LudumData

Space Dock by HoldMeImScared

[raw]
made by HoldMeImScared for LD35 (COMPO)
You dock your ship with the platform. The jerk thing spins, though. Captain Skyhawk was the inspiration here.


Controls:
Arrows/WASD = Movement. Left/Right to rotate, Up/Down to move forward and back.
R to restart
Q to quit
Enter works on the title screen to bypass clicking the button.


So this is my first LD, and my first non-tutorial Game Maker project that I've actually finished -- I'm pretty happy with that.

I was not enthused with the theme, but managed to think of something that skirted it closely enough and got it done. The shapes which comprise the docking platform shift around, and though it's done in the manner of levels, the ship's shape changes as you progress.

Did a ton of new things, learned a lot, and solidified some of what I already knew, which is always nice.

Tools:
Game Maker Studio
Bog standard Microsoft Paint (I know)
Game Maker's Sprite/BG editor (I know, I know)
BFXR
Windows https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ilq8rkra903wbcb/AAC4NoleUUaxC2ydrUZTnlMaa?dl=0
Source https://www.dropbox.com/sh/08bpf1073qnep66/AABkmihoxuNnv48b2JVSJlWGa?dl=0
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-35/?action=preview&uid=92332

Ratings

Coolness 86% 2
Overall 3.05 606
Audio 2.26 568
Fun 3.14 459
Graphics 2.66 661
Humor 3.08 164
Innovation 2.55 786
Mood 2.69 618
Theme 2.68 816

Feedback

cubegames13
17. Apr 2016 路 10:53 UTC
This was fun! The graphics are basic but the gameplay was good. (Some of the later level titles are pretty funny too(-: )
Alphius
17. Apr 2016 路 11:07 UTC
The concept was really good. The ship movement was really good! Maybe you should add some kind of inertia on the ship. When you release the forward/backward buttons you keep moving slower and slower until you're finally stopped. The game was really great though!
馃帳 HoldMeImScared
17. Apr 2016 路 20:01 UTC
@Alphius: I added a small amount of drift as you suggested. This also revealed a minor bug, which I have also corrected. Thank you :)
TechXSoftware
18. Apr 2016 路 02:08 UTC
I thinks its the graphics that give it a real boost :)
uheartbeast
18. Apr 2016 路 02:16 UTC
Easy controls, good gameplay, and funny dialog. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
wtfrara
18. Apr 2016 路 02:29 UTC
Cute little game, well-scoped and focused. An interesting take on the theme, too. I definitely enjoyed the lo-fi graphics and thought they helped to give a bit of ambience, despite a relatively simple theme. Definitely something that's replayable and fun. Good work!.
srakowski
18. Apr 2016 路 02:43 UTC
Fun little game, hard in a good way. The orientation of the controls make it challenging. Well done :)
TideS
18. Apr 2016 路 10:13 UTC
Gratz with your first LD mate, if there was more advanced graphics it would be near perfect for compo. Anyways i enjoyed the gameplay a lot!
cubegames13
18. Apr 2016 路 11:34 UTC
My last comment was from before voting time so I have to post a second one for my rating to count
PyroSneak
18. Apr 2016 路 15:37 UTC
Pretty neat little game :)
Pecolyte
18. Apr 2016 路 17:08 UTC
Sometime I found a perfect timing right at start, but then realized that I must press Enter to get the controlls available...
The game can be rather challenging as the ship get bigger, and I can think of many kind of external elements.
And congrats for your first LD!
Aaranos
18. Apr 2016 路 22:16 UTC
The ship handles well. To make it a bit more interesting I tried to plan my dive in when I could maneuver to it quickly.
mutonizer
19. Apr 2016 路 07:56 UTC
As you mentioned, light take on the theme but good fun otherwise and it does what it intends to do. Nice one.

Controls felt a bit odd at first for a ship in space but you get used to it.

It's finished, it does the job and has everything required. Good one, kudos.
Eshford
19. Apr 2016 路 15:28 UTC
Pretty awesome game for first Ludum Dare! :)
Divitos
19. Apr 2016 路 20:18 UTC
Good job, I enjoyed it.

Keep up the game dev.
seitnerk
19. Apr 2016 路 20:59 UTC
Spent many trys and tons of restarts to pass the last level buut had a lot of fun with it! It makes me addicted to beat the level. :D
I would enjoy some more levels with different barriers :)
kariamoss
20. Apr 2016 路 12:56 UTC
Basic graphics, but it's quite fun to play :)
fin_nolimit
21. Apr 2016 路 05:06 UTC
You broke your little ship! lol!! i like it! I did my game in Game Maker as well! Nice work
Yumeito
21. Apr 2016 路 11:26 UTC
That is a really good game for a first time. Way better than mine
ajayajayaj
24. Apr 2016 路 16:44 UTC
Only got to the third level. Wish you didn't have to keep going to the beginning everytime you lost.
馃帳 HoldMeImScared
25. Apr 2016 路 02:12 UTC
@ajayajayaj: You know, that was something I did consider for this. I decided it was so short that it might be better to start over from the beginning on it, more like older arcade games - but it wasn't a very firm decision, really. But I can see where it could be a little frustrating, especially given that games don't generally work like that anymore, expectations have changed a bit. This feedback is something I'll keep in mind in the future, thank you! :)
Pietro Ferrantelli
27. Apr 2016 路 19:24 UTC
Welcome to Ludum Dare ! It's a nice game you made there, especially for a first one. I enjoyed playing it and it kept me engaged until I beat it after many tries. Wish my first game ever was that good.
Shizor
28. Apr 2016 路 07:49 UTC
Nice little game, I love the small bits of story inbetween :D
SantiHisteria
29. Apr 2016 路 19:26 UTC
The game is funny, but I have not seen the "shapesift" concept. Anyway nice entry!
csanyk
09. May 2016 路 15:01 UTC
Pretty good Star Castle variant:)

A few tips:

1) when you die, restart from last level, not the beginning.
2) When the narrative words appear to start the level, don't spin the dock until the player clears them so they can start moving. Very often it seems like there was a chance for a quick win if they could move immediately, but reading the words delays them and they miss an opportunity for a quick win.

Otherwise pretty good game!