Color Is Everything. by csanyk

[raw]
made by csanyk for LD31 (COMPO)
***As always, if you leave a comment I'll play and rate your game.***

I really wanted the theme to be Color is Everything, but that's OK; I can fit the game I wanted to make on one screen.

In *Color Is Everything*, you control police officer Ferguson Cleveland of the N.Y.L.A.P.D. as he strives to Protect and Serve the city. Some of the city's people are black, some of them are white. Some of them are criminals. Your job is to protect the innocent while bringing criminals to justice.

The post-compo version adds:

- a bugfix for lower-resolution screens (down to 800x600) so the endgame text doesn't go off screen.
- slightly tweaks the pacing.

Controls:

- Move using WASD or the arrow keys
- Arrest criminals by running into them.
- Shoot criminals by pressing Z or /
- You're not supposed to arrest or shoot innocents... but it's bound to happen sometimes. You have a dangerous job.

Scoring:

Your actions will be judged according to the values of society.

Tips:

- You can't tell who's a criminal and who isn't just by looking at them. You have to observe their actions. It's not easy!
- As in real life, nothing bad will happen to you if you arrest or kill the wrong black person. However, you will lose points if you arrest an innocent white person, and your career will end if you kill an innocent white person.

Ratings

Coolness 60% 3
Overall 3.19 560
Audio 2.21 804
Fun 2.82 811
Graphics 2.23 1065
Humor 2.10 807
Innovation 3.31 417
Mood 3.19 333
Theme 3.60 557

Feedback

Fanttum
08. Dec 2014 路 01:44 UTC
Sounds like quite the idea. Too bad I'm on mac and can't play :/
馃帳 csanyk
08. Dec 2014 路 02:11 UTC
I was going to make an HTML5 version so that everyone can play, but currently it's having serious performance issues, I believe relating to changes they made in GM:S 1.4 with the drawing pipeline. If I can get acceptable performance out of it, I'll add a link to it.
Mopz
08. Dec 2014 路 16:08 UTC
Nice satire :)
johnbrynte
08. Dec 2014 路 18:45 UTC
A meaningful game. Simple and truly thoughtful. Well presented!
SamCyanide
09. Dec 2014 路 02:19 UTC
Very well made! Good luck mate!
Keumar
09. Dec 2014 路 17:53 UTC
Hey ! Your design's choices fit your satire very well. Good game in general and thank you for the source code, I learnt things out of it. I really appreciated the little "joke" in your comments by the way !
Bladdock
09. Dec 2014 路 19:58 UTC
Brilliant concept. I was very concerned reading the description before I realised it was a satire. Bravo
FergusonTV
10. Dec 2014 路 14:06 UTC
Interesting theme, the gameplay is cool, it could have been served by art but i suppose you don't have any graphist
馃帳 csanyk
11. Dec 2014 路 05:36 UTC
@FergusonTV, if you read my post-mortem article, it explains a bit about the decision to go with highly abstract graphics. Partly it was to be expedient, but there is some meaning to it as well.
Devark
12. Dec 2014 路 03:18 UTC
YOU'VE UPLOADEA
FloatingGhost
12. Dec 2014 路 03:19 UTC
Did I just play racial profiling the game? I think I did.

Topical/10
cmcoto
12. Dec 2014 路 03:21 UTC
Wow, loved the concept behind the game! It brings insight to people when played, great job!
sorlok
12. Dec 2014 路 03:52 UTC
Cool concept, and decent mechanics. Love the double-themes. A bit sparse on content.
lase
12. Dec 2014 路 03:58 UTC
I really like this concept. I had been thinking about doing something similar at a later date. It seemed tough to catch criminals, but easy to jack up your score at the same time. Not sure if this is a design problem or feature :)
Tater_hater
12. Dec 2014 路 17:49 UTC
Its pretty awesome that you threw in some recent developments into your game. I wish the whole thing was as simple as your game haha
Just Tom
13. Dec 2014 路 01:22 UTC
I didn't even realise it was topical until the end screen and that's what makes it so amazingly clever. I felt like an ass.

Some instructions in game or a light tutorial are my first thoughts on feedback, but honestly my favourite game on Dare so far, genuinely brilliant
馃帳 csanyk
13. Dec 2014 路 03:18 UTC
@Just Tom: WOW, thanks! I am humbled.

I agree, the game could have had some instructions in game... perhaps I'll add something like that in the post-compo.
Managore
13. Dec 2014 路 03:18 UTC
As soon as I saw the code snippet I knew this game was going to be good. This is a fantastic commentary on current issues.
spotco
13. Dec 2014 路 05:13 UTC
Caught me off guard! Good message!
馃帳 csanyk
13. Dec 2014 路 05:41 UTC
Added post-compo build. Worth replaying if you were on a display < 1680x1050.
ramyaanudeep
13. Dec 2014 路 06:02 UTC
wow wat a wonderful concept
TijmenTio
13. Dec 2014 路 23:02 UTC
Way to make a statement haha
snickersnacks
14. Dec 2014 路 02:42 UTC
Interesting concept, I thought it was pretty difficult to tell what was going on. Reading the behavior was tricky. But I dig the idea :)
kirbytails7
15. Dec 2014 路 00:08 UTC
Topical and enjoyable. I think the scoring needs tuning, though; arresting everyone as they appeared seemed too viable.
hbocao
15. Dec 2014 路 00:22 UTC
I really enjoyed the idea and the message you're saying, but the game was no really fun to me. I liked the way you used (and twisted hehe) the theme and how unique was your design decisions. Keep rocking!
rjhelms
24. Dec 2014 路 17:38 UTC
Good thought-provoking topical game. At first I thought "Where's the colour?", but then it dawned on me.

It was a little hard to figure out what was going on, other than just arresting everyone - but the incentives the points give you get the message across pretty well. Great job!
lparker
27. Dec 2014 路 16:49 UTC
Definatly a thought provocing game.
EvanEGibbs
29. Dec 2014 路 02:16 UTC
This was a super good idea. I'd love to see it expanded. The subject matter is a good idea. Some of the information was confusing to me until I read the instructions and really thought it through. I feel like just reading your instructions got the point across and I wish it was conveyed in the game. A great start though!