The idea for this game is great. The dialog between the ducks is actuality pretty fun. Both the audio an graphics is also pretty good. But I am not sure what make me succeed or fail the dialog puzzles. Overall an okay LD game.

@jk5000
Thanks for playing. There aren't any puzzles really. When you request something from a duck (info about a party or a meeting) they respond based on their relation to you. In other words, it is a weighted die roll!

The original idea had more mechanics for affecting their relation to you, like spending money to buy presents, but those were cut in order to focus on the audio-visuals.

I can't tell if a more fitting saying for this game would be "if at first you don't succeed, try again" or "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results." Both seem oddly apt. The sound effects are fun to listen to, though it's a bit of a shame there wasn't some lighthearted music to go along with the game.

The writing's good, though the main impression I got out of it was that ducks have an unhealthy obsession with toasters.

My main mechanical complaint is that there's no way to skip turns. If no one higher up is answering my calls, I'm forced to chit chat with one of the nobodies in my inner circle. While this does mean I get to see more of the writing, the relationship I gain makes no difference to my stardom.

(as an aside; I hate to mention my own title in someone else's comment feed, but I tried to give you some closure on your concerns with the turtle dying, in a reply, and I don't know that ldjam notifies you of those)

@amras0000
Hey, thanks for playing (and elaborating on the strangeness of the world turtle).

There sure are times when skipping a day would be faster then chatting with your mates, but I didn't allow it as even the lowly ducks take part in events with the celebrity, in other words chatting is not wasted. Except, of course, if you've already maxed out the relations or know the celebrity. You were probably talking about these cases I take it... Well, in a more fleshed out version I would allow skipping, why not.

The main LD site doesn't seem to notify about replies yet, but [Feedback Friends](feedback.ld.intricati.com) does.

This is either a sociopolitical observation of the increasingly materialistic, Orwellian world that we live in *or* it's about a duck that really wants to go on a tour. I can't quite decide which it is. Either way though I actually enjoyed it. It's different, it's fun, there's a clear aim. Well done!!

@richard-michael-smith
Why not both? Thanks for playing!

I like it!
It had funny dialogue, took me multiple tries until I got it right but the mechanics were easy to grasp and apply.
There was a clear goal and it was implemented successfully without any observable bugs.

Great sense of humor. The text was slightly blurred for me - WebGL version on current Safari on Mac, not sure if it can be set somewhere in Unity or if it is a feature of all WebGL-exported games...
After two tries, I am "by proxy almost famous too". Thanks for the experience!

Well, that was amusing :slight_smile:
It may be a good idea to keep track of what's already said, or give each duck a different *pool* (haha) of chit-chat to draw from. Otheriwse everyone keeps failing psychology for the same reason!

@raphael & @m-1 Thanks!

The resolution is certainly lower in WebGL than in the desktop builds. Going fullscreen does at least alleviate the blurriness. I have no way to test on Mac unfortunately.

@remco Individual dialogue would have been nice indeed, some pirate jargon for Gonan for instance, but alas time was our mutual enemy. Thanks for playing!

Hi there.
Your game looks good, and even though there is no music in it, it sounds good too, and overall a good accomplishment in 72 hours.
I felt like once I figured how the game works, there is no strategy, no meaningful choices, I'm just clicking away to victory. If you're going to keep working on this game, I think each choice needs to have some kind of an upside, and maybe there are some kind of random events so there isn't one strategy that beats the game. I think this kinda of game is very hard to pull off, gameplay wise.
Anyway, good job on doing this in such short time, and good luck on the competition.
PS : I forgot to mention, ducks are random but it's funny, and the dialog is funny too. Can you clear up on how does this fits the theme? Is it because it's such small world you can get in touch with famous people through your friends? Cheers

@xmatos

I agree, the current version is a bit bare-bones. There were a lot of ideas cut due to deadline pressure, so sure, if I can find the time to work on an extended version there will be complications a plenty.

There are at least two thematic links at play here. The first one you already got. Basically it is "Six degrees of separation" in a smaller scale. The second is simply the fact that it all takes place in an itty-bitty duck pond.

Thanks for playing!

Really cool game, our game was very similar in principle but from what I can see, your execution is much better. Just one tip, maybe make it a bit more obvious how you win/lose or how to change the outcome of your meetings, i was a bit confused and stuck but other than that nice game!

I liked the concept and enjoyed playing this, nice job!

We almost went in this direction with our game but decided against a dialog driven game as we were worried it might be difficult to pull off in such a short amount of time. I think you managed to pull it off very nicely. :)

Very nice game! I think I just got really lucky, no one ever said no to me. Only suggestion would be to make the speech speed to the end if you click while they are talking. I skipped the intro on accident because of this. I really enjoyed the game though! Good Job!

....this, was, awesome! Cool concept, funny dialogue and characters. I'm not sure if I can offer any constructive feedback because it was fun, and that's the core thing. I guess with all jams they leave you wanting more, but it defo gets the core concepts across really really well. Thanks for making this, good job!

@maggardjosh
That is, indeed, a good idea. I'll implement it in the next version. Thanks!

@binaryferret @sheep42 @Saurabh
Thanks for the kind words and for playing of course!

That poor duck... fame isn't everything.

Very cool little game! Nice flow and easy-to-understand mechanics make it really fun.

Cute game. The graphics look nice and those are some top notch duck sound effects. Some of the dialogue lines are funny, too. The gameplay is pretty interesting and unique. It's also fairly simple to understand, though I feel it could get a bit too easy to win once you understand it.

This game is quite polished: the sound is good and the UI is very clear. I really like the individual touches you added to the ducks, as well as the various facial expressions, especially the crying one. I also thought the dialogue was very funny, though I encountered a lot of repetition.

As others have mentioned (and you've already pointed out), it's a very barebones game right now. It took me three tries to beat it, but I didn't really get a sense of accomplishment when I did because it felt like a glorified dice roll. However, I do like the idea of networking with people and attending events to move up a social ladder, and I think it could be a really innovative, fun game with some more mechanics. Maybe you don't know which ducks to talk to at first and have to figure it out based on social cues. Maybe you could even add networking so you have to talk with other real people! (I have no idea how that would work, but it's interesting to think about)

Again, I really enjoyed the humor and that the polish was great, so nice job! I can't wait to get an IoT toaster :o)

I *really* liked this! It was a very interesting concept. I also really love the humor (and the art is really funny). I do agree on the suggestion to finish the speech immediately on the first click (I'm an impulse clicker, and always set my dialog speed to fastest when playing games with dialog). I managed to beat the game only on my fourth attempt! Overall great job!

I LOVE how excited the player duck get's when he's invited for a party. Generally the Animations are very well done and create so much character with just motion.
Although getting told by someone you have a "splendid" realtionship with, that you're not cool enough for their event (damn you pirate duck!) is pretty discouraging, but then again - I guess that's the point.

I somehow dig the cynicism in this title, even if that's a weird thing to say.
What I am trying to get at is, is the glass half full or half empty? Seriously, this is why I failed psychology.

Really funny game! I love the writing and the exaggerated art and animations of the duckies. It took me quite a few tries to beat the game. The game seemed a bit random in whether you get invited to a party or not. I managed to figure some things out, like being able to meet new ducks in the first round, but not much more. Some more chit chat dialogues would have been nice, but other than that, really well done.

Damnit :cry:, got to make one call and talk with Oné Beay, but I was too nervous and just ended up chit chatting - and then it was too late.

The dialogue was quite fun! I wonder how much randomization there is in the play, or is there just one path to take?

Anyways, solid entry!

It was very cute, kind of hard though. The ducky got sad :-(

I went to a party and One Beay was there, but I never got to meet them!

This was a fun game, although it doesn't have a ton of replayability since you only have so many options for what to click on at any given moment. The dialogue was fun! I'm gonna try to beat it one more time...

Pretty funny entry, I enjoyed it. Some nice touches, You managed to get a pretty good emotional attachment going on with the assets you had. Played through a couple of times but couldn't handle the social rejection anymore, bursting into tears when beay laughed in my face was too heartbreaking.

What a funny concept, I really loved the models of the ducks (especially the psychic) and finally getting to the tour was gratifying, though it did take a few tries

Playing through the game was fun, even if it is a bit short. Unlocking new ducks feels pretty good, and the moment of suspense that you feel whenever you ask to meet a duck is great to have. If this game were expanded upon, I'd definitely play it more.

I'm a star!
Very original idea, and well executed.
Goodwork

Fun idea and spin on the small world (network) theme! :wink:

I love the unhelpful pirate duck and the fact that Steve just invited me to Steve's surprise party :laughing:. I didn't quite figure out when a new day would start and how much time (how many calls?) I would have left. In the end I did get to tour with Oné Becy, so everything worked out.

Interesting concept, I'll give it a longer go later... Okay so I've played it like 10 times now and it seems a bit random. I've never gotten on tour. Nice reflection of duck society. lol

@automatonvx
Genuinely heartbreaking? Wow! I mean, let me fix that for you :broken_heart: -> :ambulance::hospital: :pill::pill::pill: -> :sparkling_heart:

@for-science
"Steve just invited me to Steve’s surprise party" I didn't even think of that! One more thing to fix.
There are two phases every day, Morning and Evening, which can be used to making calls or taking part in events.

Thanks for playing everyone!

Had some fun with this! I seemed to always rub the duckys the wrong way (sort of pun intended) and I wasn't able to get the meeting with One-Beay but I had some nice chit chats and parties with everyone else!

too busy laughing to reply in detail, was good! 9.5/10

I have now also rated your game.

You just got rated!...by me!

I wasn't really getting into it. I got until Pat, but lost.

Wow, I am so thoroughly impressed I don't know what to say! Loved virtually everything from your take on the theme and gameplay (kind of a social puzzle game, super cool) to simple but charming visuals, funny audio and hilarious writing. Superb entry, well done.

Cool game, although a little monotonous, graphics and music is good. Good job :D
(Sorry for my bad english)

I enjoyed the writing and characters of this, and the concept was great! It got a bit tense when it neared Day 7, and I still hadn't won (I did it though, don't worry :wink:), which was something I loved about it. Sadly, I noticed that some of the text was recycled, but it didn't ruin the experience. Overall, this was a silly game that I'm glad I played :smile:.

That darn duck! He promised me that if I just got him a conversation with the celebrity that he would take care of the rest. But I got him into a party, and then on the phone-pond with the big man but it still all came to tears in the end. Join the tour indeed...

This was clever, fun, and funny. I played through maybe five times before getting close but not clinching stardom.

No pain points here, everything went smoothly, even if not as Ducky hoped.

Cool offbeat entry, nice work!

Well, this is different - and very fun (After I got over having my calls unanswered many times :-( ) Some nice touches - I love how excited Ducky gets when he's invited somewhere - quivering with excitement, stars in the eyes. Loved it!

Very interesting game with a fun mechanic of moving up the social ladder. I liked the dialogue between characters and everything fit together well. The time gate mechanic partially confused me a bit so maybe an actions per day/evening to go beside the current day could be a fix? I'd also be interested to know if you guys went with a chance based forumla for the option of moving up the ladder or with making it at a certain friendship level. Overall super fun and cute little game.

Fun. Very unusual gameplay - and well executed. Thank you ++

Ahahah, that was a really funny game ! Sounds were great, the duck getting excited was priceless ! I managed to get hired after 3 or 4 attempts. :v:

Nice work on it ! :duck:

Hahaha, nobody expects "duck jokes"!

I managed to go to the tour after a while. Ended up getting on a visit to Tesla with all the tiers invited! So yeah, calling your "lowly" friends is a good mechanic. To those that wanted a skip button, this is a social cue! Don't underestimate people just because of their circles.

The sounds and visuals are super cute and fitting, congratulations! I'd just have appreciated a bit of antialiasing on those relation lines, but that's nitpicking.

I liked it quite a bit! Though, I think it could do with some additional levels, or a randomized duck layout, something to make it last longer than a few minutes.

Also, I agree with what everyone else says: the expressions on the duck are fantastic.

Awesome game, the dialog was really funny and the sound effects were hilarious. I had a blast playing the game. Not sure if the encounters with other ducks were random or not but it was fun exploring the alternative routes to win. I accidently double booked myself once and had to choose to attend only one event. Great work!

Nice game! I was really trying to get to the end, but I think I was a little too pushy to get me some meetings...

Personally I think games like this have more impact if it's purely text based. It being ducks was funny but I feel like it didn't add much to the fun/story/theme for the game.

lol The dialog was very enjoyable. Great concept for the theme. One of my favorite entries by far.

Woooo I managed to beat it :)

I really like how original this idea is. And the ducks are really cute! There could be more diversity in dialog (I heard the toast line a lot of times) and it could have benefited from some music. Overall, well done :smile:

Thoroughly enjoyed this entry to be honest. Creative and got a few chuckles out of me

I won by mistake :))

I like the idea of simulating a small social network :)

Suggestions:
- maybe change the text font (hard to read)
- add different choice options to different ducks

Cheers,

Morco (Mega Munch team)

the game is really nice,
i liked the idea of branching, i did not manage to win, but it was rather enjoyable seeing all the kinds of different reactions.
the game is interesting to says the least.

I loved the humor and quackiness of the game. I get the six degrees of separation the game was going for - an especially small world in a pond. I especially liked the pirate duck.

I have read the comments to the game and I agree with some people: what are you supposed to do? I keep just talking about meetings and stuff with the ducks but I'm not moving anywhere to my destination....?
The sounds are quite nice although more annoying with the quacks... :/
I totally agree with @mega-munch : it's really hard to read the text...
Anyway, good concept for the theme :)

Nice touch with ducky-clouds!

Now I have a clearer picture what the ducks are quacking about in the local pond.

I quite enjoyed this! The sound effects were really nice. I am interested in how you created those splashing and duck sounds (I only ask because, I myself vocalized the seal bark sounds for our game and the thought of someone quacking like a duck and possibly having to splash around some water, makes me chuckle! XD). Overall a fun game. Great Work!

p.s. aquatic animal games unite!! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/king-of-the-seals

Guess I'm just not a social butterfly... (Hence my game about social anxiety?) But even though I didn't win, I liked it! The graphics and animations were nice. I felt some strong empathy for the lil waterfowl, and felt very sad to see him cry. So. Many. Tears.

But yeah his happiness shakes were cute and I liked the overall vibe. Nice work!

Interesting and different game. Not sure why I could not win, though. Had a "splendid" relationship with one of the next to the top ducks and could not get a meeting with the top one. The other one, with which my relationship was "good" wouldn't get me a meeting either. They both said they didn't have anything coming up.

That was a quite interesting take on the "climbing the social ladder" concept!

The writing was humorous, and the concept has a nice surreal quality to it, which is amplified by the hilarious ducks, and the funny reaction animations of the hero.

I would write additional comments about the gameplay, but the relevant points have already been made above - instead, I shall be busily pondering exactly how a duck answers a phone, or for that matter, how it uses an (IoT) toaster without being electrocuted.

>A little-known duck,
>climbing the social ladder.
>Fame is everything!

Ha that game was pretty funny.

I finally got to One at the end but I got there on Sunday. I didn't want to push my luck so I did a chit chat rather than asking for an invite, not sure if that's correct. I was friendly with everybody but still didn't win. Fun idea!

Quite a novel little idea for a game. Nice take on the theme, definitely a stand out in that category.

There is something hilarious about the concept of a famous duck, and a duck after fame for himself. I felt bad for the poor guy when I came close but didn't make it. I met him but didn't get to go on tour :-(. Maybe next time I'll get invited to more parties...

I like the main idea of the game, a very clever interpretetion of the theme, but the gameplay seems to be pretty random, i.e. not succeeding despite having maxed out relation. I like the graphics, audio, writing (the font could need some spacing). But i don't want to play the game again and again to win by chance, actually i failed three times. It looks like many players enjoyed it, it seems it's just not the type of gameplay i like.

This was an interesting game with good dialogue. I managed to meet the celebrity in the end but I still failed, was there a specific I had to do with them that I missed?

I would have preferred it if you could skip to a specific day, instead of having to spend it chit-chatting with the lower ducks. The game also seems luck oriented, with outcomes of discussions being randomly decided, not sure if it is but that was the impression I got.

This was a well made game with nice visuals and audio, but I think there could have been more options to progress the game. Good entry though!

It's ducks ... and they're talking to each other. What else do you need for a fun game?

I liked meeting the different characters. The outcome seems to be a bit of random but not too hard since you just need to keep you relationship up and see that you don't miss any parties :D

And what i really like, that this game is somehow different and not just the basic shmup, tower defense or whatever jam approach ... so bonus points for creativity.

The concept of the game is fine, the graphics are well done and really cute... but... the outcome of the dialogs is way to RNG for me. In my first playthrough I unlocked both higher tier people (or ducks) after three and five days and lost in the end, because they didn't answered the phone for the next three days. At the last day one of them finally picked up, but since it was my very last action (seventh day evening) I asked him for bringing me together with the VIP... and failed. My second and third try went even worse. It just felt like I hadn't enough control ower my own destiny in this game.

Anyway, the game has its own charm and again, I like the concept and art. Nicely done!

yup, I've never played a game like this. Quite the gamble for a jam game, but nicely realized all the same. Very nice jam entry.

A fun take on the idea of 6 degrees of separation. The ducks are cute too, of course. Maybe if you had more branching paths to really explore the different "routes" you take through people to get to your end goal it would make things more interesting (but I'm sure that could be achieved with more development time). I was hoping to see more games based on this kind of idea, so thumbs up for that. The font was a bit ugly though. More text would be great too, the replies started repeating themselves quite quickly.

Interesting concept, but there's not a whole lot going on. Getting to the top seems to be more about random trial and error than any clearly established mechanics or careful decisions, and the ducks - despite ostensibly having very different personalities - all had the same few lines of dialogue. As a result, it feels a bit more like a comedic novelty than a fully fleshed out game.

The dialogues and audio are really nice. awesome entry overall. Good job!

-great game idea.
-dialog between the ducks is pretty fun.
-audio an graphics are nice.
-character animation is great
Overall an Nice LD game.

Please do try my game :
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/sunken-mystery

I almost got to the top. Almost! Boooooo :) Very nice ducks there. I wonder how you came up with this concept but it was, indeed, funny a bit :D

Good work! I really like the duck animations. I wasn't able to win though. So many duck tears :sob:

I enjoyed the animations and sound changes etc. Keep up the good work!

Sorry it took a while but I just gave you the trophy for having the highscore in W.R.L.D. :) http://ludumdare.com/compo/author/huvaakoodia/

@TerraCottaFrog

Cool, thanks! It was a lot of fun competing.