Untitled by dansludumdare

[raw]
made by dansludumdare for LD25 (COMPO)
A and D to move, spacebar to jump.

Mac users: if it crashes and you are using Lion, or it works and you're not using Lion, please say.

Windows 8 users: I don't think SFML supports you yet. Sorry!

If you want a code::blocks or Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express project to go with the source, I can provide. But it is very easy to create those things just by following the corresponding SFML 2.0 tutorial, adding all the sources, and putting the stuff from the distributable in the working directory. The Xcode project is a little harder to construct. Again, ask if you want it.

Ratings

Coolness 76% 2
Overall 2.53 609
Audio 2.89 218
Fun 1.95 702
Graphics 2.87 389
Humor 1.96 565
Innovation 2.68 442
Mood 3.55 59
Theme 2.55 616

Feedback

enfyrneaux
17. Dec 2012 · 04:13 UTC
My mind is full of what
Somfunambulist
17. Dec 2012 · 04:36 UTC
This game had a very mysterious air to it, whether intentional or not. Very nice sounds and music. The camera was very shaky, which was potentially on purpose, but it hindered gameplay a bit.
surpy
17. Dec 2012 · 04:37 UTC
I will agree with enfyrneaux, my mind is also full of what. I thought it was interesting, and I liked the whole shaky screen thing when you gathered up more of the static. I was kinda lost at first and decided to roll around. I got to see 2 endings, I don't know if there is more. I would like to know more of this story.
ripter
17. Dec 2012 · 04:39 UTC
You move a ball around for a while. Then you get a message that you suck.
dcolgan
17. Dec 2012 · 04:43 UTC
I wasn't quite sure what was happening for most of the time and had to figure out the goal, but it was very moody. Nice effects.
🎤 dansludumdare
17. Dec 2012 · 05:00 UTC
Hey guys, thanks for playing!

At risk of ruining the "what" that I find so delightful in LD entries, I'll explain a bit because I don't want anyone to be frustrated.

You're an alien and you have to crash land for whatever reason. You can pick up powerups and put them in your ship, because what else would you do in a video game? But the planet you landed on needs those powerups too, right where they were, and it starts to respond and break when you take them (hence the shaky camera). If you take too many, the planet dies, and you along with it (bad ending). If you leave them, your buddy eventually picks you up (good ending).

If mindlessly taking powerups is just what you do as a gamer, You Are The Villain.

I also wanted to make a pretty game, so those inclined would stop and smell the roses, thereby achieving the good ending. I don't know how much I succeeded there though.
enfyrneaux
17. Dec 2012 · 05:02 UTC
Seriously though, I really did love the atmosphere in this...performance art piece? Really unsettling.
MrEvilGuy
17. Dec 2012 · 05:24 UTC
Wow. Brilliant. Absolutely Brilliant. I suppose it's a good idea for you to explain it in the comments, but unfortunate. Awesome work!
Crowbeak
17. Dec 2012 · 06:50 UTC
Wonderful artistic game. :D Thank you for sharing.
ddionisio
17. Dec 2012 · 06:51 UTC
Read the explanation, I guess that makes it evil.
barigorokarl
17. Dec 2012 · 06:53 UTC
Nice idea with that "if you you what everyone including do is doing by default, you're fucked" :-)
Although it's very confusing and first time playing I didn't see the powerups at all.
SimianLogic
17. Dec 2012 · 07:21 UTC
Works fine on Snow Leopard. Liked the scratching sounds. Didn't figure out what I was "supposed" to do until the 3rd try, so I guess that means I beat it the first two tries. =]
Faust
17. Dec 2012 · 09:36 UTC
Very artistic game, excellent work, but I really can figure out what is the powerup...
aeveis
18. Dec 2012 · 22:19 UTC
I like your explanation, but it could be more clear in the gameplay. I didn't even see the static at first so I didn't understand what was happening. All I knew my first play through was that there would be a static noise as I walked around and it would stop if I went to my weird ship thing.
Milo
19. Dec 2012 · 03:11 UTC
I noticed that the physics sort of has some neat momentum-stuff going on, so I kept trying to get moving really fast by jumping on hills. I don't know if this was intentional, but I liked it.

Aside from that, I really liked the mood created by the graphics and audio (which was kind of a weird and scary), although the gameplay left more to be desired.
h.attila
19. Dec 2012 · 19:46 UTC
Interesting. I had to read the comments to figure out what was going on, it could've had a short explanation in the game.
DaviDeMo
19. Dec 2012 · 21:54 UTC
Was a fun game, but only because I have read the comments, the first time i played it was like "wtf?" :-( . You have to add it in the main page ad description =)
pighead10
19. Dec 2012 · 22:28 UTC
More art than game, but it was a good piece of art. I couldn't do anything but roll around - I checked the comments and couldn't work out how to get the bad ending.
ahmedcab
19. Dec 2012 · 22:36 UTC
nice game,very moody.
zenmumbler
19. Dec 2012 · 22:40 UTC
Played on Mac OS X 10.8.2, no problems.

After a first run and subsequent big ? over my head I read your little explanation, tried it again and then finally realised I have to actually bring back those little white sparkles (which are apparently power ups) back to my ship! Took me 3 tries because apparently my friend is in a bleeding hurry.

Strangely nice and atmospheric. Shows how much simple effects and ambient sounds cam enhance the experience. Really cool.

I especially love the concept of power ups not just being there for you but being used / shared with the environment, I can't think of another game that actually uses that mechanic. How much harder would Metroid be (the whole scene is very reminiscent of the landing site of Super Metroid) if everything you picked up was actually vital to the level you're in? The ideas! They are a-flowin'!

Bravo, sir.
JesterBLUE
19. Dec 2012 · 22:51 UTC
I could only see grass and spaceship-y triangles. No balls or powerups. I don't think it was playing right so I won't rate it. I resent being called incompetent. Liked the wavy grass as the only indication of ground level.
Dark Acre Jack
23. Dec 2012 · 03:28 UTC
Rather choppy performance on my gaming rig, and the sound was just static? Maybe that was the aesthetic.

I would have added something to communicate to the player that SOMETHING was happening. As it was it was bit too subtle for my tastes.
SuperDisk
28. Dec 2012 · 23:32 UTC
Makes a loud noise, the screen goes brown then is unresponsive. I'm using Windows 8
Neonlare
29. Dec 2012 · 03:13 UTC
Atmospheric, but very vague and a bit hard to understand. Still enjoyed the atmosphere a lot though.
GameRespect
01. Jan 2013 · 04:20 UTC
The mood that the shaky cam, static and music made was cool and creepy, and at first I didn't understand what I was doing (though I think that was your intention?) In any case, good attempt!
eli
05. Jan 2013 · 14:10 UTC
I really dig what you were trying to do here. It's a shame I had to read some comments to figure it out!!! At the risk of undermining your own creative vision, there may be a few things you can tweak to improve that.

The "powerups" you made are extremely tiny -- and they make a loud noise when you are nearby. So only after reading some comments and playing three times did I finally understand that I was picking them up! And only one at a time. I thought at first the whole planet was making static sounds, because that's how the game started.

Also, getting the "good" ending means you played for a few minutes with that static sound in your ears. It seemed a bit wrong if the idea was to "smell the roses".

Besides these points, the look and feel was very special. I love how the atmosphere changes with your actions. I love the colors and the exploration (which reminded me of Knytt). The idea is really solid and fits the theme!!

I imagine an improved version with the "good" ending much more pleasant to play -- but with some strong hints that "something is potentially going wrong".

Really good work, hope to see more of this kind of thing!