Addendum: It appears that Level 4 may not actually be completable. <sigh>

Well, it's too late to do anything about it now I guess, once the deadline's passed. Wubbish.

Very nice and original!

Error compiling shader ):

Looks interesting, though.

Error compiling shader

When I try to run the game I get the error message "Error compiling shader." This is in Windows 7.

Sick lighting on that screenshot. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to play.

I get an error: "Error creating D3D device" :(

I'm running Windows XP SP3

Screenshot looks amazing, but I get the "Error compiling shader" error (also Win7).

Error compiling shader... would be happy if you fix it, looks awesome!

IMPORTANT!

So it turns out in order to run it, you need the latest version of DirectX installed.

You can get it from the link below. It's fairly painless.
I had tried including the D3DX DLLs myself in the zip, but it turns out this doesn't work. <sigh> Note to self, don't use D3DX ever again, even in a 48hr compo...

DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3&displaylang=en

Fun concept. Unfortunately sometimes the enemy fell off the world but kept walking under it. Also the aiming is a little touchy.

Graphics are really nice, I like the high contrast shadows.

Downloaded the latest DirectX and still having the exact same problem. The screenshot looks so cool, I really want to play! :(

The DirectX install did fix my Error Compiling Shader problem.

Keeping the mouse on the guys was a little annoying. Maybe if there was something to indicate how long you had to hold it on him for?

Error creating D3D Device.

I assume it's because I have an older graphics card (Intel 915GM) that doesn't support shaders. Looks lovely, a pity I can't play it.

Sorry you guys are having trouble loading it still. I have no idea why unfortunately :-(

Yeah, it does require shaders (PS2.0 at least), and I also used floating point textures too. I guess next time I'll aim the min-spec a little lower. I didn't think it'd be that demanding, as it runs fine on my laptop, but I guess not.

Runs fine for me on win7x64, but I have newish card & driver.

Found tracking the enemy with the mouse a little fiddly, but I think that could be improved without making it too easy. The lasso and blue-meanie twirling was very nicely done, though I had trouble aiming them at other meanies (felt easier just to throw them off the edge).

I like the visual style. The gameplay concept is also cool, but I'm not sure the long aim was really necessary, and I didn't always understand why I wasn't hitting the enemies. I think you should work on this further.

The graphics look amazing.

Good game. Graphics are great.

Neat game :-).

The latest DirectX install helped me too.

Awesome graphics here, the shaders are a great touch (finally did get it working by installing the DX update like you said).

Error compiling shader.

I'm intrigued with how you did the shadows. Definitely looks neat, and there's no obvious disconnect between precomputed/environment shadows and those of dynamic objects. The game itself is quite awkward to play though. Holding the cursor over enemies is way too harsh and sensitive in that it resets instantly once you're out of range. Would have been more comfortable with a smooth aim that builds "lasso power" more quickly if you're dead on target, slower if you start drifting away, and drops power quickly but not instantly if you start getting too off. Coupled with some suitable visual representation, that would let you feel the process a lot better, and be given a chance to learn without feeling penalized for imperfection right away. Also, with great aim/skill you might be able to play faster if your lasso charges up more quickly. Swinging and throwing seems a bit random, but it works once you realize that the most important thing is where you put the cursor.