LudumData

Karel by Dry Tree

[raw]
made by Dry Tree for LD34 (JAM)
Karel is a two button puzzle game in which you guide a robot through a series of challenges. The robot can only carry two items at a time, and that includes one or more of the very limited movement control cards. The games sees you plotting a path through each level to achieve your ends while leaving half of your controls across the room.

This was going to be a Compo entry, but I had other stuff to do on Sunday so it became a Jam entry instead. Aside from the 48 hour limit I stuck to the rules of the Compo.

My background is is programming so I decided this time around to focus on my 'programmer art', and I think I've learned a bit about modelling and texturing. Any tips or feedback in this area would be great.

Enjoy :)

P.S. If I had my time again I wouldn't make a puzzle game. Next time I'll focus on something I find fun regardless of whether it fits the theme, because this time I kind of did it the other way around!



Tools Used:
Unity, Blender, paint.net, NormalMap-Online, Bfxr, Audacity, AutoTracker

Tested on Firefox 42, Windows 8.1, and Android 5.1.1
Web https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15062109/LD34/WebGL/index.html
Windows https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15062109/LD34/Karel%20Windows.zip
OS/X https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15062109/LD34/Karel%20OSX.zip
Linux https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15062109/LD34/Karel%20Linux.zip
Android (Google Play) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DryTree.Karel
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=5357

Ratings

Coolness 52% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.25 584
Audio(Jam) 2.67 628
Fun(Jam) 3.11 557
Graphics(Jam) 3.14 678
Humor(Jam) 2.07 787
Innovation(Jam) 3.82 97
Mood(Jam) 2.91 755
Theme(Jam) 4.00 225

Feedback

Gipzo
19. Dec 2015 · 10:17 UTC
Nice idea, but controls are very difficult and not very intuitive - i lost commands several times and had to go around again to get them back. I guess "back" button would be nice, but then it wouldn't be "Two-button controls" :(

Overall - good idea, art is not beautiful, but fits very nice :)
simon.parzer
19. Dec 2015 · 10:44 UTC
Interesting mechanics with the dropable skills. Not very intuitive though, maybe better visual feedback or even easier tutorial levels would help
Japes
19. Dec 2015 · 11:36 UTC
That was really great, best game I've seen yet. Really polished, clever mechanic. My only real criticism is that it's too short! Some more levels would be nice.
I suppose you could easily add more, and then you'd have a finished game.
One other thing is that I would often mistime when trying to go through an open door, resulting in my colliding with it and turning instead.
piper82
19. Dec 2015 · 21:44 UTC
cool idea. checkpoint would be nice.
Scipio Xaos
19. Dec 2015 · 22:36 UTC
Welp... I try to launch the game and it just crashes instantly. I see a flicker of the window opening and closing rapidly, but the game simply doesn't play.
(Linux: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS )
Chewie
19. Dec 2015 · 22:39 UTC
Good idea about programmable robot and limited command slots for it, like it.
TheMonsterFromTheDeep
19. Dec 2015 · 22:46 UTC
This is a cool game, although I'm afraid I can't even figure out the second level! :D
ElliotFiske
19. Dec 2015 · 22:48 UTC
Cool puzzle idea! The mechanic was really satisfying once I got the hang of it. The one annoying bit is trying to get through a door that's just been opened, and bumping into it, wasting some time.

Other than that, good, well-polished puzzle game!
🎤 Dry Tree
19. Dec 2015 · 22:50 UTC
I'm not sure what's up with the Linux build and 14.04, but I'll keep it up in case it works for other people. However I've just tested the WebGL version under Linux Mint (based off Ubuntu 14.04) and it works fine.
Jesse Freeman
19. Dec 2015 · 22:51 UTC
Really great take on the theme. Feel like the swapping UI could be clearer but it works once you get used to it. I could see lots of interesting puzzles or even a level editor for this. Great job!
Xanjos
19. Dec 2015 · 22:52 UTC
Puzzles were pretty difficult but I really like the control card mechanics plus great use of the theme.
Echo Team
19. Dec 2015 · 23:00 UTC
Pretty cool idea! I blew up the robot.
KriBoNiTa
19. Dec 2015 · 23:49 UTC
i agree with other users. Very nice idea, but the game comes too hard too soon ^^
hyperscope
20. Dec 2015 · 01:21 UTC
Very cool concept; nice very graphics; good sound effects and non-repetitive audio;
However, getting through the door was extremely difficult.
Neil
20. Dec 2015 · 08:27 UTC
Good use of the theme, and nice hard puzzles. The drop mechanic is a bit annoying and it is easy to mess up, but that is restricted by the two button controls. Great entry!
zenmumbler
20. Dec 2015 · 11:36 UTC
A difficult puzzler. For compo-level visuals this is pretty good, but I don't have the patience for most puzzlers unless they are very forgiving… which is why my entry is a snowball rolling down a hill :)

Anyway, looks like a good effort but I admit I stopped halfway the first real level.
andrewkennedy
21. Dec 2015 · 21:51 UTC
The game was cool, but the swapping/dropping part felt a little off, I couldn't ever tell what the S key was going to do until I pressed it.
davekalina
24. Dec 2015 · 16:43 UTC
It's an interesting and different puzzle game but level 2 is a total bear -- too easy to end up in a permanent fail state. I felt pretty committed to solve it though, which is a good thing!
Wakefield
03. Jan 2016 · 06:37 UTC
Cool idea but the controls are weird and hard to understand at first. Kind of frustrating, maybe a better level planification to give the player an appropiate difficult curve