Those Who Die As Cattle by ElliotS
A WW1 trench warfare simulation game, with a personal touch. Take command of a Regiment in the First Battle of Ypres as either a French Colonel or a German Oberst. If you are so inclined, examine the casualty list (and click on the names).
Please note, due to time constraints:
- The names may not be demographically accurate to 1914 Germany / France.
- Some of the combat simulation is not based on historical data

Heed the briefing. Play as France if you want a German attack to be inevitable, but weaken yourself sufficiently as any side, and you will be overrun.

Though the interface may be simplistic, each soldier and artillery piece is simulated under the hood using an ECS system. Every artillery shot you hear is based on the simulation. Listen closely and you may be able to hear the enemy reserves being sent to the front. The AI hooks into the same interface you do, and plays a fair game. And each soldier's story is their own.
Two additional hours have been spent after the jam to polish up pages, instructions, and make some UI improvements for clarity.
| Link | https://eswart.itch.io/those-who-die-as-cattle |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/56/those-who-die-like-cattle |
Ratings
| Overall | 791th | 3.296⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 1020th | 2.574⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 486th | 3.37⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 449th | 3.796⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 197th | 3.771⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 830th | 2.425⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 220th | 3.926⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 54🗳️ | 20🗨️ |
It highlights a serious topic which sadly applies to modern days and will apply to the days yet to come.
Thank you for bringing this game to the stream :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSZ9jPg17KQ
~XpMonster
It highlights a serious topic which sadly applies to modern days and will apply to the days yet to come.
Thank you for bringing this game to the stream :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSZ9jPg17KQ
~XpMonster
https://youtu.be/MOQvnWwS2QI
It took me a few minutes to figure out that artillery was essentially limitless. And I was caught off guard when the German charge got to my trench very suddenly. I think the mood and theme are spot-on. An excellent jam game. Well done!