LudumData

Something deep by General

[raw]
made by General for LD33 (COMPO)
I am awake. I am at the bottom of the sea. I want to eat. When I eat I grow. Hmm, what a tasty little creatures are up there!

Extract your tentacles to catch prey. If you eat more, you'll be able to grow more tentacles.

Some types of prey (scuba divers, subs) will require several tentacles to get caught.

Known BUGs:
- If you can unlock new tentacle (You see many "+" signs on the buttons), press one of the +'s, not any other button. Otherwise you'll just loose food without any outcome.

THANK YOU very much for your comments! They are really inspiring!
At the end of each day I'll make video reviews of new commentors' games (like this: http://youtu.be/6Al6aF0oETA )

I agree with the gamedesing flaw about unability to manually retract the tentacle. I definitely will develop the game further and will think how to balanse this feature better. Perhaps I'll allow retracting the tentacle after some time, or cutting it, and the spend extra time curing it.
Web http://www.kongregate.com/games/GeneralVimes/something-deep-ld33
Source https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22620118/LD/LD-YouAreTheMonster.zip
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=16507

Ratings

Coolness 74% 3
Overall 3.62 155
Audio 3.25 217
Fun 3.42 204
Graphics 3.59 220
Humor 3.30 205
Innovation 3.69 100
Mood 3.46 185
Theme 3.88 160

Feedback

donaldm
24. Aug 2015 · 04:14 UTC
This was a great game. I really liked the game mechanics and the execution. The only issue was if you get your tentacle stuck on something requiring more than one and you effectively can't use it. I wish there was a way to "release" the tentacle but I did not find one.
RobotHoboDanceParty
24. Aug 2015 · 04:15 UTC
Very nice game! Love the clean simple graphics. Great work! :)
misterwalter
24. Aug 2015 · 04:30 UTC
I really like it! The tentacle mechanic was weird and fun. I haven't done that before, which is always a plus.
Two complaints though: As Donald said, being able to release tentacles early would have been nice, and also I'd like to be able to play with all my limbs, the game cutting off and telling me I won was actually a bit frustrating.
Great job though!
MaesK
24. Aug 2015 · 21:58 UTC
Nice sounds and tentacles animations. There were green humans, which is weird but this is a big world and I don't care :P
HelloWorld Studios
24. Aug 2015 · 21:59 UTC
Yum love those high creatures !!
quill18
24. Aug 2015 · 22:04 UTC
I haven't seen a gameplay mechanic quite like this before. Catching the subs was an interesting challenge!
IronPencilGames
24. Aug 2015 · 22:04 UTC
Fun game and cool idea! As another comment said, definitely need a way to release stuff or it takes forever for your tentacle to come back.
cicanci
24. Aug 2015 · 22:33 UTC
Amazing game! You should release this game for mobile devices!
Dizzyman572
25. Aug 2015 · 00:55 UTC
Cool game, I really like the tentacles. They just jiggled so naturally. :)
Rulrite
25. Aug 2015 · 03:15 UTC
Wow, that's a very innovative concept! I really like the idea of controlling each tentacle individually; it really makes you feel like you're a huge and lumbering monster. Especially when you take down submarines.

Five stars in a lot of categories!
Jelinib
25. Aug 2015 · 07:19 UTC
I wanted to play with all the tentacles and try for a red submarine that was just coming onto the screen, but the game suddenly ended when I got the last tentacle. Darnit!

Super fun though, and the little comments that give hints about the gameplay were also entertaining to read, as well as useful. Solid controls, delicious sounds, smooth graphics. Very well done!
Sunflower
25. Aug 2015 · 08:06 UTC
Yusss, I unleashed the terror of all my tentacles upon the world!

The yay:
- stylish
- interesting gameplay mechanics
- audio
- tentaclethoughts

The nay:
- no way to release tentacles (but you know about that already)
- gameplay felt a little slow

Pretty solid entry overall!
Mikhail
26. Aug 2015 · 08:30 UTC
Great game overall! Really liked the use of the theme. I found a bug thought. I wasn't able to mute the music. Id click on the button but it wouldnt mute it. Great job!
inbetweengames
27. Aug 2015 · 17:38 UTC
A tentacle management game! Great use of the theme!
wg_phancock
28. Aug 2015 · 07:56 UTC
The tentacle mechanic was interesting and pretty fun. However, after a while it basically becomes impossible to aim the tentacles because there's so much stuff overlapping. It quickly got frustrating at that point -- it would attach to the wrong thing that you couldn't see instead of helping the existing tentacle drag down the sub or diver.

I think if the screen space were larger, there were fewer objects, or if you could release a tentacle, it would probably be less of an issue.
SKT
28. Aug 2015 · 17:52 UTC
I love your game ! Graphics and audio are so cool, the music is relaxing (even if I'm eating some humans ^^).
I don't know if developing the ability to retract tentacle when you catch something/someone is a good idea, I think the game would be too easy. But it seems I'm the only one who like it this way ^^.
Very good job !
OnionBlaze
29. Aug 2015 · 11:27 UTC
Great mechanic. I wanted to play more after I got the last tentacle. Had fun with this. :D
aprotasenya
29. Aug 2015 · 22:49 UTC
Hey, this got me in for a longer time than I thought in the beginning! Which is cool. I've grown all of my tentacles, and now I will rule the ocean, yeah. :)
I liked the main mechanic, and how it expands into needing more than one tentacle - very good. The "level design" made a shot for the tasty surface swimmers an extra-difficult task, which also was cool. Also: the hidden humor in the main melody which makes it all so relaxed and soothing while really I'm devouring people, but from my ULTRAKRACKEN perspective that's a very relaxed nice day. :) Well done, Alexey.
Biruts
30. Aug 2015 · 00:49 UTC
Very nice project guys, i really love it, please check our game too and if you liked it give us a vote. Look for Road to hell and enjoy.
bombjack
02. Sep 2015 · 19:51 UTC
very original and fun game play. simple but effective graphics.
Small bug: The tentacle is not released when holding a 2 tentacle diver that leaves the screen.
Nek
02. Sep 2015 · 19:51 UTC
Absolutely loved the graphics,also very good sound.
Xanjos
02. Sep 2015 · 20:04 UTC
Quite a bit of strategy over which tentacle to unlock first but I absolutely loved the mechanics and the way the game progresses as you play along was very smooth.
sydream
02. Sep 2015 · 20:06 UTC
Great title, funny and nice mechanics. Enjoyed it
jwin
02. Sep 2015 · 20:09 UTC
Interesting idea, clean graphics, and pretty fun. The only downside is this it can take a while for a submarine/diver to get in range of another tentacle. It might be nice to release an attached tentacle, even if it had some penalty.

Vaguely related / random thought: the graphics remind me a lot of Nom Nom Galaxy. You might want to check out that art style if you're interested in ideas for adding to your existing style.
conrad123
02. Sep 2015 · 20:29 UTC
Great game! Instructions are needed but i eventually figured it out.
RoboNebula
02. Sep 2015 · 20:32 UTC
Interesting concept! The art style is really nice and unique!
BlackQuiltro
02. Sep 2015 · 20:38 UTC
Cool game! I found it really fun. Nice game mechanic. I would speed it up a little to make it even more interesting. Liked the graphics and animations. Sound effects and music were ok.
Great job!
foxboard
02. Sep 2015 · 21:43 UTC
Interesting concept and gameplay mechanics. The game is really slow, though it makes the mechanics more unusual. The sounds and graphics would need some work, but the overall achievement is remarkable for a compo entry.
Togimaro
02. Sep 2015 · 22:41 UTC
Very good gameplay idea! Maybe too slow but overall it's a great game! Good works!

(PS: I got screwed by the bug with a wrong click and I finished the game with only 7 tentacles ^^')
Obvious_San
02. Sep 2015 · 23:09 UTC
What an awesome idea :) Well designed "Tentacle Game" ; )
Great gfx and pacing. I think the Soundtrack could be a bit more "evil" and not that friendly but that is my only critic :)
valid4life
03. Sep 2015 · 00:12 UTC
The concept of basic 'leveling' was well done! I couldn't help but laugh when i ate what i thought was a human! Good concept and good execution! Well done!
Evergreen Games
03. Sep 2015 · 04:33 UTC
Interesting Mechanic! It;s relaxing but stressful at the same time. I agree with being able to retract your tentacles but there should be a penalty.
kidando
03. Sep 2015 · 08:47 UTC
Simple graphics that but work very well. I like your color palette. Considered creating mobile native for this? Tapping would be cool. Congrats on the submission
Erkberg
03. Sep 2015 · 10:39 UTC
A pretty nice idea and well executed. Controlling those different tentacles was quite fun. As you already wrote, a mechanic to retract the tentacles would be nice, I ended up with most of my tentacles stuck to divers (due to my inability to time them correctly) and had to wait quite some time until they were available again.
The visuals are nice to look at and the music fitting. Overall, I enjoyed this game quite a bit, good job!
Erlend Aakre
03. Sep 2015 · 11:48 UTC
Good game, really liked the mechanics and graphics. quite easy so would be cool to add some more gameplay elements, solid entry! :)
Zeriver
03. Sep 2015 · 17:18 UTC
Pretty interesting game, you really have to plan ahead to catch sub marine with three tentacles. I also liked the mood, although you are the monster (who is grabbing and devouring other creature), game has kinda "chill out" feel to it, maybe partially because of music. BTW i think it could be a great mobile game.
Justo Delgado
03. Sep 2015 · 17:54 UTC
Cool game, 10/10 has tentacles. The gameplay feels slow though.
Jani Nykänen
04. Sep 2015 · 11:42 UTC
One of the very few original gameplay concepts I have seen in this compo. Good job!
cynicalmonkey
04. Sep 2015 · 13:15 UTC
don't know if it was the intention but quite a relaxing game to play
randoman
04. Sep 2015 · 20:27 UTC
That's a very nice entry. Despite the game being a little too slow, I enjoyed playing it.
Pierrec
09. Sep 2015 · 08:35 UTC
I like it, very relaxing
jcourt
13. Sep 2015 · 15:57 UTC
I really liked the tentacle idea. I know its already been said but it would be nice to be able to release a tentacle that is attached to something early, and I really wanted to play with all of the tentacles and have a boss or something that required all of them to kill.
Yamzho
13. Sep 2015 · 16:02 UTC
Very nice minimalistic graphics, a music that suits the game ambiance, the concept is easy to understand. Very good entry ! Well done !
puppetmaster
13. Sep 2015 · 17:08 UTC
Very cool game, love the easiness and the mood. Nice entry!
squirrelbot
13. Sep 2015 · 18:28 UTC
One of the most polished games I played this LD! Loved the simple graphics and the music. It's an amazing feeling when you get multiple tentacles to grab onto a sub at the same time.
Aaranos
13. Sep 2015 · 22:37 UTC
A bit slow to start but definitely fun. Managed to become the monster it is meant to be. The ending was a bit anticlimactic though.