Hey! This was fun to play. I liked that there were absurd amounts of loot!

Nice work! The combat and controls are very fluent, and I like the art too!
Some more feedback in what is happening to that old man would ease the decision making.

Nice little game, it is definitely a challenge.
constrictive criticism: the camera shakes a little too much when you defeat an enemy, it is hard to focus on attacking another enemy while it is shaking.

positive feedback: Overall good amount of challenge and fits the theme nicely. Thanks for making it available via web! :)

Nice prototype, I think it could turn into something cool if you continued to work on it; would be interested in seeing your other projects

The controls are pretty rough, but do-able. The tough part the enemies mechanics, once they all swarm you, you get stuck no matter what and destroy you before you can kill all four everytime. Also don't understand the save/load system works since there doesn't seem to be anyway to save. Cool concept though. Good job all in all.

I like the speed and controlls of the game. Im not sure if its a bug or not, but it always happen to me, that Im fighting and from out of nothing it say that the old man died. But Im sure there were no enemies around him.

Thanks for the feedback so far. @kevin-meissner I checked that, and there's a bug when you die which shows the old man death screen instead of the player one. @forevertrash Perhaps a trigger collider would better fit the enemies. As for the saves, the game uses an autosave system whereby you can load the beginning of the last level you played and keep your treasure. @petrifiedapple Thanks, at the moment I have no other notable projects, but if I make anything substantial, I'll post it on my itch.io page. @matt2728 Unfortunately, browser performance issues caused the camera shake and treasure animations to run slower than in the editor. Thank you for mentioning that. I'll remember to optimize performance for future browser projects. @sol-roo I will be sure to add further story + intro if/when I continue this game after LD.

I was getting the "old man death" bug when I presumably died as well. Agree completely with the need for more feedback about character health/status. However, really liked the fluidity of the movement and combat. Maybe make the enemies get knocked back when you hit them to prevent mobbing?

@amkingtrp Thanks. I think knockback would fit really well.

First off... Congrats on finishing your first jam-game! That's a huge deal and deserves to be celebrated. The game is very cool and the controls felt snappy and responsive. The camera felt a bit too zoomed in and the camera-shake was maybe a too intense. But otherwise, fantastic work! Proud of ya.

@illuminegames Thanks! I'm working on a post-jam version adressing the issues and suggestions mentioned above. I'll post it here when it's ready.

Pretty nice, though the shake effect was rather annoying, maybe a bit too much shake-shakey. I liked the fast action though, felt challenged and that was fun. After adressing some issues I am sure this will be a solid game, good work!

You should look in to path finding methods, would make the game feel a lot better. And maaaaaaby a touch less screen-shake. But good effort!

@svenerik Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, the camera shake was a performance error, and since game was published close to the deadline, I didn't have time to rectify it. @njm-games Thanks for rating. I initially incorporated path finding, but had to remove it due to performance issues in the browser.

Fantastic new you completed your first jam game! It plays really nice and smooth, the graphics are good and I enjoyed playing :D

too much difficult for me XD. Nice Job anyway.

@grtodaro lol yeah im working on difficulty in my post LD version. Ill post here when it's ready.

lol, as noted above, less screen shake for sure. Wasn't quite sure what constituted a hit against me/etc but well done :)

It is very hardcore! Too hard for me. This concept can be very cool. Just keep working on it. Also try adding some sounds, it's very important

@nodlehs The player flashes red when hit, however this is not very clear, and my post LD version will have more information on the status of the player and the old man. @alex-karev I will look into sounds in the post LD version. I've never tried that before so should be interesting. I will also work on difficulty.

I am not good at this game LOl.

@lazzydev72 yeah lol im currently working on difficulty in my post LD version.

nice look overall. The screne shake is a bit too much, and had a hard time fighting off enemies. I also did not know what to do with my coins. It does play nicely though.

@niels In my post LD version, which I am currently working on I've changed the screen shake and am working on ways to make the enemies a bit less difficult(and in some cases impossible). The coins are just for fun but if I find a use for them I'll add it. Thanks for the feedback!

This was a really cool game! The controls were beautifully smooth and it was really satisfying to go around collecting coins. Combat was very difficult (but you know that) and I think it could maybe work if you increased the range of the weapon and gave the enemies one life.

And I really appreciate the addition of a pause menu, I know how difficult those are to add :)

Great entry!

@digitallimestone Thank you for your feedback! At the moment I'm working on a few different ways to improve difficulty, and I'll try your suggestions too. Glad you noticed the pause menu too! Unfortunately, it doesn't work in fullscreen on the browser, but I still like it, and I might add downloadable version in my post LD release, so it'll work there. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.

Cool idea to make an escort dungeon crawler for the theme! The gameplay feels very natural and easy to pick up. I kind of enjoyed the screen shake, it feels satisfying even if it's a bit much.

Overall this is pretty damn good for a solo game, good job!

@nazorus Thanks for the feedback. I just finished doing your game :)

Nice made game!
It works great and it has really hardcore game-play, it was challenging to play it, but after 4 dungeon i stopped, how much levels it has?

And it would be lovely to add some story to game) Who am i, who is this slow old man?) and why I should collect gold?)

@vladlawrence Thanks for commenting. The game has 5 levels because I didn't have much time, but in my post LD version, I'm hoping for at least 10. I also have plans for further story. I'll probably post the first version of the post LD today or tomorrow.

Nice work, kept me entertained for a while. I didn't really care for the enemy mechanics, they became really repetitive fast

@sorko Thanks for giving feedback! I'm working on enemies in my post LD version.

As promised I finally got around to playing keep him alive =)

As an fan of hack and rogue like games a dungeon crawler like this was immediately appealing to me, but it took me quite a while to kill even a single enemies and longer yet to get to the lower floors. On the other the high death rate did achieve to create a feeling of accomplishment once I managed to clear the first floor and advance. The addition of non combat rooms made exploring feel more rewarding, which is always nice.

Overall I think the game could benefit from further mechanics as well as a slightly less brutal difficulty curve in the very beginning :slight_smile:

@radow Thanks for trying out my game! In my post LD version, I'm working on difficulty among other things. The first version will be posted here today, check it out if you like :)

Really liked the pixel art style. Looks easy but it's actually pretty challenging. Good job!

@mobiledev Thanks for playing and rating! Glad you liked it. I'm taking down the difficulty in my post LD version because there were many situations in which it was physically impossible not to die :laughing:

@mobildev @radow @sorko @vladlawrence @niels @sol-roo @nodlehs @nazorus @ponypen @svenerik @njm-games @forevertrash @ben-taylor @lazzydev72 @alex-karev @digitallimestone @grtodaro @illuminegames @amkingtrp @kevin-meissner @petrifiedapple @matt2728

The first build of the post LD version is available on itch.io now. Try it here if you're interested: https://convg.itch.io/keep-him-alive-new

@digitallimestone meant to do this earlier, then forgot. Here's the code for the pause menu :slight_smile:

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.SceneManagement;

public class PauseScreen : MonoBehaviour
{
private GameObject Player;
private GameObject Cam;

public GameObject GameCanvas;
public GameObject PauseCanvas;
private bool Paused = false;

void Start(){
Time.timeScale = 1;
Player = GameObject.Find("Player");
Cam = GameObject.Find("Main Camera");
}

void Update(){
if(Input.GetKeyDown(KeyCode.Escape)){
if(Paused == false){
PauseCanvas.SetActive(true);
GameCanvas.SetActive(false);
Cam.transform.parent = null;
Player.SetActive(false);
Paused = true;
Time.timeScale = 0;
} else {
Unpause();
}
}
}

public void Unpause(){
PauseCanvas.SetActive(false);
GameCanvas.SetActive(true);
Cam.transform.parent = Player.transform;
Player.SetActive(true);
Paused = false;
Time.timeScale = 1;
}

public void ReturnToMenu(){
SceneManager.LoadScene("Menu");
}
}

also sorry for the bad formatting, I can't upload the file :/

Congrats on finishing your first game jam. It's always an impressive feat. This feedback is all based on the original version, not the post-jam.

I liked the simple art style, and the game was pretty darn too. The game could use a bit more explanation or what the player is supposed to do as it wasn't clear. Maybe just consider writing some more information on your ldjam.com game page and adding a coin UI.

I look forward to seeing what you make for Ludum Dare 47!

@ryannielson Thanks for the feedback! Story and instruction is currently my top priority for the post LD version.

Congratulations about finishing your first jam! And nicely done with the game. The movement and interactions feel good but next time maybe focus a bit more on positive feedback (picking coins, advancing through levels) than negative (aggressive camera shake). Apart from that really solid and nice idea.

@surfskater2 Thanks for the feedback! It may seem that I am only focused on negative feedback, but that is because the 'negative' feedback is really just constructive criticism, and helps me to make an even better version of the game, and learn in the process. That said, the positive feedback is a great help and I would like to thank everyone here for their support and feedback, and I hope to continue this game, and create a new one for LD47. :smile:

Managed to protect my old man for a great amount of time haha! Of course I was aiming to get all the gold available everywhere. and I found the trick of going into a room and before the enemies can attack me I just go a little bit out and just destroy them haha! Really nice entry good luck!

@savvu Thanks for playing. Now that you have discovered my secret developer quick level completion trick I'll have to remove it lol

Oh yeah of course! I don't mean the reviews negative feedback but the in-game feedback for the player such as sounds, particles camera behaviours etc. Is necessary to tell the player what is doing wrong but even better to cheer the good things when they happen. Sorry for the misunderstanding and keep it up!

@surfskater2 Got it. Thanks for replying! That is greatly appreciated. Sound is probably going to be the biggest factor towards positive feedback.

This was fun to play - I enjoyed the concept and the absurd amounts of loot! :)
I was a bit confused about combat: at first I assumed the camera shake meant I was taking damage, but it looks like it means I have killed an enemy? Also, the best strategy in the end seemed to be to leave the old man as far as possible when you need to go clear a room, so he didn't really end up mattering. If you are continuing with the game afterwards, maybe include some puzzles that need the old man to be in the room?
Overall, great work!

Fun game. The game was very intence when playing with Lunatic track by Static-X with all that screen shake and rythmic clicking experience. Talking without joking this is a nice roguelike-like. Screenshake makes combat satisfying, but maybe it's too hard like there's an earthquake. Some particles and sounds would make it significantly better. Now I'll go and check out the post LD version.

I've just finished upgraded version. This time with It's not too late - A killer's confession in the background. Post LD update is good. That two-sided sword strike animation is really funny when you swing it all around you. Knockback is a nice idea, makes the game a little more fair and...smart I guess. Actually, I finished your game, for some reason it got me and I was engaged. By the way, when the character runs diagonally he is a lot faster, is that a Quake reference?

Hey there! I thought like, what if I speedrun your game. And I tried to do this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agxc8TF4DCY

Good job! Very fun game. I am sad there is no sound or music, that would add it a lot, but otherwise great game!

@forgeronstudio Thanks for the feedback! Having puzzles involving the old man is a really good idea. I'm gonna need to make a list of all you guys' great suggestions :smile:

@wans24 I can't thank you enough for doing this. It means the world to me. Thank you so much!!! I haven't played Quake, although I would like to try it based on how good Enemy Territory Quake Wars was. Also, sorry for offending Quake players if they aren't at all alike lol

@banzi Thanks for playing! Sound and music are one of my top priorities in the post LD version, and I hope to have something soon.

@wans24 Just finished watching your speedrun. It's insane! How did you get so good at this so quickly!? Anyway, awesome job, thank you!

@convg As you can see I really enjoyed killing enemies all around and knocking them back. For that reason, if you would like to, you could make some combat mechanics for big numbers of enemies with some crowd control abilities. Guess that it would be really fun to mess around with tons of enemies slashing them.

@wans24 Awesome idea! Crowd control abilities would be really fun. I'm gonna try to update the post LD version once per day for the moment, so stay tuned! :)

Smooth and nice gameplay. Controls and graphics were great. Sometimes screen shake was too much but i liked this effect anyway :smile: nice idea, well done ^_^

This is a neat idea! I agree with someone else in that the piles of loot is nice, and the occasional surprise enemy was a good touch. That said, the way enemies move made it feel hard to attack them since they move so much faster than you, and only when you're so close. Also, when I _did_ kill them, the screenshake was absolutely insane - way more than you'd need for defeating a boss, let alone a common enemy. Maybe tune it down a little
Overall though, not bad!

@nightjolt Thanks for commenting! The camera shake was lowered in the post-LD version, but I think I need to bring it down even more.

@sciman101 The enemy difficulty and their general mechanics are greatly improved in the post-LD version and I'm thinking of further tweaks for them too :smile:

Good game! It was a little bit hard for me to kill the enemies. Enjoined playing it!

@coolestdoggie Thanks for taking the time to play my game. Enemy difficulty has been improved in the post LD version(i got a lot of comments about the difficulty lol).

Fun game! Played both versions. Like post LD46 better. In terms of further progression. I would love if you can add an arrow around the player pointing towards the old man. Also a health meter so we know if were about to die.

Good job!

@gamer-fates Thanks for the feedback. Health bars are a work in progress, and old man speed buffs are coming, as well as a penalty for losing sight of him.

Really enjoyed the art, reminded me a bit of the top down Zelda games, especially with the sword animation. I wanted to share some thoughts on what I would've liked to see in the combat system. First, it was pretty punishing and I didn't know how much health I had. Second, I think adding some sort of knockback system can really help balance the combat and provide the player more feedback. I think the difficulty really stems from them still being able to charge at you even when you hurt them, which makes it hard to time when I can attack safely. Great concept though, hope you expand on it further!

This game lacks some much needed UI to let the player know what is going on in the game. I have no health indicator or timer so I couldn't tell what was killing me. I had no idea what the coins and chests were for, and I found judging the distance I needed to be to successfully hit an enemy without getting hit back to be very difficult. The controls were very floaty, and it felt as though I was moving across an ice rink most of the time.
The screen shake was perhaps a little excessive and could do with turning down. Some improvements to the npc pathfinding would also help this game a lot. It's a shame this game lacks any music or sound effects, and the graphics are very 'programmer art' which unfortunately did not help alleviate any of the other issues.
At the core though there is a solid idea for a game and a fun action rpg gameplay loop. With more time, more polish, and better design this could be a decent game. While this isn't a great jam game, it is a game that you made in a weekend, and that is still a huge accomplishment. Learn from this and come back for the next Ludum Dare.

@legavroche Thanks for rating my game! Knockback is in the post LD version if you're interested. The enemies are a bit easier in general too. I'm working on healthbars for it too :smile:

@historymaker118 Thank you for such a detailed comment. It really helps. As said above, health bars are coming. Reduced enemy difficulty and camera shake(I still need to reduce it more lol) are already added to the post LD version :). Thanks for mentioning the controls, I havent heard anybody else say that, so it is especially helpful. The art will just take time and practise, so I'm working on that. I'll probably use sfxr to add some sounds. Unfortunately, I didn't have time at the weekend. Anyway, thank you both again for your detailed comments. I really appreciate them :slight_smile:

@convg: Just played the postjam version and had to say it was much improved! Good job :D

@legavroche Thanks! Always glad to see people try the post-jam version :)

@wans24 I added crowd control to the post LD version today if you want to check it out :)

@convg Don't understand the thing with the second point of the update, but I want to say that circle attack makes the game too easy and I think, that if I make another speedrun I will improve my result by another 30 seconds.

Played the web version. The movement of character and father are really good. Wish I could have used the coins, haha. The battle system, didnt work for me so well. But overall a good game, will try the post jam soon! Congrats!

Challenging game. Movement felt good. I was able to attack enemies safely by positioning just outside of their arenas. Swiping to gather loot was a nice simple solution to collecting loot. The old man had trouble pathing to me in a couple of spots. Otherwise had a lot of fun. Good jam!

Included your game in my list) https://wans24.itch.io/he-needs-healing/devlog/140983/what-ludum-dare-46-did-to-me

@wans24 Awesome, thanks! I'll probably nerf the circle attack's damage today.

@wans24 Awesome, thanks!

@wans24 Awesome, thanks!

Sorry for spam, the website glitched

The attacking animation felt really good, if you found a sound effect just for that that would be great. I didn't quite understand why the big circles with "5" on them teleport you to slightly different version of the same level. Is it all procedural? I'm not sure exactly how you are supposed to beat the game.

@scott-steffes Thanks for commenting. I'm working on ways to make the "manhole"(the thing with the 5), which is the exit to the level more obvious. Also, the first and second level just happen to be very alike, as well as part of the third. I'll probably edit them, but it's not currently my top priority.

Creative idea, and nise realisation!

@daniil-tcyvakin Thanks for playing my game. I'm glad you liked it!

Just spamming the left mouse button to kill the enemies was so fun! :laughing: Smooth top down controls!
Greato Jobu! :smile:

@god-colo Thanks for the feedback. It's good to see people enjoying my game

The sword effect is cool, I think the screen shake is a little too intense though. Some sound effects would likely make everything feel a little more alive.

Edit: I went back and played the new updated version. I think you need a less intense sound effect for the sword slash. It should be like a swish not an explosion.

@thebreakfast Thanks for commenting! It's my first time trying sound so I really appreciate feedback on it. I'll try to make more of a *fwip* sound :)

Was a very hard game for me, died very often and freqeuntly, however was a fun time

@systematic Thanks for playing! Everyone, including me, found the game too difficult. The post LD version's difficulty is far more balanced if you want to check it out :smile:

A fun little game! Was definitely hard haha I like the camera distance in the new version, adding some music and sound effects for the coins will add more to the experience. I see great potential for this!!

The controls are solid! Even though died relentlessly it was so rewarding to get so much treasure. I like how quickly the level reset after dying as well.

@midnightmist Thanks for the feedback! I'm currently working on sound effects(pretty bad at the moment bc it's my first time), and will add music if I get the game to a reasonably polished state. :)

@ryan-ackermann Thanks for commenting. I went a bit overboard with the difficulty during the jam so the post LD version has improved on that to make the game feel more balanced.

I played your game until the end. I like the sword animation and sound. Maybe the gold disappearance animation is too smouth and silent.

@juice-lizard Thanks for commenting! I'm working on new sound effects, including the coin. Thanks for mentioning the coins' smoothness. That's new. I'll make the. fade faster.

pretty fun little game. I wish it had some sound effects but hey it's a gamejam game and sound is always the last thing to consider usually. But overall felt pretty smooth. I didn't beat it, but at least made it to the 2nd level. My main feedback are that I didn't realize how much health I had and the screenshake when defeating enemies seemed way too strong

@barret Thanks for playing! I'm currently working on sound and healthbars in the post LD version. Screen shake has already been reduced in the post LD version, but i think I might need to reduce it even more lol.

oh ok I played the html5 version. Ooh healthbars will be nice to have. good additions.

@barret Thanks for replying. I'm glad you like what I've done so far :smile:

Nice flow, smooth controls. This knight looks like knob :D. I agree with @barret, hp bar would have been useful. Also this camera shake gives me impression of killing the BIG BOSS, not the standart enemy (even in PostLD version). Also, this simple following AI for the old man turns out to be really helpful - he just stays in safe place :)

@bredian Thanks for commenting! Glad you tried the post LD version too. I'm trying to make the AI get into more danger lol. Thanks for mentioning the camera shake still being too high. I noticed that the knight looked like a knob while I was making the game, so the animations are literally called knob_up, knob_right etc :laughing:

A nice entry, overall. Here's my feedback(a lot of this might already be mentioned in other comments):

The good:

- I liked the clean graphics.
- The controls felt responsive.

What can be improved:

- Enemies move way to fast. A lot of times it's impossible to enter a room without taking a hit. What I ended up doing most of the time was hiding in corridors, and hitting enemies while they were standing at the edge of a room :).
- I can really use a health bar. I have no idea if the next hit is gonna kill me or not.
- I'm not sure what the coins are for.
- Way too much screen-shake.

@fancypants Thanks for the feedback! In the post LD version, you can no longer hit enemies from the edge of the room(the go back to the centre). It's probably a good idea to make them slower, so thanks. I'm currently working on health bars. The coins are just for fun but I might assign some use to them. The screen shake is lower in post LD but I need to reduce it even more I think. Thanks for acknowledging that other comments may have adressed the same issues. I appreciate it :smile:

Nice work very very cool, the simple graphics!!!

@gameovermexico Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it :smile:

I enjoyed very much the game. Simple yet fun. The only suggestion would for you to create a 'difficulty ladder' by introducing one enemy only first because the first time I entered a run all hell broke lose and I could not understand much of what I could do or not. Other than that, good job :)

@trigueiro Thanks for the feedback. Having a difficulty ladder is a good idea. I'll improve the progression soon in my post LD version :)

This is hard game, but I had fun with it.

Some comments:
* The art style is simple, but works.
* Controls are a bit weird. The character has too much inertia for my taste. But it's very responsive, so that's good.
* The game is too hard at first. You should scale difficulty a bit.
* I didn't see any use for the coins. What am I missing?
* You should add some screenshots in your post.

Congrats!

@hhsaez Thanks for commenting! In my post LD version I'm working on difficulty. The coins are just for fun. Do you know if you are allowed add screen shots now or do I have to do it when I publish the game?

@convg you can edit your post and add screenshots if you like. Just remember to click "Save" before "Done" so changes take effect.

@hhsaez Thanks! Wasn't sure if it was against the rules :smile:

@convg it's ok as long as you don't change the game itself in any significant way (that is, beyond fixing bugs).

The game idea fits the theme well and the way it controls and looks is nice. But I have a few problems with it: the way I killed most enemies is to stand at the edge of their region and just attack where they stopped moving. I can't imagine that's the way it's supposed to play out but if I tried to go in and really fight with them I always quickly died , I tried several different ways but I think it was just impossible. Also the fact hat the old man is following is a cool idea but in this implementation I don't think it adds a lot because most of the time I left him behind somewhere (which was easy because he got stuck on walls), killed all the enemies and then went and picked him up. But again I like the controls, the way it looks and in principle the mechanic of being followed. I think everything is there but it should all be played off each other a bit better.

@shakedimus That was a very detailed comment. Thank you! I have made some changes to things you mentioned in my post LD version but more is still to be done, and this comment will be very helpful :smile:

@convg Yeah I checked out the post-LD version and the enemy difficulty/speed is much better ! :)

sorry dad

I accidentally played the initial version first and then the post LD version. Wow, what an improvement! The sound effect and slower enemy speed makes a huge difference! Yes there are some things which could still be improved: Dungeon layout, enemy behavior, loot. And maybe a bit less screen shake ;) But otherwise it was a good job and could be the base for something interesting!

Interesting game! I played the old version first by mistake, then saw the post ld version. Its great! I love that you increased what you can see on screen and added sound effects. Fun game, nice work!

@zubspace Thanks for the feedback! The first three dungeons badly need to be changed, and the enemies are a bit uninteresting at the moment, so I'll be working on them in my post LD version @virtuaworlds Thanks for commenting. I'm glad you liked it :)

Good take on the theme!

The gameplay is correct. I didn't notice any real bug. Sometimes enemies just stayed where they were but that's all.

Graphics are simple but they do the job, the main char is pretty nice. The sword animation is well made, good job there. Maybe tuning down a bit the screenshaking would be great, it's a bit too violent imho. ^^"
SFX are correct.

Controls are really good, it's responsive, no problem in the movements or hitting what you wanna hit.

I played the new version and OH WOW the improvement! Great job! The enemies are way way better and more manageable. The screenshaking is still a too violent in my taste but that's not gamebreaking.^^
If I may, as for the screenshaking, start from the lower value possible. Subtlety is important with screenshaking, if you make it too violent it may seem out of place, disproportionate compared to what's happening, etc..
I have to say it again, but I really like the sword animation!

The way you improved the new version made it way more fun, I would totally play an updated version.

Well, good job! o/

@ogma Thanks for leaving such detailed feedback! I'm glad you liked the sword animation so much :smile:. Thanks for the screenshake tips. Good to know :)

Really nice job on the Post Jam version, It is not much different but it feels so much better because of how polished it is. Good Job!

The two things I would add next are coin sound effects and pathfinding for the old man :) Then maybe add some new shiny armor for the coins :D

Most things have been said already and I don't want to repeat everything so here are two things I found that were not mentioned:

- Diagonal move speed is faster than straight line. There are some good tutorials online on how to fix this. like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whzomFgjT50 Watch until 9 minutes afterwards he does animations.

- Spamming mouse1 makes fights now way too easy in the post LD version, I liked the lure out and finish the enemies strategy you needed for original version. I would add a cooldown on how often you can click.

@ausstein Thanks! This is really good feedback :smile:. In future games, I will remove the diagonal movement thing, and that video is really helpful. I don't really want to in this game though because it actually adds to the fun a bit and makes speedrunning more interesting. I'll probably lower the sword's damage because the post LD version is pretty easy. Thanks again for commenting :)

@convg actually you can not really abuse this for speedunning. if you move a straight line in a zig-zag pattern you are not actually faster, your speed is higher but also the distance covered is higher which cancels out. (the zig zag just feels faster) Your Speed along the straight line is the same in both cases. You need some code to transfer your diagonal momentum into forward momentum if you want this to be a speedrun strategy. (kinda like bunnyhopping in source engine games like half life)

@ausstein That's a good point. I'll look into that. I'm a titanfall player so I do really like that kind of movement.

I never played Titanfall but I just watched this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lUoA9q0jnM

It seems like they really nailed the movement :D

If you want to I can help you making a momentum based movement where you can use diagonal movement to gain speed.

@ausstein Nice :smile:. I can't work live with you but it would be really helpful if you know of any tutorials or documentation on the subject.

@convg unfortunately I don't know if there are any tutorials for what you are trying to do.

I would need to see your movent code to know exactly what to do, but I'll try to give you a general rundown:


in your variable declarations do the following:

private float momentum =0;

private float old_momentum =0;

private float momentum_factor= 0.9;

- //this is a value between 0 and 1 that you can change to make the movement feel good. 0 means no change 1 means never loose momentum

you probably have a velocity x and a velocity y variable maybe they are seperate maybe they are in a vector 2.

if they are seperate use

momentum=mathf.sqrt(velocityx^2+velocityy^2)

if they are in a vector2 you can simply use

momentum=velocity.magnitude

Set momentum initially to 0 and do this at the **start** of your update function

At the **end** of your update function set

old_momentum = momentum;

before you update the position do the following:

if (old_momentum > momentum && momentum !=0)

- //the first part is so that it only affects keeping momentum and not building up momentum

{

velocityx \*= ((1-momentum_factor)+momentum_factor \* old_momentum/momentum)

velocityy \*= ((1-momentum_factor)+momentum_factor \* old_momentum/momentum)

}

@ausstein Wow, thank you! This is a really good piece of information to have, and will help a lot with future games as well as this one :smile:

@convg You are welcome

you might have to modify everything you are doing with max velocity as well, depending on how you have that implemented

@ausstein I actually don't have max velocity, and for the purpose of this, I might as well just leave it like that :P

Combat mechanic is simple and fun but maybe there would be nice to have HP bar for warrior (not the old man) and some combat sounds. Also, screen shake effect was a little bit distracting and quite annoying, I think it could be easily fixed by reduced amplitude/shake speed. Nice submission, overall, you did great job, keep progress and evolve, comrade!

@convg cool If you run into any problems, let me know

@room606 Thanks for commenting! I'll reduce camera shake in the next update. I'm working on health bars at the moment, and there's already one sound in the post LD version, but there are more to come :).

Hi @convg, I played both versions and had double the fun playing this game :) The graphics and the audio are well made and the story is really cute :D

Here are my suggestions to improve your game:

- Make the father's pathfinding better, he gets stuck very often
- Make a reason to collect money, like a shop or something like that
- Make the father more important, at the moment, he just walks. Make the enemies go for him as well and it will add a whole new element to the game, it will even help for making shops (where you can buy health potions for you two)

Oh and also a thing I wanted to ask you, is the dungeon generated randomly every level or the game is just longer than I thought?

Anyway, amazing job! :smile:

BTW, when you restart a level, it keeps the money you collected from the last attempt.

@convg Thanks. But if the majority is fine with current screen shake visuals - just leave it as is :smile: @gelgavish - Agree, +1 for better path finding.

@gelgavish Thanks for the detailed feedback! I tried A* and Dijkstra's method for the father during the jam, but they were too performance-heavy. Do you know of any faster methods for the browser? I agree that it would really help gameplay. I've had a lot of comments about the money. I'll start to make a plan for what to do with it, and this comment will be especially helpful. Enemies targeting the father is a good idea. I'll also try to make him walk into trouble a bit more. The first game has 5 levels, and the post LD currently has 7 :)

I really enjoyed your game!, though in the end... I could not successfully rescue my dad. Sorry dad. :(

@lcossette lol glad you liked the game :)

This is quite a good game! The screenshake, while a little excessive, is great and adds a good feel to the game. The combat was intense and fun, and the quantity of loot was really cool (and I admired the slow fade animation of the coins)! The AI could be hit by attracting them and standing just outside the room, and the combat was a hard with the short range. Overall, really good. Your game packs quite a punch! It feels really good to play and the excessive movement, AI aggressiveness, and screenshake come together really well into a skill based game. You have done really well to acheive that in a game jam (wow)! Keep it up, this is really good so far! Well done!

P.S. Glad to see you continued it after the jam!

@emperor-eagle Thanks for the great feedback! The screenshake has been lowered in the post LD version, and enemies can no longer be attacked from outside the room :)

The graphics are simple and clean. Movement is very fluid, control is great with the direction of mouse position and I like how the ball you have to protect is following you. Otherwise the mechanic is very simple but efficient. It's a nice base for a game. The only thing that bothered me was when you destroy the enemies : I think the shake camera is too strong. It's like an earthquake ^^ Anyway, it is a pleasant clean entry. Well done.

@matootsy Thanks for rating! The screenshake is lowered in the post LD version along with many other improvements. Check it out if you're interested!

Well done on your entry! It's a pretty solid hack&slash for such a short time. If there's one thing I'd change about it, it would be to increase the time your character changes colour after being hit - right now it blinks so fast it's almost unnoticeable. I had fun playing it, now I'll check the post-LD version to see how much you've improved on it. Great job! ;)

@lcstark Thank you for the feedback. It probably is a good idea to make the flash longer :)

Graphics are a bit simple but gameplay is solid and you did a great level design. I don't think I can add anything more to what other people have already said. Good work!

@naca Thanks for replying! I'm glad you like it.

As opposed to other feedback saying the controls are rough, I consider them to be very fluid and fast, which is what I liked the most about the game, I like how it doesn't feel "bouncy".

The idea of making the character and his father rounded from top view has some charm to it.

What could be better:
- Just a few sound effects would make the whole difference in the game (I recommend some quick and dirty solutions like https://www.bfxr.net/).
- Escalates too quickly / too hard.
- What is the point of all that loot?

@splitpainter Thanks for replying! I'm working on sound with bfxr at the moment. Difficulty is better in the post LD version. The loot is just for fun but I might add some kind of shop and the end of the level :)

Some random feedback:
- I guess it says "the old man died" even when you died? I assume the old man died as a consequence of that, but it's a little deceptive.
- The enemies are... weird. They kill you pretty fast. They move super fast. Their behaviour is extremely simple, making them rather boring. And they stop at the door and wait to be killed, which, considering their speed and damage output, might be the only proper way of killing them, but it's not very exciting.
- Why is there a really heavy screenshake after killing an enemy? Does it explode? It feels completey unneeded to me.
- Why does the loot very, very slowly fade out after I have picked it up? Why am I collecting loot at all?
- The levels are a bit samey. There doesn't seem to be a big difference between, say, level 2 and 4. I assume that's mainly because the only really meaningful thing to interact with are the enemies, and you only have one kind.
- The controls are pretty snappy.
- The graphics are simple, but communicate well what they are.

I read in a comment above that you were looking for a method to improve the father's pathfinding a bit. I assume you used A\* with tiles? With big rooms like this, that's rather unneeded. Instead, you could define waypoints (in a way that anywhere you are, you can see at least one waypoint) and only connect those into a graph. Then see if the father can "see" the player directly without any obstacle. If he can, walk directly to the player. If he can't, find the closest waypoint that the father can "see" and the closest waypoint that the player can "see", and A\* your way through that. Should be really snappy, considering your level size.

Another way to improve on the pathfinding is to not completely recalcuate the whole path each frame. You could for example do it like this each frame:
- Can the father see the player?
- Yes: Throw away any saved path. Go directly towards the player.
- No, and there is a saved path from last frame:
- Is the player still visible from the endpoint of the saved path?
- Yes: Follow the saved path.
- No: Calculate a new path. Follow that.
- No, and there is no saved path: Calculate a new path. Follow that.

@tobiasw Wow! That is some really detailed feedback. Thank you. I've fixed the old man died thing. It was actually a bug. Enemies no longer stop at the door, and are easier to kill. They also can no longer trap you in corners. The length of the screenshake and coin fade happened because the browser was slower than the engine, which I didn't have time to correct. I'm still trying to perfect the amount of time. The loot currently is just for fun, but I am considering making a shop at the end of each level. More variety would certainly help the levels. I'm working on new things in the post LD version. Thanks for the information on pathfinding. It's really helpful!

Great job!

I liked the ambiance given by the very slow follower and the gold scattered everywhere. Even if the gold is useless, it makes you want to go for it, but the old man keeps you from going too fast and makes you feel tension.
I did not understand precisely the lose conditions. There could be more visual and audio feedback on that.
The attack animation is clear and feels responsive. The ennemy are hard (impossible?) to beat without getting hit.

As stated by others, you should consider A* path finding. It is often useful and this is the perfect prototype to learn how to implement it.

Thanks for the game!

@doot Thanks for the feedback! The enemies are easier in the post LD version, because they often actually were impossible, not just to take no damage, but to survive at all. A* is one of my main objectives at the moment :)

I thought my knight was invincible until I died on level 5. Maybe
A: Make the knight actually invincible - after all, it's the father you're trying to save.

B: Add health bars for both or hearts, so we know to expect death, or act more cautiously , if there's 1/5 hearts left.

@johnnysix Thanks for commenting! I'm working on health bars at the moment :)

It is a nice idea and the game works well. But it could use some polish:
- Some sound effects/music would do wonders here for the atmosphere and immersiveness of the game.
- I think the screen shake effect is just too much as an effect for killing one enemy. Maybe tone it down somewhat or change to something else.
- Old man seemed to get stuck in the corners a lot, had to go and get him. That is not such a bad thing, though, as being stuck in a corner made him stay safe ;).
- HP bar of a main character would be great. HP bar on the old man is probably unnecessary as I bet he dies from one hit :wink:
- I am not sure why I am gathering the gold at all. Can't buy anything with it and the game tells me nothing about that. If you would, for example, start the story with something like "You take your father on his last dungeoning trip. He used to be a great looter but now he is getting old and needs protection. Gather as much gold as you can and make your father rich in his golden years!" That simple change would justify the protection element and give me a reason to gather all that gold.

Congratulations on finishing a jam game!

@fabula-rasa Thanks for commenting! I'm working on sound effects, and I might add music later on. I'm working on implementing pathfinding in post LD, as well as health bars. I'm working on adding a shop at the end of each level to use the gold on :)

Oh, no! Hahahahah.


It is possible to stay outside the rooms fishing for enemies, as they stop following.


Gogogo!




\o

@convg Wow, thanks for working in my feedback so quickly! If the screenshake/fade time is different between engine and browser - are you using delta time to scale it (and all other things)? If not, you might want to start to make everything independent from the frame rate. Here's an article on it that might get you started: https://medium.com/@dr3wc/understanding-delta-time-b53bf4781a03

@gustavo-christino lol thanks for the feedback. I fixed the edge of the room thing in post LD.
@tobiasw Thanks for the article :smile:

Análise...

1 - Mecânicas, Aprendizado e Fluxo:
Gostei bastante de jogar este jogo, porque eu sinto falta de jogos nessa perspectiva mecânica de explorar masmorras (ao menos nesta Ludum Dare eu vi poucos assim, talvez por azar meu).
Outro fator interessante, foi o "homem velho" ficar me seguindo. Eu não sei se ele se machuca, pois eu sempre morri antes de ter qualquer feedback sobre isso.
Nesse sentido, creio que seria bom ter alguma noção sobre a saúde (pontos de vida, HP) dos personagens (senti muita falta disso).
Gostaria que tivesse mais uso para o dinheiro, quem sabe no início de cada sala, com uma pequena loja para melhorar equipamentos (para ambos) e recuperar os pontos de vida. Outra possibilidade simples, seria ter um placar de pontuação (mundial), ou ao menos ter um placar com os próprios recordes.
Em termos de aprendizado, o jogo ensinou rápido. Creio que apenas movimentar e atacar sejam formas simples e (ao mesmo tempo) interessantes de agir. Sem contar a questão estratégica de guiar o "homem velho".
O fluxo de jogo me pareceu bastante desbalanceado, pois as unidades inimigas são muito rápidas e muito difíceis de desviar. Creio que "emburrecer" essas unidades poderia ser um passo interessante (quem sabe jogar uma moeda para elas irem ver do que se trata, ou poder se aproximar por trás andando lentamente segurando outro botão). Sei que mudaria bastante o gênero, mas seriam novas formas de interagir (caso pretendam dar continuidade ao projeto).
Como mencionado em imagens acima, é possível enfrentar os inimigos sem se arriscar muito (na minha última tentativa, eu consegui avançar até o penúltimo nível sem maiores problemas, fazendo isso).
Há dois ou três inimigos que não se movem (não sei se estão com bug, ou se eram para ser assim mesmo, ou se indicam alguma passagem secreta (o que também seria interessante)).
A possibilidade de ter arma de ataque à distância também me agrada (arco e flecha, crossbow ou algo do tipo).

2 - Gráficos, Áudio e Narrativa:
Os gráficos são bastante simples, mas são capazes de entregar a experiência pretendida.
Senti falta de HUD para acompanhar os pontos de vida das unidades do jogador.
Gostaria muito que tivesse áudio, com música ambiente de fundo bem distante. Talvez que o som aumentasse ou adicionasse uma camada sonora estando a meia sala de distância de qualquer confronto.
Efeitos sonoros também fizeram muita falta (ao meu ver). Creio que poderia ter implementado para melhorar a experiência. Com diversos sons diferentes para cada tipo de golpe (para não ficar tão repetitivo).
A narrativa é simples e direta, você tem uma unidade a ser protegida (homem velho) e deve avançar entre os estágios. Seria possível realizar o polimento disso.
Em caso de continuidade do projeto, seu serviço poderia ficar atravessando diferentes pessoas com diferentes histórias e esses personagens poderiam ajudar e/ou atrapalhar nas masmorras. Além de conversarem e lhe pagarem (talvez isso avançasse a própria história do personagem do jogador (PdJ)).

3 - Cultura:
Creio que o jogo converse bem com outros jogos com visão de cima no estilo RPG virtual (VRPG). O que me deixa na expectativa de jogar uma versão melhorada/polida/estendida/com som.
Além disso, o jogo fala sobre cuidado (com outra pessoa). Então creio que seja um ponto forte, um potencial interessante para o projeto a nível cultural/social.

4 - Monetização:
Com as extensões e os polimentos indicados, creio que o jogo poderia alcançar outro nível e se tornar algo vendável em stores como itch.io e outras.

Analysis...

1 - Mechanics, Learning and Flow:
I really enjoyed playing this game, because I miss games in this mechanical perspective of exploring dungeons (at least in this Ludum Dare I saw few like that, maybe because of my luck).
Another interesting factor was the "old man" following me. I don't know if he gets hurt, as I always died before I had any feedback on that.
In that sense, I think it would be good to have some notion about the health (hit points, HP) of the characters (I missed it a lot).
I would like it to have more use for the money, perhaps at the beginning of each room, with a small store to improve equipment (for both) and recover the life points. Another simple possibility would be to have a scoreboard (worldwide), or at least have a scoreboard with the records themselves.
In terms of learning, the game taught fast. I believe that just moving and attacking are simple and (at the same time) interesting ways of acting. Not to mention the strategic issue of guiding the "old man".
The game flow seemed very unbalanced, as the enemy units are very fast and very difficult to deflect. I think "dumbing down" these units could be an interesting step (who knows how to throw a coin so they can see what it is about, or be able to approach from behind by walking slowly holding another button). I know it would change the genre a lot, but it would be new ways of interacting (if they intend to continue the project).
As mentioned in the images above, it is possible to face the enemies without taking too much risk (on my last attempt, I managed to advance to the penultimate level without any major problems, doing this).
There are two or three enemies that don't move (I don't know if they have a bug, or if they were meant to be, or if they indicate a secret passage (which would also be interesting)).
The possibility of having a ranged weapon also pleases me (bow and arrow, crossbow or something like that).

2 - Graphics, Audio and Narrative:
The graphics are quite simple, but are capable of delivering the desired experience.
I missed HUD to track the health of the player's units.
I would very much like it to have audio, with background music in the distance. Perhaps the sound would increase or add a sound layer half a room away from any confrontation.
Sound effects were also sorely missed (in my view). I think it could have been implemented to improve the experience. With several different sounds for each type of blow (not to be so repetitive).
The narrative is simple and direct, you have a unit to be protected (old man) and you must advance between the stages. It would be possible to polish that.
In case of continuity of the project, your service could be crossing different people with different stories and these characters could help and / or hinder the dungeons. In addition to talking and paying him (perhaps that would advance the player's own character (PC) story).

3 - Culture:
I think the game talks well with other top-view games in the virtual RPG (VRPG) style. Which makes me look forward to playing an improved / polished / extended / sound version.
In addition, the game talks about care (with someone else). So I think it is a strong point, an interesting potential for the project at a cultural / social level.

4 - Monetization:
With the extensions and polishes indicated, I believe that the game could reach another level and become something salable in stores like itch.io and others.

Great game! I like the gameplay and it is an fun and motivational game. Every time I die, I do not give up, I keep wanting to play again. It is these simple games that are fun to play.

@gustavo-christino Thanks for the really detailed comments! I am working on health bars in post LD, and a store at the end of each level. A leaderboard sounds like a good idea. I've never done one before, so it should be interesting. I like your ideas for enemy mechanics. They would add another level of enjoyment to the game. I fixed immobile enemies, and they no longer stay at the entrance to the room when you leave. There is a secret passage on a level that has not yet been released in the post-LD version. A bow sounds like a lot of fun, and a perfect use case for the store.

I'm working on sound at the moment, and multiple hit sounds seems like a good idea to maintain interest. I like the idea of escorting different people with multiple stories, and using that to progress the player's story/character development.

Thanks again for the amazing feedback :)

@unimaginable-code-studios Thanks for the feedback. Im glad you like it!

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