CMDR LR by timtipgames

[raw]
made by timtipgames for LD34 (COMPO)
Commander Left Right

* You can maximize the window if you like, the game will scale accordingly
* The online highscore is optional. You will be prompted for a username in the beginning. If you leave the field empty, no data will be sent. The highscores of other players will still be fetched though.
* I hope it's not too difficult. I am very well trained now ;)

#CHANGELOG#
###########
When I added android support and tested on an older device, I realized that some things weren't calculated independently of the FPS. That was not only a disadvantage on lower end machines but also unplayable under certain circumstances. I changed those and only those calculations to take the time delta into account. Everything else stayed the same as in the initially submitted version.

###########

ANDROID
I uploaded an Android version, let me know how it works! highscores are shared between platforms.

DESKTOP
Make sure to have a semi recent java version. If you have problems on windows try this version with a working java runtime included: http://ld34data.timtips.com/CMDRLRWin64.zip

Input notes
########################
Key "R" resets a level
Key "A" left Thruster
Key "L" right Thruster
Key "ESC" return to menu


Programming: libgdx, artemis-odb, intellij, universal tween engine, box2d
Graphics: Inkscape
Maps: Tiled
Sounds: Recordings with Reaper, my Korg SP-250 E-Piano, editing and synths also mostly in Reaper

Ratings

Coolness 71% 3
Overall 4.08 33
Audio 3.73 80
Fun 4.14 15
Graphics 3.68 202
Humor 2.87 258
Innovation 3.38 342
Mood 3.48 170
Theme 4.32 50

Feedback

yumaikas
14. Dec 2015 · 07:52 UTC
Good game, L-R arrow keys would be nice to have.
adamyounis
14. Dec 2015 · 08:00 UTC
Really fun! I enjoyed this one so much I made sure I beat every top score on the chart (4.88 for level one, come at me!) I thought the premise was a bit silly (why stars?), but the mechanics were really solid. Seriously I'd play a more fleshed out version of this, definitely.
Evannex
14. Dec 2015 · 08:44 UTC
I really like this!
rosden shadow
14. Dec 2015 · 09:08 UTC
good job
Akhera
14. Dec 2015 · 09:15 UTC
Love the concept! And the execution is great as well. I feel that damage is a bit inconsistent, though - sometimes small bumps take much more health than larger bumps.
ccglp
14. Dec 2015 · 09:28 UTC
Is a hell of a game! It's very hard, I promise to play more later, is good!
dvdking
14. Dec 2015 · 09:33 UTC
really awesome, worth beating every level
Dianouille
14. Dec 2015 · 09:39 UTC
Really good game. I had a lot of fun playing it ! Maybe a little too difficult. Really, really good job !
peterthehe
14. Dec 2015 · 17:05 UTC
This would make an amazing mobile game. Nice work!
ajopart
14. Dec 2015 · 17:06 UTC
Ho God I suck at this game. But its nice !!!
Tutti Ankka
14. Dec 2015 · 17:22 UTC
Amazing game, played all the levels and had a lot of fun!
DesignerNap
14. Dec 2015 · 17:52 UTC
A fellow "Commander" game! Nice work! Tricky in a fun way. Enjoyed this a lot. Great intro too!
FrozenCow
14. Dec 2015 · 17:56 UTC
Nice controls. Feels good to fly around. I was stuck on one level (couldn't make it), but I wished there was a more open level where you could do tricks and stuff with the controls. Still though good game.
Deity
14. Dec 2015 · 18:25 UTC
Fun game! Unexpectedly difficult but I managed to get through a handful of levels. Nice work
Submundo Games
14. Dec 2015 · 18:31 UTC
nice game dude.
pcmaster
14. Dec 2015 · 18:38 UTC
Pretty difficult, good job! I'm sure I'll play more of this :)
elliottd
14. Dec 2015 · 18:50 UTC
really nice entry, It would have been friendly to put "A" and "L" on the first level. there was a period where i didn't know what i would control on the screen and thought i was affecting the spin of the first star (which is a nice little animation by the way). I also found that dragging a wing does a seemingly unfair amount of damage compared to a bump
Luke
14. Dec 2015 · 19:04 UTC
Ragequit; this game is super hard and fun.
A333
14. Dec 2015 · 19:12 UTC
Got through it, beat some records.
Once you've managed to wire up your reflexes and learn how to fly downwards, this game starts to be even more fun. Overall a very nice game. It would be nice to see it expanded properly.
VascoF
14. Dec 2015 · 19:24 UTC
Awesome, had a great time trying to beat the high scores. Great use of the theme.
A333
14. Dec 2015 · 19:31 UTC
VascoF, sorry dude, it seems that I've beat some of yours. Better start over.
Aaants
14. Dec 2015 · 21:26 UTC
Really smooth and well polished. Control of the ship is tight and the scoreboards make it even more interesting.
NaoisTheGuardian
14. Dec 2015 · 22:40 UTC
Darnit, man, you're taking all of my stars! Fun gameplay, plus the fact that I really want a high score, with clean graphics and perfect audio, I can't really complain about anything except the fact that you only have 6 levels!
ianh
15. Dec 2015 · 10:38 UTC
I love the control scheme. It seemed "flipped" at first (press right to turn left?) but I got used to it quickly!
RadStar
15. Dec 2015 · 10:45 UTC
Really nice game, you really feels in controls of the ship.
Nicely polished, no bug and leaderboard, good job!
Leaghorn
15. Dec 2015 · 10:57 UTC
Fun and addictive but hard as hell.

And why A+L? Arrows would work mych better (or A+D). And the controls shoud be inverted. That way flies tye way we press the key. I couldnt finish 1st level, but when I rotated keyboard 180 it got much easier
bloomingbuds
15. Dec 2015 · 12:36 UTC
freaking funny, really simple to learn, bloody hard to master. I could spend hpurs with this game, congrats!
Namek
15. Dec 2015 · 20:23 UTC
Actually, controls somehow felt reversed for me but overall nice done. I like a lot whole audio stuff.
Jelinib
15. Dec 2015 · 23:47 UTC
Love the super clean style. The music also makes me feel alone in space--awesome job! I went through all the levels.

I have no idea how VascoF does it so well. I suspect they're a robot that does everything optimally with perfect precision. Insane! :P

I really have nothing to complain about. It takes some practice, but what doesn't? The controls feel pretty solid, and the levels are all challenging in their own ways. Really well done!
lastninja2
16. Dec 2015 · 09:10 UTC
I really liked the controls and the theme presentation.
Modoc73
16. Dec 2015 · 10:17 UTC
Good job. Nice art, and cool idea. Tricky controls but good.
banana4life
16. Dec 2015 · 10:25 UTC
Awesome...
tyrants.not.found.team
16. Dec 2015 · 10:39 UTC
Nice classic, well done for the jam, fits the theme well.

Cheers,
Ionut(Tyrants.not.found team)
Erlend Aakre
16. Dec 2015 · 10:46 UTC
Great game! sweet controls, nice levels. Does the 'P' key show debug info only?
stargardengames
16. Dec 2015 · 10:56 UTC
Very challenging but in all the right ways. Felt mechanically satisfying and had a difficulty curve that felt a little steep but was enjoyable. I liked it a lot! Great work.
krashja
16. Dec 2015 · 10:59 UTC
Cool game! i like it!
DrZanuff
16. Dec 2015 · 11:13 UTC
Looks like you got a nice game. Presentation is good. I really liked the narrator voice, funny! The problem for me is the Landing, very frustrating. If you could make an auto Landing, when the ship gets near the Landing zone the ship automatically corrects the angle and position.
Warboys
16. Dec 2015 · 11:24 UTC
Tons of fun! I like how complete it all feels. Great polish, smooth controls, fun level designs. Love the score submission too, it's amazing how much it makes you want to optimize your play and retry each level.

Two thumbs up!
NidzaKornjaca
16. Dec 2015 · 12:14 UTC
Really good game, too bad I'm terrible at it :D
yhsper
16. Dec 2015 · 13:12 UTC
Very nice! Loved the controls (even if I'm not best at them!), the graphics are cool (the explosion of the ship is spot on). Highly skill based and very rewarding! Congrats!
Bemmu
16. Dec 2015 · 13:49 UTC
Amazing, the most addicting LD entry so far. Just kept playing and playing to try to beat the high scores. Reminder to self: high score tables are important!
matiasbontempo
16. Dec 2015 · 13:55 UTC
I really liked this game. I had a similar idea for mine but then I droped it!
Tuism
16. Dec 2015 · 14:32 UTC
I enjoyed the setup :) Kittens and such :)

One big gripe was that I felt the controls were not only inverted, that you put them so far apart means I had to do it with two hands. If they were closer together I could choose two hands or one.

I had to flip my keyboard upside down to feel like I knew what I was doing.

My game this time BOOST was also based around this kind of mechanic, I think I got my controls quite intuitive, if you'd like to check it out. http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=35114

Would have liked a little bit of grace in difficulty by giving the ship a little bounce when it touches a wall, instead of just taking all my life because I'm touching it constantly in half a second!

Good solid entry :)
🎤 timtipgames
16. Dec 2015 · 15:01 UTC
Thank you all for your comments and kind words. I am really happy that you are enjoying the game as much as I do :)

Regarding the controls:
They are the way they are for a reason. I was trying to create more of a "simulation" feeling than an arcade game. While those are a lot of fun (and yours is great btw @Tuism) I wanted to create a sense of controlling the individual thrusters and not of controlling the ship directly - if that explanation makes sense to you :) I do understand that some people would decide differently, but it was a conscious decision.

I also played around with "one hand controlls" like A+D or arrow-keys, but I found that it creates a completely different feeling that I did not want. The same happened when I inverted the controls - although the impact wasn't as drastically.

If I create a follow up, I may consider to at least allow to invert the keys, but I am not sure yet. I am pretty sure that I won't change to one-hand control, even though I am always open for arguments as to why I should do it despite my reasons that I just listed.

Concerning the damage, @Akhera is right it feels pretty inconsistent even though technically it isn't. In a follow up I'd change it to be more based on impact speed and may also take @Tuism's idea into consideration to add a little "bump" effect when scratching along walls.

Thank you all so much for your thorough reviews and comments, I am reading all of them and find every single one very important. If you are interested in a possible post compo version, make sure to follow me on twitter: @TimTipGames :)

@Candyjapan @VascoF @A333 you guys are freaking robots - I have a hard time beating your scores and I have basically been playing this game for half the weekend :D
@Erlend Aakre yes :)
DieBackStudios
16. Dec 2015 · 15:53 UTC
Nice game mate i really like the controls :D
Riftpoint
16. Dec 2015 · 16:20 UTC
Cool game, really fun to play. It was a little difficult tough
YinYin
16. Dec 2015 · 17:36 UTC
Can't say it's innovative or humorous, but 5 stars in every other category.

I'd love to see more levels, perhaps even a larger cave adventure with less blocky/arcade style progression.
DevDad
16. Dec 2015 · 18:46 UTC
Great game , good job :D
DinnerInTheDark
16. Dec 2015 · 18:51 UTC
(Android version) Awesome game! Super polished, both the graphics and the sound design. It 'feels' really good on mobile, definitely keeping this game to kill some spare hours on the train :)
Tapehead
16. Dec 2015 · 19:08 UTC
it's a hard game, with cool very and challenging gameplay! very well done!
rnlf
17. Dec 2015 · 09:17 UTC
Seriously cool game! Reminds me a lot of Crazy Gravity, just in HARD.

Took me a million tries to finish level 6 (I always failed at the steep ascent in the end or hit the edge on the corner to the landing zone).

The interaction of the particles with the level was nice and looks cool.

The android version kept forgetting my online name, so I guess I played a few times without it registering on the highscore, but tbh it wouldn't have made a difference with everybody always being three or four times as fast as I was :)

With some extra polish, this could be great mobile game, even outside the scope of LD.
publicidadeba
17. Dec 2015 · 13:22 UTC
Fun as hell! Apple store is waiting for you!
pjimmy
17. Dec 2015 · 14:21 UTC
cool game, very creative, fun and challenging, well done
Remicy
17. Dec 2015 · 17:38 UTC
Best game of LD34.
VascoF
20. Dec 2015 · 03:12 UTC
@A333 You dare challenge me??!?!! I've just beaten all the high scores. Please don't make me do it again :P

@timtipgames Great game once again, it's the only LD34 game I went back to again (so far) :)
MrJoshuaMcLean
20. Dec 2015 · 03:19 UTC
Pretty hard, but quite fun. Good stuff.
dvdfu
29. Dec 2015 · 17:34 UTC
Great entry, it's very difficult at first but very rewarding to master. Good take on the 2-button theme, as well!