LudumData

Corridor Duels by nyxkn

[raw]
made by nyxkn for Ludum Dare 54 (COMPO)

Corridor Duels

ld-crop.png

No instructions required. Hop in and play!

Controls:

  • WASD
  • Mouse buttons to Attack and Block
  • P or ESC for pause/settings

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Harsh criticism is welcome.

Prove your worth in the duelist's corridor!

Will you emerge victorious?

Devnotes

Software used:

  • Godot 4.2
  • JFXR and Chiptone for sound effects
  • Reaper for music composition, with Spitfire LABS instruments and SCC Taiko Drums
  • Aseprite for the pixel art
  • Font is m5x7 by managore

Source code available over at my Gitlab page.

Known issues:

  • ~~When playing the web build on chromium browsers, controls might get stuck. This seems to be an issue with Godot. If you come across this issue, maybe try firefox or the non-web builds~~
  • On macos: The web build might or might not work. There's an open Godot issue about it. For chromium browsers at least, it seems one has to switch to the metal graphics backend. Either with the command-line flag --use-profile=metal, or switching to metal for the angle graphics backend in chrome://flags. I was unable to provide a native macos build as an alternative.

Post-submission changes

  • Fixed a bug that would leave you stuck in the settings screen
  • Fixed stuttering caused by unnecessary shaders recompilation
  • Workaround for the godot bug where controls get stuck in web builds

Screenshots

ss-menu.png

Link https://nyxkn.itch.io/corridor-duels
Link https://nyxkn.itch.io/corridor-duels
Link https://nyxkn.itch.io/corridor-duels
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/54/corridor-duels

Ratings

Overall 196th 3.511⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Fun 167th 3.532⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 308th 2.867⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Theme 258th 3.337⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 249th 3.233⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Audio 74th 3.7⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Humor 218th 2.364⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Mood 156th 3.4⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 76🗨️

Feedback

JCMonkey
02. Oct 2023 · 22:42 UTC
welp, due to it being a godot game, the controls bugged out in the web build and kept forcing the character to the right. this bug has been in godot forever. the parts of the game i did play it was fun.
Cronno
03. Oct 2023 · 01:21 UTC
Simple and effective. Overall pretty good. The music and sound effects are really solid. That said, I think that the game feels bit slow because you spend most of the time just waiting for the enemies to do something.
🎤 nyxkn
03. Oct 2023 · 11:13 UTC
@jcmonkey I've come across the controls getting stuck bug as well. For me it seems to happen on chromium browsers only. On firefox it hasn't happened. Is it a known issue with Godot? Thanks for letting me know!
LDJam user 316658
03. Oct 2023 · 12:07 UTC
i like how the difficulty ramps up. at first i thought it was easy because i could just stand on the left waiting for enemies to come towards me, but just as i thought a level had finished, enemies came from behind and shook my expectations up! it's simple but satisfying.

(as a note i didn't have the controls issue - playing on firefox!)
Bumble
03. Oct 2023 · 12:19 UTC
I liked the way the enemies entered the corridor. It felt like an ambush most of the times! But I also think that some variation in the enemies would have gone a long way to make the game feel more engaging (not a problem though as the game is short enough to not overstay its welcome!).

I have one question though: Is it intended that I can hit an enemy that stopped its attack right after the attack? It feels like they are always vulnerable shortly after ending their attack (which I thought would only happen if I actually blocked the attack).
Avi
03. Oct 2023 · 12:20 UTC
Cool game!! I found the action quite satisfying:) I also didn't have any issues with controls, even though I played in chrome... strange!
manabreak
03. Oct 2023 · 12:22 UTC
No control issues here either, played on Firefox. I really like this one, and it was the first one to actually hook me for playing. Difficulty curves nicely, and with some more action-y music and faster gameplay, this could be a hit!
cleitoneldorn
03. Oct 2023 · 12:35 UTC
Cool game, but I got the bug where my character can no longer walk to the right in chrome.
xinux
03. Oct 2023 · 12:37 UTC
Nice music. Combat is refreshing in how it requires you to be patient. I would totally play a roguelike based on this, with loot and different weapons.
LDJam user 378522
03. Oct 2023 · 12:52 UTC
This feels like a perfect scope for a 48 hour jam, great job figuring out a mechanic and ramping up difficulty! I really like the simple art too, it compliments the game well. I did get stuck on the last level, the control bug you mentioned came up a few times, but eventually I got through with out the bug happening. Great Job!
![corridor Duels.png](///raw/a96/c5/z/5f37f.png)
lalordmikey
03. Oct 2023 · 12:53 UTC
Had fun playing it. It would have been nice if there was a separate animation to more clearly show when the enemy is vulnerable after blocking them. I thought it was just the right amount of challenging while not being super easy to breeze through. Over all a very good submission especially it being in the compo.
Thief
03. Oct 2023 · 13:04 UTC
Nice little cooridor battler :)

![Clear.png](///raw/40f/7/z/5f392.png)

I did have the controls glitch with Chrome on Windows, but clicking out and back in the HTML5 frame fixed it.
crylica
03. Oct 2023 · 13:05 UTC
There's a surprising amount of gameplay mechanics despite the simple premise, I think you've explored the level designs really well. I also ran into the Chrome bug where I'm stuck moving to the right permanently. I don't know if this is just a visual bug or intended, but sometimes the enemies will flash red after attacking (as if they got damaged) even if I didn't attack them. I understand it's difficult because of the time limitations, but a visual indicator to show when they're vulnerable after attacking (e.g.the enemy raising/lowering a shield) would help heaps! Really good job for 48 hrs tho!
airwaffle
03. Oct 2023 · 13:12 UTC
Very fun and atmospheric game! I eventually succeeded in my mission to finish the game without using the shield :D but it took me 10 minutes.
🎤 nyxkn
03. Oct 2023 · 13:27 UTC
@airwaffle Impressive commitment! I hereby grant you the official swordmaster achievement :D
Timo5034
03. Oct 2023 · 13:41 UTC
I also have the "controls getting stuck" bug, on firefox :/
🎤 nyxkn
03. Oct 2023 · 13:43 UTC
Regarding the stuck controls bug, it seems you can get unstuck by clicking once outside the game window and then clicking back on the game.
🎤 nyxkn
03. Oct 2023 · 14:44 UTC
@timo5034 @crylica @cleitoneldorn @jcmonkey

The controls bug should be fixed now! It seems to be an issue with how Godot handles input actions. Fortunately I seem to have found a workaround.
Timo5034
03. Oct 2023 · 15:00 UTC
Yes, fixed, thank you!
It's really fun, I love that you don't have to block, you can also just hit enemies while they charge at you.
Thief
03. Oct 2023 · 22:50 UTC
@nyxkn how did you fix it? My game is also in Godot...
🎤 nyxkn
04. Oct 2023 · 11:52 UTC
@thief It's an issue with actions getting stuck in the pressed state. See my bugreport: https://github.com/godotengine/godot/issues/82732

So if you use things like is_action_pressed() you can run into this issue. But the solution is to bypass actions and just check for key presses directly, like with is_key_pressed(). Key-presses get updated correctly. It's just actions that get stuck.
quasilyte
04. Oct 2023 · 13:02 UTC
It's pretty cool that you added a way to rebind the controls. It's such a rare treat for a compo game. :D
The menus are good too. But I think those are the default Godot skins. :D

The gameplay feels OK, but it got quite repetitive for me; although the game is short enough to not overstay its welcome anyway.

Sometimes it was a bit frustrating to wait an enemy to attack, because we can't do anything to them unless they create an opening for themselves. So in a sense, we can't attack them, we can only retaliate. This decreases the dynamics of the combat and reduces the amount of actions the player can have. That could be an intended route for this game, I dunno. :) Just sharing my view on that.

The music does a little stutter every now and then when playing in browser (I tested it in Firefox and Chrome).
🎤 nyxkn
04. Oct 2023 · 13:19 UTC
@quasilyte Thanks for the feedback! Hadn't come across the music stuttering, but I'm afraid that might just be a Godot issue with not much to do about it. I'll look into it.
minjutin
04. Oct 2023 · 14:23 UTC
I like how waiting for enemies to attack made the combat more reaction based. Maybe more enemy types would make the level design stand out even more, but this works as it is due to its shortness
Qaolin
04. Oct 2023 · 15:22 UTC
Hi, i like the concept but the game is reeeeally easy, i can simply hold shield and spam attack once they attack, it would be cool if shield had a penalty like stamina to no hold it foverer, also the enemies could have simple 3 dots above their heads to represent health :) overall pretty cool
Jens G
04. Oct 2023 · 15:42 UTC
Fun for a bit but might need a bit more variety in level progression. Liked the idea of the combat system, but it was a bit stationary for my taste.
mango-malarkey
04. Oct 2023 · 19:25 UTC
Nice game. I found the hit-logic to be a bit inconsistent, but otherwise it was a good experience, and felt quite polished
WeeFairyFabi
04. Oct 2023 · 19:48 UTC
I really enjoyed this game, I died so much as well haha but it was super fun waiting for the right timing to attack and then defeating my enemies~
okshirl
05. Oct 2023 · 01:15 UTC
I liked the concept and the music. I think the concept was easy to grasp too! I feel like the difficulty could ramp up a little faster with more variation in the terrain or the shape of the corridor to avoid repetitiveness. It was a little hard to tell which enemy I hit and how much hp they have left because the feedback wasn't strong enough. But it felt satisfying once I found the rhythm. Nice work!
Nick Rafalski
05. Oct 2023 · 01:53 UTC
I love little games that do 1 thing really well, and this was that to a T. Once I understood the mechanics, I felt like a ninja dodge and blocking attacks, while getting mine in just in time. It felt really satisfying to 'mater' the mechanic, which is a testament to a well designed game. The music was also subtle but perfect. Nice job!
LDJam user 352490
05. Oct 2023 · 20:27 UTC
I love the music, it's really relaxing to listen to. I thought the game was fun to get the hang of, and I love the way you had to work around the enemies blocking your way. It would be cool with even tighter corridors / other level layouts.
kasmilus
07. Oct 2023 · 09:55 UTC
Really nice game. It's simple enough without being boring, I actually felt like I'm refining my "strategy" as I was progressing. Would be nice to see some variety in enemies but it's definitely fun the way it is! One suggestion from me would be to show enemy HP above them, would allow to prioritise them easily when there's a crowd.

![corr.PNG](///raw/acf/a5/z/5ff06.png)

It's always good when there's some sort of score or time at the end, gives you a reason to try again... :)
cheesepencil
07. Oct 2023 · 19:15 UTC
I didn't beat it, but I got a couple levels in. No issues on windows firefox.

The mechanics worked pretty well! And it's a complete game in the compo. Great job <3
Dan Burns
08. Oct 2023 · 02:17 UTC
Oh that was fun! Nidhogg vibes. Nice use of LABS instruments too. Great work!
MonsieurDuck
08. Oct 2023 · 07:49 UTC
Music was amazing, game was smooth and fun with the timing quite tight. I really liked it, amazing submission.
🎤 nyxkn
08. Oct 2023 · 11:56 UTC
@dan-burns I did not know about Nidhogg but it looks amazing and now I have to play it. Thanks for the rec! :D
Phlip45
08. Oct 2023 · 18:05 UTC
I feel like the timer for the clearing might be off slightly. It definitely felt a bit longer than 3 minutes to clear and I did die on the final level. Might be resetting every time you retry? Either that or I am amazing haha.
![2023-10-08 11_00_22-Corridor Duels by nyxkn — Mozilla Firefox.png](///raw/68a/3/z/6009a.png)

Music was great and even though the graphics are simple they are very coherent and go well together (something I struggle with a lot =P ). Great job!
José Bonilla
09. Oct 2023 · 02:01 UTC
Enjoyable little game, congrats! Good scope for a 48-hour jam.
Plepletier
09. Oct 2023 · 02:39 UTC
I played the game, and I really enjoyed it. The only area that could use some polishing is the juice and feedback from the hits. Sometimes, when enemies attack, it's unclear whether they've hit your defenses, leaving you unsure whether to continue attacking or to focus on defense.
HagamosVideojuegos
09. Oct 2023 · 12:05 UTC
Simple and fun! What more can we get from a compo game? Maybe with more mechanics with more enemy weapons for example (with more development time of course) it can be really interesting to play as a full game!

Well done! Take a candy! :candy:
almageddon
09. Oct 2023 · 17:17 UTC
Cute characters and enjoyable gameplay. The music was good as well, did not get very far but would have liked some powerups! =)
APG
10. Oct 2023 · 02:24 UTC
Nice game! I enjoyed trying to time my attack to hit the enemy before the enemy hit me. Or when two were coming, hit one, block the other, and then hit him. The tactics!
Thanks!
🎤 nyxkn
11. Oct 2023 · 10:04 UTC
@phlip45 Ahh, you might be right about the timer being wrong. I know I came across that issue before but thought I had fixed it. Thanks for the heads-up!
ciobeni
11. Oct 2023 · 11:17 UTC
Enjoyed everything about this game, the music and sound fit well and create a good atmosphere. Pixel art is on point. Gameplay feels smooth and it's very easy to understand the mechanics.

Only thing I missed was some variation on enemies and levels, but I think this is just personal preference, the game is great as is.
Johnsensei
11. Oct 2023 · 22:50 UTC
Mac user here who can testify that Godot-made games have been crashing my Chrome for all of Ludum Dare. Usually I can run them in Firefox fine. But, this game took forever to load and would even have insane load times between levels in Firefox. Firefox was giving me a regular warning along the lines of "This page is slowing down your browser. We recommend you stop this page." I couldn't give it an honest playthrough, so I won't be able to leave a fair rating. But I wanted to try out everybody's game who played my game, even if I can't get it working. I may have to boot into Windows Later to check it out.
LDJam user 374472
12. Oct 2023 · 16:25 UTC
A bit repetitive, but interesting. I especially enjoyed the music. Good job!
Johnsensei
15. Oct 2023 · 19:03 UTC
Finally got to play it by booting into Windows. I thought that restarting from the level you died on was really fair. I don't play a lot of games with a mouse, so I wasn't used to having to click behind the character to attack enemies coming from behind. A regular button push for attack would have worked better for me.
mcbombadev
20. Oct 2023 · 03:13 UTC
Fun! This is a great start for some swordplay mechanics that could easily be built upon. I could see more enemy types, and nuances to how much damage your sword does, or whether your shield performs a stun depending on how recent the key was pressed for instance. The music was good and the art really appealing, too. Great compo game!