LudumData

Soaring Under by jitspoe

[raw]
made by jitspoe for Ludum Dare 48 (COMPO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adH-5RY7wns

jump<em>start</em>short.gif

Take flight with a wingsuit into the depths of fantastic caves and other rock formations! See how far you can get without crashing and how many orbs you can collect to compete with your friends. You won't be able to collect all the orbs in a single run, but you can try to collect all the orbs in multiple runs or see how many you can collect in a single run. Previously collected orbs will turn blue so you know what you've gotten. Try to collect them all!

``` Controls: ESC - bring up menu to adjust settings

Ground: WASD/Arrow keys: Move Space: Jump Mouse: Look

Air: Mouse: Look W/Forward: Turn toward look direction AD/Left and Right arrow keys: Lean (lift goes to the side) S/Back: Brake (increases drag to slow down) R: Quick reset

Lift happens automatically based on your velocity, so you need to counter it by looking down and pressing forward. Look forward or release controls to float up if you have enough velocity.

Dev Cheats: Keypad +: Create a checkpoint at your current position + velocity Keypad Enter: Respawn at checkpoint (not really meant to be used, but might be useful when really struggling) ```

MAKING OF:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt2zly-9BYY https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x812i6z

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vONW-PTXk8 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8163zt

Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yXtLO-ZwbM https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x81770z

Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVdFY4D-4ks https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8197r1

Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7mN691gIi0 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x81awwz

(Still compiling more videos -- more parts will be out soon. Maybe subscribe so you don't miss them!)

Full development streams, if you REALLY want to get into all the details of how everything was made are available here:

Day 1: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1010765462

Day 2: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1010764791

NOTE: The web version has a bit of audio lag, is a very large download, and won't save settings, so I recommend downloading the game.

Link https://jitspoe.itch.io/ld48-soaring-under
Link https://jitspoe.itch.io/ld48-soaring-under
Link https://jitspoe.itch.io/ld48-soaring-under
Link http://lonewulfstudio.com/ld48_soaring_under/
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/soaring-under

Ratings

Overall 45th 4.108⭐ 90🧑‍⚖️
Fun 64th 4.017⭐ 89🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 122th 3.885⭐ 89🧑‍⚖️
Theme 392th 3.682⭐ 90🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 54th 4.256⭐ 90🧑‍⚖️
Audio 8th 4.341⭐ 90🧑‍⚖️
Humor 123th 3.482⭐ 84🧑‍⚖️
Mood 34th 4.198⭐ 88🧑‍⚖️
Given 61🗳️ 90🗨️

Feedback

LitmusZest
26. Apr 2021 · 02:41 UTC
Nice @jitspoe! Took a hot minute to get the hang of keeping my momentum and steering but it's a fun game. Love the crash sounds. I wanted the cave to keep going deeper, so you must have done something right.
CinderBlock
26. Apr 2021 · 02:50 UTC
It's certainly very very pretty. I'm a sucker for low poly stuff, I love these roaming style games, and the audio is also very well done. I did find it very hard to collect the pickups however. That's my only gripe personally.
Zephi_Sero
26. Apr 2021 · 02:54 UTC
Nice, played for a while. Music fits really well, I like the funny crash noise. I didn't really care too much about the pickups, I just liked gliding through the cave.
Attala
26. Apr 2021 · 05:51 UTC
Followed your progress on Twitch this weekend while making my own game. Nice to try the game afterwards. This is very well done although difficult to get a hang of. The piano sound when crashing is a nice touch and of course the music is beautiful. You also took the time to make a proper options menu. I appreciate that :)
William Corrin
26. Apr 2021 · 08:12 UTC
Its super pretty. I enjoy how taking flight kicks off a nice calming piano piece, and then dying makes dissonant notes appear...lol! I will say, pickups are basically impossible to get. I almost feel like a third person mode would be better, as i find myself colliding into things when i think im safe.

Overall a really good entry though!
Choppers
26. Apr 2021 · 09:43 UTC
I really liked the look of the game, and the piano notes being played randomly when the player crashes. It was fun when you got the hang of the controls too.
Sam Bigos
26. Apr 2021 · 10:27 UTC
A nice, if a little short, experience. Flight mechanics are quite well done, takes a while to understand but that's not a problem. Pickups are basically impossible to get and not worth taking the risk. It kind of conflicts with the laid-back/calming flying gameplay to make the pickups so small. I think if they were bigger and easier to grab it would be really satisfying to grab them while soaring. It's hard in 48 hours but the map could have been bigger, it kinds of ends as soon as you get into the rhythm. Procedural would be great but obviously much harder. Audio work is fantastic, especially the rustling of the wingsuit at high speeds. Really nice!
3LSTMsInATrenchcoat
26. Apr 2021 · 12:49 UTC
I love basically everything about this. Probably my favourite so far. Echoing what others have said, I just wish the map was a bit bigger and the pickups were less impossible to grab.
GameDev and Architecture
26. Apr 2021 · 14:10 UTC
Awesome game !
Simplistic but nice graphics.
I loved the little details, like the piano notes when colliding with somethinG

I had a hard time getting far in the game but it didn't prevent me from enjoying the game.
I found out that by going in the opposite direction at the start, I can go outside the map, an potentially go further by going back in near the cave entrance.
🎤 jitspoe
26. Apr 2021 · 17:16 UTC
The pickups are, indeed, very difficult to get. I put them in as sort of a challenge thing to encourage people to take daring paths so there was more of a game scoring mechanic, and you could try to beat your friends in collectables gathered if you're a more competitive type. I did mean to bump the collision up a bit, but, well, when there's 50 things you want to do in the last hour of the jam, some get missed. :)


@gamedev-and-architecture I wanted to put a secret there :) Ran out of time, though. :\
Adam_B
27. Apr 2021 · 00:44 UTC
Had a hard time grasping the controlls at first, but pretty nice anyway! Nice atmosphere and art. There are a lot of interesting sceneries that could be added in the future.
VikingLord2000
27. Apr 2021 · 00:52 UTC
I really love the music in the game, and the flight controls is pretty easy to get the hang of. I really wish the game was longer, but that will hopefully come in later updates. Fingers crossed!
Vimlark
27. Apr 2021 · 01:17 UTC
I love it but I absolutely suck at it LOL. Great work!
LillyByte
27. Apr 2021 · 03:12 UTC
You'll never have so much fun hitting rock bottom as this.
PookiPoot
27. Apr 2021 · 03:15 UTC
Man, you nailed it in every regard. From the really clean graphics to the beautiful and then hilarious piano crashes. I definitely have to revisit Godot engine. 5/5
🎤 jitspoe
27. Apr 2021 · 04:49 UTC
@pookipoot Godot 3.3 was JUST released and has a new lightmap baker, which I used for this project.
ThatmanRobin
27. Apr 2021 · 06:54 UTC
Fantastic! I loved how the music synced up with the gameplay and also the dying lol. I was terrible I mean TERRIBLE at the game, but cool game!
killthealias
27. Apr 2021 · 11:10 UTC
Enjoyably tricky to get the hang of, just like a classic arcade game. Might have benefited from an arrow showing your velocity? The way the glider swooped upwards without the correct finessing was hard to get the hang of, but so satisfying once it clicked. Loved the comedic piano impact noises. I wonder if there are any hidden easter eggs?
Game-mon
27. Apr 2021 · 12:53 UTC
Cool graphics, liked the gameplay as well, and the sound design was really clever. A bit hard for me to control myself, but had a good time trying to get the hang of it. Congrats! :D
🎤 jitspoe
27. Apr 2021 · 14:54 UTC
@vimlark Since I didn't have voice lines to taunt you in the game this time, let me just point out how easy it looks to grab the pickups in the video. ;)
InitialPosition
27. Apr 2021 · 15:44 UTC
This has to be in my top 3 this jam easily.

Amazing graphics, beautiful soundtrack (and death sound lol), nice controls that take a bit of time to get the hang of, nice scenery... just awesome. Good work!
KaizerKlimach
27. Apr 2021 · 15:48 UTC
Nice, clean graphics, interesting idea. To the extent of difficult control. A little lacking in feedback during the flight. But in general, everything is fine!
Artyom Volkov
27. Apr 2021 · 15:57 UTC
At first, the game seem relaxing, but after it turns out to be Flappy Bird. I like the idea, but in my opinion the game is too hard to play at the beginning. And big respect for Godot.
Staquet Sylvain
27. Apr 2021 · 15:58 UTC
Super cool game, and a compo over that ^^
🎤 jitspoe
27. Apr 2021 · 16:06 UTC
@tricky-fat-cat Try aiming down SLIGHTLY for a gradual, consistent descent. You don't want to flappy-bird it and go up and down a lot. Takes a bit of time to adapt to the controls and physics. I probably should have made the beginning a bit less challenging, but it's difficult to get the level design, assets, physics, controls, etc. all working together in just 2 days. :D
Artyom Volkov
27. Apr 2021 · 16:13 UTC
@jitspoe completely understand you. That's why I adopt the approach to make a jam game slightly easier despite strong notion that players must suffer!
TheBookSnail
27. Apr 2021 · 16:29 UTC
The music! The failed sfx! The gliding! So polished, I'm jealous. Racking my brain for suggestions, uhhh... don't listen to people who say it's too hard? ;)
der_finski
27. Apr 2021 · 17:39 UTC
Very infuriating, pls dont do this to humankind XDDD
the controls were as was to be expected very hard, short but fun game
Vatx
27. Apr 2021 · 18:03 UTC
The controls take time to get used to, but after getting them down it makes for a really nice experience and even just trying to learn how to control yourself is fun! Quite relaxing as well, especially with that music.
recursor
27. Apr 2021 · 21:08 UTC
The clay look of the world is really nice, and the piano music when you kill a run is great. The beginning is definitely challenging, but getting everything balanced in 2 days is quite difficult. Great work making a well-polished, hard, but enjoyable game. I think given some more play-testing, balance time, and additional stages, this could be a neat "pay for" game.
AGW
28. Apr 2021 · 01:14 UTC
Very difficult, the way I like
Trensient
28. Apr 2021 · 05:49 UTC
A great interpretation of the theme! I really like the idea of having a gliding mechanic, which literally doesn't allow you to go above your starting height, to force the player to go deeper and deeper. The audio is amazing, particularly how the music stops and plays piano notes as if somethings slamming into the music itself. Overall neat game!
VeryGenuineCraze
28. Apr 2021 · 10:27 UTC
Nice game ! I love the music and the impact on the piano, it gives a really clear feedback that youy failed :smile:
It can be difficult really quick but it's easy to retry.
Steve Johnstone
28. Apr 2021 · 20:41 UTC
Ahh, I'm so bad at this! I love the little duck quack as it hits the wall. It's soothing while you fly but I can't fly too long. I'm clearly doing something wrong though based on other people's feedback. Good job on the environment and music, they're super lovely and work really well together.
Zathnic
28. Apr 2021 · 21:02 UTC
Like others have mentioned, the flight mechanics are quite hard to get a hang of; I noticed myself holding forward most of the time and not really using the left, right and down keys since I felt I was more in control that way. With enough time, I'm sure you could master it and it would be a really interesting challenge to go for the collectibles.

My suggestion would be adding an easier difficulty mode where you don't instantly lose when you strafe a wall, could make it easier to gain practice when you can more freely and for a longer time just fly around and learn from your mistakes.

The atmosphere was of course very beautiful, there's something quite soothing about slowly drifting down into each new area.
Sharks
29. Apr 2021 · 01:21 UTC
The music was great, I especially like how it played the wrong keys in accordance with your sad, sad slamming into the ground noises. I had a little fun with turning around and going backwards at the starting area, thus getting outside of the map and uhh.. Totally legit-ly making my way to the end. The low poly models were absolutely gorgeous and the whole game was such a nice little calming sorta zen game. Love it! Also I wishlisted Fist of the Forgotten. Looks really cool!
Krapht
29. Apr 2021 · 02:38 UTC
This game has the ability to be such a wonderful peaceful experinces, if I wasn't so trash at games.
Blue Pin Studio
29. Apr 2021 · 05:21 UTC
Really cool entry! Frustrated me a lot but i kept wanting to play! Would be an amazing experience if wasnt so difficult :D
🎤 jitspoe
29. Apr 2021 · 07:36 UTC
@steve-johnstone Try aiming down just slightly and holding forward, or just tapping the forward key while aiming down to get a gradual descent instead of diving down rapidly.

@zathnic The strafing left and right isn't necessary, but can be useful if you need to quickly dodge something. Easiest to just glide, then press forward when you need to turn or move down. Best to keep moving down slightly so you don't stall out and lose momentum.

@sharks Thanks a bunch! I did mean to put a secret at that opening behind the start, but didn't have time. :D
Steve Johnstone
29. Apr 2021 · 07:57 UTC
@jitspoe Ah, it got a lot easier once I had a little bit of momentum. Once I made it through the first cliff it wasn't so bad. It was worth persevering.
edgeboyo
29. Apr 2021 · 11:32 UTC
Definitely one of those "hard at first, but even harder to master games", I'm eternally impressed when someone makes a 3D game for LD and when it's so visually appealing like this one it's even more spectacular.
korfi
29. Apr 2021 · 12:09 UTC
Super pretty game! I can't understand how you managed to build such a big, pretty world, and implement all of the feautres in such a short time. I really, really enjoyed the visuals! I enjoyed the audio as well, everything from the calm music to the funny piano crashes.

The controls were really hard to get used to, but once you got the hang of it - it was really fun! Can't say I was particularly good at it, but at least I managed to finish the game as well as grab a couple of the pickups on the way!

I feel like the start is a bit hard, maybe give the player the first couple of 100 meters a bit more of a "playground" to get used to the controls. I personally felt like the game was easier from the forest bit before the big drop down than the part leading up to it. Maybe somehow changing out the two areas might've made it easier for players to get used to the controls?

All in all, I really enjoyed the game and it was a great take on the theme!
Juh Champ
29. Apr 2021 · 12:48 UTC
Nice! Very difficult for me hahaha. Challenge accepted!
🎤 jitspoe
29. Apr 2021 · 12:54 UTC
@korfi Yeah, I was struggling a bit getting the flight physics dialed in AND build all the assets and level and such. The difficulty kind of swung around a bit from just "aim and you go there" to more extreme gotta-control-your-flight-perfectly-to-make-it and ended up here when the time ran out. :D

If you want to see the process, I have vods from my Twitch stream here (for about a week):
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/998622057
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/999956036

I'm working on a stripped down highlights version as well.
Harrison Dunn
30. Apr 2021 · 00:54 UTC
I could not figure out the controls at all. But the presentation made me not care I was failing so miserably. The music and fail state are both so wonderful that I'm not even made I didn't make it past the 2nd arch or collect a single pickup.
🎤 jitspoe
30. Apr 2021 · 06:40 UTC
@harrison-dunn Try aiming just slightly down and holding forward for a more consistent descent. Or just aim down and tap forward occasionally to stop floating up and stalling. Avoid diving down too much (except when you get to the cave that goes straight down, then go all in!) Takes a while to click for a lot of people, but can be really fun when it finally does!

Don't worry about the collectables -- those are just there for the hardcore / competitive types.
tanis
01. May 2021 · 15:35 UTC
Love the music when you crash! That was unexpected! I find it a bit hard though... it's really difficult at times to aim the right way and even a minimum error ends up in having to restart from scratch.
ColeSlaughter
02. May 2021 · 06:18 UTC
[Thanks for submitting your game to our stream!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1006873415?t=03h31m03s)

Once again, you have made something that revels in crushing my soul and making me look like a fool. And yet for some reason, I still come to enjoy it. :sweat_smile:

It's super impressive how you were able to make such a nice-sounding, nice-looking, nice-playing game solo in a single weekend. Mad props to you, sir!
🎤 jitspoe
02. May 2021 · 06:43 UTC
@coleslaughter No, no. I didn't crush your soul this time. This time, I'm fairly certain your face was the subject of crushing! 😂
LDJam user 252856
02. May 2021 · 10:29 UTC
Very pretty looking and sounding. I really like the random piano notes when hitting the ground. Wind sounds amazing too. Very peaceful atmosphere. Well done!
anchorlight
02. May 2021 · 10:30 UTC
Between the beautiful lowpoly artwork and the great music score (not to mention the bad piano stings that ruin said score as a little salt in the wound for failure), I'm amazed by what you pulled off in a compo entry and dare I say it, it blows my game out of the water. The map feels vast, the flight physics take skill to master, and the presentation is stellar.

Exceptional work.
Local Minimum
02. May 2021 · 10:54 UTC
Really nice looking game with smooth controls and I really wish I was better at flying. Don't know how many times I tried, but couldn't make it past the forrest part before the cave. I lost too much lift the few times I made it that far. I found it a bit hard to know how large I was/my colliison box was. The same for the pickup of the checkpoints. Some sort of viusal feedback and/or music effect would have been really nice. I also would have loved if there was an easier mode for those of us that really aren't that skilled that allowed a few collisions (though that would really not have helped with the lack of lift in the forrest). It felt like crossing that part sort or required having had a perfect flight prior to that, or I missed some aspect of how to regain lift.

After watching the clip, I realized I never got one before and well that sort of speaks to my confusion about my own size. I guess I felt a lot larger than I was. I tried gain, now in the web player to also keep W pressed in most of the time, but it felt like I had to look above were I was going to maintain altitude then and the A/D movement felt off so I couldn't really make it past the first gate.
ruddiculous
03. May 2021 · 06:35 UTC
I didn't know piano keys could become so offensive... Your decision to pivot in the jam to this soaring mechanic really paid off. I'm jealous of ideas executed this precisely! Very frustrating to get a hang of the controls but they beg to be mastered which is the most important part. Inspiring work yet again sir!
Gryffo
04. May 2021 · 04:17 UTC
I particularly like how, even while developing this overall relaxing experience, you still managed to sneak in your trademark slapstick humor. Amazing work. Congrats!
🎤 jitspoe
04. May 2021 · 08:43 UTC
@gryffo Perhaps it was more slapface humor in this case. :D
Maytch
04. May 2021 · 23:27 UTC
That's a really nice game. Looks great, good mood, funny when you die, unique take on the theme. It's got everything.
C4Scar
05. May 2021 · 23:23 UTC
That tutorial video was much needed lol, just for showing its possible to fly. It was still really difficult. I think there should have been an option for a reticule. It was fun trying to fly through the obstacle course but it was more fun flying out of the map :) and then going to the last area that way. Overall a relaxing interesting experience that could be really fun if not so hard. Maybe that would just get better with practice, however doing it is a contrary feeling to the relaxation. I liked the crash noises.
Papaver
07. May 2021 · 20:31 UTC
Wow what a great compo entry! Almost can't believe you made it on your own in 48 h. :open_mouth: :raised_hands:

I love the low poly graphics, the mechanics and the soft piano music.

It's very cool to fly around, but like others, I am not good at it. Maybe because I can't see the player "character", the hitbox or really the direction in which I am going or how I am effecting it. It would be nice to have a noob-mode in which you would see a part of a predicted trajectory. I tried quite a few times and landed in the forest a few times. Once I escaped the terrain in the beginning and had a nice calm flight outside the island, and reentered in some other cave. :smile:
Jordgubben
08. May 2021 · 16:15 UTC
I must admit that I struggled a bit (=a lot) with the controls. Doesn't really matter though because the presentation, and above all the music sound design, is fantastic.

A part of me wants the controls so be visible on screen, but I also get that it might clash horribly with the minimalistic aesthetic.
Fis
11. May 2021 · 16:25 UTC
A really beautiful game - but the difficulty is incredible. In 50 attempts I only got through the second gate about 3 times. Some really really easy tutorial level would have been great to become familiar with the controls. The music and sound effects make a great atmosphere.
Videt
15. May 2021 · 03:33 UTC
Great core mechanic! Controls are frustrating and the connection to "deeper and deeper" could be stronger imo, but it didn't ruin the overall experience. Nice audio and the music! Needs a bit of polishing but overall a great accomplishment especially for a compo game!