LudumData

Epitaph by velvetlobster

[raw]
made by velvetlobster for LD 40 (JAM)

An old witch is running out of magic to fix her home everyday. As days go by, so do her closest friends. We ended up running out of time so the we had to simplify the gameplay, click on the mess to fix it and open doors. Use AWSD to move. If you get stuck, move out of the door zome and get back to it =)! By the way, the full gameplay takes less than 10 minutes ^^

The connection to the theme was supposed to be the aging process and how tasks get harder and harder as you get older and your loved ones pass away. As the gameplay was kinda limited, we had a hard time trying to show this increase in difficulty (after each pass in the cemitery, you need more clicks to get things finished) without making it an annoying experience. The more years you have behind you, the worse it gets, that was supposed to be the message =)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIjYEcHguX8

screenshot-localhost-50000-2017-12-04-21-55-04-876.png

Windows https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmng81j5x6u0gz6/epitaph-win32.zip?dl=0
macOS https://www.dropbox.com/s/2t18yxsbrdh0kyt/epitaph-osx64.zip?dl=0
Linux https://www.dropbox.com/s/nit3gpwvq44vvjp/epitaph-linux64.zip?dl=0
HTML5 (web) https://5a25e0cba6188f3a9325dcc4--vibrant-borg-941d78.netlify.com/
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/epitaph

Ratings

Overall 830th 3.157⭐ 56🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1138th 2.222⭐ 56🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 885th 2.809⭐ 57🧑‍⚖️
Theme 962th 2.852⭐ 56🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 50th 4.527⭐ 58🧑‍⚖️
Audio 255th 3.557⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Humor 951th 1.866⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Mood 101th 3.954⭐ 56🧑‍⚖️
Given 50🗳️ 56🗨️

Feedback

magicdidac
05. Dec 2017 · 01:31 UTC
Looks pretty well. I love the art, is simple but cute.

Great job! Good luck!
🎤 velvetlobster
05. Dec 2017 · 01:38 UTC
![screenshot-localhost-50000-2017-12-04-21-50-37-456.png](///raw/0e4/e/z/c8ee.png)
🎤 velvetlobster
05. Dec 2017 · 01:53 UTC
Thanks man! We intended to paint the animations, but we ran out of time lol
tinyworlds
05. Dec 2017 · 02:01 UTC
I really love the art style! Especially the main character has well .. so much character to it! Really unique, atmospheric game. Would love to see what would you could have done with a bit more time gameplay-wise :)
🎤 velvetlobster
05. Dec 2017 · 02:22 UTC
Thanks @tinywords =)
We tried so many things gameplay-wise, in the end we tried to just do the easiest mechanics so to have a finished game.
Kirill Venzhin
05. Dec 2017 · 04:20 UTC
nice art! i really wanna play, but web version stopped in 77%
FSKR
05. Dec 2017 · 17:36 UTC
lovely drawings. the short audio clip was nice as well. didn't understand the connection to the theme, though.
Nivbeth
05. Dec 2017 · 19:02 UTC
Sweet game & nice art! I didn't catch the idea behind it though. But I think, if you keep working on it this could be a very interesting and impressive game. Gameplay and sound are also really enjoyable :)
Hope to get more story soon! *sit and wait*
misterstripey
05. Dec 2017 · 19:11 UTC
Beautiful little experience. Thanks for sharing!
🎤 velvetlobster
05. Dec 2017 · 22:01 UTC
Thanks! The connection to the theme was supposed to be the aging process and how tasks get harder and harder as you get older and your loved ones pass away. As the gameplay was kinda limited, we had a hard time trying to show this increase in difficulty (after each pass in the cemitery, you need more clicks to get things finished) without making it an annoying experience. The last turn (after going to the cemitery 3 times) you have to click so much to get your bed done that you simply get tired and give up ... so, the more years you have behind you, the worse it gets, that was supposed to be the message =)
Jean
05. Dec 2017 · 22:44 UTC
The art is really cute and the concept is nice.

I just wish that she moved a little faster. I don't know if this speed was intentional because she is old, but it's kinda slow.

Anyway, nice game!
simonhutchinson
05. Dec 2017 · 22:45 UTC
Whoa, super-nice work. I love the atmosphere that you're able to create here. Looking at your comment above, I agree communicating the progression might be a little too subtle here (though, in my game, I went too far in the other direction). I think a little post-jam time spent balancing this a little more and this is a true gem.
LHouyez
06. Dec 2017 · 00:45 UTC
It's an artistic prowess , love this graphic treatment .
Eric Florio
06. Dec 2017 · 01:46 UTC
The artstyle is amazing!
Gameplay is a little slow, but I think that was the idea.
Good work!
shinyogre
06. Dec 2017 · 03:32 UTC
Great visuals. The gameplay is lacking and the theme doesn't show. I hope with those visuals this turns into something more!
SanyingLi
06. Dec 2017 · 03:48 UTC
Really great art work.
Amy Ballinger
06. Dec 2017 · 04:20 UTC
Very nice experiential game. The visuals were lovely, and I appreciated your attention to details, like how she stops walking when she coughs. You've certainly managed to communicate the difficulties of aging and I appreciate the care you took in conscientiously dealing with that topic.
bitsandcrafts
06. Dec 2017 · 04:45 UTC
great mood and idea. love the art.
Reality Blind
06. Dec 2017 · 11:49 UTC
Love the style, good job ! 👌
Araani
06. Dec 2017 · 11:54 UTC
Very stylish graphics! But too little gameplay and not implemented the theme.
🎤 velvetlobster
06. Dec 2017 · 12:15 UTC
Thanks! Yeah we noticed people did not see how it was connected to the theme. It was supposed to be the relation: the more years you have behind you, the worse it gets (after each turn you need more clicks to get your tasks done) ... that ended up being perhaps too subtle ... the clicking was supposed to be another mechanic, but we failed to finish them in time so we stick with the plan B which was just clicking
THX1342
06. Dec 2017 · 12:47 UTC
Amazing art. It does feel like you are immersed in a watercolor painting. But I had a bit of difficulty linking the gameplay to the theme while in game. I'm sure if more time was given you could have fleshed out the game a bit more and expanded on it :)

bom trabalho!
Roy87
06. Dec 2017 · 15:13 UTC
oh congratulation! Nice art! Can I follow it also on indiexpo? Do you have a page? This looks great! Good luck!!
LimeniusTeam
06. Dec 2017 · 15:32 UTC
Lovely art! Together with the audio they provide a very interesting experience. Nicely done!
DosWosh
06. Dec 2017 · 15:54 UTC
Really love the design and the art of this game! Really nice work!
Baby Dino Herd
06. Dec 2017 · 17:03 UTC
Overall excellent job. Beautifully-drawn visuals and excellent use of audio really helped to establish the mood you were going for. Mechanically, though, I felt that the process was a little bit slow and was a little bit too subtle in revealing what was going on. Some more obvious feedback that years were passing, or that the 'chores' were being accomplished, would certainly have helped. Very memorable experience!
Victor Sette
06. Dec 2017 · 19:17 UTC
I really, REALLY love the art and the mood of the game. You feel a monotonous life (reinforced by the black and white and impressionist strokes) and feel like the gameplay itself is a chore. It DOES get repetitive, but I mean, that's the whole point, right? Great job, guys!
Patrick D
06. Dec 2017 · 20:47 UTC
I love the aesthetic and the sound works well with it too. Great work.
pinneh
07. Dec 2017 · 00:58 UTC
Aesthetic is pretty cool. I wasn't sure at first but I ended up really liking it. Hi5!
julia
07. Dec 2017 · 01:04 UTC
I love the art, it's beautiful. Though I didn't understand the game.
broccoli
07. Dec 2017 · 01:07 UTC
Pretty, but the coughing and the character stopping constantly to do so became annoying. I think the idea is there... it just didn't get fleshed out.
mooncalf
07. Dec 2017 · 01:07 UTC
Superb aesthetic. Nice take on the theme. It got repetitive and drug quickly - which was kind of the point. Great jam!
solluxx
07. Dec 2017 · 01:12 UTC
Atmosphere and art are great. At first I didn't really "get it". It took me reading some comments to see what you guys were going for. Aging making the game more frustrating and difficult is a really interesting idea. Wish you guys had more time! Nice work!
Nathalia Hohl
07. Dec 2017 · 02:17 UTC
The art is beautiful and I really liked the concept. It would be great if you developed it further with more gameplay.
Does the game have an ending? I got tired of clicking the 5th time around and am afraid of continuing it forever.
Even if incomplete, nice work. ^^
🎤 velvetlobster
07. Dec 2017 · 04:41 UTC
Hi, actually the ending was supposed to be after the 4th run, but there is not much to it, its simply the screen fading away and showing the title to symbolize her being too tired and not being able to accomplish not even the first task which as tidying up the bed ... we will certainly change the gameplay mechanics later on
radmccool
07. Dec 2017 · 05:19 UTC
Cool game. I really liked how you represented the theme. Did the chores take more clicks each day? Either way good job because having to repeat the same tasks was a nice touch
Sand-Gardeners
07. Dec 2017 · 09:12 UTC
Loved the art, such a shame you ran out of time, but the idea was nice <3 (I didn't rate you in humor, you can understand why I guess)
QueenInWonderland
08. Dec 2017 · 01:10 UTC
Beautiful art style! Although I think you guys would have benefited greatly from showing maybe the aging process, for example starting the main character out as a child and getting older. Maybe she would start to walk slower or have some sort of game mechanic to pick things up slower. Overall the mood and theme idea is really beautiful, and the coughing sound effects made the game mood spice up even more :D. I would love to see the future of this game :) Good luck on the journey :D

~Queen
srakowski
08. Dec 2017 · 01:52 UTC
Impressive art style & mood. The coughing added to the atmosphere but got a bit annoying after a while. Otherwise a solid entry. Well done!
IllaBom
12. Dec 2017 · 01:32 UTC
Nice game you have here. SUPER WELL DONE!

Come check out my game if you like!
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/virus-detected
Tim Eriksen
12. Dec 2017 · 11:15 UTC
Very pretty game! I did not get much gameplay out of it, and it got repetitive pretty fast. That being said the art style is very nice :) A job well done!
SecretPocketCat
13. Dec 2017 · 12:39 UTC
I found leaving the house jarring as it breaks the 180 rule, but that might be just me...
The visuals are amazing.
Linus
17. Dec 2017 · 19:26 UTC
Well done with what you have. The atmospheric of the was super nice, and the story that you could sort of parse out, that the protagonist was a widow and each day you would go through the same chores and wait out the little time you had left. Atleast that's how I interpreted it.

The music and visuals made for a really good mood aswell.

The gameplay was a little lacking and repetitive, I wish that you used a little more time to make it more interesting, maybe with some dialog or something throughout the days.

Good job!
Flauschzelle
17. Dec 2017 · 22:20 UTC
Unfortunately, the web version didn't do anything and the linux version caused my computer to crash... the description sounds nice but I couldn't play it :/
Jupiter_Hadley
22. Dec 2017 · 16:43 UTC
Very nice art! I included it in my Ludum Dare 40 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktW2lunXI_s
Ashtrail
28. Dec 2017 · 14:19 UTC
Really nice art and overall ambience. Unfortunatly the game isn't ooddles of fun and the coughing stopping you in the middle of what you are doing becomes a bit annoying after a while. But I know it's hard to adjust the gameplay in such short time, I had the same problem ^^".
Anyway congrats for the good work !
cppchriscpp
29. Dec 2017 · 02:57 UTC
I just noticed that I completely missed your comment on my game from a few weeks ago; I try to make a point to play and rate anyone who plays one of my games; I feel really bad about missing it; sorry! Just gave it a quick try now.

Your art is really unique; I liked it quite a bit. The atmosphere is pretty good too. Otherwise there's not much to said that hasn't already been said. Thanks for an interesting game.
🎤 velvetlobster
30. Dec 2017 · 22:08 UTC
Hi @cppchriscpp, thanks for playing our game =) I also try to always do the same, playing the games of everyone's comments ... sometimes one or another we end up missing. Your game has a very nostalgic feeling to it, which I really loved.