haha nice idea. I laughed when I realize that it will never move forward

There's some nifty details here - the fact that your footsteps make noise, very nice. Throwing out that green loop power is neat, I like that you can use it as a platform too.

I feel like this game could communicate its information a bit clearer - a green loop acts as a platform, but a red loop is a portal? Throwing a green loop at certain grey blocks caused me to glow blue and float down through the floor, but only certain blocks? Walking to the right looped the screen, but so did the red portals. I think it's all interesting and worth developing, but communication is also key to help your players keep moving forward.

It got fun when I realized I could stand on the loop, jump forward, throw it, and land on it even higher. Infinite loop jumping :D

Infinity jump... nice :smile:

:purple_heart: :dart: :frog:

Really nice idea! Loved that menu, then once in the game it took me a while to find how to progress, and once found it was fun to play!
Well done, I'd love to see a full game of this

@macmist @darthdeus @instanttrain @yellow-basti @purpledartfrog Thanks, everyone! I'm glad everyone likes it, I didn't have much time to work on it!

@yellow-basti Thanks! Yup, every time you reach the edge of the layout you loop to the other side. It's important to be able to do it to get past walls!

@instanttrain Thank you! The green loop idea was originally going to be a portal you could use to travel to the nearest matching portal, but I decided the platform idea would be more entertaining. Originally I was going to have a tutorial and dialogue system, but I didn't have much time to work on this game. The red loops actually restart the level, but I didn't have the time to do a visual effect to represent that.

@macmist Well, since everyone likes this, I guess I'll have to start working on a full version! I had originally planned on making small enemies and a boss you have to loop attacks at, but I ran out of time.

The theme is strong with this one!

loops within looops within loops within loops

@ausstein Thanks for playing!

Nice game, and really fun intro presentation. Good platformer potential.

@steambrain Thank you! Since so many players had fun playing Outside The Loop, I will probably begin working on a complete version!

That' was hard to understand some mechanics, but at all I loved this, actually I didn't understand how to complete a level, I just was throwing green portals and had fun)
I love sounds and graphics, they are relaxing

Thanks @adil ! I was unable to add a tutorial, hopefully I'll be able to make a full version from this!

All those loops made me... loopy (ba-dum-ts).
At first I though I'm stuck in a loop and the level will never end. Then I created another... loop, that warped me right out of the level into another level, where I was stuck in another... loop.
Cool entry! Would loop the loop again :thumbsup:

Simple and cute game. The jam theme is 100% complete. Good job!

I really like it. how the levels work is brilliant! However is too easy I would love to see more levels a little bit more challenging.

Good Job! i finished it but could not remove from my head that the grass was spikes!

The Infinite loop jumping is really cool, you found a fun mechanic.I had never a real idea what my goal was, but enjoyed playing.

@netmute Ha ha, nice! That joke never gets old this jam!

@elpadlos Thanks!

@freddyturbina Thank you! Since so many people enjoy Outside The Loop I plan to develop a full version.

@glayson Ha ha! I guess I did choose an odd RGB color for the grass!

@malle Thanks! I didn't have time to implement dialogue or signs of any type, your goal is to reach the green loop that lets you escape the loop.

Nice job! I found it a bit confusing at first but I totally love the style, it's really charming!! Congrats :)

Thanks @avatargreggles ! I aimed for something different than the classic platformers.

Nice game, feels good and the concept is really well thought out and executed, great work!

Thanks @r3l0ad1 !

The loop mechanic is really interesting, at the moment is a bit overpowered (you can litterally fly) but has a great potential for a really fun platformer!

Not bad once I figured out what I was supposed to be doing.

@coding4rtist @wizard-sino Thanks for playing! Feedback is always great!

At first I said to my self "this platformer is so easy" then I found out I was going in circles lmao, great game, diferent blocks could help to guide the player, but it was good overall

Thanks @cesargary ! I'll be sure to note your suggestion for when I develop the full version of Outside The Loop.

I like how the level literally loops around! The ability to create platforms was a nice touch.

At first I didnt know what to do, kinda just walking around and such and quickly learning not to touch le red portals. It wasnt until I jumped into one of the circle go-to-next-level things(?) for shits and giggles that I realized how to proceed. Perhaps a bit more info or maybe making it more obvious where to go in the future. Still, nice lil game

Congratz on your first jam as well! Hope you continue in the future.

Thanks @darylsteak ! I did originally plan to make a tutorial and dialogue system, but I ran out of time and wasn't able to add a clearer plot explanation. And I'll definitely continue with Ludum Dare, the people here are great and so many great games are created for Ludum Dare!

nice little platformer, the infinite jump with the loops is really cool!

@spodthewizard , Thanks!

Throwing a loop midjump and landing on it was very satisfying

Thanks for playing @arron-fowler !

This is a cool game. It would have been great to see an even larger world we could explore as players, using the thrown loops to go higher or get to far-off platforms. Great effort here! :)

Thanks @tad ! I wasn't able to do a very large game since I only had three days, but I'll definitely keep your suggestions in mind when I begin developing a full version!

I had no idea of what I was doing, but I enjoy this little moment, I think the art for the menu at the beginning was something you could develop in the future like a stop motion design.

Thanks for playing, @nekorio !

I like the menu designs, but I miss a tutorial. In the beginning, I got lost. Where should I go? After that is nice. I would love more levels

Thanks, @thomas-volpato ! I would have added a tutorial, but I ran out of time. Once LD47 is over, I'll be working on a full version of Outside The Loop.

Personally I don't think a tutorial is too necessary since having the controls was all I really need to figure out the game.

I can tell that graphics are not your strong suit looking at this, so i would recommend doing some pixel art tutorials so you can learn. I will say that though that giving it a shot was still a good idea cause you'll never learn unless you try.

I found out you could use the green loops to platform up walls with some precise timing. I would say make it a feature since it could be used in more platforming puzzles.

Some music would be nice and the walking effect sounded a bit rough. You marked sound to be rated so I assume you made that walking sound yourself? If that's the case i think you should get a clearer mic and record outside somewhere quiet.

@wolfier , I'm glad you were able to figure out the controls fine, some people had a harder time.

Since I only had less than 72 hours to develop a game, I tried to go with some basic, hand-drawn graphics. I believe the definition of good graphics is not professional smooth graphics at the level of Nintendo, but rather something that the developer clearly did themselves. Hand-drawn graphics have always appealed to me, but I do draw pixel art and professional-level graphics too. This was only one game I have made, my masterpiece is still under development.

In the upcoming full version, I will be presenting some challenges like what you said can be used with the green loops. Of course, easier to make it playable for all players.

My main focus this Ludum Dare was gameplay, not audio. It's my first attempt at creating a game in just a few days and I didn't want to lose time composing a whole OST. Also, that was not a recording of actual grass, but a highly distorted synth made to sound like alternate-dimension dead grass.

@peace-of-cake-games

On the topic of art, what I see in your game in that case is that you sacrificed quality instead of complexity in return for time. You definitely don't need a AAA level of art too look good (especially since a good chunk of AAA looks like trash).

My opinion on sound is more to the fact the game needs some background music, doesn't matter whether you composed it or not since most people on ludum dare don't.

@wolfier

I just roll with my style of hand-drawn. As for music, I was not lucky enough to have the time to spend hours making music, since I don't settle with half-developed music. I'd appreciate it if we could just end this conversation with my motto, "to each his or her own".

Cool game! The loop throwing mechanic was very cool, although it only seemed to act as a platform. The intro was great (I honestly thought that I had broken the game) and the gameplay felt good. Having the controls on the top of the screen was very useful, as I am a forgetful person. The one thing you should probably make clearer is that red loops restart the game (or loop it I suppose) because when I first found them I just jumped in immediatly. Good stuff!

I like the game! It's a little annoying that if you miss a jump you have to go all the way to the beginning, but I still enjoyed it. Great job!

@stormcat , @fractal-flower-girl , thanks for playing! Once I get to work on a full version of Outside The Loop I'll be sure to implement a tutorial that explains red loops.

haha that joke at the beggining cracked me!! Really fun!! Nicely done, the sound when you land on the ground is super loud, or at least it's on my browser. Well done!! Keep up the great work!! Nice entry!

@webox Thank you so much! I was happy to see that Stuck In A Loop won the theme vote, and I decided to fully embrace the theme!

Hm, I'll try troubleshooting that audio issue.

Nice job! Some music might be nice, as well as a bit more explanation of what the goal is, how to progress etc. If not an actual in-game tutorial, it might good to at least explain a bit more detail in the description.

Thanks for playing @jcourt ! I didn't have time to add music since often I'll spend 20 minutes on one instrument for background music. I'll be sure to add music in the upcoming full version.

I'll update the game description!

Cool idea, but definitely needs some form of tutorial (text-based or built into the level design) to show players how to actually progress. Keep it up!

Yes, I agree, @arttu-halonen ! I ran out of time to do a tutorial, but there'll definitely be one in the upcoming full version of Outside The Loop.

I had fun playing this one. I love how the character looks like he has his hands in his pockets haha. You've made a fun platformer :)

Thanks @james-clark ! Your game was really fun too!

At first I didn't understand that you need to hit the block in the circle to finish a level.
Nice platformer, a bit too short though. Using the loop as a platform is a nice concept and I liked the loop joke in the introduction. Good job !

Nice game mechanics. Great intro.

Thanks for playing, @roboshamit !

Thanks @garywiss ! Once I publish a full version a clear tutorial is definitely something I'll add.

It was a bit confusing what I had to do in the beginning since I went in circles and had no idea the circular thing at the end of the levels were supposed to be portals since they were made out of the same sprites as the obstacles.

Once I got the hang of the game it was more fun to play! It's a pretty basic platformer with some different elements added to it.

I think it's safe to say the art isn't made by someone with a lot of experience or time. Same with the sound effects.
**I do** hope to see your skills expand though! :)

Interesting idea. I like the mechanic on how you can throw loops But i have my complaints.
1.The lack of backround audio makes it slowly boring.
2.The Art Sprites aren't that great. (Maybe spend more time on the assets?)
3.There wasn't really a proper tutorial.

Overall, This is one of them "OK" Games.

-WitekWitek

@kassjak @witekwitek , thanks for your comments! As both of you mentioned, I wish I had more time to work on art. I was hoping to go for professional-level graphics, but I ran out of time quickly and went with some basic hand-drawn graphics. I'm hoping in LD48 I'll be able to show everyone my real art skills. And yes, Outside The Loop needs a tutorial! It'll be the first thing I work on for the full version. I also agree that my sounds need work, I didn't have the time to spend 20-ish minutes composing background music, and I had to make the walking sound in just a few minutes by distorting a synth. Not having music is one of my biggest regrets about this project, because I was hoping to show off my skills as a music developer.

@peace-of-cake-games Thanks for reading my comment! I do understand that you needed to rush things, Yea it does finish your game but you can finish the assets later. Also here is some advice: "Simplify". What i mean by that is making things more simpler like: (Cutting stuff). Cutting stuff away is the way to go, here is also a video about the thing i am talking about:

https://youtu.be/xe2X0WJgI-4?t=164

@witekwitek No offense, but I prefer to just wing it for jams in my own style. Also, do you have a LD47 game? I would like to fill my to-play list back up, and I'll be making a list of all of my favorite games this jam. Let's see who can make it on to my list of honor!

@peace-of-cake-games I totally respect that. You can go whatever you like. Also i do have a game jam game, here it is:

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/stuck-in-a-hoard-while-looping

So cool the concept :D
Really enjoyed the game ^^

Thanks, @gabriel-dias-oliveira-de-almeida ! Your game is great too!

Good job, I liked the idea of being able to throw your own platform out to land on...worked nicely. We made it to the ending, although at first I had some trouble doing that!

Thanks @funemaker !

Really cool game! The mechanic is super interesting and work very well, the art was very charming and fits nice with the game. Overall very fun game, nice work!

Thanks so much @finn-tr ! I'm glad you liked the hand-drawn graphics, not everyone liked the casual art style I used!

Solid entry! If I had a suggestion, it would be to make the goal more clear, it seemed like you had to touch the goal box to progress to the next section, but maybe it would help to have that box be distinct from the others in some way. Some kind of checkpoint system might be good too, so you don't have to go all the way back to the beginning if you die. Good job overall though, good luck on any future projects you develop!

I love the begging! So good. I needed some time to get used to the controls, but I played with pleasure

Thanks @lychee ! One of the things I wish I could have done is make a good tutorial, but as I said in my post I ran out of time. I'll definitely look at your suggestions once I start on a full version!

Heh heh, the goal boxes are actually literally the same as the other ones! (I'm lazy) Using Y-coordinate math and "overlapping object" comparisons, I made it so hitting one mathematically placed box activates the loop's visibility and transitioning.

Thanks for playing Outside The Loop, @ellladee !

Fun idea! The jumping is a bit buggy for me, doesn't always work when I press Up arrow

It's a nice little platformer with a cool mechanic, I wish it was more exploited. I find it weird that the level exit looks like every other block in the game but when you get that's what you have to reach it's no problem. Overall good job! I encourage you to try to make it longer, and use more your mechanics.

Thanks for playing, both of you!

@benslaney I'll have to look in to that bug, I've never encountered that before.

@toulou Yeah, I wish I could have done a longer world with more use of the loop ability. Oh well, that's what a post-jam full version is for!

Nice idea! The art is super cool! Love the concept and had a fun time playing. There is just one thing I would like to say, the jump is a little buggy and delayed in a way. Other than that this was an awesome game! Good luck on post jam!!!!

Thanks so much @unimaginable-code-studios ! I never had issues with the jumping, it probably got screwed up during export. I'll investigate the issue!

What a good casual game! Clever and efficient. Well done ++

Thanks so much, @geckoo1337 !

This is a neat little platformer! Though it took me a couple minutes to figure it out, the loop-jump mechanic is super neat, and the way the map changes as you go through the loop portals is a cool idea - I can see a lot of potential here as a puzzle-platformer or the likes, challenging you to solve your way through an ever-mutating loop of a level. Graphics get the job done well enough, and the extended walk audio loop was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

Solid work overall!

@cliffracerx , thank you so much! This is definitely something I'll be working on more post-jam.

The game has a lot of potential, could use better sprites and better level design I guess (for example some platforms were in weird spots and were hard to reach, and I kinda expected to be awarded with something or a secret level by reaching them.) And is there audio in this game or is my headphones dead? Anyway it was a fun experience, I'd like to play an extended polished version of the game.

Thanks for playing @arad-hamidsamiee ! I agree that professional-looking art would probably be preferable to the hand-drawn art I did. And the completely random blocks, I just stuck those there for the player to play around with while getting used to the controls! And there's no background music or anything, just a sound I whipped up for when you walk in the grass. After LD47 I'll be working on a full version of Outside The Loop!

Nice little game, could use a more distinctive level end block texture as that took me a while to figure out, but maybe that's intentional so you discover the world loops maybe?
Definitely could see some potential for interesting level designs with those mechanics. Great first Jam game!

Played it to completion on a playthrough. On the second one, I broke the loop by breaking the game :I


For some reason, the camera would no longer move, and I could leave the boundaries and even die. It likely happened because I walked left instead of right, but still, something to consider checking out if you do decide to expand on this game.

The game had some interesting ideas. I liked to jump on the green platforms and even to time it so that I could jump, throw a platform, and land on it. It allowed for flight, which was likely unintended, but fun nonetheless.

An interesting, short experience. If you do want to make it bigger, try to think of what new uses to give to the mechanics. They do work, but you'll likely need to add new stuff to make it more fresh. Do experiment as much as you can! 🐳

Good job! Played through to the end screen, after entering the big green loop. This was pretty interesting, I like how you could create your own platforms by throwing out loops.

@ygrichman @moski @dxk2294 Thanks for playing, everyone!

@moski Really? You broke the loop? I bet I was careless and left a bug crawling around somewhere. It was probably a glitch with the endless level wrapping and you managed to slip into the area that's just for effect and not gameplay! Each side of the layout has a spot that doesn't work for gameplay, only visuals, and I bet the game glitched and overrode the layout wrapping! Ha ha, I'll look into that!

cool main mechanic with throwing your own platforms! Would love to see a full game like that :3

Thank you, @trexxak !

Fun concept with cool gameplay mechanics. Really liked the idea.. great job man 👍👍

Thanks @ar-borno ! I can't wait to try your game!

wish more was explained, it seemed a bit random at times. I think some animations, particles and music would lift this entry a lot higher. Good effort, and the idea was interesting, well done!

Thanks for playing, @pronomicalartist ! I do wish I had the time to implement some of the things you suggested, like explanatory dialogue and background music. I spent a lot of my time sleeping and coming up with ideas and only getting to make half of them. Once I get around to making the full version of Outside The Loop, don't worry, there'll be music and dialogue and probably some some small world details, since I love animated dancing mushrooms. I'm not someone who believes in lots of visual effects though, I rarely use large overwhelming effects and particles.

@moski , I tested for the bug you found, and wow! It really does break! The problem is the scrolling is homemade using global variables and X/Y coordinates, and I told the game to reset variables when you beat the game. I forgot the scrolling would break, so playing Outside The Loop twice is impossible! I'll fix once I work on a better game version.

Nice, I spend more time than expected trying to perfect my "loop jump" skills ;-)

Thanks for playing, @thesnide ! The "loop jump" (thanks to you it's official now) is definitely fun! Too bad I made ceilings everywhere.

fun little game, It was missing some hints but that wasn't a problem.

Thanks @omar-14 ! One thing I wish I could have added was some dialogue that both made a storyline and gave hints.

Nice game! I loved throwing that loop around~!

At first, I thought the red loops would teleport you at the green, so I jest fell in one to just see it happen... learnt the hard way that wasn't the case :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: I kinda felt the thrill of danger when jumping above one after that one time... haha
Good job~~ :smile:

Thank you so much @virimine ! Ha ha, how funny you said that, originally the green and red loops actually would be linked for teleportation! I wanted to make the player throw a loop that connected with the nearest portal, making it so you can do cool stuff like warping a boss's attack back at them, but I decided a throwable platform was easier to use and code.

Aye I think you put together a solid mechanic for this entry! Simple is always better. I think if making a game is three steps you successfully nailed the 1 - foundation. All that's missing is to 2 - expand and 3 - polish! Would definitely like to see more of this because the missing parts didn't keep me from playing through the game. I imagine you could come up with a ton of ways to expand the "throw a loop" mechanic and also completing a loop with your character to then transport through barriers (there's a lot of room for positive growth). Would have loved a simple tune in the background and some more artwork but everyone understands the limitation of a jam. Great work keep Jammin'!

Thanks @ruddiculous ! I agree, the game is a bit short and most people don't think my hand-drawn style artwork is good enough. Both things I'll be improving in the Outside The Loop full version! I've mentioned a couple times now, not getting to make a cool and mysterious music is one of my biggest regrets.

Fun fact: originally the loops you throw would actually teleport you to the nearest onscreen end-loop like a portal. I figured that a platform would allow more creativity, and of course save time. So, bye-bye original idea!

The Game is nice, but it took me a while your realize that I had to jump into the shrines maybe have them in different color?

A nice little platformer. Throwing the loop you can then walk on is a great idea. The progress area should be better marked, I almost didn't find them and almost left with the impression the game had no goal.

Thanks for playing @fadrikalexander @flying-dog-fish ! Making the goal clearer is definitely on my to-do list for the full version, for the jam version the goal block is exactly the same as the other ones. I just used a simple mathematical comparison to get "is overlapping" and "less Y" factors, then make one specific block trigger the loop's visibility and movement.

Nice game! Perhaps including 1) a goal or 2) improve the experience to tell something can improve the "meaning" of the game.
Love the concept of throwing loops and I think with this mechanic can be exploited to obtain more actions and possibilities.
Also, improve the gamefeel of the game, graphics and sounds can increase the quality of the game a lot! One example: https://twitter.com/wombatstuff/status/1315605377237618693?s=20

Despite that, it's a good game! Congrats! Try to do more games! :muscle:

Thanks for playing @peterfonts ! There actually is a goal, to get to the green portal loop so you can exit the loop, but as you noted in 2) I need to make it clearer. I was going to implement some dialogue that would both help add a storyline and explain things clearer, but I ran super low on time. I also wanted to make more sounds and some music, but making music takes a while and I barely had the time to spend a few minutes tweaking a synth to do the one sound effect I got in the game. I don't believe in ever using assets, only things I've made myself through hard work. And yes, I need to change the graphics. I thought everyone would enjoy my hand-drawn style graphics but apparently some people like them, some people think they should be better, and some people hate my art. As for those techniques in the link you put there, I believe the key to making a good game is not heavy visual effects, but rather the key elements of a game: gameplay and story, if it's a game revolving around a story.

[Howdy, we played your game on stream last night!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/773934372?t=03h10m22s) Sorry if we go off on a few tangents, we have a bad habit of that. :pray:

This was a nice simple game that I actually enjoyed quite a bit. I do think you could maybe better communicate the player's objective, but once I understood it I had no problems! I can see this game being expanded upon in multiple ways in the future, so it's great to hear you have plans to keep working on this. :slight_smile: Keep it up!!

@coleslaughter Hey, thanks for playing! I 100% agree the objective needs to be explained better, I had all sorts of ideas, like explanatory dialogue and a simple tutorial, but I did a spectacular job of implementing zero of my ideas. I'm glad you like the idea of a full version, because for me, it's all about the players. After my current project, codenamed "My Xbox Masterpiece", Outside The Loop: Full Version will definitely be the next thing I work on!

nice game haha,the portal should be more diffenert than the normal blocks,don't know how to leave the level at first.overall it's a nice neat game though.good job.

Thanks for playing, @maskinmask ! The activation block definitely needs to be different, it's literally the same as the others, with some math to calculate the collisions so the other blocks don't activate the loop.

This is an alright game. The graphics weren't great, but they got the point across (kudos to you for the person, that was somewhat detailed, but the animation felt really off). The world felt really dark as well and it really needs music. But you had a good idea. The execution could have used a little more work though. Still though, for the time frame you had, it's not bad!

Thank you for playing @mightymaster99 . I have definitely received mixed feedback on the graphics since I had little time and had to do some hand-drawn ones, the player definitely is odd-looking for the walking since I encountered mid-development bugs that took priority over fixing graphics. I also was unable to compose some music since the code had bugs that urgently needed fixing, and my device used for music is rather slow. After the low amount of time I had to work on this, I now understand why so many developers like doing all-nighters!

Hey, nice little game! I liked the handwritten text a lot. My only criticism is that the goal block was hard to find the first time around, and the punishment for touching the red loops was a bit steep. Looking forward to the full game!

Thanks @somn ! I'm glad someone liked my handwritten font, I spent a bit of time trying to make a cool font. Once I work on expanding Outside The Loop, I'll definitely make sure the goal block is clearer! And I had originally planned on using savegame features to make checkpoints, but that would have taken time and I did a terrible job of having enough time this jam!

Very cool game ! I like the entirely handwritten and hand drawn artstyle and the intro of being stuck in a loop was cool. For the gameplay, I thought it was a really cool mechanic that you could create a loop to hop on and you could stay entirely in the air if you timed it well. Nice job !

Wow, I'm so happy you liked Outside The Loop so much @snowinn !

This definitely has potential, but it could use some work. I think a lot of the main issues have been pointed out already: the graphics aren't really that great (though I appreciate that you're a programmer, not an artist), it could use some music or extra sound effects, and it really wasn't clear to me at first how to exit each loop and move on to the next one. The exits need to be signposted better. The platforming actually got surprisingly tricky, as you have to figure out where best to place your loop, but just as it started to get tricky, it ended. I hope you do expand this, because it's a bit too short right now, and could use some extra levels.

This is your first game jam (or at least, your first Ludum Dare), so I don't want to sound too harsh. As you take part in more and more jams, you'll learn how to better manage your time, and you'll be able to draw on your past experiences to make bigger, better, and more polished games. I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

Oh, and I really liked the looping title screen at the beginning. Very clever touch.

Thanks for your feedback, @f1krazy ! I definitely wish I could have done the graphics better, I actually am an artist, I just have the little issue of having to spend more hours than I had in order to make good art. The same case happened with making music and sound effects, I tend to develop them rather slowly. The loop progression was supposed to be like a puzzle, but I didn't have time to add a tutorial or dialogue explaining the puzzle. I'll definitely be expanding Outside The Loop, because I agree the game is way too short.

...And yes, this is my first game jam! I'll definitely be entering in more Ludum Dares, after this one I now realize that I need to really clear my schedule in April for LD48! I've got many years of game development experience and I've even taught programming for a little bit, but I've never tried being stuck with a deadline before LD47. This has definitely been a good experience for learning how I do when dealing with a deadline, and polite criticism like yours will certainly help me with future timed development.

I'm glad you liked the title screen! Title screens always have so much potential, I like to take advantage of it.

first off, congrats on your first entry!

completed it on my first run, not sure exactly how, but i got the ending screen by walking into the looping circle. not sure what other purpose the loops you throw out serve other then a platform under your control, entertaining concept, but could use some elaboration.

on my second run i encountered a problem straight away, the camera would not follow the player from the starting zone, right after the green plains. was not able to reconstruct the error in 5 re-runs so not sure what could have caused it

there was also this thing happening where i was surrounded in a loop that brought me down a level, i could not figure out what caused it and it felt a bit random? was this just me progressing to the next floor?

@kekkodude Thanks for playing! The loop you throw out is simply just a platform used to get over long stretches of red loops that loop you to the beginning of the level. A lot of players discovered by timing it just right, you can have unlimited jump with the throwable loop too.

Yeah, I've heard about that bug. I realized what the problem is a few days ago: the scrolling is controlled by a global variable made to choose the scrolling method: player without vertical scroll, player with vertical scroll, or no scroll. Turns out I forgot to change the variable back to the default from "no scroll" when you start a second time! 😅

That part where you get stuck in a loop is the progression from one part of the world to the next. (Stuck in a loop - just like the theme. I *totally* didn't plan that! (Sarcasm)) I didn't get to implement dialogue explaining the loop progression like I wanted to, what happens is when you hit a block that meets the mathematical criteria I specified the loop activates.

That was a very interesting game idea. I'm not gonna lie, I got stuck quite easily and couldn't understand how I managed to get pulled to the other floor (I'm guessing the surrounding blocks formed a portal?). With a little more polish to the graphics and the audio, and also by making a bit clear what the player is doing is going to make this a nice experience! Great job!
PS: thanks for playing and rating my game! Good luck with the voting!

Thanks @rafaelgiordanno ! My three biggest regrets about the game are the parts almost everyone agrees need work: art, audio, and explanation. I have learned that next Ludum Dare I'll definitely have to set aside time for more work on those, each of the three weaknesses got put off because of bad time management and a whole ton of bugs. I can't wait for LD48, I hope the theme is something where I don't instantly think "PLATFORMER"!

A bit more instruction would help, but I think this game has potential. It does have some unique features. Looking forward to seeing a post-LD version.

Thanks @schizoid2k ! I definitely regret not getting to put in some explanatory dialogue or a tutorial. A full version is high on my to-do list!

took me a while to understand you have to enter this special place to procede, always was walking by, the red portal in the begining suggests you should go on :)

Thanks for playing, @stefan-b !

Nice game! I enjoyed playing around with the loop throwing mechanic, very fun idea! It was kind of hard to figure out where I needed to go, but it was still very fun. Can't wait to see a full version!

Thanks for your support, @zarki !

Fun game! I found the goal of the game a bit confusing at first, and only discovered how to proceed to the next level by mistake. I liked your interpretation of the theme as well. I think it would have been nice if the levels were a bit more challenging. The colour scheme was cool, but I disliked that your walking only had sound on the grass, and that nothing else made sounds. Not a big deal, though, cool game overall :-)

Thanks @esphoros ! Better game explanation, longer levels, and more audio are all things that I wish I could have done. Definitely all things I'll be improving in the full version!

The first impression was a bit underwhelming of course, given the crude art and mute game play (aside from some foot step sounds). One may call this, a stylistic choice, but I guess the reason is, that you didn't have an artist on board :) Game play wise, it was a lot better. The platforming felt good, and the portal summoning mechanics made for some nice platforming puzzles. The game was rather short and it think you left quite some potential for level design on the cutting room floor. For example, you didn't really incorporate the vertical climbing technique, that was possible with your engine. I tried this to get through level 2 right at the start by climbing that first huge wall to the left. But I wasn't able to go down again due to the narrow blocks leading down again.

The theme was tackled quite nicely with your approach. And even though the game play worked fine, it wasn't the most innovative or engaging/satisfying game play. Definitely try to get an artist and/or sound designer on board next. It really helps to sell a game with good art direction and music/sfx on top of a well thought out game play loop! Keep it up!

Thanks for playing, @duke ! And the art and lack of most audio wasn't a choice, but it wasn't a lack of skill either, because with enough available time I can make professional art and audio. I just simply ran out of time, so the game ended out being short too. As for not using the vertical climbing, it is way too tricky for players who aren't skilled at platformers, so I decided to make gameplay simple for the sake of all players.

Great game! concept seems cool, but I was unable to understand what do do right from the start. The green loop is a platform, and the red takes you back to the start? The blocks with loops did not offer me any interaction and it did not seem like there was anything left to try. You requested ideas for 'upgrades', but I am not sure what you meant by that. If you mean powers like the green loop, then maybe lops that are portals, bouncy, one that moves? Regardless of that, I think the core gameplay needs to be properly explained and polished before additional features are added. I might have had a different experience if the puzzle solution was more clear, but for a game I can only play for a few minutes there was not enough explanation for me.
Hope to see you build on this!

Hey, thanks for the full version input @rhoff95 ! I definitely wish I could have made a tutorial, that was high on my to-do that I ran out of time to do.

So you throw loops...I couldn´t break the loop but It´s a cool idea for this LD47. Good job!

Very interesting game. I liked the mechanics of creating a "loop platform" to be able to climb in bigger places. The graphics are simple but functional, and the sound is ok. I just had a hard time understanding how I "finished the level", and accidentally ended up finding out, but I think I managed to enjoy all the experience that the game offered. Anyway, it was an interesting job. Congratulations.

Thanks for playing, @danielblanco3d @vphyre !

I gave 5 Stars on Theme. Not sure why it ended up so bad :(

@ausstein trolls perhaps? There's no way I would have gotten less than 3.5 without people trolling my game. I don't think anyone went as crazy on the theme as I did. Well anyway, thanks for the positive Theme rating! I really went mostly for Theme.

@peace-of-cake-games I don't think its only trolls. Many people only vote good on theme if it actually ties into a great game in general. Theme is by far your stongest category and I just think not many people would give 2 star overall but then 5 star on theme or simmilar...
Also probably many people think you forced the theme way too much. You did not build a game around the theme you just threw the theme on everything.
You got 100 ratings, so you can not just explain it with a few trolls. Just respect everyones opinions.
I think you did great on the theme!

Thanks @ausstein , but that would mean that people don't realize that Theme is separate from Overall. Theme really applies to theme in the game, so I'm still wondering... and wow! I did get 100 ratings! How strange, I never expected 100 ratings in my first game jam.

@peace-of-cake-games So I have played your game again and have gathered some thoughts. So putting aside the graphics audio and lack of tutorial my thoughts are these: Playing again without a time limit enabled me to explore your game with less pressure. When I first played it I was trying to get through as many entries as I could. So I took my time this time. So first and foremost I am so over side scrolling 2d platform games, I am 40 years old and have been exposed to then for 35 years of my life. It takes a lot to get my attention with this genre so I am pretty hard on them. I would say as a point of refference the only few that have caught my attention have been Exit Path and N+. Why I reference these is the movement and more specifically the movement feel. They are very satisfying. Your game does not compare well against those two and already that makes me not want to play it. If you develop this game further then that is where I would concentrate your energy first of all. It's what I tackled first in my post jam and I had to start from scratch to start getting it right. I am still not there yet but it is better. If the player is not liking the way they move then the drive to explore the deeper parts of the game is already inhibited. Without going on about the graphics too much the visual story telling would be where I would work next. Because the blocks were all the same it was not clear what my objective was and because I was left to work it out there was no real satisfaction is finding the right action to move on. It was a meh rather than a yes! The transition from one level to the next is where the theatre of the game comes in and I was left very flat from it. I would work out something more celebratory for those transitions from one world to the next. In terms or power ups etc I would work out how to expand the function of the loop you cast. At the moment it is a static platform. If you could cast it in a more flexible way then it could add some interesting functionality. Longer holds for bigger loops, long thin ones, moving ones, whips, ropes etc. the casting of the loop could give you many options to extend the interest and I doubt it would need much more than that.

I hope that's useful and good luck until next time

Interesting idea about enhancing the loop to make it do different things @arron-fowler ! That could definitely open up a whole world of unique possibilities, like having to knock down blocks, swing over pits, etc.

Hi all right !, I liked the idea of your game, I really like to use the construct, I believe that expanding the number of puzzles, and working more on the visual part can bring more people to play your game, at first the player is lost for not having something visual that represents the change, maybe placing blocks of different colors can help, congratulations again for the idea, I hope for the growth of your project, if you want to know some of my games made in construct, this is the link, a great hug. https://etrealjunior.itch.io/

Hey @etrealjunior ! Thanks for playing! I definitely agree there could be more explanation and different types of puzzles.