LudumData

The Magical Hat of Usefulness by randoman

[raw]
made by randoman for LD32 (JAM)
In this game you control an apprentice wizard who must survive a horde of zombies for as long as he can. To help with that, the Great Wizard left his old hat with his apprentice and anything can come out from it.

So, I'm very happy for creating this game. Different from past Ludum Dares, I worked on my very first idea until the end and managed to create every mechanic I wanted. In this build there are 9 weapons to be randomized. The initial idea was at least 20 weapons, but I ran out of time in the end.
The idea of the hat is based on Presto's, from Dungeons and Dragons TV series :)

I hope you all enjoy it!

Credits:
Sounds generated through AutoTracker and bfxr
Other sound resources downloaded from (soundbible.com)
Grass art by Daniel Cook (Opengameart.org)
Web http://randoman.itch.io/the-magical-hat-of-usefulness
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=13710

Ratings

Coolness 81% 2
Overall(Jam) 3.35 411
Audio(Jam) 3.00 404
Fun(Jam) 3.42 248
Graphics(Jam) 2.81 748
Humor(Jam) 4.00 38
Innovation(Jam) 3.40 305
Mood(Jam) 3.19 431
Theme(Jam) 4.25 17

Feedback

Sogomn
20. Apr 2015 · 20:24 UTC
Really cool but way too hard!
Awesome sound, cool graphics and a great humor.
The Capitalist Crayfish
20. Apr 2015 · 20:30 UTC
Probably my favourite so far! Both challenging, humorous and diverse! My record was a mere 3 days, because damn, some items are hard to use (looking at you, UFO catcher claw).
Adreqi
21. Apr 2015 · 00:32 UTC
Cool but hard ! But cool ! but hard. but...
Shivur
21. Apr 2015 · 05:05 UTC
Original idea!
Huo-cuo
21. Apr 2015 · 18:45 UTC
This is really a theme-matching game. I had a lot of fun even though I got only to day two. I loved the stinky sandal the most.
Cstudios
21. Apr 2015 · 18:50 UTC
Ive got games source code after failing multiple times miserably. COOL! :D
Fluffy Tigers in the Sky
21. Apr 2015 · 18:55 UTC
Hey there, great work! The game is simple but really fun. I couldn't wait to get to know the next unconventional weapon. It didn't even bother me that I lost really, really quick :D.
🎤 randoman
21. Apr 2015 · 19:18 UTC
Thank you for your comments! And thank you for playing! :)
sbarrio
21. Apr 2015 · 19:39 UTC
I love that crisp potato sound! Nice game!
kivano
21. Apr 2015 · 20:24 UTC
"Game source code" is over-powered :D Very nice and fun game :)
Backlund
21. Apr 2015 · 21:53 UTC
Great game with humor, it was very hard.
Fun idea with the game source code as a weapon.
SimianLogic
21. Apr 2015 · 21:53 UTC
Simple little game with lots of variety. I didn't realize I had limited ammo with some of the weapons, but overall pretty entertaining.
BabaJaga
21. Apr 2015 · 21:56 UTC
Some weapons like sandal are really underpowered
esayitch
21. Apr 2015 · 21:56 UTC
Very difficult. Behavior is weird and interesting, I really wanted to see what every item did xD Cool use of the theme. Graphics were ok, so was sound.

Good luck!
Ershany
21. Apr 2015 · 21:56 UTC
Really awesome idea, I did not find it too difficult myself, in face I found it kind of easy. More stuff would have been interesting but still amazing for being made over a weekend!
Tasteslikefuture
21. Apr 2015 · 21:57 UTC
Some of the items are WAY more useful than others. I found myself retrying just to see all the weird and unique weapons. Definitely fits the theme. Great job!
Shugor
21. Apr 2015 · 22:08 UTC
The weapons you used in this game are all really fun to experiment with. It can be annoying when you get chips all the time, because it's pretty much impossible to clear a wave with it. But with a little more balancing, I think this game could still be challenging but less frustrating. Good work~
b3jh24
22. Apr 2015 · 01:34 UTC
Cool, but it was pretty difficult. In the several times I played though, I got the same item (Super Glue). Good take on the theme though!
ChuiGum
22. Apr 2015 · 01:38 UTC
Nice music, it was pretty hard at times but it was fun. I like how original it is too, great job!
nameoftheuser
22. Apr 2015 · 02:00 UTC
Nice job! You stuck to the theme really well!
wg_phancock
22. Apr 2015 · 02:03 UTC
The cool guy glasses when you get the "source code" were a nice touch lol.

Great idea, though some of the items are nearly (or maybe completely) impossible to survive with (like the UFO catcher claw). I guess there's gotta be some challenge, but maybe a little too much. You want a game to feel like it's possible to win, even if just very difficult.
SowiHowl
22. Apr 2015 · 02:35 UTC
Great game with great humor. I just found it a bit hard to play... But really cool !
CliffracerX
22. Apr 2015 · 02:57 UTC
Interesting use of the theme, this is more like Unconventional Weapon(s). Favorite item: The Game's Source Code. (Would've gotten bonus points if clicking on the word source actually sent you to a Github page for it or something)

A few of the items are somewhat underpowered (fan, Super Glue) and made it incredibly hard to beat.
broknecho
22. Apr 2015 · 03:02 UTC
Hahah funny idea. I liked how the different weapons were so different. BUT that leads to some balancing issues. Also being able to move in diagonals (all 8 directions in the construct behavior) would have helped the control.

Solid entry. Well done.
PushmePullyu
22. Apr 2015 · 03:18 UTC
You got the theme down pat :D
xbcw
22. Apr 2015 · 03:32 UTC
Cool idea but brutally hard.
The Pixel Collective
22. Apr 2015 · 06:13 UTC
This is great! Way to go full boar on the theme. The multiple unconventional weapons was great. Good job.

And of course, like what everyone else said, it's too hard..
yuigoto
22. Apr 2015 · 06:53 UTC
I open up the game, click "Play!" and I just see "You Got the Game Source Code!", awesome! :)

It's humorous, fun and well thought! Also, the graphics fit the style of the game well. :D

A little bit too hard for some weapons (didn't see that Tomato has an item limit). "Game Source Code", though, it's on my favorite weapon list!
Nibble Bits Studio
22. Apr 2015 · 07:58 UTC
I've got the source code HAHAHA... Turn down for what... Really fun theme. The gameplay is a little hard, but it seems that's to be played more then a few times to se all the funny stuffs. Great game!
lody
23. Apr 2015 · 10:31 UTC
its very fun! my favourite weapon is the tomato! it's very hard to get by with chips! good game :3!
BIZM
23. Apr 2015 · 17:50 UTC
Zi from team BIZM here! This game had me screaming in rage, but I couldn't stop playing! CURSE YOU, STINKY SANDALS! This game was very clever and fun, but SO HARD! Good job! :D
fixitteam
23. Apr 2015 · 20:40 UTC
hahaha ... funny graphics and gameplay.
too bad the game ends so fast and you cant throw chips into zombies all day long :))
you probably had a lot of fun making this :)
gnx
24. Apr 2015 · 20:33 UTC
Nice game with diverse weapon options. It was fun retrying the game just to try out all the weapons :) Graphics are nice and music & sfx are clearly thought out for the game, so good job on that too.
Pietro Ferrantelli
24. Apr 2015 · 21:31 UTC
Nice game ! Really liked the concept, it's an addictive gameplay and fits the theme very well. Great job rando'
RyanNielson
03. May 2015 · 18:49 UTC
Solid game with some ideas that could be expanded upon.