LudumData

Deeper And Deeper by QuantumSeagull

[raw]
made by QuantumSeagull for Ludum Dare 48 (JAM)

How deep can you get before your nuclear powered headlamp runs out of power and you're trapped in the dark?

In this procedurally generated underworld you control a suspiciously doge-like mole digging its way through dirt and tunnels in search of gold. You are equipped with a nuclear powered headlamp that runs on glowing rocks that you can find scattered around the underground. Make sure to stock up, because when the light is out, the game is over!

Oh, and going up? Not an option! You can only go deeper and deeper.

Screen Shot 2021-04-26 at 8.31.48 PM.png

Screen Shot 2021-04-26 at 8.32.48 PM.png

This was my first time participating in the LD Jam, and the first time in a very long time I wrote a game.

All graphics are original and created with Aseprite, except for the light cookies (Adobe Photoshop) and the font (see credits). Unfortunately, I ran out of time for sound and code optimization.

Gameplay

  • Collect gold nuggets to get points
  • Collect glowing rocks to recharge your power (+10%)
  • When the power reaches 0% the game is over

Controls

  • Move with WASD/Arrow keys
  • Move down (S/Down arrow) to dig down
  • Spacebar to dig horizontally

Credits

The font is called Pixel Emulator by Pixel Sagas

Known issues

  • Frame drops on chunk loading and unloading (improved in v0.2)
  • Collision with collectables is sometimes a bit wonky (fixed in v0.2)
  • Collectables can spawn on a chunk border in mid air (fixed in v0.2)
  • No sound (not implemented in the jam version)

Post-jam version

I'm collecting all your feedback in the comments for a post-jam release of this game. All your suggestions are much appreciated.

Changelog

v0.1 (April 26, 2020): - Jam submission

v0.2 (April 28, 2020): - Optimized chunk loading - Fixed collectables spawning in mid air on chunk borders - Fixed collision with collectables - Tweaked spawn rate of collectables - Timer now starts when the player starts moving

Link https://quantumseagull.itch.io/deeper-and-deeper
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/deeper-and-deeper-19

Ratings

Overall 1237th 3.327⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1290th 3.096⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1558th 2.72⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Theme 196th 4.173⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1365th 3.22⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1184th 2.325⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1254th 3.24⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Given 17🗳️ 24🗨️

Feedback

Cole Hutson
27. Apr 2021 · 02:57 UTC
Hey enjoyed the game I think I got lost but I tried hard to find all the nuggets.

Obviously you know about some issues. I was also getting frame drops when I chopped a bunch of blocks in succession which I think is a me issue but I am not sure.

Also I think the dirt might benefit from being a bit brighter!

overall good game!
Khill
27. Apr 2021 · 03:01 UTC
The game kept freezing over and over again for some reason, and I've got a pretty good machine. Otherwise I like some of the mechanics in the game, like the power meter
ndrw
27. Apr 2021 · 03:05 UTC
This game is quite relaxing. I really like the mechanic of only being able to go down, it fits really well with the theme
Kamilo
27. Apr 2021 · 03:52 UTC
Pretty nice casual digging game :)
Ricna
27. Apr 2021 · 11:32 UTC
Despite the frame drops, that you already mentioned in the game page, the game was well done! I just don't get the point in put effort to find nuggets if it didn't help with the power issue. The first run I was thinking that those things would help me to recover some % of the power! So that's my suggestion for a pos-jam! Afer all that's a really nice procedural game! Well done my dude :)
🎤 QuantumSeagull
27. Apr 2021 · 16:29 UTC
@ricna Good suggestions! I have tweaked this for a post-jam version where gold gives you a small power-up and glowing rocks are much rarer but gives you a much larger power-up, which (I believe) makes finding them more gratifying. Thanks for playing and offering your advice.
Sheinxy
27. Apr 2021 · 16:34 UTC
Well, a procedural game for a game jam is already something that I find quite impressive, but a procedural game for your first ludum dare is even more impressive, congrats on that!

It fits the theme and is quite relaxing, there's not much more that I could ask from a game! Nicely done!
🎤 QuantumSeagull
27. Apr 2021 · 16:34 UTC
@khill I'm painfully aware of this problem. I do believe it's a combination of a huge amount of blocks being loaded and unloaded every time you cross a chunk border, and poor optimization. I'm working on a fix, but it probably won't be ready before voting ends. Thanks for playing!
🎤 QuantumSeagull
29. Apr 2021 · 01:56 UTC
@ricna @khill @cole-hutson should run a bit smoother now
ChrisAP
29. Apr 2021 · 02:29 UTC
Hey, found your game from the comments in my game! I love that we both went for the mole digging theme! I like how the game jam theme fits with your game since you cant go back up, only DEEPER and DEEPER. The controls are simple and yet the procedural generation is pretty impressive for a game jam. Great job on the game! <3
Hoeleboele
29. Apr 2021 · 07:22 UTC
Real cool you got the procedural generation working, love the thinking you need to do with every dig and step because of the movement restrictions. I was only missing the sparkles when i got to the nuggets. A little more player feedback and it would have been a game I started up once in awhile.
🎤 QuantumSeagull
29. Apr 2021 · 12:22 UTC
@hoeleboele thanks for the feedback. Some kind of sparkly effect when picking up coins would be awesome for sure. I'm collecting all your feedback for a slightly more polished post-jam version! Thanks for playing!
Videt
29. Apr 2021 · 14:03 UTC
Decent jam game imo! Procedural generation is a really cool feature to add in a 72 hour game! Some music and sounds could make it much nicer and provide a better experience for players. Congrats on your first jam by the way!!!
Alexey Kuzovkov
29. Apr 2021 · 15:26 UTC
The is pretty good! Please keep developing it.
Bigbadbison
29. Apr 2021 · 16:26 UTC
Nice work! I like the lighting and the dirt particles. With a bit more polish it could turn into a nice little game.

I'd like to see different dirt tiles, maybe unbreakable, or difficult to break rocks, and the proc. gen. sometimes left long stretches 100% filled.

The controls could use a bit more flow, It's a little annoying if you're going down a slope and always having to completely stop to collect the gold.

Another improvement could be purchasing upgrades of course.

Congrats on completing and good luck!
🎤 QuantumSeagull
29. Apr 2021 · 16:38 UTC
@bigbadbison Thank you for excellent feedback. I'm very grateful for every pice of advice that can improve the game and my skills as a game dev. I though a lot about having better flow in the controls, but found it hard to balance with restricted movement. My idea was that if you just could climb up anywhere and pick all the gold you see, the game would be quite easy and a little less interesting. I'd be happy to hear any suggestions or feedback on which part of the controls you found annoying so I can improve!

Yeah, cave generation needs some work. The tunnels are quite big but quite sparse. A lot of fiddling around with simplex noise until I strike just the right balance ahead.
Bigbadbison
29. Apr 2021 · 16:44 UTC
@quantumseagull No problem.

I don't mean allowing the player to go back up. Actually maybe being able to jump up one or two spaces would be nice (but doesn't follow the theme as much).

I meant when you're going down at say a 45 degree angle, you can't keep your horizontal momentum but you have to fully stop in order to collect the gold. If the hitboxes were increased maybe it would help allow you to keep your momentum?
🎤 QuantumSeagull
29. Apr 2021 · 17:14 UTC
@bigbadbison Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. The hitbox should probably occupy the entire "block". Thanks!
LDJam user 236545
29. Apr 2021 · 19:39 UTC
I really loved the procedural generation! I threw procedural block generation in my game at the very last second, and it didn't turn out so well haha.

I played through 3 times and didn't find any uranium. Maybe I just got unlucky? I would have loved to see that scattered around more. At first I thought "This game needs a way to regenerate power" until I read your description in full.

My second playthrough, I got stuck in a huge chunk of earth that I dug straight down from ~65% power until 0% power without finding any gaps or minerals.

Overall, I had fun with it, I just wish I could have found more resources. Congratulations on finishing your first game jam, and on returning to the game dev scene!
🎤 QuantumSeagull
29. Apr 2021 · 19:41 UTC
@andrewkennedy thank you for playing. Yes, the spawn rates need to be tweaked a bit, and so does the caves. I'm adding it to my list for the post-jam version! I'm gonna check your game out!
Tom Robson
29. Apr 2021 · 20:53 UTC
Nice game! It's simple, but it's still pretty fun!

I didn't find any caves or anything on my first run, and instead ended up just strip mining, thinking that was just what you were meant to do. But after reading some of the comments, I jumped back in and immediately came across a cool cave. Which was the most fun part of the game, for me!

Some audio would have helped set a mood nicely, but making a procedural game in a weekend is hard enough as is. The light effect was cool though, really added to the atmosphere.
🎤 QuantumSeagull
30. Apr 2021 · 12:31 UTC
@tom-robson Thanks for playing and for the feedback. Strip mining doesn't help, because gold only spawns in caves. The post-jam version I'm working on has more caves, so you don't end up not finding one. I might add a random chance of finding gold when breaking blocks though! Audio is also on the list of things to add! I'm hoping to give the light some kind of function. Right now it's only a visual effect with no practical use.
Tom Robson
30. Apr 2021 · 12:40 UTC
@quantumseagull Awesome! Yeah, I wasn't sure what I was looking for with the golden nuggets when I first played. So I ended up just assuming it was like Terraria or Minecraft and assumed it was an ore, for some reason! Mostly my bad on that one.

Will be cool to see the light having a function, too. Keep it up!
Alchemic
30. Apr 2021 · 19:18 UTC
This game was pretty fun for what it is, but it has a few key flaws.

Firstly, since you can only really go down, sometimes you get forced into a situation where you have to dig straight down through several screens worth of solid dirt. The proc gen doesn't seem very friendly in this regard. It'd be nice if it were to attempt to guarantee that caves get generated in such a way that one is always in sight.

Also, the glowing rocks seemed a bit too infrequent. In a couple of my playthroughs, I never found a glowing rock, despite being in cave as much as possible. It's also supremely annoying when a glowing rock spawns just one of two tiles higher than you can jump or dig to.

Oh and the gold nuggets feel worthless. The depth seems like the "real" score, so I'm not sure why I'd collect nuggets.

Overall it's a good idea, but the RNG makes it feel like some of my attempts are a waste of time.
🎤 QuantumSeagull
06. May 2021 · 13:34 UTC
@alchemic Thanks for playing and thanks for the feedback. These are all points that I have been trying to improve upon. In the current (unreleased) version, cave generation is much more consistent and spawn rates are better balanced. Another user mentioned that he wanted the gold to give a power up too. Do you share this opinion, or do you have any other idea of what would make collecting gold seem more worthwhile? I'm eager to learn an improve, and I feel like player feedback is the best way.
Cr1stal
16. May 2021 · 21:22 UTC
A good idea and a decent implementation.
Adnonymous5
16. May 2021 · 21:23 UTC
Very neat game! I think you did a good job nailing mechanics of the game. Overall it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot to do in the game admittedly, but I really like that it was clear, intuitive, and the controls were responsive. The character, particles for digging, and the gold nuggets looked very nice as well!