Angry Guards by Diptoman

[raw]
made by Diptoman for LD27 (JAM)
The aim in the game is to coordinate a prison break by controlling characters for 10 seconds each.

Every level consists of 3 stages:
>Selecting phase: Click on characters in the order in which you wish to control them. You can control 4 characters max.
>Character control phase: You have 10 seconds with each character you've selected to do stuff. Use the arrow keys to move around, and Ctrl to interact with objects. All other characters will be in a dazed state at this point, so they won't react to your actions.
>Final control phase: All characters will become aware and act accordingly (Eg. If a guard sees a prisoner free, they will fight and knock each other out). There is no time limit in this phase, and you're free to move our hero to the exit.

Apologies for the rushed up instructions, did not have enough time to create a proper tutorial, with college and all.

All assets were made in these 72 hours. The team behind this consists of myself (programming/lead), Pranjal Bisht (art), Rahul Salim Narayanan (art), Bikramaditya Ghosh Dastidar (audio), Vivek Kurup (design), Tejaswini Joglekar (design).

Any and all feedback is welcome! And oh, all the best with your entries guys!

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 3.47 132
Audio(Jam) 3.26 150
Fun(Jam) 3.15 197
Graphics(Jam) 3.63 193
Humor(Jam) 2.72 219
Innovation(Jam) 3.70 53
Mood(Jam) 3.10 228
Theme(Jam) 3.35 183

Feedback

Pickens Inc.
27. Aug 2013 路 10:49 UTC
Great concept, nice art style! Pretty fun, but it threw up this error while playing:

ERROR in
action number 2
of Step Event
for object obj_prisoner:

Error in code at line 2:
if obj_main.active=0
^
at position 14: Unknown variable active

Ah Game Maker! If you could try my game two I'd be very appeeciative :)
馃帳 Diptoman
27. Aug 2013 路 14:12 UTC
Thanks a lot! Will definitely check out your game.

And oh, updated the file with the crash fix.
syner_d
27. Aug 2013 路 14:26 UTC
great art! =)
immanuela
27. Aug 2013 路 16:11 UTC
Great game, love the idea!
zanzindorf
27. Aug 2013 路 16:20 UTC
I'm stuck in the first room. I'm pressing ctrl on everything but nothing seems to be interactive. I can't go through any of the doors, and I can't walk off the edges of the screen. I don't know what to do.
馃帳 Diptoman
27. Aug 2013 路 16:25 UTC
Thanks everyone!

(Spoiler)
@zanzindorf: The objects that can be interacted with are highlighted when you get near them. You have to use the guard to open the door below, and then commit suicide so he doesn't raise an alarm. Then climb down with the main character and go through the door.
Alexander Ponomariov
27. Aug 2013 路 16:26 UTC
looks fun and the music is good!
Asar Dhandala
27. Aug 2013 路 16:27 UTC
Amazing art style!
Ciaran54
27. Aug 2013 路 16:30 UTC
Wow! fantastic game, really enjoyed those puzzles! You say that all of the art and assets were made in the given time? I take it that doesn't include code then? Still really impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed it, definitely take it further! I also thought the prisoners and guards fighting was hilarious :P
馃帳 Diptoman
27. Aug 2013 路 16:44 UTC
Thank you!

@Ciaran54
Yeah we made it all during the jam. Power in numbers haha!
馃帳 Diptoman
27. Aug 2013 路 16:52 UTC
@Ciaran54
I'm glad you enjoyed the game. Yeah we had a lot of jokes about the fighting animation. :P
Thanks for playing

(Sorry for the double post)
meszka
27. Aug 2013 路 17:10 UTC
Very nice concept, the controlling of other characters reminded me a bit of Abe's Oddysee. I didn't read the text about the picklock prisoners properly and didn't figure out what they do, but I managed to beat the game anyway :P The overall mood is very nice and I liked the ending :)
gmaker
27. Aug 2013 路 18:06 UTC
nice art!
MinionStudios
27. Aug 2013 路 18:23 UTC
Fun but complex and a bit confusing. Love the cutscene style
wally2069
27. Aug 2013 路 18:50 UTC
Definitely needed a proper tutorial
X-0r
27. Aug 2013 路 21:37 UTC
Awesome game! I totally like the innovation on that one =)
I'm not sure, how this mind-control thing is working, but wielding this power is just awesome. *another guard jumps down the ledge* Mwahahaha!
馃帳 Diptoman
28. Aug 2013 路 05:21 UTC
Thanks everyone!

@Mezka: I'm glad you enjoyed the game. I haven't heard of Abe's Odyssey. I'll surely check it out! :)

@wally2069: Yeah, I apologize for that. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to put up an elaborate tutorial. But if it helps, there are instructions here, in the description as well as in the game. Hope it helps!

@X-Or: Haha yeah! Throwing them off the ledge is a fun thing to do! >:)
Avichal
28. Aug 2013 路 05:30 UTC
Great concept ! very nice art and music ! :D
Crazi456
28. Aug 2013 路 06:13 UTC
Great music, fun mechanics!
AlvaroH
28. Aug 2013 路 06:35 UTC
Well done!!
Dry Tree
28. Aug 2013 路 07:33 UTC
Good work. It was difficult to figure out what to do, but it's a nice game overall.
NiallM
28. Aug 2013 路 07:43 UTC
This is a really nice idea. It makes for really interesting puzzles with multiple solutions too, which is cool.
truiton
28. Aug 2013 路 08:55 UTC
Hey! If you continue to develop this game, I will love to see it. Great retro feel and nice music, the gameplay is very fun :)
(I'm stuck with a bug in level 3 when I descend the ladder, I can't move right or left.)
馃帳 Diptoman
28. Aug 2013 路 09:22 UTC
Thanks folks!

@truiton: We may in the future (we have other different ongoing projects atm, including another WIP from a previous jam :S ). And I didn't come across any such bug (tried just now), so it may have just been you running out of time with that particular character and losing control of him?

@NiallM: Most of the multiple solutions here weren't intended tbh (like you don't need to use a lockpicker at all). That's what you get for pretty much no time to playtest. XD

@Ciaran54: We didn't use any existing code, if that's what you meant. :S
Pixelfan Games
28. Aug 2013 路 10:34 UTC
good music, good concept, i like graphics. good job!!
almightyzentaco
28. Aug 2013 路 10:58 UTC
Best game I've played yet. Good job.
klianc09
28. Aug 2013 路 12:08 UTC
It was kinda easy to finish but visually very appealing. On strange thing although: Why do guards raise the alarm when they see you, but fight to the death with other prisoners?

And sometimes I had a bug where I got stuck at the bottom of the ladder and couldn't move left and right anymore.
archaeometrician
28. Aug 2013 路 12:09 UTC
Wow the graphic are very nice ! I love the gameplay ! I didnt got any error while playing. A little bit easy but this game have potential !
馃帳 Diptoman
28. Aug 2013 路 12:39 UTC
Thanks guys!

@klianc09: Because it won't matter if they fight to death with you, 'cuz if you die that's pointless anyway? xD Idk, we were short on time and this was all that we could think up!

Also, I've never personally encountered that bug, but a friend of mine did, and he says you can fix it by climbing up and then down again. I'll try to fix it post-Jam.
okmmjyygv
28. Aug 2013 路 13:25 UTC
It's like my game :D Good.
kannas
28. Aug 2013 路 13:39 UTC
Beautiful game. the problem is that the controls aren't quite comfortable, and the tutorial lacks of clearance. i think that fixing that should be a high priority task . neverthless, great job ;)
ratalaika
28. Aug 2013 路 16:21 UTC
good job
Diogo Muller
28. Aug 2013 路 17:38 UTC
GREAT puzzle game. I got a bit lost at first, but when I got hang of it, my mind blew.

Very creative use of the theme.
馃帳 Diptoman
28. Aug 2013 路 17:55 UTC
Appreciate the comments guys.

@kannas: I don't think adding a proper tutorial now is allowed as per the rules. That's clearly adding new features, I think.
ddionisio
28. Aug 2013 路 18:22 UTC
I love the art and sprites, there's a nice charm to it. It gives that 90's vibe as well. Music is great, it definitely got me in the mood.

Really good concept, I enjoyed playing it...once I understood what I was suppose to do. Would be nice to be able to reselect the order during select phase or go back to a previous phase.
Jayjay
29. Aug 2013 路 00:34 UTC
Great job! very fun and good level design =]
jay griffin
29. Aug 2013 路 02:54 UTC
This is great stuff. An interesting mechanic executed with a lot of skill and polish. It takes a little while to get your head around the basic rules and controls of the game, but it's worth the effort for sure. nicely done!
Jupiter_Hadley
29. Aug 2013 路 06:36 UTC
This game is interesting, and a bit hard. I did really like the concept!! I featured it in my video compilation of Ludum Dare 27 games, if you would like to check it out :) http://youtu.be/J-5j5_FYNQI
馃帳 Diptoman
29. Aug 2013 路 13:35 UTC
Thanks fellas!
It's great that you're creating videos of the jam entries @Jupiter, great initiative! :)

It really seems like we needed to make some proper tutorial for this though. XD If only I had a few more hours. >_<
Lokarunith
29. Aug 2013 路 15:12 UTC
Hmm, the concept is very cool but the game still needs some more development, the levels are too simple and easy but the concept sure has potential.
Brainless Games
29. Aug 2013 路 16:44 UTC
Great game loved the puzzle idea and the graphics one thing though before the screen black our after being seen you can still go through the door to the next level but other than that no problems. :)
dook
29. Aug 2013 路 19:29 UTC
Great fun! It shows a lot of promise and could definitely be expanded to a much longer puzzle game :)
ZeppelinCaptain
29. Aug 2013 路 19:32 UTC
Quite fun game, and very original way of taking the theme. Also sweet pixel art and decent music.
theholychicken
30. Aug 2013 路 00:08 UTC
This is one of the most innovative games I've seen this Ludum!
An imprisoned mind-controlling super genius anti-hero is about the coolest concept to wrap a game around, and the graphics and music just hammers in the nail for me.
Awesome job!
Zer0Kelvin
30. Aug 2013 路 02:08 UTC
Great concept! I couldn't get very far in it though. Not sure what I was supposed to do on the first screen...I guess I should try again later.
MuciojadPL
30. Aug 2013 路 10:42 UTC
Hm, what I could tell you? It's... amazing work. The game is very solid, has addictive gameplay and pleasant for the ear music. I think that some of the elements were very complex to implement and you spent a lot of time with coding it :) I really like this game and I admire your work! :) High five!
BTW If you still want play in my game I added resizable window launcher to my zip pack, so you can try it ;)
馃帳 Diptoman
30. Aug 2013 路 17:44 UTC
Thanks guys!

@Zer0Kelvin: You have to use the guard to open the door below, and then commit suicide so he doesn't raise an alarm. Then climb down with the main character and go through the door.

@MuciojadPL: Heh, thanks a lot! And sure, I'll check it out!
Martin_Monosys
30. Aug 2013 路 21:36 UTC
Good, but I didn't really get it... When that happens, the game is not fool proof... because i'm a fool, get it ?!?
Hah, anyway, the rest was cool, good entry! :)
BenWhi
31. Aug 2013 路 01:14 UTC
Clever and well-executed game! 5 for innovation!
GigaBass
31. Aug 2013 路 04:56 UTC
Very well executed game... good puzzling. Good graphics. Very fitting music. It's a top.
manofdoom
31. Aug 2013 路 08:11 UTC
Really enjoyed this, great puzzle concept and super fun planning that prison break.
Delca
31. Aug 2013 路 19:34 UTC
An excellent puzzle platformer, the game mechanic is working very well. Even if more levels would be welcome, the game was nicely polished, and both the audio and graphics are good. Good job!
ZYXer
01. Sep 2013 路 00:52 UTC
Great puzzle game. Music and art create a nice atmosphere. Love it!
Almax27
01. Sep 2013 路 14:07 UTC
Nice idea, bit confusing at the beginning but enjoyable once you understand the mechanics :)
withoutpillow
01. Sep 2013 路 17:08 UTC
your comment on gamejolt really helped me with the first level, and from that one on it was a blast. great game: clever, fantastic music and mood, good graphics and balanced difficulty curve.
Mlle Eole
02. Sep 2013 路 02:11 UTC
Well... I'm a little bit sad to have to sacrifice and kill everybody for my escape. So i wonder, is it possible to finish the whole game without killing anybody ? :)

But still, it's a nice game, nice idea, nice puzzles. :)
馃帳 Diptoman
02. Sep 2013 路 06:19 UTC
Thanks all! :D

@Mlle Eole: The guards and prisoners just knock each other out, you don't have to consider that killing. XD
Other than that, yes it IS possible to complete without directly making any guard commit suicide, would require patience and luck as well. :P
Mlle Eole
02. Sep 2013 路 13:13 UTC
Oh yeah, from *this* point of view.. That's okay. :D
PaperBlurt
02. Sep 2013 路 15:50 UTC
Innovative idea.. and the graphics looks a bit like Commodore 64
crueltear
02. Sep 2013 路 21:30 UTC
Nice logic game. Apparently, if you jump before climbing a ladder you get stuck in floor.
Gear
03. Sep 2013 路 20:01 UTC
The ending made me laugh.
mollymus
03. Sep 2013 路 20:18 UTC
Very neat concept! I wish the tutorial text was a bit more friendly to my eyes, but I quickly forgot about that once I got to play the game! Great job!
jprogman
04. Sep 2013 路 03:12 UTC
It took some time to get the idea of the game with a lot of text to read. Very good work! Love the music!
DaanVanYperen
04. Sep 2013 路 13:31 UTC
Interesting puzzle mechanic!
blackotus
04. Sep 2013 路 14:54 UTC
The concept is very neat, the puzzles and level design are well done and well thoughout, too!

Very nice entry and puzzle game! Keep working on it, it can grow beyond Ludum Dare :)
Mironix
07. Sep 2013 路 20:14 UTC
splendid game, x-com prison :)
Boneloaf
15. Sep 2013 路 20:07 UTC
We like the concept, it reminded us of the mind control in Abe's Odyssey. We tried numerous times but couldn't interact with the environment with the ctrl key or any of the other modifier keys.
馃帳 Diptoman
16. Sep 2013 路 12:56 UTC
Thank you everyone! :D

@Boneloaf: The game shows which things you can interact with when you're near them, I can't really say why it didn't work for you since it worked fine with others. @_@

@Gear: That was the point. :P
Optimus6128
16. Sep 2013 路 22:31 UTC
I liked the music.
This seemed interesting at first but I still don't get the concept. I have a single prisoner and don't know if I should spawn others, no key seems to work, ctrl doesn't open door, etc.
馃帳 Diptoman
17. Sep 2013 路 06:40 UTC
You needed to select (click) and use the guard first. :S