PROBE TEAM by Andrew Shouldice

[raw]
made by Andrew Shouldice for LD27 (COMPO)
This game uses the arrow keys.

Note: Well after the compo ended, (September 4th), I uploaded a new version that addresses an issue for people playing on old computers. The fix is in the spirit of the "porting" clause: There's no new content or features -- the game simply now runs correctly on older hardware. I recommend playing the fixed version, but if you're a purist, you can evaluate the original upload.


And, a special copyright notice, because someone posted this on Steam as their own work:

Copyright 2013 Andrew Shouldice. This item is not authorized for posting on Steam.

Ratings

Coolness 84% 2
Overall 4.55 1
Audio 4.16 5
Fun 4.20 4
Graphics 4.67 3
Humor 3.43 94
Innovation 4.09 23
Mood 4.43 1
Theme 4.44 4

Feedback

ahmeni
26. Aug 2013 · 03:35 UTC
Very nicely done!
Taugeshtu
26. Aug 2013 · 06:02 UTC
I'm sold. ROCK SOLID.
daOyster
26. Aug 2013 · 06:11 UTC
Very well done. Great concept.
DeadlyFugu
26. Aug 2013 · 09:12 UTC
Linux build please? It looks awesome, but I can't play :(
nicotuason
26. Aug 2013 · 12:03 UTC
Incredible. Best game I've played so far, probably best of the whole LD. Love every little detail, from the probe's subtle chirps and blinks, to the way the map gets revealed, the sense of exploration, curiosity, and at the very end, togetherness. Fantastic game!
Mclogenog
26. Aug 2013 · 19:10 UTC
This is great! It took me 40 probes to beat it (I wasn't very efficient), and I almost gave up after the first teleporter, but I'm glad I didn't. There's a lot of personality to the audiovisuals, and the gameplay does a lot to build on this strange sense of loneliness but also teamwork. Just trying to minimize fuel loss before inevitable "sleep" is a very sad and beautiful experience. And that ending! Well done!
joekinglake
26. Aug 2013 · 19:37 UTC
Perfect.
Mr. Jif
26. Aug 2013 · 19:56 UTC
Incredible. This game is the best I've played so far. I really liked it!
zedutchgandalf
26. Aug 2013 · 19:59 UTC
Very, very nice game! :)
mutuware
26. Aug 2013 · 20:35 UTC
Amazing! My favourite game.
Everything great, hard to fault.
BradleySmith
26. Aug 2013 · 20:41 UTC
Really awesome and well executed polished game. The sounds are fantastic.
rzfmzn
27. Aug 2013 · 00:24 UTC
LOVED IT!
Great work!
Played till the end :D
blopit
27. Aug 2013 · 01:11 UTC
Very well done overall!
anmorales
27. Aug 2013 · 01:11 UTC
I love it!! Nice work!!
Entity2D
27. Aug 2013 · 01:17 UTC
Wow, very impressive! Awesome graphic style and sounds!
SaintHeiser
27. Aug 2013 · 01:20 UTC
Good job!
I like your graphics. It's well =)
Fireblend
27. Aug 2013 · 01:25 UTC
Seriously, seriously good game. Amazing visuals, amazing concept, great sound, and just perfect execution. Congrats!
nintendoeats
27. Aug 2013 · 01:35 UTC
I think that this is great. The mechanic is interesting, the graphics are excellent, the sound is moody...

but that tube in the top right is completely jammed. there is no way I'm getting in there with this little fuel. If i'm supposed to chain reaction them in there, that will take ages as well. So I'm kinda stuck leaving it there. Which is disappointing because I really really like this.
Vavassor
27. Aug 2013 · 01:42 UTC
Everything about this game is so nice and polished. Liked all the silly writing and the visual style and just the overall personality of the game. Pretty much the only fault I even noticed was the audio got choppy when a lot of probes were onscreen making noises but that is pretty trivial. Great work!
BlennosoftGames
27. Aug 2013 · 01:54 UTC
Beat it with my 29th probe!

I honestly loved this game, very interesting take on the theme, amazing audio and visuals working together to make an amazing atmosphere! And the sense of bittersweet joy when a probe makes it's final stop right as it touches the switch. Rock solid implementation too, and plenty of interesting mechanics.

My only complaint, is that it's over :(

A few more levels, puzzles, etc. and I'd gladly buy a full version of this game.
doctorscientist
27. Aug 2013 · 02:17 UTC
You're a magician.
sittaman
27. Aug 2013 · 18:22 UTC
Pretty good! Solid game and great art style. Well done!
TomCooper3D
27. Aug 2013 · 20:44 UTC
another awesome game as usual *snore*
angrygeometry
27. Aug 2013 · 20:54 UTC
wonderful. the whole mood of the piece is astonishingly good.
AdventureIslands
27. Aug 2013 · 22:16 UTC
Awesome game! beat it with my 27th probe. The graphical style was awesome and the sounds really added the game, the probe chirping was cute.
rylgh
28. Aug 2013 · 01:03 UTC
5's all the way down.
JimmyDelaney19
28. Aug 2013 · 01:51 UTC
Pretty cool game. I got stuck on the pully at the end :( Cool idea with the theme!
Diptoman
28. Aug 2013 · 07:22 UTC
Amazing, the art direction and the sounds are astounding!
A very polished entry!
thethey
28. Aug 2013 · 11:28 UTC
I love the look, concept and reveal!
ben
28. Aug 2013 · 14:13 UTC
Looks/Sounds/Feels awesome! I love Capsule and I got a similar vibe from this.
Flai
28. Aug 2013 · 15:24 UTC
The best game I've played so far. Absolutely amazing :)
paulmcgg
28. Aug 2013 · 21:48 UTC
This is definitely one of the best looking games I've played. Love the little touches like their death animation. Novel idea too.
Chrixeleon
28. Aug 2013 · 23:35 UTC
This is my favorite LD27 game so far! :) Everything about it was done excellently.
Beardbotnik
29. Aug 2013 · 01:18 UTC
nice visuals and the controls worked well, near the end things got a lot harder that I would have thought and the 10 seconds of fuel was an interesting take on the theme.
N427
29. Aug 2013 · 03:30 UTC
Loved it! The ending made me feel all fuzzy inside.
ConflictiveLabs
29. Aug 2013 · 04:18 UTC
AWESOME! One of the best game I've played so far. Wonderful music, sounds, graphics and mechanics. Everything is perfect.
Mironix
29. Aug 2013 · 13:45 UTC
Perfection at it's finest, please inform me some way if this will evolve :)
Monoquartz
29. Aug 2013 · 15:51 UTC
Great game. I appreciate the graphics!
Xaychru04
29. Aug 2013 · 16:00 UTC
I really enjoyed this game. The graphisms as well as the gameplay are minimalists, and very polished. Good job! :)
Larzan
29. Aug 2013 · 16:06 UTC
Fantastic, very gripping, great sound and grafix.
wccrawford
29. Aug 2013 · 16:19 UTC
I love it!

I actually had a similar idea (exploration, successive drones can go further) but was unable to flesh it out in a reasonable time and switched ideas.

You really nailed this one! I'm a little jealous. :)
carlsommer
29. Aug 2013 · 16:29 UTC
Simply fantastic! I can't find a single thing to even critique about this. Except maybe it should be longer... I don't know. This was excellent!
bnhw
29. Aug 2013 · 16:53 UTC
Wow, that feeling of release when Probe # 10 found the treasure!

Everything came together to make me feel like I was exploring a high-tech ruin. The first 5* I've given for mood.

Work this up further, for the good of games!
UnorthodoxGames
29. Aug 2013 · 17:05 UTC
This is incredible! I love the aesthetics and sound design. Everything seems so well polished.
Tegu
29. Aug 2013 · 17:30 UTC
:o This is impresssive. The gameplay is very smooth and the difficulty hard enough. The post-processing and color scheme finished the beautiful look. The probes are so adorable when they run out of fuel and do their last beeping. In the end I was so happy of the following probes that I just had to revisit every place to gather all the mates together and head for the happy ending. ^^
Suese
29. Aug 2013 · 17:35 UTC
The grainy CRT effect is fun. The farther button is virtually impossible to get. I did a couple -perfect- runs and was a little shy each time.
pereubu
29. Aug 2013 · 17:48 UTC
good lookin' :3
I really like the idea. But I c.an't stop thinkong of what the game would look like without the friction that slows you
Nerlin
29. Aug 2013 · 18:41 UTC
Wow, great style! I like it!
Dir3kt
29. Aug 2013 · 18:54 UTC
A-W-E-S-O-M-E
Michcioperz
29. Aug 2013 · 21:04 UTC
Pretty interesting, I like it
Joror
29. Aug 2013 · 21:47 UTC
Great visuals, great sound, good gameplay. This will score. :D
rxi
29. Aug 2013 · 22:00 UTC
Just wanted to comment to show some more interest in a linux build if it's possible! The game looks great from the screenshots, and it's a shame some of us can't try it out.
rxi
29. Aug 2013 · 23:29 UTC
Firstly, thanks for going out of your way to make the linux build, and thanks for letting me know about it! It looks like it works just fine.

Really lovely visuals, great use of the theme, really solid and unique game mechanic. I loved the little sounds the probes would make and their little "facial" expressions were just adorable, it gave the game a ton of personality.

An all round brilliant entry. Nice work.
GigaBass
30. Aug 2013 · 00:31 UTC
Loved the graphics, simple and handsome, same for the probe sounds, and a cool game concept!
Loved the ending, picking up my old probes <3
Gazok
30. Aug 2013 · 00:51 UTC
Can't say I felt it was very innovative, but it felt so good it didn't need to be. In terms of atmosphere, graphics, audio and mood I felt like this blew almost everything I've played out of the water. It was pretty fun, too. Great job!
Recursiveanomaly
30. Aug 2013 · 04:08 UTC
Amazing Game! I love everything from the concept to the ending. I was feeling really bad for all the probes I left behind... so I went back and made sure to collect them all at the end!
Zathalos
30. Aug 2013 · 05:42 UTC
Really great game. Awesome polish and art. I couldn't beat it though, I kept running out of fuel. I liked how you had to explore the area first. It gave it some nice pacing. Great job.
Capro
30. Aug 2013 · 14:14 UTC
This game is fantastic. I love it!
domrein
30. Aug 2013 · 14:41 UTC
This is the best game I've played so far. Great use of the theme, graphics, mood, gameplay. Good job!
Zerkruemler
30. Aug 2013 · 18:04 UTC
Incredible! I can't believe you did this in 48 hours. Everything is perfect. The graphics, the sound, the story, the gameplay.
DissidentDan
30. Aug 2013 · 18:11 UTC
Very pretty, but I just wasn't into the mechanic. The only room that I see for strategy is just moving in little bursts in order to avoid consuming fuel, but going slowly gets boring for me. IMHO, it would be better if you retain your momentum instead of slowing down when you let off the gas.
GarethIW
30. Aug 2013 · 21:55 UTC
Absolutely amazing.
TobiasW
31. Aug 2013 · 02:29 UTC
Okay, that might well be my favourite game so far.

The basic graphics are rather simple, but layered together with the visual effects and sound they deliver an incredible mood. Those drones feel CUTE just because of some sfx and simple animations. And then we have the wonderful plot bits woven inbetween the gameplay.

The gameplay is pretty simple in itself: Navigate the drone, use your fuel sparingly, try to get to the next goal or at least explore the perimeter. And that's where the game really shines: Exploration. You want to know what's around the next corner, what the probes discover next. The gameplay itself is fun too, but sometimes the game is a little bit too unforgiving in its challenge - that's the only thing I really wish would be different. (Oh, and maybe no probe-probe collision...)

The soundscape is great even without music. Normally I'd suggest a generator here, but I'm not sure a generator could've made something good enough to fit this game. Still, this with music... woah, dreamy.

And the ending is beautiful.

Have all my stars. All of them.
Hypnohustla
31. Aug 2013 · 14:52 UTC
I can't find anything to complain about it. Really love the art direction here. Beautiful sounds and the whole mechanic was just beautiful in its simplicity. Great entry!
xndr
01. Sep 2013 · 04:27 UTC
Cool. Very interesting.
zkenshin
01. Sep 2013 · 15:26 UTC
Absolutely amazing entry. Well done. :D
sergilazaro
01. Sep 2013 · 21:21 UTC
This is amazing, the graphics, the concept, everything. You deserve one of the top spots.
Ailin
01. Sep 2013 · 22:35 UTC
Mind blown... favorite game of this ludum dare so far...
Ithildin
01. Sep 2013 · 23:14 UTC
Wow...brilliant at all levels. Incredible game. A close candidate for my favourite game this Ludum Dare.
lesterpig
02. Sep 2013 · 09:05 UTC
Whooooaaa! Probably the best entry for the moment. Very polished and addictive ! Great job !
tamat
02. Sep 2013 · 10:19 UTC
Wow, you and I used the same aesthetics and a very similar game concept. Weird!
Great game!
lambda_express
02. Sep 2013 · 11:52 UTC
Fantastic.
TijmenTio
02. Sep 2013 · 14:02 UTC
Absolutely stunninnnngg, played till the end and it was worth it.
ripatti
02. Sep 2013 · 15:54 UTC
Really good one! I used 20 probes to finish it but I could use only 15-16 because I spent some of them to see what is in the right side from elevator.
recursor
02. Sep 2013 · 18:49 UTC
This game oozes graphical style. Great job on the feel of this one!
ArcturusDeluxe
03. Sep 2013 · 13:55 UTC
Fantastic! Love the mood you've established. The old monitor graphics and the ambient sounds make it really atmospheric. Very cool concept too. Nice job.
darkshadow
03. Sep 2013 · 16:31 UTC
Loved the sense of exploring and the fuel limit is a great challenge. Loved the graphical aesthetic and the ending is the best twist!
ratalaika
03. Sep 2013 · 18:13 UTC
Nice idea and well made :).
RobotParking
03. Sep 2013 · 19:33 UTC
THAT AESTHETIC GETS ME ALL IN THE SMILING PLACES
DuFF
03. Sep 2013 · 23:29 UTC
Fantastic work.
Atmospherium
04. Sep 2013 · 01:39 UTC
This is definitely one of the most complete entries. The visuals, the audio, the gameplay mechanics all worked together perfectly. Very well done.
CosmicAdventureSquad
04. Sep 2013 · 03:47 UTC
I liked the gameplay and aesthetics. The visual style and audio really helped to drive home the feeling of being a probe.
sP0CkEr2
04. Sep 2013 · 04:04 UTC
this was an awesome game -- great job
Once Upon a Team
04. Sep 2013 · 04:16 UTC
Wonderful, brilliant, the character is so cute, i love this game.
Erhune
04. Sep 2013 · 08:48 UTC
Great realization and good gameplay. The take on the theme is simple but very effective!
fullmontis
04. Sep 2013 · 10:39 UTC
This is an amazing accomplishment for just 48 hours! Holy shit, good job.
KaaPex
04. Sep 2013 · 12:13 UTC
Great work!
Ken Ichi
04. Sep 2013 · 17:14 UTC
Awesome!
blackotus
04. Sep 2013 · 18:27 UTC
Really great concept!

I really like the visuals, specially how the probes blink and how their eyes turn up when they're out of fuel.

I thought the sound really added to the mood too.

Really good entry :)
Pinktreeleaf
04. Sep 2013 · 19:03 UTC
super clean art, with excellent sound design and writing that makes everything feel so atmospheric of being on an abandon space station.
gamepopper
04. Sep 2013 · 20:29 UTC
This game is really great! I love the sense of exploration, the graphical effects and even the quirky little probe droid sounds. Really enjoyed it!
naufr4g0
04. Sep 2013 · 20:41 UTC
Really good job!
The game is perfect! :)
Love the monocromatic monitor effect.
urth
04. Sep 2013 · 21:14 UTC
Amazing from beginning to end.
The end is very satisfying.
Cryovat
04. Sep 2013 · 22:14 UTC
I had a lot of fun with this one. The art style and sounds fit very well together, and every time I unlocked a new place to go, it was satisfying and exciting.

Difficulty seemed well balanced. Ending was close to perfect. :-)

Great job!
Diogo Muller
05. Sep 2013 · 11:17 UTC
Wow, incredible game. Loved everything about it.
Sebastian
05. Sep 2013 · 17:41 UTC
Truly rocked my socks off. Astounding work!!
loxo
05. Sep 2013 · 17:52 UTC
Awesome! Incredible graphics, sound effects and an unique game concept. This game looks very polished. I enjoyed it very much! More levels would be great.
AdamHarte
06. Sep 2013 · 00:28 UTC
Amazing! Just amazing!
meszka
06. Sep 2013 · 19:20 UTC
Very good use of theme, simple but cute characters with adorable sounds :D
FunByJohn
07. Sep 2013 · 09:57 UTC
Very cool. The atmosphere is really good in this one, and I felt rewarded with the main character's little speech each time you complete a major segment :)
ratking
08. Sep 2013 · 09:33 UTC
Very cool concept. I just love it! Nothing more to say here!
graytest
09. Sep 2013 · 15:39 UTC
This is great! Love the graphics and the game is fun!
Lokarunith
09. Sep 2013 · 21:49 UTC
Wonderful, I really liked the mood and the graphics which make this game despite very simple amusingly engaging.
gravyhands
10. Sep 2013 · 03:02 UTC
Holy. Shit.
That totally evoked World of Goo for me. Maybe the second game I've played that truly used the theme. And heaps and bounds of character. Wow.
Sascha
10. Sep 2013 · 15:47 UTC
Wow, I can't even. Best game I've played this LD, hands down! The art/style, concept, controls, dialogues, cute sound effects, how it all ties together, and the ending :D
Full score!
savethejets1
11. Sep 2013 · 05:24 UTC
Simply awesome. Everything is well put together and works.

Great job 5 stars all round.
Towanime
11. Sep 2013 · 21:07 UTC
I Really liked the game, its very polished and it has a very good concept.
Cosr
12. Sep 2013 · 03:44 UTC
Great game, very polished and complete. I loved the aesthetic, the visuals and audio and everything together were very evocative and made exploring a joy.

The deactivation sounds of the probes were so sad ;_;
Wertle
16. Sep 2013 · 00:28 UTC
I love how much personality you were able to give the probes with just sound and a simple "eye" animation. Nice ramping, too. Great work!
Exergy
16. Sep 2013 · 07:36 UTC
Just fantastic!
JaJ
16. Sep 2013 · 21:22 UTC
Great artstyle, but even better than that in my opinion was the audio, there was so much emotion in those beeps!
JaJ
17. Sep 2013 · 02:27 UTC
Congrats! Very well deserved first place!
Solifuge
17. Sep 2013 · 04:34 UTC
Agreed! Excellent work on this, and congrats!
sergilazaro
17. Sep 2013 · 07:13 UTC
You won! I was right, you deserve it :)
iczubak
17. Sep 2013 · 08:59 UTC
I'm stuck :( With all the probes starting at the same point and no one with fuel enough to reach anywhere... Reading the rest of the comments I feel I'm missing something or I'm playing a wrong version of the game...
iczubak
17. Sep 2013 · 09:06 UTC
Just going out of the chamber wher you first appear takes half of your fuel, and the inactives probes block your way. Sorry, I feel frustrated (especially when I realize I seem to be the only one who doesn't progress in this game). I'd appreciate ANY hint
🎤 Andrew Shouldice
17. Sep 2013 · 12:29 UTC
iczubak: If there are way too many inactive probes, you may want to start over. I didn't have time to test -- and plan a contingency for -- too many inactive probes. Sorry about that. :( It's a flaw.
Chaoseed
18. Sep 2013 · 03:37 UTC
Too bad there are no instructions to tell me how to play or even what the controls are.
kill0u
18. Sep 2013 · 06:35 UTC
Congrats!
Could you upload a windows standalone please?
I can't play unity web player games (so I couldn't rate your game T_T) =/
iczubak
18. Sep 2013 · 19:04 UTC
@Andrew Shouldice: thanks for your answer. It is a very good game, the problem must be I am a very bad player ...
iczubak
18. Sep 2013 · 19:56 UTC
NOOOOOWWW I found it.... Apparently, it was the linux standalone version that must be different from the unity web version. I was playing the linux version and the 10 seconds fuel were insufficient to reach ANY activation point. Just reaching the middle of the first hallway consumed 5 seconds! I had to switch to Windows and play the Unity web version to see the difference...
Rodrigo Robles
22. Sep 2013 · 13:43 UTC
There is a bug that makes the fuel performance dependant on your computer performance. The slower is the computer, less far you can go, the faster is the computer, more far you can go. You must fix this to make the game fair playable at any computer.
stuatk
11. Nov 2013 · 12:29 UTC
Unity Bloom:
Am I right in thinking this project uses a feature of Unity that is only available in the PRO version? I thought any middleware used in the production had to be available to the public i.e. free. Don't know if I'm right. But I looked at the source of this game because I wanted to know how the glow effect was achieved with the free version of Unity - it wasnt.
namakemon
07. Jun 2014 · 01:19 UTC
just a headsup, somebody is selling something like this project in Unity's Asset Store:
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/publisher/6446
http://www.reddit.com/r/ludumdare/comments/27ijju/ludum_dare_games_being_sold_on_unity_asset_store/