Excavation Sierra by parkuhrmd

made by parkuhrmd for Ludum Dare 58 (JAM)

To whom it may concern,

As the chief curator of the Gilmore Conservatory, I must express my serious concern that a ROOKIE is being sent to lead the Sierra Excavation. The Gilmore Collection of Triassic and Jurassic Artifacts is a highly reputable collection, and in no way, shape or form is this person able to perform the extremely delicate task of exhumation and classification of bones required for this endeavour. At least ensure that this person does not gain access to anything other than a BRUSH. The thought of someone taking a trowel, or even a SHOVEL to these artifacts gives me immeasurable pain. Please make sure that the bones were handled UNDAMAGED before adding it to our reputable collection, or your new protegé can JOIN THE OTHER BONES IN THE DESERT!

With utmost concern, Jebediah Frink, Chief Curator

Controls

WASD or Arrow Keys to move the camera. Left Click to use tools. Right click to return. Tab to switch between dig site and shop.

Gameplay Teaser

LD58Promo1.png

LD58Promo2.png

LD58Promo3.png

LD58Promo4.png

LD58Promo5.png

Credits

Quaternionessenz is: Adrian Herbers, Patrick Herbers, and Patrick Quiskamp.

Programming by: PH, PQ

Design: AH, PH, PQ

Art: AH, PH

Sounds: PH

All other audio by freesound.org

Link	https://parkuhrmd.itch.io/excavationsierra
GitHub	https://github.com/pherbers/ExcavationSierraLD58
Original URL	https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/58/excavation-sierra

Ratings

Overall	28^th	4.225⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Fun	36^th	4.1⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation	5^th	4.35⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Theme	13^th	4.5⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics	74^th	4.425⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Audio	143^th	3.8⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Mood	190^th	3.875⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Given		41🗳️	17🗨️

Feedback

thejackimonster

Oct 06th · 19:46 UTC

Very nice game! I like the story telling and the art style very much. I'm probably not patient enough for this kind of game, destroying a lot of bones but I definitely see how this is part of the fun. Great job!

skale

Oct 07th · 20:39 UTC

Feels amazing! It really looks like a polished game. The concept and gameplay are interesting, and the digging mechanic is implemented really well — I love that you need to be careful not to damage the bones (I smashed them). The art style and sounds give it a cozy, immersive feel

Bahonika

Oct 07th · 20:42 UTC

It's super! Mb you should add some chill music?

kayrum

Oct 07th · 20:43 UTC

Great game I just wished i coul zoom in to take a closer look at the dig site and the bones!

pro4

Oct 07th · 20:51 UTC

Really great art and vibe for the game. I was able to dig up the whole skeleton for 12700. Definitely damaged bones a bit, but overall it looked not too bad haha. Curious what the theoretical max score could be?

Thanks for the fun game.

LDJam user 280189

Oct 07th · 20:55 UTC

One of my favorite games so far! I really loved having to be extremely careful not to damage any bones and I liked the GPR mechanic, well done!

![bones.png](///raw/d76/44/z/6ec02.png)

LukeWaffel

Oct 07th · 20:57 UTC

Great gameplay!

I really enjoyed the process of being careful around the bones, using the brush to remove the last pieces of dirt was really satisfying! I'm kind of sad the brush was basically useless after the safety trowel upgrade, which I got fairly early on. Loved seeing the 'damaged' state of the bones on the display being the way I damaged them.

Amazing concept!

Electric Sun

Oct 07th · 21:03 UTC

So much fun! I wish i got to play this when i was 6 i would have been obsessed.

🎤 parkuhrmd

Oct 07th · 21:04 UTC

@pro4 The final score is your remaining money times 100. So the best score while buying all upgrades and damaging no bones is $78,300 (Nice job, @kazuren!), but in theory you could just buy the trowel and start digging blind, which would get you up to $204,100. I hope nobody does that.

NiceKot

Oct 07th · 21:07 UTC

Amazing concept and interesting implementation. My only complaint is the brush is so slow to dig, that you may think in the very beginning that you are doing something wrong. Also you can dig only marked spots and even the slightest miss makes LMB take no effect. This might be confusing.

But progression, style and polish are impressive. Kudos!

Isaac

Oct 07th · 21:09 UTC

Very chill experience! Love the game loop. My first attempt I got a final score of $58000. Now that I got the hang of it, I enjoyed the game so much I tried again and I'm pretty sure I got a perfect playthrough with every piece coming out pristine with a final score of $78300! Good job on the complete game!

🎤 parkuhrmd

Oct 07th · 21:11 UTC

@nicekot Thanks! The brush works a lot faster if you wiggle it with the mouse, but I admit that the mechanic is not telegraphed well.

Bea

Oct 07th · 23:02 UTC

ah this was lovely! I remember playing a physics crate moving game of yours some years back and this is just as excellent as that was! perfect scope, great gameplay! only complaint was I got a bug where the skull got stuck the first time I played it, but it was good enough I wanted to start over anyway:3

VladimirRose

Oct 08th · 12:21 UTC

It's a very cool game. I just got stuck and couldn't stop until I had unearthed everything.
The design, the art, the sounds - the caviar is very tactile and pleasant!

🎤 parkuhrmd

Oct 08th · 21:16 UTC

@bea Thanks, I still remember your chicken game!
Yes, the bones hit boxes are a bit wonky at times, but the brush usually clears it up :)

WetBurritoSupreme

Oct 10th · 18:27 UTC

What an absolute gem! Really engaging game and I love the art style!

Fullbuff

Oct 11th · 14:46 UTC

Wow, it was a very enjoyable game. The overall polish makes it very satisfying, good job!

Fin1717

Oct 11th · 15:12 UTC

The concept of Excavation is so fresh and intresting! I've collected all the bones, but made many of them broken lol It's a little difficult to avoid break the bones before getting the safety trowel,but once I get it, things became much easier. I had so much fun playing this game~

ruruie

Oct 11th · 15:37 UTC

This is a terrific little game and probably is nerfed because it's a jam and not many folks will spend an hour playing it. Reminds me of Unpacking. Worthy of development. Only criticism I had was I really had trouble understanding the rules of the damage inducing tools and being stuck. Oftentimes I was trying to trowel around the edges and get damage where I thought I was good.

Emmatw

Oct 14th · 21:04 UTC

This is a really nice game! It's well executed and a great use of the theme. The art style is a great fit as well.

dasMaichen

Oct 15th · 11:03 UTC

Very nice game. I damaged some of the bones ^^' but I could continue, so it was a nice feeling. :)

BlackCat508

Oct 15th · 20:29 UTC

This is a really unique idea! Excavating is quite fun and the pixel art works really well