Powerless by m110

[raw]
made by m110 for LD 44 (JAM)

Escape the underground lab facility and watch out for your energy level.

So our first idea was to create a classic roguelike where you'd need to pay with your own health for opening the doors. Fast forward two days and here's a top-down twin-stick shooter where you "pay" with your own health for every possible action.

Featuring:

  • One robot fighting for freedom
  • 5 levels of underground lab facility, generated for each run
  • Hidden Memory Disks telling the story
  • Civilians fleeing away in fear
  • Pretty solid game pad support (strongly recommended)
  • Strange sound effects
  • Unexpected ending scene (good luck getting there)

Controls

  • WASD / Left stick to move
  • Mouse / Right stick to look around
  • LMB / Left trigger to shoot laser
  • RMB / Right trigger to activate taser
  • Arrow keys / D-pad to hack doors

Known issues

We're going to continue working on the game, but won't post updates, since that would count as new features and is against the rules. Here are some issues we're aware of:

  • Level generation - there is a small chance that the generated level won't have a possible path to the finish. Sorry about that. :(
  • Hacking requires moving your hand to the arrow keys. We're aware that this is a poor UX, but didn't come up with anything better yet.

Authors

  • Keeping the team well-fed: Flamus
  • Graphics: Flamus, Liath, Paulina
  • Code and Unity3D magic: m110, maclav
  • Sound effects scraping: maclav
  • Testers: well, that'd be you! Enjoy!

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Ratings

Given 70🗳️ 57🗨️

Feedback

Quagga
30. Apr 2019 · 09:51 UTC
Very addictive ))
Pepijn
30. Apr 2019 · 11:37 UTC
The concept should've been more explained. add a story, even if it is on this page. the game is quite polished but maybe there should be a way to gain health?
All in all like the door concept, the game looks and feels quite polished, but it is in some cases not intuitive enough and misses a bit of juice.
Gruni
30. Apr 2019 · 11:41 UTC
The web build doesn't seem to work properly (tested in Safari, Firefox and Opera on macOS). Enemies don't spawn, therefore all you get is the rotating sound and the pew pews into an empty room. I'll check the windows build once I gathered enough games to test to boot windows up. :D

But I already like the graphics, based on the screenshots!
aplite
30. Apr 2019 · 11:57 UTC
Very well done. Enjoyed the random generation. Unfortunately I only managed to get to level 4. I would have liked to have seen the ending.
PabloTitan
30. Apr 2019 · 12:00 UTC
Great game, addictive and cativating
chuckeles
30. Apr 2019 · 12:01 UTC
Great game, very addictive. The sound design is amazing, I really did not expect this level of polish! Played in Chrome w/o any problems.
KreGames
01. May 2019 · 09:47 UTC
The random generated dungeon is great. But once I got myself in a dungeon, which I couldn't finish. I saw that there are some other rooms on the right, but I cannot get there, there was no door. The keyboard + mouse controls are a bit tricky with WASD and the arrows for the door. With controllers it is a bit better. Nice work, awesome graphics.
cozmic
01. May 2019 · 13:12 UTC
Overall it's a really nice game i think!
I just think that the rooms should be smaller for it to be an actual challenge.. Right now they feel a little bit empty.
Graphically it's good, the floor could maybe use some alteration though.
The hacking feature is pretty cool I think!
dusterherz
01. May 2019 · 13:21 UTC
This is a pretty cool game ! The hacking system is quite intresting but i don't have the feeling that the arrow input are the best for it (maybe it's more okay with the gamepad as you said). The graphisms are correct and i loved the style of the main robot. Random generation for a ludum dare game is impressive ! Only big down side for me : I was struggling to align the robot to shoot correctly because it shooted on the left (or right) of the sprite and not in the center.
Hestrateja
01. May 2019 · 14:02 UTC
Really impressive level generation and interesting hacking system. Also the melee taser is overpowered. Was fun to play for a bit although I don't think it suits this jam's theme because you are not buying anything is more like a "Your life is fuel" more than "You life is currency". Anyways, good work and props!
theviraldragon
01. May 2019 · 14:36 UTC
It was a fun game. Just one feedback. The targetting feels a little bit off for some reason.
paul59
01. May 2019 · 16:00 UTC
A good entry, well put together.
theStartlestare
01. May 2019 · 17:21 UTC
liked the hacking, although a bit anoying to switch between wasd and arrow keys (they are not realy close to each other)
brinkhousegames
01. May 2019 · 18:45 UTC
Fun game, I liked the graphics and hacking controls, that was really satisfying. Thought the rooms were a bit too large, and breaking the different viles, wasn't sure what that did. I couldn't figure out how to get more energy. Overall had fun with it. Good job!
tgiant
01. May 2019 · 18:46 UTC
Interesting game and fun. Good combination.
Norris Eldridge
01. May 2019 · 18:56 UTC
Nice entry :) The controls took a minute to adjust to but after that I had fun playing, good work!
BinarySpark
02. May 2019 · 09:52 UTC
Nice entry. Two things I'd like to see changed, are supporting WASD for the hacking controls (I had to move my hand back and forth between the mouse and arrow keys, which is tedious), and secondly, that some baddies shouldn't start shooting the instant I open a door, because it feels unfair (you have no time to react). Other than that, good stuff!
fingamer
02. May 2019 · 10:10 UTC
Great entry. Feels quite polished. The random generation also adds some variation to the game. Only downside for me is that it felt a little unfair when the guards started shooting instantly after opening the door. I would also change the hacking keys to somewhere closer to WASD. Your gun could also use some crosshair to know exactly where your shots go.

Anyways I had a ton of fun playing it. Great job!
Hans1203
02. May 2019 · 11:00 UTC
The web build seems to have some problems with audio.I downloaded it and played the Windows build and it was really satisfying.
drtizzle
02. May 2019 · 17:45 UTC
Nice polished game! I'm really digging the sound design, especially the sound of the rotating mech. It was a bit hard to aim, and the hacking of the doors seem a bit pointless. There was no skill involved, and it was a bit annoying considering you have to use the arrow keys.

Overall a very well made game, good job!
Viktya
02. May 2019 · 23:06 UTC
The screams scared the crap out of me because I didn't expect them XD the game is well done, graphics are simple but they look pretty good. At first I didn't get the arrow keys for the door hacking, it's a nice concept.
Some stuff I noticed most:
- was friendly fire intentional? because ranged enemies were killing everyone while pointing at me, but I was behind a wall the whole time lol
- the "cannon" was kind of useless because you can't really aim, the taser was a relief to have

Anyway I had fun playing it, good entry!
Artyom Volkov
03. May 2019 · 12:37 UTC
It's a good game, but it has some problem with UX:

- I can't hack doors with WASD, only arrows, it's really frustrating;
- There isn't any 'Use' action which can start the hacking or charging battery;
- There is a lack of feedback from my actions:
- I don't feel that the robot started charging on the charge point;
- I dpn't feel that weapon is reloaded;

You should have added additional animations/effects/UI which indicate these actions.
Anyway, nice work, very cohisive.
Flamus
03. May 2019 · 16:01 UTC
@pepijn Thanks for feedback. You may be right about the story, but we wanted to have plot hidden in the game (there are hidden cards that show you the plot). You can heal by charging (staying on the charge panels).

@kregames Thanks for feedback! Yeah, random generating levels still sometimes sucks :( Controller is way easier to use, we are still working on the game so stay tuned!

@dusterherz Thanks for kind words! Gamepad is really easier to play, and when it comes to shooting we wanted to set up a little challange and spice things up. As you hold taser in other hand, shooting is kind of dual vield. Anyway thanks for playing!

@hestrateja Thanks for feedback! We are aware of our view of the theme, but it can be interpreted in many ways. Thanks for playing!

@theviraldragon Thanks for playing! We are aware of the kind of bizarre, but as i mentioned earlier we wanted to set up a little challange for the players (including us) and i think it feels more like a real machine. Thank you for feedback!

@thestartlestare Thanks for feedback! Yeah we are aware of that, and still working on improving hacking on the keyboard as well as setting up a bigger challange for the player.

@brinkhousegames Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for feedback. First of all you get more energy from staying on the batery panels for a while. Yeah rooms are still lacking some additional work but we were running out of time.

@binaryspark Thanks for feedback! As I mentioned earlier we are still developing keyboard controls and upgrading hacking system. And that instant shooting thing is now changed, thanks for playing!

@fingamer Thanks for playing! Yeah keyboard hacking got to change - we are working on that. Instant shooting is now fixed. We will think about some kind of crosshair, thanks for poitning that out!

@drtizzle Thanks for playing and feedback! Yeah we are still working on the hacking, that could use some challange and at the same time still dont slow down the game flow. As i mentioned earlier we are still working on the keyboard mechanics.

@viktya Thanks for feedback! Friendly fire was kind of intentional, we wanted to have unarmed workers. Glad the taser was relief, the cannon is really easier to play on gamepad. We will think about that while developing the game.

@artyom-volkov Thanks for feedback! We are still thinking about hacking on the keyboard. Thanks for the tips, we will think about them while developing the game. We had a lot of ideas, when it comes to UI but we just run out of time. Thanks for playing!

Thank you all for playing, if you have still something on your mind please let us know as we want to develop our game! We will post some blog/discord info in the future! Have a nice day!
,Flamus
T-Bo
03. May 2019 · 16:47 UTC
Nice gameplay and I love the hacking mechanic ! Sounds and graphics are cool ! Great Game ! :clap:
Black Flag
03. May 2019 · 17:37 UTC
Really good game! Hacking doors is really satisfying due to the sound effects and the changing of the arrow-sprites when they had been hacked! Something which you could look into adding is procedural level generation as for a game like this it would work really well, however the levels you have made are really good! Overall, this is a really satisfying top down shooter which I am likely to come back and play again!
Flamus
03. May 2019 · 18:27 UTC
@t-bo Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

@black-flag Thanks for feedback! Stay tuned because we are not done yet:) Now we want to improve what weve done and make game playable for a longer time. In fact levels are now randomly generated, but algorithm could get some polish(we run out of time :().Thanks for playing!
bar
03. May 2019 · 22:02 UTC
Well made game with lots of small details. Unfortunately I didn't know what most of it meant so I was just going down floors.
jutjuan
03. May 2019 · 22:11 UTC
Nice game! I enjoyed the hacking mechanic a lot aiming is a bit difficult because you shoot from the right arm but it is a great game overall.
Flamus
04. May 2019 · 06:56 UTC
@bar Thanks for feedback! There is more story in hidden cartridges than overall graphic design, but we appreciate your words.

@jutjuan Glad you enjoyed, thanks for kind words!
Copper_Aardvark_Games
04. May 2019 · 17:06 UTC
Really nice game. Even though it has a lot already, I’m kinda surprised it doesn’t have more xd
Flamus
04. May 2019 · 18:11 UTC
@copper-aardvark-games Thanks for feedback! Sad story, but we just run out of time... A lot of ideas are still waiting, because we want to deliver only the best gameplay. stay tuned!
comatomatoes
05. May 2019 · 01:25 UTC
Cool game! Nice graphics! I thought the taser was a bit hard to use because the hit box was so small and off to one side. I thought the gunshot sound was really loud and I had to turn my volume close to zero. The simple enemy path finding affected my immersion a bit. The enemies just kept running into walls. The memory disks were fun surprises!
Flamus
05. May 2019 · 05:03 UTC
@comatomatoes Thanks for feedback! We will take in mind what you said, while updating the game. Glad you liked memory disks!
SleepyStudios
05. May 2019 · 16:22 UTC
Really liked the little touches like the turning sound effects, the memory disks and best of all the friendly-fire made it so you could be very tactical about getting enemies to take each other out which was great!
Flamus
05. May 2019 · 17:35 UTC
@sleepystudios Thanks for your kind words, im really glad you enjoyed.
wildcard
05. May 2019 · 18:23 UTC
Nice game! I really appreciate the small easter eggs in the artwork. The sound is also well made and used. I also really appreciate the hacking minigame here, it feels nice when I press the keys.

Sometimes when I move the character would keep going full force in the direction I was going, even when I changed movement direction. I would also appreciate a higher frequency on the shooting and perhaps a bigger bullet hitbox.

Aside from those gripes I also like your take on the theme as health being energy for a robot.

Well done everyone!
Flamus
05. May 2019 · 18:31 UTC
@wildcard Thanks buddy! Glad you enjoyed! We are still working on the character movement and camera settings - thanks for your feedback :)
wildcard
05. May 2019 · 18:51 UTC
As a note on the movement, it seems my keyboard is busted as of today(at least when playing games...) so disregard my comment about the movement!
miu
05. May 2019 · 23:18 UTC
Nice game, I enjoyed it a lot 'till it crashed and I got this message: TypeError: Argument 1 of AudioParam.setValueAtTime is not a finite floating-point value.
Flamus
06. May 2019 · 03:06 UTC
@miu Sorry to hear that..., Did you play on web/PC/Mac/Linux? Still glad you enjoyed and thanks your feedback!
miu
06. May 2019 · 09:53 UTC
@flamus I played on web, it's ok, it was great nonetheless