Happy Little Murder Friends by farmergnome

[raw]
made by farmergnome for LD25 (COMPO)
My second LD48 entry...
HAPPY LITTLE MURDER FRIENDS


Rampage through a list of towns with different ways to play, do you play the psycho gunman that unloads on crowds in the open? Or a bruiser who beats his victims to a pulp melee weapons in the alleys? An explosive expert who sets up the perfect explosion then ducks away?

Choose between 5 serial killers, each with there own perks and an array of weapons and fetishes to help your rampage. Get revenge.... Have fun. In that order.




CONTROLS - [WASD to move, Left Mouse button to fire, Right Mouse button to use fetish]



GOAL - Target kill highlighted victims in each town, reach the kill quota to unlock the next town. Avoid murdering people who aren't your target as it will alert police.



TIPS- Shoot / Punch Dumpsters for a high chance of weapon drops.

Pick the right fetish for the right character, some combinations are better than others.

Avoid shooting if you have to, it alerts the crowd much quicker than melee attacks.

If you are wanted, you can hide in a house and eventually the law will give up.

Leave your targets inside houses until last, they make for easy pickings as there is only one path of escape.







Ratings

Coolness 87% 2
Overall 4.17 3
Audio 3.71 25
Fun 4.09 4
Graphics 4.42 11
Humor 3.11 173
Innovation 3.24 192
Mood 3.78 32
Theme 4.08 31

Feedback

dan.jeffrey
17. Dec 2012 路 03:37 UTC
Wow! Amazing job!
Datw
17. Dec 2012 路 04:12 UTC
Awesome, but a bit too hard. (But still awesome)
EatenAlive3
17. Dec 2012 路 04:30 UTC
Wow! Awesome! I honestly had no idea what was going on sometimes, but awesome :D
Jiggawatt
17. Dec 2012 路 04:34 UTC
Whoa. This has plenty of content for a compo entry. And it wasn't for nothing, this is great fun to play.
馃帳 farmergnome
17. Dec 2012 路 04:51 UTC
Cheers guys, it maybe a bit hard, I am not sure if I will continue this post - competition at this stage, shall see I guess.

@Jiggawatt - yea there is tons to do, though I had an easier time than my previous entry (Soul Jar) Which had a lot of bugs related to the platforming/physics. I used box2d this time through which allowed me to focus on mechanics rather than shit breaking.
Jigxor
17. Dec 2012 路 05:04 UTC
This is awesome! Really fun to play and beautiful graphics too. Great job!
angelk
17. Dec 2012 路 06:25 UTC
This was great, gave me the feeling of rampaging through GTA1/2, but with a much needed increase in speed. I loved the cars piling up, and I also loved running through traffic. The character selection and special skills were a nice touch; great job.
Ashkin
17. Dec 2012 路 08:05 UTC
Awesome game, amazing what you've done is such a small amount of time. It's fun, it has a good aesthetic- the music is a little repetitive though.
namuol
17. Dec 2012 路 08:09 UTC
Best entry I've played so far -- it was really hard to put it down! I don't really have any complaints. Definitely gonna check out the rest of your work. Cheers!
bigbadwofl
17. Dec 2012 路 11:27 UTC
Very well done, I enjoyed it a lot.
Tifu
17. Dec 2012 路 11:46 UTC
This is awesome! Love the music, love the variety of weapons, it's super fun. Is your progress supposed to save? It didn't seem to, but I only closed the program because it seemed to crash (I was unable to select a 'fetish' after unlocking them all) - aside from that little bug this is great! :D
馃帳 farmergnome
17. Dec 2012 路 11:57 UTC
@Tifu The game doesn't save data after quit, I kind of ran out of time on that one, might add it if enough people request it....
SaintHeiser
17. Dec 2012 路 14:44 UTC
Excellent work! I love that game =)
Visuals are impressing my mind!
HardScore
17. Dec 2012 路 14:45 UTC
Amazing graphics and gameplay!
zenmumbler
17. Dec 2012 路 14:47 UTC
Visions of Smash TV. I had no idea what was going one but I assumed it was cool. Nice visual and sound style.
Tobias Wehrum
17. Dec 2012 路 15:26 UTC
First impression: Half a second into the game, I get run over by a truck, haha. Strangely, I quite enjoyed that experience. Starting again.

I really like the polish you put into the game. It doesn't really look like a prototype! And the character selection doesn't just work, it also looks awesome to boot and sets the mood quite well. Oh, and the controls are so tight, I love it. (And you have different second skills and multiple weapons? If you discovered a time machine, I'd like to use it too please.)
tommycreo
17. Dec 2012 路 16:08 UTC
Really awesome game, and graphics are sooo cool. Reminded me of my favorite GTA 2.
amidos2006
17. Dec 2012 路 19:50 UTC
As usual you are amazing :)
Nik
17. Dec 2012 路 22:24 UTC
I found the whole concept really enjoyable, nice work.
馃帳 farmergnome
18. Dec 2012 路 08:48 UTC
Cheers guys, does anyone actually want a post LD version?
SonnyBone
18. Dec 2012 路 09:17 UTC
OK so this is brutally awesome on every level. The fact that this is a 48 hour game is ASTOUNDING. Everything about this is stellar. Seriously. One of the best I've ever seen and I've been doing this for a while. It's tightly woven together. The aesthetic is very even throughout. The random generation and palette changes are refreshing. The gameplay is fun and you have a reason to keep going ... to unlock new fetishes. It IS a bit like Retro City Rampage, which is the only 'drawback' but really... how can that be a drawback? It's hilarious, fun to play, awesomely addicting, and a feast for the eyes. PERFECTION!
SonnyBone
18. Dec 2012 路 09:21 UTC
OH AND I FORGOT TO ADD... the random collision of traffic is the funniest thing I've seen in forever. The randomness creates great moments that you just can't recreate with a script. The beauty of how the randomness flows together with the visual style is what makes this so memorable. OK I'll stop slobbering all over this and go play something else for a bit. :)
Per
18. Dec 2012 路 09:54 UTC
This was really fun!
Great graphics and such varied gameplay. Very well done!
Slushy
18. Dec 2012 路 13:06 UTC
good shit Paul
Sanguine
18. Dec 2012 路 14:04 UTC
This game is great! I really love the graphics, but it could be a bit more clear in what's going on.
BenW
18. Dec 2012 路 14:22 UTC
Really great game it took me a while to get a good feel for it and I'm still not sure which weapon pickups are which but it makes me want to play more.
dx0ne
18. Dec 2012 路 14:43 UTC
Hard in a good way. So much polish. Definitely one to get back to from time to time.
馃帳 farmergnome
18. Dec 2012 路 14:53 UTC
Cheers guys, I had a bit of time this arvo to start work on the post competition version, I will upload it tonight my time - expect full new set of music/sound - online high score boards, new tweaks and much needed fixes. I am taking feature requests if anyone has anything they would like to see?
tompudding
18. Dec 2012 路 14:57 UTC
Absolutely stunning for 2 days work, such an impressive aesthetic, and a fun game to boot! My favourite game so far.
Meep
18. Dec 2012 路 18:47 UTC
A beautiful and well implemented idea. :) Great work!
Sgt Squirrelly
18. Dec 2012 路 19:14 UTC
Soul Jar was the most memorable game from the last LD for me, (not sure if it was the best or not, but definitely most memorable. I still think about the aesthetics and mood of that game often when I'm making my own stuff), but this game is WAY BETTER. This is an incredible game even if there was a several month development cycle. The feel of the controls, the graphics, sounds, customizability, progression...Everything is incredible. You're my Hero.
rubna
18. Dec 2012 路 19:40 UTC
Dude, you are one great game dev!
Ardale
18. Dec 2012 路 20:17 UTC
Oh man this is GREAT!! Congrats
7heSAMA
18. Dec 2012 路 22:38 UTC
The death and destruction that occurs when cars are involved is... very amusing.
Mava
18. Dec 2012 路 23:01 UTC
Lots of polish, challenging yet addictive gameplay well done!
ilo
18. Dec 2012 路 23:04 UTC
Outstanding! The difficulty could be frustrating - like I don't know how to survive once I got the attention of the police and worse - but it didn't matter because the pace of the game is quick and its fun even when you're dying.
fhoenig
19. Dec 2012 路 00:20 UTC
I don't have windows, but this seems cool.
bigbadwofl
19. Dec 2012 路 05:34 UTC
Amazing is what it is. Well done, I loved it. One of the best entries I've seen so far.
jfroco
19. Dec 2012 路 06:36 UTC
A little confusing at moments, but no doubt this is an incredible entry. Superb.
Robotic
19. Dec 2012 路 08:53 UTC
Not always very clear, but impressive content, and I love the smooth aesthetic
loren
19. Dec 2012 路 18:55 UTC
so fun! A very crisp well-made game
Jesse Freeman
19. Dec 2012 路 19:03 UTC
One of the best games I've played so far. Feels very complete, was a little hard but the overall style and gameplay made it a lot of fun.
pereubu
19. Dec 2012 路 20:27 UTC
really interesting idea here, i like the graphics and audio but, for the gameplay, i think more differences between the playable characters should have been necessary, nice job overall D:
soy_yuma
19. Dec 2012 路 20:33 UTC
Pretty neat! Good graphics, sound, it is fun and polished. It's impressive you made it in 72 hours!
Beerman
19. Dec 2012 路 23:17 UTC
That was great. Sometimes a little hard to tell which one is your character but I really enjoyed running around the little pixel city murdering people :D
Would definitely like to see a post compo version.
馃帳 farmergnome
20. Dec 2012 路 01:34 UTC
Cheers guys. @soy_yuma It was made in 48 hours, its a solo entry, not a Jam. @pereubu I was kind of time limited with the content - I am only one man.
馃帳 farmergnome
20. Dec 2012 路 01:41 UTC
as for the post competition version, I will post it up at www.farmergnome.com hopefully today sometime.
caranha
20. Dec 2012 路 15:13 UTC
The game looks really cool, and the controls are very smooth. The randomness does add some really memorable scene, such as when cars starts to collide with each other, or run over you mercilessly.

On the other hand, I found it a bit repetitive. Does anything changes when you go to the "next stage", other than the number of targets increasing?

Also it seemed to me that the only consistent way to succeed on a level was by surgically killing the targets with your punches, and ignore other weapons - it would be nice if the game was a bit more forgiving, so that we could cause more mayhem :-D

Anyway, great game!

PS: you can hit people through walls. Bug?
paste0x78
20. Dec 2012 路 16:53 UTC
This is awesome. Nice work, I love the style.

Side Note:
Has anybody had any success running this under wine on Mac? I get audio but just a white screen.
CappaGames
21. Dec 2012 路 00:47 UTC
I really liked this, but that flashing is painful to look at. I wanted to play more, but the pain was too much. Besides that, its really good.
Eniko
21. Dec 2012 路 09:05 UTC
Really nicely polished, good looking/sounding, fun and feature complete. My only gripe is that once the police are on you it's very hard to get rid of them (I waited for ages in a house and they didn't stop chasing me) and they kill you near instantly so going on a rampage isn't really a viable option for clearing a level.
馃帳 farmergnome
21. Dec 2012 路 20:04 UTC
Check the latest build on my site/Post Comp build above @CappaGames, I turned the flashy seizure effects way back. @Eniko I did a bit of a balance pass on the post build also, making the characters considerably quicker, so you can more easily rampage as a viable tactic now, I also increased the alert range of melee attacks, making cops come quicker than the comp build.
Puzzlem00n
21. Dec 2012 路 23:54 UTC
Very, very good stuff. Lemme break this down.

Bad:
-It's sometimes hard to tell what's going on or why the police did or did not come attack you.
-The collision is a bit weird.
-Car accidents are NOT that often, nor do drivers speed right in to accidents or people on a regular basis. :D
Good:
-Great graphics.
-Great concept taken to the fullest. Feels very complete.
-Some nice A.I. work!

Oh, and P.S., I've seen a small bug where the faces of some people get replaced by a white rectangle for a few seconds. Reminds me of Slender Man.
Dark Acre Jack
22. Dec 2012 路 05:00 UTC
GTA rampage mode! With a ton of characters, power ups, unlocks... in 48 hours or less. I'm not worthy.
allinlabs
22. Dec 2012 路 07:38 UTC
Incredibly complete and polished entry. Extremely fast paced action rampage game. This is something strange to say but the colors you choose for some levels are just perfect (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DsDbhfCoHU/UNS_B0BA-qI/AAAAAAAAALE/L57W8q7wdaA/s1600/MF5.png). Very minimal graphics and yet it's full of life, so much happening on screen. 5 stars in visual and audio for me.
I liked the main menu too.

Weirdo question time : does the characters you can choose to play with are indie developers/games ? :D (Edmund McMillen, Johann Sebastian Joust, Danny Baranowsky, ... ?)
馃帳 farmergnome
22. Dec 2012 路 09:06 UTC
@allinlabs The characters are just jumbled up real life serial killer names, except Edmund McMan, hes from my rather dark TIGSource competition game called Edmund, it is on my website.
馃帳 farmergnome
22. Dec 2012 路 09:07 UTC
Believe it or not, the colors for the game are entirely procedural for the terrains/cars also, all the objects aside from characters are greyscale, I just used color tinting.
recursor
22. Dec 2012 路 13:31 UTC
Wow ... I can say no more.
ddionisio
22. Dec 2012 路 20:21 UTC
This game is pretty damn fun! Highly polished for a 48 hours game. This is something I'd go back and play. Only issue I had is there's a chance you spawn on the streets and get run over in a second.
krutech
23. Dec 2012 路 02:26 UTC
Another name to remember.
Awesome graphics
awesome gameplay
just wow
SamoojaMies
23. Dec 2012 路 08:28 UTC
Danny ftw. This will get high rankings :). Nicely challenging game. Great graphics. Cute pixels. Was hard to see what is happening behind the houses. Oh and Danny ftw.
Pierrec
23. Dec 2012 路 10:37 UTC
Very hard but very impressive!
commanderstitch
24. Dec 2012 路 21:57 UTC
amazing work here. loved the size, feel, music, ui, and mood. Found it hard to use guns. made it to where i had to get 21 ppl before i stopped. NEEDS a marker on your character when you first load a level. it's hard to find yourself! (at first) that's the only time you would need it. otherwise, nice nice nice. loved the cars. CRASH
Pacifist Games
27. Dec 2012 路 23:18 UTC
I made it to the point where you have to kill 15 of your target. I felt like the movement was a bit too slow for my liking. I ended up playing as the fast woman, and using the running perk. I didn't quite understand what would cause the police to come after you. I had good results avoiding them by simply running far away before killing again. I was disappointed to find out that the police came after you when you pushed your target into the road to be run over.
馃帳 farmergnome
28. Dec 2012 路 04:19 UTC
The post comp version has the movement speed increased Pacifist Games - police will agro based on people being alerted or killed on various levels, people being run over alert the cops though much less than firing a gun at someone.
Cyboot
29. Dec 2012 路 23:07 UTC
Nice Game, a little confusing at first but really funny after you got the Idea.
bitwise-constructs
30. Dec 2012 路 21:26 UTC
Very good entry, couldn't stop playing it
TwilightFlandre
03. Jan 2013 路 04:16 UTC
The concept behind the game was fantastic and I enjoyed the different characters and fetishes but I felt a lack of "danger". Just to see if I could I ignored the hitlist and just murdered as many people as I could and even then there was still very little threat to me. The cops weapons should definitely take you out in only a couple hits. But still for 48 hours this game is great it has an ample amount of content and is satisfying to play through.
RawBits
06. Jan 2013 路 14:16 UTC
This is very nice but it isn't let you enjoy the gameplay. Maybe it's only balancing.

*I played only the compo version!
Also guns are shooting through people if they are close. Sometimes they crib you into a corner and there is no way out.

Anyway it's a really cool project for a 48h jam. Good job!
馃帳 farmergnome
07. Jan 2013 路 06:22 UTC
Hey Rawbits, most of the balancing stuff was sorted for the post competition build, also characters work a different way in the post version to allow for highscores / progress and such, cheers.
Ditto
09. Jan 2013 路 21:45 UTC
Me and a friend just played a couple games of this, damn this is pretty addictive, specially the post compo version! Great fucking job man! :D