Last Bargain by Erlioniel

[raw]
made by Erlioniel for Ludum Dare 49 (JAM)

This is a small cosmic game for Ludum Dare #49 done in 72 hours by four people: Vladimir Kryukov, Roman Danylenko, Oleksii Zinchenko aka stonefromthesky && Vladlen Muntain.

b3_crop.png

Controls & Tips

  • WASD to move forward, backward & strafe
  • Q & E to rotate the ship
  • SPACE to skip dialogue
  • Don't rush, there is no timer
  • The impact is inevitable, try to get prepared

We want to thank everyone who helped us with this game.

Also we need to thank these guys for the awesome tools: - Font Questgiver by JosephKnight.com - Signals lib by PixeyeHQ​​​ - Aseprite-Importer for Unity by Martin Hodler

And we need to thank YOU for playing!

Hope you like this small game. We will be happy to hear your opinion, so please share it with us!

You can follow our next activities in social medias: - https://twitter.com/erlioniel​ - https://twitter.com/roman_danylenko - https://iamstonefromthesky.bandcamp.com/

After release changelog:

  • 2021.10.05 16:00 EEST - Add player hold in dialogues (SPACE to skip dialogue)

Ratings

Overall 159th 4⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Fun 753th 3.419⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 598th 3.452⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Theme 688th 3.605⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 84th 4.488⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Audio 41th 4.262⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Mood 100th 4.143⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Given 31🗳️ 31🗨️

Feedback

Pandore
04. Oct 2021 · 23:35 UTC
Love the style (especialy the little effect on the boosters~) but the controls were a little too hard for my bird brain to master and I huged the wall far too many time before finaly giving up T-T sorry...
LDJam user 139668
04. Oct 2021 · 23:57 UTC
amazing. but I would add a bit of saves and make it not soooooo lazy. but anyway amazing
mistercheezymoon
05. Oct 2021 · 01:07 UTC
Okay, fair warning to others, this is not a game for the impatient. This is very much a game about slow careful thought, and it's safe to assume that's intention here. Trying to rush will get you killed!

For me at least though, mastering this game was a fun journey. You ever realise you're going to crash and clench as you desperately avoid a hazard, either through braking or desperate steering? Yeah, that happens a lot in this game. Made all the more intense by the fact you have to start from square one if you mess up.

Also, this game has wonderful pixel art and the music combined with the dialogue creates a very nice atmosphere, of a bleak future place for cargo haulers. 5 stars for graphics and audio there.
LDJam user 250824
05. Oct 2021 · 01:49 UTC
This is out of this world. It's a polished, original, beautiful, atmospheric, fun gameplay that's perfectly in tune with the theme. Reminded me of the old game “Crazy Gravity”. I can't even nitpick, every aspect of this game is incredible. The only thing that's slightly bothering me is that I'm physically unable to read the dialogue and story while I'm concentrating on not smashing into a wall, but if this was to become a full-blown release (which it might and, frankly, should!), a voice-over would solve the problem. Damn, I just called “too much story” a “problem”...

You guys rock. 11/10.
Timofey99
05. Oct 2021 · 07:16 UTC
The isn't nearly as polished as games from other contenders. Didn't like it at all
🎤 Erlioniel
05. Oct 2021 · 09:40 UTC
@pandore thank you, you have to try it slower :) It's not hard if you won't accelerate all the time.

@yogurtthehorse saves are a good idea, but time constraint didn't allow us to do a lot :< including checkpoints

@mistercheezymoon thank you very much :) We hope you did it to the end!

@13x666 thank you for the feedback! Voice over is for sure a big deal for the jam time frame. We'll add a player hold for dialogues to give player a pause and allow to read the texts as a part of post-jam patch.

@timofey99 could you please be more precise, what you didn't like in particular?
Timofey99
05. Oct 2021 · 10:46 UTC
@erlioniel well I changed my mind the game is ok
🎤 Erlioniel
05. Oct 2021 · 13:10 UTC
@timofey99 lol :D We will be grateful for the feedback actually, so if you have some ideas how to make it better - you are welcome :)
chesschaser
05. Oct 2021 · 13:25 UTC
Spaceship is a little bit slow and it is not immediately obvious that you can float under the metal beams. Good entry nonetheless!
spawnie
05. Oct 2021 · 13:28 UTC
I would like to see more of it as it looks really pretty and polished, unfortunately the momentum of the ship is insane and being not well versed in driving game I can't negociate the turns well at all - a single impact sends me back to the start with no option to skip the dialogues :(
Milestone Games
05. Oct 2021 · 13:29 UTC
Really fun, I like how you established a clear atmosphere and setting right from the start. The controls were challenging enough while still feeling like something you are in control of. Neat game!
digitaldude555
05. Oct 2021 · 13:32 UTC
Amazing game, has it all excellent graphics, great music and sound effects, really amazing gameplay and emergent too, the way you pick up certain engine parts will change the way you pilot the ship. Perfectly fits the theme. Really the best game I have played so far and not sure if I will find out thats better.
Recessive
05. Oct 2021 · 13:34 UTC
Very polished game, graphics, ui and atmosphere tuned expertly. The gameplay is not my cup of tea, but to be fair I prefer fast paced games so I'm very biased there!
Vhalenn
05. Oct 2021 · 13:48 UTC
The graphics are really cool but the game is really slow and unforgiving, the only way to not explode is to go even slower. Congratulations for the artistic part !
Nicolas B
05. Oct 2021 · 13:49 UTC
I loved the graphics!

The controls are a bit too hard for me, I didn't saw any way to completely stop myself (maybe it play on the "unstable" part? and I understood it only when writing, but anyway)

Not sure if it's intended but an indicator/mini-map to guide you through the maze.

If there was a level selection or something that allow you to learn the controls and get introduced to the other blocks that would have make your game even better! :smiley:
svemir
05. Oct 2021 · 13:49 UTC
Very nice and great atmosphere, great graphics and sounds. The controls were a bit hard to figure out at first but you quickly get a feel for them. I would've liked to see some checkpoints or save states though. Loved how each piece of cargo was magnetized.
DarthWaxus
05. Oct 2021 · 14:00 UTC
Atmosphere, sound and graphics are really good. Loved this pixel art very much. But controls are too hard for me) I think it takes too much time to collect all this stuff.
Mords
05. Oct 2021 · 14:06 UTC
What a clever cool game. I spent FAR more time playing this than any other entry. Great graphics, fantastic sound and really interesting gameplay that gave me huge Subterrania vibes. Fantastic job - make this into a full game. 5/5
Barrier
05. Oct 2021 · 14:12 UTC
I had to go through all that trouble for THAT ending! OMG! :D
Well, the game had great art and audio! The controls were ok at first but then when I picked up extra engines some weird thing started happening. If I tried to brake the extra engine would fire and take me left. Then I got another engine that would take me right when I pressed forward. Not sure if its intented or a bug but it complicated the whole thing. Still, I managed to get through the whole thing :)

All in all a cool game.
MaxKyckling
05. Oct 2021 · 14:21 UTC
Very polished and lovely artwork! The audio was really, really good too! The controls took some time to get used to but they were good too. I got lost after a while and they kept saying "You need to go to the destinated point ASAP!", not for the impatient! :) Maybe an arrow pointing toward the destination after a while would be good? Anyways I think you did great, the atmosphere and everything was on point and when I was about to die I really got that kick of adrenaline which shows that you succeeded in making a good game! :D
aplegatt
05. Oct 2021 · 14:23 UTC
This is really polished for a game made in 72h. Great 16bit era like graphics (with a greater resolution , of course), great music, general sound design and gameplay. Nice experience. Good job guys :)
Truedat
05. Oct 2021 · 14:23 UTC
the mood is well well done! like the soundtrack aswell. the game makes fun and i like that you should not rush in this one. will definitely play again to test out some ohter spaceship builds. the docking concept is brilliant ! nice work fellows !!!
Casa Ocho
05. Oct 2021 · 14:26 UTC
Great game, the art is amazing and it feels really polished. Sfx and music makes it even better.
Gameplay and mechanics are really well thought, but I felt the movement was too slow, even if that was the idea.
Just a bit faster could make it really fun to play. Really nice job!
curleysam
05. Oct 2021 · 14:57 UTC
Absolutely loved the art and audio! Really well done.
It was very difficult. As someone else put it its not for the impatient haha!
but really neat package and felt polished :)
good job to all involved <3
Marin0104
05. Oct 2021 · 16:47 UTC
The atmosphere is really really good. The controls are well done. I am okay with crashing, because it was my fault and i can comprehend why i've crashed. That is the difference between a very frustrating not fun game from a very hard but fun game! Nevertheless, checkpoints are appreciated ;) Looking forward for more games made by you!
BangKerpow
05. Oct 2021 · 22:11 UTC
Loved the look of this one and the controls are great. The only nitpick I have is that when the dialogs pop-up the pause like behavior broke any sort flow I had going.
🎤 Erlioniel
05. Oct 2021 · 22:19 UTC
Wow guys! A lot of kind feedback, I'll try to play all your games, but it will take some time.

@chesschaser @casa-ocho it will be even harder to control if it will be faster :smile:

@spawnie it's not fair, Space is skipping dialogues. The key of success is patience

@vhalenn it's relatively short, so we decided that it's not a big deal if it's slow :slight_smile: Another key of success to let something else to blow up - not u :smile:

@wamien the maze is actually not so mazy, so I don't think it's a big deal :) Some polish might be required ye

@svemir it was in the list ideas, but didn't fit into timeframe

@darthwaxus why did you decide that it's required to collect everything?

@barrier ye, there is an issue with direction detection. Didn't manage to catch it :< You are probably from the minor part who finished it, thank you for that!

@milestone-games @digitaldude555 @recessive @mords @maxkyckling @aplegatt @truedat @curleysam @marin0104 thanks all of you guys for kind words!

You can try another round, just to find a final of the story, but it's up to you for sure :smile:
DarthWaxus
06. Oct 2021 · 01:17 UTC
Sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn’t mean collecting all the items at all. (although as far as I remember in the messages it is written that it is necessary to collect everything) But imho, i would like to make the gameplay itself a little faster
LTyrosine
08. Oct 2021 · 16:27 UTC
This game is amazing, my favorite in LD49 so far. From the graphics to music, everything fit together to create a nice mood. I would love to understand better what each module does. As a minor point, I would like to be able to rotate the module (for example I had an engine stuck in a position where it only applies torque to the craft).

Also this game bring me good memories as, back in Ludum Dare 24 (Theme Evolution), I tried a very similar modular approach on creatures

![temp2.png](///raw/671/z/47d5f.png)
But never finished.

Really hope you guys keep working on it for a full version.
elysiagriffin
11. Oct 2021 · 15:49 UTC
Hi there! Thanks for submitting your game for me to play live during my Twitch stream!

If you’d like to rewatch the playthrough, you can find it here:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1172268556?t=5h4m44s

Good luck on your ratings, see you next LD! :D

💜 Elysia Griffin AKA Button Feedback Lady

https://www.twitch.tv/elysiagriffin
🎤 Erlioniel
11. Oct 2021 · 15:54 UTC
@elysiagriffin thank you, sad that you didn't make it to the very end, but I do understand that you have limited amount of time :smile: Anyway thank you for the feedback, it's very valuable

@ltyrosine thank you bro, not sure actually. Maybe we'll polish it a bit, but possible full release is not in the scope for now, we have plenty stuff to do :smirk: But anyway thank you!
tetrapteryx
12. Oct 2021 · 19:46 UTC
This is a hard game, but absolutely stunning. The art and music are amazing, I would buy a game based on this aesthetic alone! Great work!
loveapplegames
16. Oct 2021 · 16:33 UTC
This is a superb looking game! Music is very atmospheric. Great how you can build your ship by attaching modules. You do need a lot of patience manoevering the ship though.
Tomssuli
25. Oct 2021 · 17:58 UTC
Great game, but the ship could have been a little lighter. Now the weight made it sooo slow. Also I noticed the same bug as someone else had noticed that the trusters fire in wrong button press. That ruined most of my runs and I never got to the end.

Sad that I didn't find this game before the review phase ended. I would have given good scores for many categories!

I really enjoyed the idea, the music and the amiga style pixelart graphics.
🎤 Erlioniel
30. Oct 2021 · 10:10 UTC
@tomssuli thank you for kind words! Ye, we didn't manage to polish the docking logic and it fails from time to time with correct engine aim detection :( Of course we could fix it after the jam, but we don't think it's a correct to do a major changes after the deadline.

I hope we'll find a way to remake it for the full release one day, and for sure we'll try our best to polish the game process