LudumData

Space Hauler by Keppu

[raw]
made by Keppu for LD 42 (COMPO)

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Made from a scratch within 48 hours during LD42 compo. Space Hauler is a side-scrolling space cleaning simulator with pixel graphics, relaxing Zen atmosphere and Tetris-like space management. In near future space tourism and industrialization has grown steadily. As a side effect Earth's orbit is blocked by space debris. You are recruited to join the emerging industry of Space Hauling tasked to clean the orbit. Save the Earth and profit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMPeGZpk6Tg

  • Realistic physics (there is no friction in space)
  • Fly with a space truck or step outside in a space suit
  • Push space debris off from Earth's orbit or down to atmosphere
  • Pull debris with your space suit's tractor beam
  • Collect and sell valuable loot (rarity system)
  • Avoid space mines
  • Fix your space truck with your profits

:keyboard:CONTROLS

  • WASD = Move
  • Space = Enter / Exit truck
  • E = Open / Close truck's cargo door
  • Mouse1 = Pull space debris / Use fix button / Interact with the Dock master
  • P = Pause
  • F4= Tutorial

:moneybag: ITEM TIERS tiers.png

:whitecheckmark: 13/8/2018 v1.0

:whitecheckmark: 15/8/2018 v1.0.1

  • Physics balances (tractor beam strength, player speed, truck mass, debris mass)
  • Fixed some loot spawning issues
  • Made some info on the tutorial clearer

Theme: "Running out of space"

Programming: Unity C#

Graphics: PyxelEdit

Audio: Mouth(best instrument), Audacity, Zoom H1n, music: https://www.audiotool.com

I think the theme was better this time than ever before and I'm happy with the result. Utilizing Unity's physics engine was fun and it freed so much time from animation etc.I managed to stay organized until the end and got all basic mechanics in. One thing I might add in future is upgrades to the Truck and upgradable tractor beam for the character. Have fun playing! ❤️ Leave a rating and tell me what you think! Positive or negative feedback, I'd love to hear all of it.​

You can check the artwork and some technical details in Art Station: https://keppu.artstation.com/projects/vldrE

:bird: https://twitter.com/antti_koponen

Source Code https://github.com/Keppuli/LudumDare42
HTML5 (web) https://keppu.itch.io/space-hauler
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/space-janitor

Ratings

Overall 118th 3.789⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Fun 154th 3.622⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 118th 3.697⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Theme 345th 3.583⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 52th 4.095⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Audio 90th 3.629⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Mood 19th 4⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Given 24🗳️ 38🗨️

Feedback

Nickname863
13. Aug 2018 · 12:29 UTC
Itch.io gives me a 404
🎤 Keppu
13. Aug 2018 · 12:48 UTC
@nickname863 How about now?
Serious07
13. Aug 2018 · 13:38 UTC
Very cool game man! A lot of work! I'm very impressed!
SimplePotential
13. Aug 2018 · 13:47 UTC
Looks like itch.io is down. My game isn't running any longer either. We all probably crashed it :)
I've bookmarked your game and will try later.
Nickname863
13. Aug 2018 · 13:54 UTC
Works now.
Team-on
13. Aug 2018 · 14:05 UTC
Interesting idea! Art and music cool too.
I catch debris using only space truck, really fun)
🎤 Keppu
13. Aug 2018 · 14:33 UTC
@nickname863 Thanks for your patience. What did you think about the game? Honest review. :)

@serious07 Thanks. At one point I thought I bit off more than one can chew. Had to give up lot of sleep to get all done. I guess that contributed to the games sleepy atmosphere.
King Kujito
13. Aug 2018 · 15:43 UTC
Very nice. Enjoyed this.
Dom Harris
13. Aug 2018 · 19:12 UTC
Aha it's an excellent take on the theme! I like the art, too. I find the controls a bit awkward, but that's fine - I'm pretty sure that's how it should be in space :wink: great job! One of my favorites so far, if only because it's a unique take on the theme xD
SimplePotential
13. Aug 2018 · 20:25 UTC
An interesting yet difficult game. I could never really get the hang of it but it enjoyed the idea.
paulhocker
14. Aug 2018 · 00:42 UTC
really cool - likes the gravity pulling mechanic - well done
🎤 Keppu
14. Aug 2018 · 04:42 UTC
@dom-harris Thanks for the critical feedback. Do you find the control keys awkward or just the physics related to the controls? Do you think controls could be improved?
TontonPizza
14. Aug 2018 · 05:12 UTC
I think i m stuck in the tutorial. i placed the little rocks on top of the screen, i sold the metal at the space station, but i m still stuck in the scene with the tutorial-little-guy and i dont know what to do next. I played for a while but i m confused. how do you go to the next level ?
fractalsunrise
14. Aug 2018 · 06:41 UTC
I loved the artwork and audio in this game; it was very calm and atmospheric (no pun intended). It was very hard at first, because I expected to be able to do things more quickly, but once I slowed down it went much better. I found that it was difficult to control the astronaut when he was out of the truck - there were a few too many controls to keep straight, the tractor beam didn't seem to offer much of an advantage over just moving the truck, and I would keep losing the truck into the atmosphere while trying to get back in it - so I played most of the time with him inside and just moved the truck around to get the parts. I really liked that the mines didn't explode right away so I could bounce them away from me. Nice relaxing game!
Dom Harris
14. Aug 2018 · 06:45 UTC
@keppu it's the physics of them, it's intentional though and makes sense in the game :slight_smile: no need to change them, it just makes it a little more difficult!
🎤 Keppu
14. Aug 2018 · 06:57 UTC
@fractalsunrise, @dom-harris Thanks for the criticism.
Hakro
14. Aug 2018 · 13:34 UTC
Very nice. I loved the art and the mechanics of this game.
The idea is great too. I burned into the atmosphere several times before I got it :)

The ambient sound is perfect for it too.

Very well done.
Barbaarian
14. Aug 2018 · 14:08 UTC
Very enjoyable game! I love games based on physics, so you had my attention from the beggining. It was a good idea changing between controlling the ship and the driver, that made it more deep. Good job and I hope you keep getting good reviews!
Inferture
14. Aug 2018 · 14:11 UTC
Original take on the theme, I liked the audio and the nice background.I burned in the atmosphere several time because I couldn't slow down enough, but that's part of the game and the controls are adapted to the situation (outer space).
I liked that you could come out of the shuttle to take object you would've missed otherwise.
panda
14. Aug 2018 · 14:21 UTC
Impressive! The graphics are beautiful, and I like the sound effects. This matches the theme perfectly, and the game's so sophisticated! I wasn't very good with the grab gun, so I ended up just grabbing things with the truck itself. I love how the mines are polished, they light up and give you a moment to flee before exploding! Super well done, congrats!
5Spectra
14. Aug 2018 · 21:55 UTC
The game is great and well execute, it's not an innovative idea, but alright.

I missed having some progression, if I have money wanted to be able to spend it on something or this will be only simple score.
WrenPirate
14. Aug 2018 · 22:30 UTC
I liked this much better after I figured out all the controls. I don't think the mouseover info reveal was really necessary; players can learn to identify a small set of shapes. It's quite complicated to manage the astronaut and also the truck. It might be overly ambitious to include both. There's so much going on with steering the truck and only being able to open/close the hatch from inside the truck, and the multiple mouse functions that I only understood the game after playing it several time. I rather like the pace, though. It would be terrible to if things moved faster. The audio is very suitable.

Why did you remove the link from this page? I had to go to your Twitter feed to find it (but I'm glad I did.)
Nam Nguyen
15. Aug 2018 · 01:00 UTC
Your environment really has a floaty feel to it, the player and objects do have a lot of momentum, everything screams outer space. Great work with the physics system! Your game is at a very polished level, there is nothing much to add to it. I intended to do the compo but failed to so I get how much work it takes. Great great great work in 48 hours.
🎤 Keppu
15. Aug 2018 · 04:04 UTC
@wrenpirate Thanks for the criticism. I've been getting a lot of feedback that currently it's either too difficult or unnecessary to go outside of the truck. Something I need to revisit after the rating is completed. I've been getting tons of good ideas(many thanks to raters and streamers!) to improve gameplay on that part.

To my knowledge I haven't removed any links. At least the link to the browser playable game has always been there under "Downloads and Links". I've noticed the ldjam.com site going down every now and then, only displaying comments. Is this what you mean?
🎤 Keppu
15. Aug 2018 · 06:43 UTC
**:white_check_mark: 15/8/2018 v1.0.1**

- Physics balances (tractor beam strength, player speed, truck mass, debris mass)
- Fixed some loot spawning issues
- Made some info on the tutorial clearer

I hope these small fixes help to balance between truck and the character. Please let me know how gameplay feel now for both strategies.
Belonzik
15. Aug 2018 · 11:17 UTC
Very fun game! I like the graphics alot. Although the tractor beam is a little bit useless for the big debris.
zlou_kote
15. Aug 2018 · 11:17 UTC
Good game and great idea, I like it)
danielpancake
15. Aug 2018 · 11:49 UTC
Fun and hard game! Love it a lot) And I agree with @5spectra.
novodantis
16. Aug 2018 · 02:00 UTC
I love it. There's definitely something satisfying about the movement. Even though the EVA aspect is hard to balance, its great to have the option and really helps to flesh it out into a more rounded experience.
Zeriver
16. Aug 2018 · 14:57 UTC
Whoa, another gem of this Ludum Dare edition. The idea is great and executions is just superb. It feels great to save the truck in last moment before it enters the atmosphere or when you quickly jump out of the truck and haul valuable materials. Controls feel very responsive and while it takes some time to master them it is very rewarding. The pixel art is also amazing, sound effects are also on point. Extremely well made game, you should expand this project and release it on Steam!
🎤 Keppu
16. Aug 2018 · 15:50 UTC
@zeriver Quick follow up question: How much in your case would you be willing to pay for a Steam released game, if there would be more to the game. For example upgrading the station and the truck with the resources / cash you collect. There would also be some competing Space Haulers and Space Pirates roaming around which you would need to fight against.
Zeriver
16. Aug 2018 · 16:19 UTC
Hmm it's really hard to tell, first of all i think you would have to extend the gameplay time. Perhaps some campaign when you complete missions / levels or something. With more mechanics and maybe a little story behind the gameplay this could be a really good game. I am not good at estimating prices but depending how much you will add to the game 7-10$ or 15+ if you really expand this project.
suve
16. Aug 2018 · 17:48 UTC
Nice entry. The core gameplay is rather simple, but still very satisfying. The visuals and the audio fit together nicely and create a relaxing atmosphere. Good job!
William Akins
17. Aug 2018 · 01:48 UTC
This game was pretty good once I figured out how to play. The only real issue I have is that it's so much easier to play if you simply stay inside your spaceship and pick up the objects from there. Going outside is dangerous and much slower.
Therefore I wonder if a solution to this problem is having some sort of good items that can only be picked up manually by going outside, giving the player a good reward for the risk.
sobakaduka
17. Aug 2018 · 05:28 UTC
Great game, really liked it! Liked the idea, and thee way you've handled the theme! Good job!
Lagman9000
28. Aug 2018 · 20:48 UTC
Good game! An interesting use of a hookshot and space trash truck mechanics. I enjoyed all the individual art assets a fun theme! :)
ThibaultAr
29. Aug 2018 · 12:11 UTC
Cool mechanics and idea, I like it. Moreover, the mood is great, audio is according to the game ! graphics are cool ! Overall a really nice game IMO :)

Just one thing, maybe the player is moving to fast sometimes, so it makes him a little bit difficult too control :)
ursagames
29. Aug 2018 · 13:14 UTC
Gorgeous game! Really interesting mechanics at play here. Thanks for sharing the game with my stream! Here's a link to the vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/297569760?t=02h24m21s
🎤 Keppu
29. Aug 2018 · 13:30 UTC
@ursagames Thanks for taking your time reviewing the game. Really valuable input!
mrjoshuamclean
29. Aug 2018 · 15:57 UTC
Found this super difficult, especially when I got out of the ship - ended up not doing that after the first try. XD

Still, love the concept and there are definitely nice polish bits like showing the item names.

Here's a video of my play and feedback: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/298013642
🎤 Keppu
30. Aug 2018 · 13:23 UTC
@mrjoshuamclean Thanks for the criticism. I found it constructive and fair.