky
03. May 2015 · 11:13 UTC
Good, Idea, fun to play, but could be a bit faster ;)
jontturi
03. May 2015 · 11:15 UTC
I think the game would have been much more fun if everything had moved faster. I think double the speed would have made for a fun and hectic experience. Nice graphics though. Can't rate audio as I couldn't find my headphones xd
chromebookbob
03. May 2015 · 17:18 UTC
great music. Quite confusing and time consuming to play. Nice graphics.
kirbytails7
04. May 2015 · 00:48 UTC
Interesting. One note: Don't make the text fades so slow.
justthestudio
04. May 2015 · 20:00 UTC
Speed of the game should be increased, but overall experience is nice ;)
killako
05. May 2015 · 08:11 UTC
The slowness of the game really made it drag at times. I felt like the collision detection with the nodes could be improved a bit.
SadSmile
06. May 2015 · 18:16 UTC
Sry, i was confused and didnt like it. Music was great tho
Sergi Montaner
06. May 2015 · 21:57 UTC
The close path does not always work for me.
Worked on the first level but not on the second one.
Nice mechanic idea anyway.
SledKnight
07. May 2015 · 01:57 UTC
Nice game and concept, but gameplay is horribly confusing. Dots to block? But wait, they only block when they are a blue X that looks open... And they block the whole path, but only if triggered before something is on the path? Not obvious out of the gate... But once I figured it out, it was cool.

Then I found the instructions and tried again. Much better. Could probably make it more intuitive (turn paths red when blocked?)... Ramp up difficulty more slowly... etc.

Overall, very nice entry!
Archonthewizard
07. May 2015 · 21:37 UTC
Cool idea, but I couldn't figure out the strategy.
monkeedude1212
07. May 2015 · 23:13 UTC
Liked the concept around the gameplay - I think if the guys moved just a tiiiiny bit quicker, it'd be a really good phone type game to kill time with.
waveformmodulations
08. May 2015 · 23:27 UTC
I don't know what to do
Menesetsu
11. May 2015 · 12:21 UTC
Once you understand how to control characters the game become interesting. Nice aesthetics, both graphics and sound!