Druid 5000 by AuthorX

[raw]
made by AuthorX for LD35 (JAM)
This is my third LD attempt, and the first that I feel I completed. The Druid 5000 is here, and may the fastest shapeshifter win!

A race for 1-4 players, change your shape to match the terrain and keep up your momentum. Each of 3 forms will be fast on one terrain, faster on another, and bogged down and slow in the third. The keyboard controls are listed on the instruction screen, and in theory gamepad controls work but I found that Unity would randomly decide which # each gamepad was assigned, so only connecting one control may let you control player 2 or 4.

The only thing I had to cut from scope, and would have added if I had more time, was a jump button (dive for the bird) to avoid obstacles, which would have enabled an auto-run mode to see how far you can go without hitting an obstacle.

The graphics, of course, are extremely basic but I would not have been able to produce much better if I had more time.

I feel pretty good about my progress for only having done development during these last 3 jams, but in the future I hope to practice gamedev and make more solid projects on my own time so the next time I can make something more substantial or polished.

Note: made in Unity, playable with Unity Web Player or as a Windows download.

Ratings

Coolness 62% 3
Overall(Jam) 2.91 858
Fun(Jam) 3.03 619
Graphics(Jam) 2.31 1016
Humor(Jam) 2.07 707
Innovation(Jam) 2.94 642
Mood(Jam) 2.24 987
Theme(Jam) 3.59 355

Feedback

urfbound
19. Apr 2016 路 02:13 UTC
Nice multiplayer game! I like the use of the theme a lot, and how it's a little open to interpretation in spots. The fact that in spaces running and flying are a little more comparable adds to the tension. A great laugh when playing with a friend or two (I think multiplayer really adds to the 'Humour' value 100% of the time). One recommendation I would make is that each player should appear on a different 'lane' in the raceway to give a better sense of where each particular player is when more than two are playing. Maybe it would also be good if each player had a different track, or powerups were available, so you always felt like you were in the race. I really liked the graphics in your game, and I think the 2D characters on the 3D backgrounds really made them pop. The sprites you made were also great in my opinion. I liked that they also helped drive home whether or not you were in the right terrain too. Great design there.

Had a lot of fun with your game! Thanks for the submission - hope you had fun making it :D
CalmKai
19. Apr 2016 路 02:16 UTC
Good game!
ayewyn
19. Apr 2016 路 02:22 UTC
Has potential.
馃帳 AuthorX
19. Apr 2016 路 02:46 UTC
Thanks for the comments! I did think about moving the players to the sides if there were more than one (part of the reason it is extra wide), but that would have required moving around the stream in the forest area so the fish didn't swim through the ground, and that was a little more work than I wanted to do.
saucygames
19. Apr 2016 路 02:51 UTC
GG, local coop all the way!!!!
PeachTreeOath
19. Apr 2016 路 03:07 UTC
Simple idea but well done!
tweedle
19. Apr 2016 路 03:53 UTC
Really neat game! Shifting to keep up your speed was a little tough at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. Multiplayer racing game using with a shape-shifting theme: I like it!
Imperial Unit
19. Apr 2016 路 04:12 UTC
Solid idea and execution. The art-style seems to complement the game very nicely.
lanestp
19. Apr 2016 路 11:58 UTC
Really neat racing game. I like that it is somewhat more forgiving. (A lot of these games are 1 hit death this LD) Great job!
adsilcott
20. Apr 2016 路 01:34 UTC
Neat idea, challenging but fun. Great job!
retrograze
20. Apr 2016 路 01:36 UTC
I like it! I couldn't test out the multiplayer (no friends hahaha), but the game was really fun regardless. Love the MS Paint graphics, too! It was really well done, and I enjoyed it!
Jungle
20. Apr 2016 路 01:44 UTC
I like the game idea! Very cool!!! Congratulations, especially the multiplayer feature! ^^
maartene
21. Apr 2016 路 19:27 UTC
Clever game! The rock-paper-scissors mechanic actually adds some strategy: do I accept the suboptimal shape if it means less "switching"? I could only play this game single player. I believe online high scores would help with single player. As it currently stands I have no idea how well I'm doing.
Sheepolution
21. Apr 2016 路 19:45 UTC
This is pretty fun with more people. I would've liked more feedback on how effective my current form is on my current landscape. The tiniest sounds can make your game a lot better.
Gametery
21. Apr 2016 路 20:49 UTC
Tested it as single player, i'm sure the multiplayer option makes the game even more entertaining!
Nice interpretation of the theme, a racing game wouldn't have come to my mind. Keep up the good work! :)
EdoCreate
28. Apr 2016 路 07:13 UTC
Nice concept, but need better graphic
Green Soda
08. May 2016 路 06:05 UTC
nice entry! graphics could do a little more... interseting tho :)