The Black Lighthouse by funselektor

[raw]
made by funselektor for LD28 (COMPO)
The lighthouse has stopped working. You must restart it before night falls.

(Simply pick up 7 red balls with your boat and return them to the lighthouse)

----
Controls:
WASD

The boat controls may take some getting used to. They boat controls are "heavy", so counter-steer and plan where you're going to go, just like with a real boat.

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 2.97 528
Audio 3.20 167
Fun 2.13 913
Graphics 3.94 89
Humor 1.80 701
Innovation 2.63 673
Mood 3.64 77
Theme 2.42 756

Feedback

ambi
16. Dec 2013 · 04:23 UTC
I'm not sure how to play, but it's fun driving around with the boat and the graphics are neat.
auto_suggestion
16. Dec 2013 · 04:23 UTC
Amazing graphics and mood. The music fit really well with the atmosphere.
Kettlecorn
16. Dec 2013 · 04:27 UTC
Very nice visuals and style! The simplistic audio is quite charming and ominous as well.
Crigs
16. Dec 2013 · 04:29 UTC
Wow, awesome mood and graphics (really cool water effects!)

The ship was a bit hard to control for me, but great job!
ENDESGA
16. Dec 2013 · 04:50 UTC
This polygon art I've seen a few times is amazing! I absolutely love it!
Switchbreak
16. Dec 2013 · 05:05 UTC
I love this, it looks so pretty and the music is nice.
archaeometrician
16. Dec 2013 · 05:07 UTC
Love the graphics, the control of the boat are interesting, not as easy as I first thought
benedict
16. Dec 2013 · 05:17 UTC
This game is a good start, well done!

I had issues with the controls - manipulating the ship was extremely difficult, and I got stuck on rocks frequently. There was also a lack of feedback in the game. I had no idea how much power I needed to get for the lighthouse, from the lighting alone I couldn't tell how much of the day had passed (perhaps some sort of meter or having a sun that passes in the sky would help?), and I also got completely lost (a map might help).

I guess the question comes more down to where you want the player to find the game interesting.
The game seems to straddle between being about atmospheric exploration and being goal oriented. In the future, choosing one and making all your decisions around that would definitely help.

Congrats on finishing! The water looks fantastic and it's definitely an interesting concept.
SilentBunny
16. Dec 2013 · 05:29 UTC
gorgeous, didn't get much gameplay out of it though but I love the mood and the constant reminder of failure with the broken piano set piece.
emmelineprufrock
16. Dec 2013 · 05:56 UTC
Loved the graphic choices and the choice of music.
RhysD
16. Dec 2013 · 05:57 UTC
A very eerie yet relaxing experience. It would be cool to have a little dude holding a lamp at the front of your boat! I didn't manage to find all the power sources, but had a good time just floating around.
jillytot
16. Dec 2013 · 06:01 UTC
The graphics are fantastic, but its too easy to get stuck on them.
Piat
16. Dec 2013 · 06:19 UTC
Love the style and mood. Not really feeling the theme here. Kinda wish there was some consequence or trick that would drive me to keep going. Boat controls are nice.
WhoaConstrictor
16. Dec 2013 · 06:23 UTC
Very chilly atmosphere. Boat controls like a boat. Game has a very nice aesthetic to it.
mactinite
16. Dec 2013 · 06:24 UTC
Was a bit creepy, the atmosphere and the music(?) added to the mood. Was kind of expecting to see ominous figures in the distance. As for the game itself the controls were boat like but I found the ultimate goal laked a twist.
Brodenino
16. Dec 2013 · 06:30 UTC
The piano really set a great mood combined with the ambient. I liked the steering even though like you said, needed some time to get used to. But there was too many times perhaps that I ended up stuck not being able to move at all.
noobsticks
16. Dec 2013 · 07:37 UTC
The piano was great. Really added to the mysterious mood. Only got one ball before I got my boat wedged between two rocks, with no chance for escape. Oh well. I feel that the game was only loosely tied to the YOGO theme tho...

Btw: The linux package had a Windows .exe in it. WINE ran it just fine, but just thought you'd like to know. :)
denvil
16. Dec 2013 · 07:37 UTC
You should add little bit more of bobbing to boat to make it more lively. now it felt like slipping on ice.
ParaPup
16. Dec 2013 · 07:41 UTC
The immersion you get from the game that music sets a nice mood too.
Juno Nguyen
16. Dec 2013 · 08:28 UTC
I'm in love with the art style, music and atmosphere, but the control is too frustrating to be any enjoyable. I was too frustrated to attempt further and see the ending.
ncannasse
16. Dec 2013 · 09:11 UTC
Nice mood, but couldn't find my way around and controls are unhelpful :)
ThatGuy
16. Dec 2013 · 09:43 UTC
Nice visuals and ambient music. The controls do take a bit of getting used to, but its fun powering the boat around corners. How many of those red crystals am I supposed to collect? Also, I got stuck on the lighthouse island trying to find out.
NuSan
16. Dec 2013 · 12:32 UTC
Cool mood, i like the graphic and music style but miss a better camera. I couldn't find more than 4 balls, or go back to the lighthouse at time.
EdoMiyamoto
16. Dec 2013 · 13:41 UTC
Very good looking, these are the simpliest and most well done ice cube I've ever seen
Katamori
16. Dec 2013 · 14:41 UTC
Let's be honest: control is awful: I got stuck on everything!

Graphics are nice but what's the point of building a lighthouse in a such small canyon?

Atmosphere and music is also good.

4 for me overall.
lordjosephdeburg
16. Dec 2013 · 16:50 UTC
Boat takes some getting use to but feels pretty realistic. I like this one good use of theme. Well done!
mcapraro
17. Dec 2013 · 00:52 UTC
i really like the look of this game, great job on the graphics
zkenshin
17. Dec 2013 · 05:05 UTC
The ship was difficult to control for me, but a very pretty game.
Nick Weihs
17. Dec 2013 · 05:40 UTC
The controls were pretty frustrating and I got stuck on the environment a couple of times. The camera clipped through the environment so and it was pretty easy to get lost. You really nailed the mood with the lighting/fog and the music. Good job!
Bloated Hippo
17. Dec 2013 · 06:12 UTC
Great atmosphere!
DustyStylus
17. Dec 2013 · 08:17 UTC
Yarrrr she's pretty, but me ship got stuck matey!
BluShine
17. Dec 2013 · 09:26 UTC
I love the low-poly aesthetic, and it really works well with the fog and the music. Boat controls are tough, but rewarding once you figure them out and you can do cool maneuvers using reverse thrust. There was one time I got stuck on the terrain, but I was able to get out of it after a few seconds of randomly hitting keys. Camera often goes inside the terrain, but it's mostly a graphical issue not a gameplay one. I do wish there was some on-screen indicator for the time left and how much power you've collected.
habaki
17. Dec 2013 · 13:37 UTC
Love it! I really like the mood of this one!
Avichal
17. Dec 2013 · 15:58 UTC
hmm, the boats gets stuck sometimes, I think you had a hardtime with the physics, but game looks good and attractive :)
hoqjed
17. Dec 2013 · 21:47 UTC
Ah the atmosphere for this is wonderful! A few things kept me from finishing it, but someone should give you a high five for getting this made in the time constraints.

I'll start off with the good. I adore the art style you went for here, I've appreciated this low poly look for a while now. The music is also fitting, and the foggy build up just enhances everything.

The bad. Well, I found that if you tried to rush and accidentally rammed your boat into a rock then you'd often get stuck in it. It just got a tad frustrating, I restarted the game twice for the same reason.
The "floaty" boat controls may have attributed to some of this frustration, but I can't totally blame it. I kind of wanted to like how the boat handled.
And last but not least, the idea of having all this atmosphere and then sending me on a fetch quest for these red objects wasn't appealing for me. It felt like a last minute gameplay decision.
omaha
17. Dec 2013 · 21:48 UTC
Great looking game - especially with water, and the fog is nicely done. The controls were, for me, somewhat prohibitive. I got a little bored dealing with the mechanics of the boat. But overall well done!
AlanZucconi
18. Dec 2013 · 23:54 UTC
I like the low-poly style! Even though, controlling the ship was quite hard!
Bruno Massa
19. Dec 2013 · 07:50 UTC
very pretty atmosphere and mood.
MrTedders
19. Dec 2013 · 15:54 UTC
Wow I always love this graphical syle, embracing the low poly count and making it your own. Love the atmosphere you have as well! Great work overall, impressive!
ghostinthesoft
19. Dec 2013 · 18:17 UTC
the boat difficult to drive but nice graphics, I like your water effect
javifugitivo
20. Dec 2013 · 04:36 UTC
Amazing graphics!
Venks
20. Dec 2013 · 06:57 UTC
I enjoyed making my way around once I figured out the controls. Solid stuff.
mize_VS_mildmojo
20. Dec 2013 · 17:37 UTC
I never did find a red ball. Great atmosphere, awesome boat sim controls. I really like the rough, icy terrain and the water.

It was pretty frustrating when the boat would run aground on the smallest collision with the terrain, though. Those two materials could be a lot slipperier.

I wanted a camera angle wide enough that I could see the whole lighthouse. Maybe the camera could zoom out when you're near the island?

-mildmojo
🎤 funselektor
21. Dec 2013 · 02:01 UTC
@Mildmojo
All the problems you mentioined are updated in the Post-Compo version!
phi6
21. Dec 2013 · 21:29 UTC
Loving the low poly terrain, definitely a graphic style I'm into. Music is understated and great. I did get stuck on the rocks a lot though!
JohnnySix
22. Dec 2013 · 03:58 UTC
Graphics were nicely understated and set the mood. Liked the piano too. Could do with a little less friction on the iceberg/mountains as your boat stops like a brick if you touch them, even if from the side.
van noctar
22. Dec 2013 · 13:11 UTC
Ambience is cool! Realist graphic design :D
Patacorow
24. Dec 2013 · 12:16 UTC
So simple but so good ;)
Good job !
runsintowalls
27. Dec 2013 · 05:28 UTC
I like the environment but it's hard to control
samooJAM
29. Dec 2013 · 08:09 UTC
moody
Christian S.
30. Dec 2013 · 09:02 UTC
Thanks for creating this. Just the right thing for the mood I'm in.
juaxix
30. Dec 2013 · 13:45 UTC
With such a mood and ambientation achieved, I really dont understand how you killed the fun of the game, remove the unfun please, collect things throught an escape/way is not as fun as it could looks like in a start... Try to give a cinematic approach, a mistery te be unveiled, a shadow of a char in the distant lighthouse, a light from the lighthouse which project shadows of invisible objects...and those sort of things will improve the fun/playable rate of the game and the overall experience.
Not to mention that i really love your graphics and music
csanyk
30. Dec 2013 · 21:52 UTC
Pretty cool! Would have appreciated a counter so I knew how many orbs were remaining to collect. Also, it wasn't clear to me what to do with them once I had them. Bring them back to the lighthouse? Do something once I get there? I never did get all 7, but it would have been good to have some idea of how to use them once I had them.
afterisk
30. Dec 2013 · 22:45 UTC
The mood and visuals are excellent, the controls not so much. I actually preferred the camera angle on the LD48 submission. It was more immersive and gave a sense of exploration. Plus there was danger in not remembering the way back to the lighthouse. On the post compo version, the higher view made it easier to find the way back, but I felt too distant from the environment.
TeamFlare
31. Dec 2013 · 14:25 UTC
I really like the art style and the mood of it.
postmodestie
03. Jan 2014 · 01:04 UTC
nice graphics. but you can't normally steer a boat while it is not moving ;)
BradleySmith
04. Jan 2014 · 23:22 UTC
I love the low poly 3d art style in this. Nice work! :D