Depths of the Mind by chris-mondok

[raw]
made by chris-mondok for Ludum Dare 48 (COMPO)

Isolate yourself from society to contemplate the meaning of life and create art of tremendous depth.

Pilot your submarine into a dark cave, carefully monitor your air supply, and ponder existence in silence.

Note

Contemplation is an in game action achieved by holding E (or A on a game controller).

Ratings

Overall 264th 3.684⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Fun 531th 3.211⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 282th 3.526⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Theme 64th 4.237⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 455th 3.447⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Audio 436th 3.158⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Mood 189th 3.694⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Given 27🗳️ 18🗨️

Feedback

ThatmanRobin
26. Apr 2021 · 05:05 UTC
Overall it was fun, but I realized I didn't know what I was doing when I went really deep under water, came back up and nothing happened, then when a tiny back back down and died lol. Still liked the feel of it!
kernon
26. Apr 2021 · 14:32 UTC
Loved it! You and I had very similar ideas but our execution was quite a bit different. I toyed with the idea of spending oxygen to be bale to go up as well but decided it didn't work for what I was trying to do. It works really well in this one though! Great job!
Kittenhunter
26. Apr 2021 · 14:45 UTC
Was quite fun and would contemplate my life again in the depths of the ocean :)
🎤 chris-mondok
26. Apr 2021 · 15:31 UTC
@thatmanrobin was it unclear that contemplation is an in game action, and that I'm not actually asking the player to contemplate life? Of course you're free to do so IRL but it won't affect your score.
Omich
26. Apr 2021 · 16:50 UTC
Very polished. Loved it
ThatmanRobin
26. Apr 2021 · 16:52 UTC
@chris-mondok I think I missed that, not sure how, but hey any game that makes me contemplate my life is a good game!
RefraX295
26. Apr 2021 · 18:49 UTC
Fun and atmospheric game. I thought the depth meter was a pretty cool touch.
Lajbert
27. Apr 2021 · 09:00 UTC
Really nice game, but I wasn't able to increase the contemplate meter at all :) Still, great job and nice execution!
welby
27. Apr 2021 · 15:14 UTC
Neat sort of plate spinning game about doing one thing in the down-time of driving downwards. It's really cool especially once you get to the darker parts. I wish it was a little clearer that I was earning progress towards art while going down though.
Vasco Freitas
27. Apr 2021 · 19:11 UTC
Wow this was really fun. The submarine control felt realistic, although I have no idea how an actual submarine is controlled haha. I was an interesting challenge to try to go as deep as I could to contemplate, while still having enough air to return.

At first I didn't realize there was a consequence for hitting the terrain, but then I noticed that the air depleted much more quickly after some hits. This is a great idea for gameplay, just maybe could have been made more clear. Also, the collision sound effect was a bit strange, sounded like banging pots :)

I also liked the way the depth was represented on the left side of the screen. All in a all a great game and use of theme, well done!
🎤 chris-mondok
27. Apr 2021 · 22:48 UTC
@vasco-freitas "like banging pots", yep, I recorded myself hitting a broiling pan a few times. I didn't have a submarine on hand to record. The engine noise was going to be my dishwasher slowed down, but it didn't loop nicely.

I wasn't sure how to communicate the damage. I wanted to avoid the normal "damage" meter, and settled on some help text and increased bubbles. Maybe I should have added, like, a "-20s" for damage or something.

Thanks for playing!
🎤 chris-mondok
27. Apr 2021 · 22:50 UTC
@welby the art that gets drawn was a last-minute addition. The backstory was there from the start, and it wasn't until I had some time left at the end that I figured I couldn't use that story and not show some "art". Fortunately it's your contemplation, not the art, that counts for your score (but art is just contemplation divided by 10).
GameDev and Architecture
28. Apr 2021 · 17:22 UTC
I very much enjoyed playing this game.
Before reading how to play, I though the goal was to go as deep as possible and adored the light mechanic.
When I finally understood how to play, it brought brand new depth to the game with its rick Vs Reward situations.
blockerz
29. Apr 2021 · 02:57 UTC
I liked the backstory. I decided that I would rather go as deep as possible and gain the insight about how to make the best possible art. Upon learning the secret, I saw no need to return to the surface to share it with the art snobs who shunned me.
NicMagnier
01. May 2021 · 14:28 UTC
An unexpected mix of genre, that was quite funny to go to a stressful situation to reflect on life and be inspired,

I liked the control of the submarine with the ballast that consume your air. It was quite smooth and created a nice tension. Going down was relatively easy but I was getting really anxious since going up will consume much more of my air.

The contemplation per second depending of the depth work also quite nicely.

Overall a very nice entry. Well done.
RNGames
01. May 2021 · 23:33 UTC
✔️ Very nice use of the theme.

✔️ I liked the multi-purpose mechanic of your air needed both for survival and to float upwards.

➖ The tutorial was a bit annoying to read.
LeviDSmith
02. May 2021 · 00:39 UTC
Cute game. I like how it gets darker as you go deeper. I really enjoyed the homemade sound effects as well! That's what Ludum Dare is all about.
PaperAeroplane555
02. May 2021 · 03:20 UTC
a really interesting entry

i really like the movement mechanics that makes it more of a risk vs reward thing
the hmm sounds and the scribbling sounds make the "fathoms" really satisfying and surprisingly rewarding hahahah
really good job!