LudumData

Giant Blobs From Mars by Almighty Games

[raw]
made by Almighty Games for Ludum Dare 46 (JAM)

logo_giant-blobs-from-mars(960x124).png

Giant Blobs From Mars

Instructions:

You control a gigantic blob from outer space who has come to suck Earth's resources dry. The concept is to stay alive as long as you can by spreading the blob to adjacent land tiles. Each tile costs energy to consume, but gives energy back over time from the resources it devours.

About The Developer

Giant Blobs From Mars was developed for Ludum Dare 46 by Billy McDaniel under the name of Almighty Games. I am known for publishing games on Steam, teaching video game development on Udemy and streaming game design on Twitch. I am currently building an expansive collection of low-poly 3D environment assets which will appear in many of the online marketplaces very soon.

It's probably worth mentioning that I am also an accomplished musician and performed and recorded the music tracks for this game as well. The recordings are all first draft, very quick improvisation with all of the slurs and imperfections left in place.

Screenshots

screenshot 2.png

screenshot 4.png

Youtube https://www.almighty-games.com/ld46/
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/giant-blobs-from-mars

Ratings

Overall 1911th 3.187⭐ 69🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1954th 2.949⭐ 70🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1587th 3.103⭐ 70🧑‍⚖️
Theme 2044th 3.199⭐ 70🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1676th 3.275⭐ 71🧑‍⚖️
Audio 596th 3.594⭐ 71🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1518th 2.585⭐ 61🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1815th 3.024⭐ 65🧑‍⚖️
Given 63🗳️ 91🗨️

Feedback

Arcus
19. Apr 2020 · 15:40 UTC
First of all, the music was AMAZING! Wow - it sounds great! :smile: Lovely and balanced, showing quite a lot of time has gone into it.
I got to about the age of 500 or so, and I found after that it was getting quite hard to expand to new places (poor planing, slightly). It took a while to get the jist of what to do, so I think a small 'How to play' button could help quite a bit. The view of the entire game could get a little daunting - the 'walls' of the game seemed a little out of place.
It's a good premice, and it was honestly quite fun. Good luck with the remaining time!
🎤 Almighty Games
19. Apr 2020 · 18:50 UTC
I accidentally launched the game before I was finished developing it. I appreciate the feedback though. Thank you sincerely. :) I have watched a couple of friends play, and agree wholeheartedly that the game needs some form of tutorial to get you through the first few minutes of game play. I also think it becomes too easy after you get some momentum, so I'm considering adding a bit of challenge to the later parts of the game.
Sheinxy
21. Apr 2020 · 00:25 UTC
I like it!

The game is pretty fun and relaxing to play!

On top of that, the simple visuals look great, and the guitar music in the background is very relaxing, I really love it!

A very good game to say the least, simple to play, not headlocking, but rather relaxing!
I like it!

![New_Piskel.gif](///raw/045/e/z/2f7b1.gif)
Polyethyleneglykol
21. Apr 2020 · 04:04 UTC
Finally it's allowing me to post a comment! Finally I can vent that the music is amazing, I did alway want to zoom in instinctively and kept lowering the camera. But other then that very chill and relaxing game!
Hundred
21. Apr 2020 · 06:18 UTC
Wow, those blobs bursting ro juicing idk, are very VERY satisfying. Also the exponential growth aspect is very satisfying too. And that spaship is a very well made model. The materials on ur 3d models are nice.
Logan Perkins
21. Apr 2020 · 06:24 UTC
Very well done. When I realized the mechanic, I didn't think I'd actually enjoy it, but there's quite a lot of room for optimization of strategy. The pacing is such that you can multitask, so that works out well.

It would be good if the long lasting tiles were net energy negative, so there would be more strategy than just taking one tile at a time starting at the top left...
cyberfrank
21. Apr 2020 · 07:31 UTC
Very nice. Many bonus points for music and also a nice landing page website!
Yoran
21. Apr 2020 · 08:40 UTC
everything looks and feels great, it just works
LykaWolfie
21. Apr 2020 · 08:48 UTC
This is a very unique game! The first of its kind that I played today. The mechanics needs some getting used to and the gameplay is quite long.
Sheercan
21. Apr 2020 · 08:50 UTC
I like this kind of game. The core mechanic is solid but in my opinion waiting for all blobs to die to advance to next player is kinda useless especialy when you need to wait 3 minutes for your blob on trees to die.
Efmi_
21. Apr 2020 · 09:47 UTC
The gameplay is painfully slow and uninteresting for the first few levels when you just place all the blobs and wait for them to die out. But when you get to the last few levels, the gameplay mechanics start to show the actual fun in the game. A big improvement in my opinion overall would be to add some kind of "Speed Up" button, so that you as the player wouldn't have to just idle and watch the blobs die. Music was beautiful and I really enjoyed the graphics. Blobs felt statisfying to place and their decay was enjoyable to watch. Overall a solid game on the last level but a boring grind on the first few levels.
🎤 Almighty Games
21. Apr 2020 · 10:05 UTC
@efmi I really like your idea to give the player a speed control. I tried to include an option that would automatically speed up the game once you finish doing all that you 'can' do in the level, but there were many problems and I ended up tossing that mechanic to launch the game on time. The original game started out way too complex (imagine starting the game at level 6). I ended up creating levels 1-5 as a result of playtesters showing great difficulty in the larger area maps in the beginning. If I had more time, I would definitely have gone through the process of finding the right size for the first few levels, because these levels are really only meant to introduce each of the various terrain types. Thanks for playing :)
🎤 Almighty Games
21. Apr 2020 · 10:09 UTC
@logan-perkins My original game plan would have included more terrain types, including a volcano, which would basically blow up a blob, spreading volcanic ash in a 5x5 grid surrounding the volcano. This ash, as it turns out, is one of the Blob's favorite foods... lol.. I wanted to make other terrains that were not consumable by the Blob at all too. I had to cut a lot of ideas to make the game in 3 days. If I decide to continue the game and publish it, I know it'll have lots of interesting features. But the biggest thing is... I will change the game mechanic that begs the player to play slowly for a higher score (This is obviously just to meet the Ludum Dare theme) Anyway, thanks for playing and leaving feedback.
🎤 Almighty Games
21. Apr 2020 · 10:14 UTC
I'm very pleased that some of you enjoyed the music. I have written songs for other games that I have published in the past that didn't receive as warm a welcome. One of my favorite features of the game is the way the Blobs change color to indicate when they will die. This is my 3rd Ludum Dare Game Jam. I really like doing these jams and hope to continue long into the future.
HelmiSetsuna
21. Apr 2020 · 15:31 UTC
Wow, the music was amazing. Really calming. I like how simple and engaging this game. The last stage was really challenging. I like how it was design in a way to make player to play a bit longer that previous stage.
orsi
21. Apr 2020 · 16:08 UTC
Interesting game! I really liked the music, really sets the mood :D
JordyForNow
21. Apr 2020 · 18:27 UTC
Hey, the sound and graphics were on point, I did miss a bit of feedback in the gameplay though, I got a bit bored playing the first levels because I didn't really have anything to do than wait and click on the next tile over. Maybe you can add some more interesting mechanics. I did like your original Idea and think there is really some potential.
Fireshake
21. Apr 2020 · 18:47 UTC
Really cool game, but the music is definitely the highlight!
Deylinia
21. Apr 2020 · 19:21 UTC
The idea is cool and the music is incredible, but the game just feels really slow maybe like a fast forward function could be added at least after every tile has been filled and we're just waiting?

Cool game mechanics overall!
Algebro
21. Apr 2020 · 20:24 UTC
At first I didn't understand it very well, I played two levels without really knowing what was going on, but when I skipped some levels I understood the issue that they were dying and then you couldn't create in adjacent squares so you could lose certain areas. When that happened, it was a revelation to me, and the game made complete sense.
The best thing I've played on this jam, incredible. I'll play again with time and better strategy. What a great game experience!
Ricna
21. Apr 2020 · 21:44 UTC
i loved this game because its remember the Spaceplan, which is a game i like to play to relax... Its not a common taste, anyway I like this concept of click and management. I didn't finish it yet because I got the mood and i'm playing in the correct way in my opinion.
Graphics is amazing nice and the song is better, with a great feeling with the guitar. Really nice game! Congratulations :)
fornaree
21. Apr 2020 · 22:20 UTC
The game has some good art and good music overall, but the music gets repetitive after 10+ minutes. About the game design: at the first 2 levels there weren't any challenge, and the timing of the blobs growing and dying, was way too slow. To see your highscore in the first level takes a lot of time. Only after skipping several levels, and playing a landscape that is way bigger I had a lot of fun trying to plan to dominate everything with my blobs and not leaving a single tile behind, while struggling with the blobs that were dying. Overall, nice project that would be nicer if the first levels were more complex/fast paced.
Reid Willis
22. Apr 2020 · 00:07 UTC
Very much enjoyed it. The primary suggestion I'd have is how it'd be nice for the game to recognize when all tiles have a blob on them and end the game early.
CreamyBacon2
22. Apr 2020 · 01:31 UTC
I made it to level 4. In fact at the time of writing this the trees are still being eaten in another tab. That being said my only criticism has already been said by other comments. When you cover the field it turns into a waiting game. But other than that you did a solid job. Everything works, the music is good but can get a bit repetitive, the presentation looks nice, and the theme was well used. Very solid jam entree. Good work!
d1str4kt0r
22. Apr 2020 · 02:05 UTC
/rt fornaree
Topolino
22. Apr 2020 · 02:18 UTC
Good work and super interesting take on the theme! My critisms have already been said here, the gameplay slows to a crawl at the start and end. It seems to have some pacing issues, which if solved would help out the fun-factor of this game!
Sciman101
22. Apr 2020 · 04:15 UTC
I found it interesting and really well polished, but the gameplay itself felt kind of slow. Filling the board didn't feel satisfying - But, then again, I'm pretty tired right now so take that with a grain of salt. It was also a little hard to tell when energy was being produced, at first, maybe little '+1' indicators rising off of the goo when it makes energy.
That all being said, visually very polished, and the music was really pleasant to listen to.
interface
22. Apr 2020 · 05:02 UTC
I was playing at first and couldn't really see the point. Came back and read some comment, and per what people were saying skipped to a much higher level. That was a lot better and it made sense! So I would agree, it builds to slowly, the first level seems pointless and I didn't get it.
Maybe a few more clues to somehow indicate a cell is adjacent or not (red/green etc visual clues)? I think with a bit more polish to indicate the game mechanic, this will likely be a great puzzle game. Would play again, great work!
saucygames
22. Apr 2020 · 05:50 UTC
the blobs got me wanting a pb&j!!
PHPGator
22. Apr 2020 · 06:45 UTC
Very good job on the music! I truly enjoyed it! I think the game is unique. I had a bit of difficulty understanding how to play the game. I think perhaps a tutorial in the game would have been nice.
TimeTravelHamster
22. Apr 2020 · 07:33 UTC
I really need a tutorial how to play this took me way longer to figure it. Overall great art and audio. Nice job.
PonyPen
22. Apr 2020 · 07:55 UTC
It's a bit too slow to begin with and could do with a tutorial on how to play, but besides that it's a nice game and the art is good.
My favourite part about the game was the chill music, added to the mood and atmosphere.
eraggo
22. Apr 2020 · 08:14 UTC
Very unique game! Unfortunately got bit boring to wait blobs to explode after all grid cells was filled. Changing timer speed would be awesome! Got on level 3 only; there might be speedup later, i don't know.
Background music was good indeed
JavaSaurus
22. Apr 2020 · 08:15 UTC
I like this game a lot. The audio is really nice and the visuals are very appealing, they might fit a mobile game actually. The ramping of difficulty is mentioned in the comments often and I tend to agree, however I think you can easily solve this by turning the first couple of levels into tutorial material. OBVIOUSLY this is a jam game, so nobody should judge based on that. One thing that might be really cool, but not in the scope of a jam as well, make the blob into one supermesh...A giant blob to rule them... make it really grow ! Great stuff :)
Twistashio
22. Apr 2020 · 13:30 UTC
The game is really cool, but a bit boring at first. At the beginning the game seems to drag especially after waiting for the blobs to die off. I agree with @ponypen about a tutorial. I wasn't sure if I was doing it right or not until the end of the level. Cool game!
unept
22. Apr 2020 · 16:21 UTC
The idea here is really cool. I love the simplified RTS idea of keeping the blob alive. It did get a bit boring waiting for the higher energy blobs to "finish" but it is still pleasantly addicting gameplay. Well done!
MasterPose
22. Apr 2020 · 22:58 UTC
I know that part of the vision of the game is beign relaxing but specially when you finished of filling all the level it gets boring, so maybe putting an optional button to speed the time would be great.

In general I think the game is very simple and straight forward so I have nothing more to say apart from good work!
Algebro
22. Apr 2020 · 23:56 UTC
I think I've broken some records...
it's certainly been fun, wow...

![almighty-games-ld46.jpg](///raw/ebe/c2/z/329cd.jpg)
🎤 Almighty Games
23. Apr 2020 · 04:28 UTC
@algebro WOW! I'm really impressed. I seem to average around 15,000 on Level 6 myself. Great Job! :)
Grentacular
23. Apr 2020 · 07:18 UTC
While I really enjoyed the music, I felt kind of like it didn't fit with the sci-fi premise. Also, on the gameplay side of things, I would have appreciated a way to skip to the end of a level once I'd taken over all the tiles (I'm actually typing this as I wait for the last few bits of blob to finish their thing). That being said, I thought this was a creative take on the theme, and was a good way to keep the theme in mind while not necessarily emphasizing the pressure that a lot of other games have with the same theme. Nice job!
marcusnystrand
24. Apr 2020 · 13:04 UTC
Very unique and creative idea. Background music fit perfectly and the animations and sound effects work well. I saw the screenshots first and thought this was going to be a complex game but it was actually surprisingly easy to learn.

Well done!
Kittyfeeda
25. Apr 2020 · 09:49 UTC
Not so sure, what the end goal is (I guess, keep spreading until there is no space anymore). But after being in it for a while, it does not matter what the goal is anymore, cause it is just really relaxing:D The comparison is far-fetched, but Journey gave me a similar feeling. I especially like the mood (combo of music & planting blobs).
Dannyk1994
27. Apr 2020 · 12:09 UTC
Very impressive. Nice sound and UI design. A simple, easily graspable yet addictive game play mechanic and a nice gradual increase in difficulty. Very good game.
chaosbrick
27. Apr 2020 · 12:17 UTC
Okay, that was a weird experience. First I found things going too slow (in the first "tutorial" levels), then I skipped to level 8, thought that things were going to die on me fast, until later in that same run I felt like just had to drag my mouse cursor everywhere. Ended up with a score of 19,816 and I'm not sure if that's good or bad at all, lol. Overall pretty fun though.

The graphics look nice and polished, but became more and more laggy with each blob (Are you sure you're using instancing correctly? I don't even know if that's possible in unity lul)
Audio is pretty good, and the music is fine I guess, just not my cup of tea... So thanks for including a seperate music slider!
Good stuff!
Emperor Eagle
29. Apr 2020 · 06:40 UTC
Great game! The music is great! Good graphics and the gameplay works well. It is really unique too and has a good sense of progression both inside a single level, and over all of them. Some improvements could be some music that feels a bit more in place (but your guitar playing is amazing) and a some more tutorial/direction as I it was confusing to get used to, but once I got it, I became immediately addicted! It is really well balanced and polished. It's peaceful to play and is quite fun!

Thanks for reviewing my game on your stream (I played this game soon after and wrote a half-finished comment, and only just got back here, so sorry about that)!
Abdurrahman Khallouf
30. Apr 2020 · 17:46 UTC
Okey. I like the concept . really do.
but I would have hoped it was more puzzle or even better a strategy. I dont try to get high scores at all. if I make the objective. I move on.

and the slow pace of the game kept me going for not so long. I hated to wait for the score at the end. I wanted to get you win after doing all of the tiles.

few things to improve as well :
1- Camera movements.

2- effects when you get energy (maybe a +1 over the blob) ... etc

extra suggestion:

3- maybe something will come and try to fight your blobs and it can hit 9 tiles around it... (so you try to block it with one blobs or so) stuff like that would make it more interesting I think..