LudumData

The Heat Of Battle by hexagore

[raw]
made by hexagore for LD 41 (JAM)

Wait. Please. Stop.

The-Heat-of-Battle-Game-Download.gif

Beware of Spoilers (And remember to HOLD SHIFT TO DO HIGHER JUMPS)

So I'm being deliberately secretive about what the game contains here for the sake of not spoiling the game, but here are the incompatible genres:

  • Mechanically this game combines Platform Game with Point and Click Adventure
  • Narratively it combines... well that'd be a spoiler.
  • Hold shift down to do running jumps to reach high places

Your Casting Troubles Are Over!

We are Protagonists Unlimited. We don't provide protagonists for your game. We complete your vision. Working with some of the finest talent in the games Industry, our books are full of high quality protagonists for all genres, styles - and budgets!

Our Award Winning Talent

Meat McBeef

mcbeef-portrait-2.png

As seen in of Shooty Bang Man, Shooty Bang Man II, Shooty Bang Man III, Shooty Bang Man IV, Shooty Bang Man V, Shooty Bang Man VI, Shooty Bang Man VII, Shooty Bang Man VIII, Shooty Bang Man IX, Shooty Bang Man X and the unforgettable Shooty Bang Man XI.

Bunny Amour

bunny-portrait.png

As seen in Love Bunnies and the BAFTA winning Love Bunnies II.

Call Now!

Talk to one our of industry leading agents today to see what Protagonists Unlimited can bring to YOUR game project!

Controls

  • Gamepad Highly Recommended
  • Cursor Keys to move
  • Hold R1/L1 or Shift Key to Run - YOU NEED TO DO RUNNING JUMPS IN THIS. SORRY.
  • A Button or Enter/X/C keys to Interact/Talk/etc
  • X Button or Z Key to Jump
  • Seriously hold SHIFT or R1/L1 to do BIG JUMPS

Content Warning

  • Mild swearing
  • Bloody cartoon violence
  • Romance
  • Dodgy 4th wall breaking stuff.
  • Hold down SHIFT to do running jumps
  • Seriously

Credits

  • Writing, code, art, sound & music by @hexagore
  • (c) 2018 Stairfall Institute blah blah blah
  • "The Heat Of Battle" was made with Hassle & Hexr, a custom adventure game engine.
  • You need to run and jump to reach high platforms

Update

Hi I had to do a tiny fix to this, there was a situation where you'd be unable to finish the game. Tiny patch.

Links

Windows https://stairfallinstitute.itch.io/the-heat-of-battle
HTML5 (web) http://hexagore.net/heat-of-battle/
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/the-heat-of-battle

Ratings

Overall 59th 4.114⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Fun 144th 3.886⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 152th 3.886⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Theme 152th 4.157⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 73th 4.429⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Audio 84th 3.957⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Humor 16th 4.371⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Mood 28th 4.286⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Given 30🗳️ 20🗨️

Feedback

HKoisumi
24. Apr 2018 · 00:41 UTC
Freaking amazing! Excelent work, wanna check ours too??

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/hype-time
danes1111
24. Apr 2018 · 16:47 UTC
Preatty neat, such a cool concept, good work.
hypp
25. Apr 2018 · 18:50 UTC
Very nice. Played it all through to the end. Perhaps it was a bit easy to find matches, or maybe I just got lucky? Anyway, well done!
🎤 hexagore
25. Apr 2018 · 18:56 UTC
@hypp You got lucky, there are some outcomes where you can only pair up 2 of the couples :)
monika
26. Apr 2018 · 09:29 UTC
That was so so good but is McBeef's wife okay??? Tell me she's okay!

Kind of wish the dialog went faster, and had some trouble with wall jumps where I'd get stuck on a wall and couldn't jump, but that's it. Best game I've played this LD so far.
🎤 hexagore
26. Apr 2018 · 09:38 UTC
@monika Yeah she'll turn up, she always does. She has to be back by 9pm anyway cos that's when the next load of thugs have her booked in to be kidnapped. Thank you for playing, I'm glad you like it!!
GexAlmighty
26. Apr 2018 · 12:28 UTC
I'm glad I found this, was really funny. Not a lot of actual "game-play" though. The only real interaction with the environment was some, at best, sketchy wall jumping mechanics, but that's OK given the style of game it didn't really need it
🎤 hexagore
26. Apr 2018 · 12:35 UTC
@gexalmighty Yeah it's just an excuse for some jokes. :p Wall jumping was added because I envisioned the shooty bang man game to be some sort of action run and gun but honestly feel like i should have just put in ladders or something, gone more retro. Oh well :) Thanks for playing!!
Articulated9
26. Apr 2018 · 19:03 UTC
This is definitely one of the best ones I played so far! Action! Romance! Revenge! It's got it all!

Seriously, the level of polish on this is superb. I usually try and leave suggestions on these comments but in this case I've got nothing to add. Absolutely fantastic effort :smile:
🎤 hexagore
26. Apr 2018 · 19:09 UTC
@Articulated9 You're too kind!
philippkick
26. Apr 2018 · 19:41 UTC
looks gorgeous
hatchet
26. Apr 2018 · 19:58 UTC
The ending was sad :( But I'm glad Bunny Amour didn't react to it the way I thought she would! The art is top notch, both game environments look and feel amazing and atmospheric. In an attempt to not shoot the bunnies I jumped over the wall and outside map bounds. But that didn't help :D

Playing Bunny Amour's part was very fun and I managed to hook up all of the soldiers together :) Possibly the best entry I played so far!
🎤 hexagore
26. Apr 2018 · 20:23 UTC
@hatchet I'm with you on this one, it sounds like you parsed this game exactly as intended, I'm glad :)
joqlepecheur
26. Apr 2018 · 20:54 UTC
very nice :)

You can wall jump and soft lock the game by falling out of bounds. Well I know I shouldn't do it but I did it anyway ^^

The art is superb, I really like the style and effect.
It is good that you included pad support, and the music fits the game.
🎤 hexagore
26. Apr 2018 · 21:27 UTC
@joqlepecheur thanks for letting me know about the falling through the walls thing. Unfortunately the first genre cross-over in this isn't really that obvious but it's me trying to shove a hastily hacked together platform game character controller into a point and click adventure engine and, well, bit off slightly more than I could chew there :D
joqlepecheur
26. Apr 2018 · 21:30 UTC
@hexagore don't worry too much about it, it didn't hinder the experience, and I am sure it could give you ideas to improve your adventure engine ;)
🎤 hexagore
26. Apr 2018 · 21:49 UTC
@joqlepecheur it actually has. This entire thing was a bit of an experiment to see how far I could push my adventure scripting language, doing more to interact directly with the underlying game engine (to make the Press X to Apologise joke work, that sort of thing). Technically it's a huge success for me, it's opened up a lot of possibilities! Thanks again!!
Mashas
26. Apr 2018 · 22:10 UTC
What a funny little story! I actually had some real audible laughs during my playthrough. The game didn't have much of any actual gameplay but that didn't matter much as I was too invested in the plot! This looks, feels and sounds just like the old ScummVM games. Amazing! I think I took the dating part too seriously, jotting down all the details and connected people with arrows to be sure I didn't mismatch anyone. :D Fantastic job on this one!
🎤 hexagore
26. Apr 2018 · 22:29 UTC
@mashas Ah ha you noticed the whole thing is just an excuse for a bunch of jokes then? :P I'm glad you embraced the dating sim bit, that was possibly the most complex bit of scripting I've ever done. The game was totally hacked into my point and click adventure engine so that sort of SCUMM feel is definitely deliberate, I'm just pleasantly surprised it's still there even when you take the verb buttons out :) Thank you!!
Ryan Bishop
26. Apr 2018 · 23:36 UTC
The idea behind this game is really inventive, i think you nailed the theme right on the head. I felt like each of the characters in the war zone had personality and it was enjoyable to get to know them. The times where you were in the happy bunny zone felt short, but sweet and helped give a sense of progression. Every sprite animation is beautiful, and the music fit the game extremely well, and didn't get boring or repetitive. My only problem was the wall jumping being a little glitchy in places, and being able to go out of bounds if you jump the wall on the left in the war zone. Really good job!
🎤 hexagore
27. Apr 2018 · 00:19 UTC
@Ryan-bishop That's really nice feedback, thanks :)
Nathalia Hohl
27. Apr 2018 · 04:13 UTC
Wow, this is just amazing. I loved to matchmake those thuds (some of them seemeed sensible people, though) and _talking_ with the bunnies was very satisfying in a twisted way. The art and storytelling were great too.

I confess I made this to decide on the matches because I was afraid there was some logic trap:

![heat of battle.png](///raw/fe6/3/z/143f7.png)

The platform mechanics weren't so well explored because it was short, but I still feel as you nailed the theme.
I gave most of it a solid 5/5, but found the sound not much remarkable although it filled its role.

Keep up the amazing work!
🎤 hexagore
27. Apr 2018 · 06:50 UTC
@Nathalia-hohl ah that's brilliant! You were right to beware of traps. You CAN end up combining 4 of the characters in a way that leaves you unable to combine the last two. The game should let you continue but Bunny is disappointed. :)
Carvster
27. Apr 2018 · 22:49 UTC
Simply brilliant! the matching took a while but I somehow managed to get all the matches first time. really liked the mixing of genre's and a well thought out story line really well executed and polished! It would be good if the text could be sped up but other than that a really good game!
CalebLewis
27. Apr 2018 · 23:46 UTC
Fantastic game and an interesting take on the theme! I can't believe this was only done in 72 hours! There were a couple bugs that required me to refresh the page but that might only be on the web version and since it continued where I left off it wasn't a big deal. My one complaint however would be an inability to advanced dialogue faster on our own, I got impatient just waiting for dialogue to finish, but besides that 5/5.
Beebo Studios
27. Apr 2018 · 23:47 UTC
This game is ingenious! I love your premise as well as its execution! The graphics are perfect, the music sets the mood perfectly and the dialogues are hilarious! I grew really fond of all the characters. A top entry!

I didn't really like the jumping mechanics, but it could also be based on the keys used. Using X, Z and Shift together is nigh impossible on a QWERTZ style keyboard. So I was actually kinda glad there was no extensive use of the jumping mechanics. Also I often wishedd to be able to manually advance the text. It was a bit slow for my taste. Those are the only things I can criticize, everything else is perfect! Really, one of my favourite LD entries thus far!

Have a fish <3 🐟
PhilStrahl
28. Apr 2018 · 00:24 UTC
Hi Charlotte! Before anything, let me express my heartfelt apologies for somehow compelling you to take part in the jam. I just needed my Yorkshire comedy fix.

Another amazingly well written and very entertaining game -- I expected no less and I didn't get disappointed! I loved the premise and the amount of writing and pacing (cutting back and forth) that went into it. I've followed your progress on Twitter but I am surprised how much you put in there in the short amount of time. I mean: Even wall jumping? In an adventure game engine?! Come on! And then the whole dating-sim logic you crammed in there somehow!

So I played the game for around 20 minutes (I'll post my video here once it goes live, sorry in advance for blowing the delivery of almost every line!) and came to a situation where I was just stuck, where I needed to un-couple some soldiers because in my love guru frenzy I was declaring anybody and everybody a soulmate as soon as possible. So let's note this down as "user error: plays game wrong (quite possibly)". By the way, it said the version was 1.00 on the title screen, so I guess I didn't play the patched one.

Nevertheless, the verdict stands: "Press X to apologize" Brilliant! 10/10. BAFTA 2019 finalist.
GerardB
28. Apr 2018 · 00:26 UTC
Simply awesome!
🎤 hexagore
28. Apr 2018 · 08:30 UTC
@PhilStrahl that is amazing feedback, thank you :) As you know, it was your message in the keynote - to make a game that only you could make - that inspired me to make this, cos this something I truly believe in when it comes to game dev and I wasn't able to really do it last time I did a ludum dare and wanted my Last Ever to be something that was like that :)

Bit worried you found a combination of characters that don't work. I'm hoping it's because you downloaded it early, sorry you couldn't finish it. It's meant to catch it when you do this and give you a different message but let you move on!

But, in general, woooooo!!!
🎤 hexagore
28. Apr 2018 · 08:33 UTC
@beebo-studios agh yeah I know about QWERTZ keyboards, I actually added 'C' and 'Enter' as alternative buttons you can use to 'use/interact/apologise' etc especially for you but I didn't have time to put that information into the game itself, it's only in the documentation. Also.. you can press Q to skip through dialogue... again I just didn't have time to rebind that key to anything useful or publish it. Sorry!! Glad you somehow made it through anyway!!

Update: I just realised it's the Z key that's the problem, not X, I totally messed this up. SORRY!!!
🎤 hexagore
28. Apr 2018 · 08:33 UTC
@Carvster @GerardB @CalebLewis Thanks very much :)
K1mpp4
28. Apr 2018 · 11:37 UTC
This game was EPIC! On so many levels! I loved the controls, the setting, the pacing of the game, dialogue, everything. True and beautiful splash of two genres. You've done an amazing job <3
Jonathan Lorenz
28. Apr 2018 · 14:46 UTC
Unfortunately we got stuck because we put the wrong people together. Too bad because we had a really gret time playing. Awesome humor and mood! Cheers!
microwerx
28. Apr 2018 · 14:47 UTC
That was a very well done game. It was quite shocking when McBeef communicated with the rabbits! Was there a way for him to not blast away all the rabbits? Anyway, the story was very engaging and most importantly as a player you connect with them. Bravo!
folex70
28. Apr 2018 · 14:57 UTC
good work! i loved you art, congrats
🎤 hexagore
28. Apr 2018 · 16:21 UTC
@microwerx McBeef's nature is what it is, I'd love it if he could expand his emotional range but he really just isn't that kind of protagonist. I think you've reacted to that whole thing the way I hoped people would though, so that's great :)
🎤 hexagore
28. Apr 2018 · 16:23 UTC
@Jonathan-lorenz Hey I'm sorry to hear you got stuck. There are 3 combinations of characters that don't work (at least I've spent hours trying to find more non-viable combinations), one of which I DIDN'T know about when I launched it... so there are some buggy versions out there. Current version on Itch and the web should be working properly though. Do you mind me asking if you downloaded the game a while ago? Bit worried!!
Ratherjolly
28. Apr 2018 · 17:13 UTC
Love the style and mood! A+ job!
PhilStrahl
28. Apr 2018 · 20:13 UTC
Here's the video, if you dare to listen to your dialog through my accent and botched delivery ;)

https://youtu.be/UoxXOgp40t0
🎤 hexagore
28. Apr 2018 · 21:56 UTC
@PhilStrahl I think we're officially even now :) Thank you for playing. I swear I will never make another platform game. At least not one that needs shift to reach those platforms. Agggh. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!
PhilStrahl
28. Apr 2018 · 22:26 UTC
@hexagore It's alright. I figured it out. Very late, though :) I probably had forgotten about it because I was mentally in adventure-game-mode and hence forgot about the instructions as soon as the proper began.
randomphantom
03. May 2018 · 17:20 UTC
The platforming bits were a little off, but it was quite humorous stuff. Neat pixel art and audio was tight although the bullet sounds were a little loud. I got stuck with being unable to progress due to match making the wrong people.
Damien Remars
10. May 2018 · 14:42 UTC
Was fun, plus great art & music. GG, loved it!