Swarm by NaoisTheGuardian

[raw]
made by NaoisTheGuardian for LD34 (COMPO)
Swarm - A game where you control a swarm of fish, telling them to swarm, or to scatter.

Controls - Up arrow: Scatter and avoid enemies.
Down arrow: Swarm and attack enemies, or when no enemies are present, move downwards.

Enemies will kill your fish, but only at certain times. The swordfish when it is moving, the shark when its mouth is open, and the pufferfish when it is puffed up.

Playing through the game unlocks infinite mode, with a couple of hidden goodies.

If one of the versions doesn't work for you, try the other.

Hope you all enjoy!

Ratings

Coolness 36% 1857
Overall 3.45 313
Audio 3.21 222
Fun 3.29 380
Graphics 3.29 379
Humor 2.61 371
Innovation 3.76 131
Mood 3.47 175
Theme 4.05 204

Feedback

Tom
14. Dec 2015 路 03:23 UTC
i downloaded the windows and universal versions when I ran each of them a black screen popped up and then closed. sorry I couldn't run your game :(
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
14. Dec 2015 路 03:44 UTC
Oh :( Could you run it from cmd for me?
mcmahoniel
14. Dec 2015 路 06:40 UTC
This was a very enjoyable use of the theme! I'm glad I had Java installed. ^_^
timtipgames
14. Dec 2015 路 06:45 UTC
I had no problems running the game. Just had to make sure that the res order was extracted alongside the jar file. You can't run it from "within" the zip file.

I like the graphics a lot and you did a good job on the swarm movement. I think it looks very organic.

I needed a moment to realize what exactly I had to do and by the time I did, I only had so few fish left that I had trouble to get any lower.
On my second try, once I figured it out, it was very easy to reach the floor though.
Here are my stats:
https://gyazo.com/0bf6c627dfb0b3957d374bf2316ccc06

Good job, especially on the gfx!
fiddenmar
14. Dec 2015 路 06:46 UTC
I run you game as java -jar Swarm-1.2-Universal-1200x675.jar on Linux, it's cool but there is no sound. Don't worry, I've listened to all the sounds in resources, they are great.
Here is the terminal log: http://pastebin.com/UrNha4ay
irwatts
14. Dec 2015 路 06:47 UTC
This has an cool mood to it and an interesting mechanic. I wasn't sure when I was doing things right, but I suppose that may be the point with a swarm of fish attempting to survive.
gironC
14. Dec 2015 路 06:49 UTC
Interesting concept, nice!
uvwar
14. Dec 2015 路 07:08 UTC
I love flocking! (my first LD game was somewhat similar to this) I wish I could control where I go instead of being 'on rails' but otherwise really fun!
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
14. Dec 2015 路 08:20 UTC
@Mcmahoniel, thanks :)
@timtipgames, thanks for the feedback, and I'm very glad that it looked nice and natural. Btw, that's a really great score!
@fiddenmar, glad it works, but it looks like the natives don't like the way I'm losing the music. Luckily it's running at all! :P
@irwatts, thanks for the feedback :) I can understand that feeling, but if you're careful, there's a surprising amount you can do with the simple controls.
@gironC, thanks :)
@uvwar, I'll have to check that out. The 'rails' unfortunately are somewhat of an unavoidable result of the theme.
batmanasb
14. Dec 2015 路 23:23 UTC
I like the concept, but the fish don't seem to behave correctly. They often return to the center while in avoiding mode, and get themselves eaten.
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
14. Dec 2015 路 23:41 UTC
@batmanasb, Yeah, its hard to get the balance right, cause you want them to stick together, but you don't want them to pack into the middle, but thanks for the feedback :)
Ingon
15. Dec 2015 路 03:56 UTC
Nice fishy game. Wasn't clear how to affect fishes immediately. Nice graphics and sound.
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
16. Dec 2015 路 10:54 UTC
@Ingon, Thanks, and I can understand what you mean, it's hard with a game like this , given the theme especially.
Archonthewizard
17. Dec 2015 路 00:23 UTC
Fun game. Felt very rewarding murdering fish
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
17. Dec 2015 路 00:34 UTC
@Archonthewizard, Thanks for playing.
equiposalchicha
27. Dec 2015 路 15:48 UTC
The theme was interesting to see and it was entertaining! Perhaps a screen that told the player they lost? But it's very good anyway
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
29. Dec 2015 路 23:56 UTC
@equiposalchicha, Thankyou, and I agree, I just couldn't find time to fit it in.
IAmSpencer
04. Jan 2016 路 09:46 UTC
pretty cool concept, I actually enjoy these types of "hard to control" games [similar to QWOP, TagPro, etc.], and this was a really interesting one.

overall, I enjoyed this and had some pretty good fun, nice work :)
Jupiter_Hadley
04. Jan 2016 路 16:15 UTC
Well made game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 34 compilation video series, if you鈥檇 like to check it out :) https://youtu.be/eBJmDbHq4GI
Two Scoop Games
04. Jan 2016 路 17:20 UTC
Swarming and scattering looks awesome. Great interpretation of the growing theme.