Power Defense! by Rushar

made by Rushar for LD 39 (COMPO)

Download the .exe file:

Small port version[not blurred]: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vmmwyxugwf0n4hz/LD39%20Power%20Defense.exe?dl=0

Regular port version[slightly blurred] https://www.dropbox.com/s/at9zh69dnm9gf9m/Power%20Defense%20LD39.exe?dl=0

Play as a man running to survive! Your running powers your weapons which protect you from the monsters outside! Don't stop; Alternate between pressing "A" and "D" to keep running and to keep your power and weapons up! Buy solar panels to slow down power loss and gain cash faster. Buy more lazer guns to take down enemies with a bright red lazer! Buy a machine gun that'll stop at nothing to keep those monsters away from your house! Out of room? No problem! Buy a second floor and keep buying more weapons! How long can you last?!

Windows	https://www.dropbox.com/s/at9zh69dnm9gf9m/Power%20Defense%20LD39.exe?dl=0
Original URL	https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/power-defense-2

Ratings

Overall	161^th	3.611⭐	20🧑‍⚖️
Fun	53^th	3.833⭐	20🧑‍⚖️
Innovation	92^th	3.722⭐	20🧑‍⚖️
Theme	17^th	4.353⭐	19🧑‍⚖️
Graphics	369^th	3.111⭐	20🧑‍⚖️
Audio	189^th	3.235⭐	19🧑‍⚖️
Given		16🗳️	26🗨️

Feedback

Zyzzyzzyz

31. Jul 2017 · 17:21 UTC

Simple but challenging! I think this would make a really fun mobile game with tap controls enabled. The mechanics would support that kind of platform. I liked the graphical design, and the sounds were good too - however they seemed to be really quiet. You definitely have a solid foundation for a larger game here if you wanted to take it further. I'd play it!

EX3D0

31. Jul 2017 · 17:40 UTC

Really liked it! As at @zyzzyzzyz said it's a simple yet challenging game. Unlike most games of the genre where you just buy defenses and they just work automatically work you have to ensure the power stays on and they stay running.

The graphical style was pretty good and the sound design was as well. The background music was catchy and the sound effects really complimented the game and made using your weapons just that much more fun. Good job!

Edmanbosch

31. Jul 2017 · 18:09 UTC

Nice game, though it's a bit odd how the solar panels only generate money.
Also, you should probably get rid of the "humor" and "mood" categories on your game.

🎤 Rushar

31. Jul 2017 · 18:32 UTC

Thanks for the reviews, everyone.

Edmanbosch, I should have made it visible somehow like I did with the money but the solar panels do slow down the rate of power loss by 1/4th of the default, not including weapons, amount of power loss each. They don't make as big of a difference towards the end because each new weapon uses a bit of power simply by existing and a larger amount while attacking. I hope this comment makes sense lol. Thanks for the suggestion too.

Edmanbosch

31. Jul 2017 · 19:01 UTC

Well, they should really make more power, rather than reduce the drain. Maybe make them a bit more expensive to balance it out.

🎤 Rushar

31. Jul 2017 · 19:43 UTC

Thanks for the advice; I genuinely appreciate it. I'll be sure to keep it in mind for future projects and this one if I decide to make it into a full game with upgrades and all.

ReboundGames

31. Jul 2017 · 20:43 UTC

Fun! I love the little details like the way the enemies' hats fall off. Feels like it could be expanded into a full game where you would buy more and more blocks to build a giant treadmill-powered fortress.

randomphantom

01. Aug 2017 · 00:25 UTC

This gave me a pretty good workout first thing in the morning. Cool that you had to tap faster with more weapons. Could be more complete with more purchase options and flexibility to put stuff.
I think there's a bug (feature?) where if you restart the game the more powerful monsters with hats appear right away.
Nice use of bgm as well, would be cool if the bgm's pitch and frequency could be synced to your treadmill movement. Pretty fun stuff!

🎤 Rushar

01. Aug 2017 · 01:14 UTC

randomphantom, I originally planned to add all sorts of upgrades, different monsters, and nearly entirely customizable placement of weapons but I unfortunately ran out of time. This is the rushed product of what was a much bigger idea to begin with.

That's definitely a bug, one I'll have to get look into eventually. The code is a complete mess atm though and trying to find it sounds like a mission for another time lol. Thanks for the feedback!

justinooncx

01. Aug 2017 · 01:35 UTC

My fingers, they burn! On a side note, this was a pretty fun game! It's a shame the upgrades weren't fully fleshed out; I certainly needed a LOT more lasers after that giant zombie bum rush! I love the running mechanic, equally simple and challenging at the same time! Not sure if you meant to leave upgrades that improve your power per step, but I think that's fine for a small game like this. Keeps the game getting harder even when you buy more upgrades! Good job!

dreadloaf

01. Aug 2017 · 01:41 UTC

A fun spin on the tower defense genre! Sound and graphics were good gameplay was intuitive. However I'm not sure if I was missing something but after I fully upgraded the second level of the base I did know where else I could spend money so I just got overpowered by the increasing enemies over time. Regardless of that, I see potential in this game, good job!

🎤 Rushar

01. Aug 2017 · 01:59 UTC

justinooncx, there's surely a lot that needed to be added for it to be a complete game where you can theoretically play as long as your fingers are still able to put in the work, but 48 hours is such a short amount of time lol. If I continue development, treadmill upgrades will be included in the long list of other upgrades available. Thank you for your feedback!

dreadloaf, you're not missing anything. Think of it as a metaphor for the inevitability of death lol. In all seriousness, I wanted to add a theoretically infinite number of potential upgrades to all the weapons but ran out of time. Thanks for taking the time to review the game!

junjunlowpoly

01. Aug 2017 · 03:00 UTC

The game is simple. But the possibility of upgrading different components brings a little bit strategy and gives a good sense of progression. Can be a good mobile game that you play at fragmentary time.
I like how you draw the enemies, as well as the music. They are amusing.

Royoyo

01. Aug 2017 · 09:46 UTC

Found myself looking at keyboard to concentrate :) Whole Trip thing is brilliant and frustrating at the same time!

Stracker

01. Aug 2017 · 17:47 UTC

This was pretty fun for the couple games I played, I liked the fact I had to balance between alternating keys correctly and stopping to buy turrets.

Badly Drawn Rod

02. Aug 2017 · 19:15 UTC

Argh, are my fingers tired or what! The sound was good, but there were times that I could barely hear it over the mashing of my keyboard.

Jason200101

04. Aug 2017 · 09:26 UTC

The idea is nice, but you lack a main menu.

The controls were easy to learn, but my hand got tired very quickly since I'm right handed. Maybe you could make it possible to press other keys as well, like J and L.

Also, you can't sustain the power that you're making, so if a hord comes up and your guns take all your power, you can't keep firing, so they become useless. Maybe some way to store some energy so they can fire for longer periods of time?

The upgrades were hard to buy as well. Each time I bought something I triped, so if you could conect a key to that it would become easier?

The idea is nice though, just some mechanics need a little more work to make playing the game a better experience!

Mathiouza

04. Aug 2017 · 13:01 UTC

Good idea ! But we can buy too easily all the stuff available and nothing can help us to rest a little. I think some improvment can be made, but this is a good entry ! Congrats :)

M-1

04. Aug 2017 · 21:20 UTC

Who would have thought that "just pressing two buttons" would be so difficult...

The game is fun and I had a good run. :smile: More upgrades and a score counter would be nice additions.

Jupiter_Hadley

11. Aug 2017 · 11:32 UTC

Really 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=EIFo4JBAdvc