Modular Destruction Labs by SecondDimension

[raw]
made by SecondDimension for LD 39 (JAM)

Modular Destruction Laboratories is our entry for Ludum Dare 39. It's a physics-based game about building an energy efficient robot, and completing test courses before the battery power runs out.

Controls are briefly explained in-game, but the general idea is you drag and drop parts onto a grid to build your robot, then fly it with the arrow keys. CTRL, Shift & Space activate any additional modules you have installed.

"P" FOR PAUSE MENU (FOR FULLSCREEN, MUTE & RETRY)

All gameplay, art and music was made from scratch over the 72hr weekend, by a 3 person team.

*CHANGE LOG* Small Bug Fix for Level 5 - A missing variable meant you couldn't advance or finish the game

screen shot 1.png

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Ratings

Overall 50th 4.086⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Fun 64th 3.929⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 43th 4.029⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Theme 466th 3.429⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 217th 4.043⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Audio 90th 3.857⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Humor 86th 3.612⭐ 69🧑‍⚖️
Mood 162th 3.712⭐ 68🧑‍⚖️
Given 68🗳️ 44🗨️

Feedback

Zdeno
01. Aug 2017 · 13:16 UTC
Hey guys,
I like the way the game feels. Consistent graphics and music makes good mood. Your idea about creating character optimised for certain level is also very nice, but..

The thing I don't like is the way that the robot is being constructed. It feels like it doesn't matter which way you will build it and in the end you will just slam on some engines and necessary tools and fly to the exit.

Have a nice day, and if you'll have time, I'll be glad if you check out our game too ;)
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/step-out-of-the-light
Kashif
01. Aug 2017 · 13:28 UTC
I had to spend about 5 minutes trying to figure out how to but since I confused the arrow keys with WASD.
But when I got the robot to shoot ahead it was freaking amazing. The randomness of movement is such a fantastic part of the game that makes it super fun.

Overall I enjoyed playing this game, Would love to see more.
The sound and music matched the game well. And especially the graphics and theming of the levels was pretty awesome. Though the robot building part could be improved a bit.

Great game
PavelSovushkin
01. Aug 2017 · 15:43 UTC
Realy cool. Make own robot - intresting
Mihai Vartolomeu
02. Aug 2017 · 12:33 UTC
I enjoyed the variety of abilities, but the lack of control over my abilities when flying was a bit frustrating. Nice setting and mood as I love robots :)
Angry Squirrels
02. Aug 2017 · 12:56 UTC
Hard to play but so funny!! I had the same feeling that in Octodad
Really good entry!
MatKubik
02. Aug 2017 · 13:04 UTC
I really like the fact that you create the playable character it's very fun and sometimes it can goes very weird to play ! This is a great idea and I had fun playing it ! Great job !
Junber
02. Aug 2017 · 13:04 UTC
Nice game. It's really fun to choose which modules to use (though their positioning unfortunately didn't seem to matter much) and fly around the levels. The music was great and the graphics were quite cute even though it seems like they were scaled either by a non-integer factor or with a resampling method other than nearest-neighbor interpolation, making it look less sharp but that wasn't too much of a problem. I couldn't advance in the "Fun with shrinking rays" level because neither of the two buttons opened any doors when I dropped the box on them. So unfortunately I couldn't finish the game even though I would have really liked to.
Poffle
02. Aug 2017 · 13:15 UTC
Really interesting and fun game. I wish you could make it fly a bit better haha but that's part of it's charm I guess. The create a ship bit could be a little annoying, would be nice if you could move the parts around once they are on the grid. I see great potential in this game though, give it a bit more polish and it could be something awesome. Great work!
Coauctor
02. Aug 2017 · 14:30 UTC
Love the visuals, audio and core loop. Building robots this way is a huge fun! Scientists in the test environment give an additional goal hehe. The funniest game I've played so far.
bldr
02. Aug 2017 · 19:11 UTC
nice concept, but hard to control robot
Pixel Game Wizard
02. Aug 2017 · 21:34 UTC
I got as far as I could. I had to stop on level 5 (shrink rays). I was able to get both buttons pressed down with the two metal blocks, but I couldn't find any new places to go.

The game is fun. It's a really cool idea, and I can see you running far with it.

The graphics are adorable.

The robot is a bit hard to control, but I think that's part of the fun. It would have been nice if I could attach parts rigidly to the robot (also so their position in the grid served more of a purpose).

The physics sometimes behaved a bit wonky. I found that the metal crates would slide around... perhaps a bit too much.

Overall I think this is great and has a lot of potential. I had fun playing it. Good work!
Ferminho
02. Aug 2017 · 21:44 UTC
Very nice concept, very fun! it made me laugh also with the uncontrollable slaughter and destruction :D it's the kind of physics game that can leave you hooked for hours, congratulations!! The only thing that is a bit out of place for me is the theme, you can safely forget about the time limit / power thing, it feels a bit artificial in the end.
FailedStarfish
02. Aug 2017 · 21:45 UTC
@pixel-game-wizard @junber Thanks for the feedback, there seems to be a bug on level 5 with the buttons. We will fix as soon as we can.
TheFlyingKeyboard
02. Aug 2017 · 21:47 UTC
Really awesome, very creative idea to build robot out of premade parts. Sounds and graphics are just epic. This game seems to be very polished and even has some small easter eggs(washer and GLADDOS potatoe and other smaller easter eggs). Awesome job!
LandbergLife
02. Aug 2017 · 21:58 UTC
Loved it, it's like those old brousergames where you could your own "robotwars" robot mixed with octodat :I
djfariel
02. Aug 2017 · 22:52 UTC
This was fantastic. I really have nothing negative to say. Very well done.
Joskineide
03. Aug 2017 · 00:18 UTC
Interesting concept,looks very nice and has a lot of options to play it however the person feels like it, graphics and sound were pretty good and the physics are fun to play with.
diptoman
03. Aug 2017 · 03:59 UTC
Honestly I stopped caring about levels later and just messed around with the robot. It has a super fun core - props for making this!
broken-matrix
03. Aug 2017 · 16:20 UTC
Pretty fun to mess with a first but if you expand the game, definatly add more components.
smdeveloper
03. Aug 2017 · 16:22 UTC
Great idea, background music is pretty catchy, I did not find any bugs or stuff like that, well, there is also a tutorial. Really well done!
larzan
03. Aug 2017 · 16:27 UTC
This feels like a very well polished game, the music is driving, the tasks are interesting and make you want to solve them.
The only thing that you could change is the difficulty level, it feels like it starts of pretty steep, maybe you could have some introductory levels, NOT tutorials, as it is fun to experiment, but maybe just simpler level designs and not all the full robot pieces to choose from, so that you learn only a few new ones each level.
Well done, great job!
AlexanderTeaH
03. Aug 2017 · 16:28 UTC
Great idea, hope you take this further! I loved it!
bigbugaudio
03. Aug 2017 · 16:33 UTC
As @diptoman said, I just had fun making weird robots =D Very fun game!
AsSoonAsImpossible
03. Aug 2017 · 16:49 UTC
Very cool idea and polished execution. There were some minor things like platform switches didn't detect mass of the player if the core of robot didn't touch it. I would also think about making some parts stationary in relation to robot's core instead of making all of them turn around. Still solid experience.
a333
03. Aug 2017 · 16:50 UTC
Very interesting concept. I've had a lot of fun trying to minimize the energy cost and generally goofing around with various modules.
Also, I must note an absolutely awesome music theme and very cool robot module design. Great work, guys!
jwin
03. Aug 2017 · 17:03 UTC
Great idea and a superb execution of it! The graphics, music, and sounds are all very polished and fit well with the kinda clumsy, goofy robot building. (The robot is clumsy, not building it. The drag-and-drop building was slick, simple, and just worked)

There's only one critique I can give; it felt like some of the levels needed more precise controls than what the robot (or my ability to control it) had.

Excellent game, and I'd definitely be interested to see what you do with it after the jam.
ezaudiolabs
03. Aug 2017 · 17:15 UTC
Amazing entry! Really fun game that instantly hooks you up because of the customization. That with the puzzle aspect of the game, makes it a really really cool game. Great job!
WillData
03. Aug 2017 · 19:45 UTC
Really fantastic assets and novel concept! I'm incredible impressed that you accomplished such a polished product in 3 days!
🎤 SecondDimension
03. Aug 2017 · 21:42 UTC
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've now fixed the issue with level 5 not advancing, so it's now possible to play all 7 levels and finish the game. Having said that, levels 6 is accidentally super hard, we're sorry!
🎤 SecondDimension
03. Aug 2017 · 22:16 UTC
I just want to respond to a few of common points:

* I would have liked some modules to stick rigidly to the body, but it would have taken too long (as you then have to calculate what else is around the body and it makes things harder). If I do any post-jam work on the gameplay I might add this

* We discussed being able to move the parts around once you'd placed them, we wanted it but again we just ran out of time and prioritised finishing the game. Another thing for a post-jam version (if there is one)

* Finally, I know the robot is hard to control, I guess that is sort of the idea. We wanted it to be unpredictable as it's pretty funny, although I get that it can be frustrating. If anyone is struggling, then I think the easiest configuration to fly is with 6 modules, all right next to the main body. The best 6 module build is:
2 Rockets
1 Thruster
1 Booster
1 Magnet
1 other tool of your choice

This should give the manoeuvrability to get through any level. The further you place the modules from the main body the harder it is. Putting things right in the 4 corners is basically playing on hard mode.
MianaGames
03. Aug 2017 · 22:48 UTC
One of the best games so far that I've seen here. Great work. Very Fun.
NueboMundo
03. Aug 2017 · 23:35 UTC
Really interesting concept!

Unlike some other commentors around here, I actually liked how the modules "float" around the robot, because while it's true that it makes the robot harder to control, you also add some fun in this uncertainty.

One critical UX issue for me was to be able to preserve your robot when you fail a level (and retry) so you dont have to start again from scratch (or maybe the option was there and I didnd't see it?). Anyway, this kind of problem are usually due to lack of time, so it's understandable.
oparisy
05. Aug 2017 · 08:43 UTC
This is a GREAT physics-based game, where the simulation is actually an enjoyable an full part of the experience.

The music is fun and not stressful; the pieces rotating around the robot are humorous and convey properly some "experimental setup" feeling.

Solid game, nice levels progression, not too hard in the beginning, even some puzzles included!
h.attila
07. Aug 2017 · 18:50 UTC
Loved it!

It felt awesome to be silly with creating the "perfect" robot.
lukethecoder64
07. Aug 2017 · 19:17 UTC
Excellent game! Spot-on graphics and audio. The parts moving around the core was a bit confusing at first. Also the game ran a bit slow in some parts of the levels. Very, very well done!
bombjack
07. Aug 2017 · 19:20 UTC
wow! so much fun in this game. I wish I had this idea :wink: Everything is very polished. To sum up: this game is great!
KiiroHanabi
07. Aug 2017 · 20:25 UTC
The idea you had for this game is really good! Felt like in a fast food, trying to make the best sandwich ever!

The major issue I had was to not keep my robot after finish the level so I could grow attached to him and keep giving him some upgrades, you know what I mean?

The controls were kinda hard but PHYSICS I guess :D

However, I didn't feel the power running out at all, I never bothered me during the level so I forgot to look at the gauge.

Graphics and audio are really good, good job!
Tommy
07. Aug 2017 · 22:09 UTC
Fastastic and original game, I enjoyed a lot each of the levels. It is a bit harder to control the robot when you are dragging something but I guess it is inertia and physics :D
simonhutchinson
07. Aug 2017 · 23:18 UTC
Super-fun! This is a really clever, original, and fantastic work for 72 hours. I love the infinite possibilities in handing over the robot design to the player. Great polish with the sound and graphics too.

Excellent job all around.
AdroitConceptions
08. Aug 2017 · 00:25 UTC
really nice game. Ran into a few 'bugs'? that impacted fun
- magnet force would cause block to push you not just be pulled to you
- would have been nice to have blocks locked in the location you put them - caused issues when items spun around you and made it so you couldn't aim things
HuvaaKoodia
09. Aug 2017 · 14:10 UTC
I'm not so sure about energy efficiency, but it sure can wreck things. *The military will take it!*

Solid production values, funny physics based shenanigans and a good amount of content.

There wasn't enough challenge for me in the long run. I could finish most of the levels with the very same design and having to rebuild it every time certainly didn't make the later levels more enjoyable. I never ran out of energy either.

Right click should remove robot parts in the editor too.

Well made, just a tad samey after a while.
ProdigalSon
14. Aug 2017 · 18:56 UTC
I did not expect the parts to be floating around the robot and excepted them to stay where ever I placed them as that would forced me to make better placement decisions, however, the whole idea is fun and well executed. It kind of remind me making the gummi ships in Kingdom Hearts just more destructive ;)
Mike Cullingham
14. Aug 2017 · 23:12 UTC
Love physics games. They're super tough to make accessible though. Found the number of options overwhelming. But I really like the basic idea. Nice job.
Local Minimum
15. Aug 2017 · 18:05 UTC
I'm very happy I discovered how the shrink ray acted on the people! Nice touch. I got to the 6th level but getting passed the wall of stuff that needed cutting got a bit annoying. It is a very nice game and really well made for being a LD entry. My main suggestion is to make it easier for the player to retry, abort and so on. It is a keyboard only game so one should not need switching to the mouse and several clicks to retry using the same design. Possibly holding down R and a filling up a RETRY and at the full do the retry, if one really wants to do it fancy. Maybe allow to store some layouts so you don't have to drag out two main rockets and two side thrusters each level. As someone else commented, to make the craft-designing as easy and fast as possible. Why not allow player to start playing directly from the test-mode or possibly even better allow refuel/redesign and level reset by landing on the design platform and skip the test-mode entirely (needs some timeout or something else to ensure it is not accidental). Then the main pedagogical problem for me as a player, since the objects attached rotated kind of freely around the craft, it didn't feel like it mattered where and how I placed them until it kind of did matter and then I hadn't really learnt anything from previous levels about how to be strategic in the design of the craft. I'm not sure how to resolve that though.

In general, again, a really nice entry!
IndieAlchemist
17. Aug 2017 · 15:55 UTC
Great work! The graphics and music were spot on! You have something great here. The only thing I had a problem is the fact that the parts don't stay in place. It makes shooting a lot harder. More levels and maybe some tuning and you have a complete game!
Tim Eriksen
18. Aug 2017 · 10:34 UTC
Cool game! I love the movement! One thing I found annoying was that the default MacOS shortcut CTRL + left/right arrow had not been disabled, so I could not move and shoot at the same time. Other than that a great game! Well done!
automatonvx
19. Aug 2017 · 23:49 UTC
nice idea, chaotic fun, wish the add ons didn't spin round the ship though.
Jupiter_Hadley
14. Sep 2017 · 13:08 UTC
Fun game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 39 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eXpztmcl_M
shadowflame1103
11. May 2018 · 15:19 UTC
i can not get that link to work