Starwalker by svyatozar

[raw]
made by svyatozar for LD36 (COMPO)
This is an obstacle course type of game, first person point of view, heavily inspired by Unreal Tournament's Bunny Track game type.

Based on WebGL technology, it is designed to be played in a desktop browser.
Controls are arrow keys and space.

Changes since submission: by a popular demand, improved control, player rotation 2 times slower on the demo site and fixed the annoyance when pressing buttons, now they should not affect the webpage scroll (file starwalker.js). The source contains the original zipped version for historical reference.

Aug 31, 2016: I really appreciate all the comments so far: what amazes me is how much seemingly small technical details such as "air control" are more important to players than fancy graphics. This gives me some ideas about where to go from here, how to and how to better structure the learning curve throughout maps to make it as fun to new players as those who have decade of experience with this type of games...

Special thanks to the video reviewers. They give me an invaluable insight into the user experience. For example, Daniel aka SirPhoenixGaming seemed to have hard time struggling with controls, while Jupiter_Hadley seemingly skipped through it super fast, I'm so impressed.
https://www.twitch.tv/sirphoenixgaming/v/86519298?t=35m12s
https://youtu.be/hC8B45eG0n0?t=12m9s

Feedback

NinjaNic
29. Aug 2016 · 01:10 UTC
Feels a little glitchy and incomplete, but so far it looks okay. I can't see what it has to do with ancient technology, though, unless you used a really old program to make this.
🎤 svyatozar
29. Aug 2016 · 04:17 UTC
K, I guess you played without sound, or skipped the intro. The glitch appeared late into the game engine development, which took me a bit longer than I expected, so I had to cut down on level development, eventually made only one silly map, which is kinda sad...
Ilseroth
29. Aug 2016 · 12:42 UTC
Holy crap the turning speed is ramped to 11. I can't line up the jump because the character spins like a top at the slightest press.

I like the first person obstacle course concept, allows for rapid dev time in a short period, but the control is paramount
SetTheBet
29. Aug 2016 · 13:49 UTC
Had problems immediately I'm afraid. When playing in the embedded space of course scrolls the page. So I go fullscreen and controllers lock up.
After some jittering and keyboard smashing it works again but my left and right turn is way to fast. One fast click rotates almost 90 degrees.
Couldnt even enter the obelisk thing.
🎤 svyatozar
29. Aug 2016 · 14:04 UTC
It's an overwhelming experience for me right now, but next time I will consider control issues more seriously. I tested it in Chrome and Firefox, scored the goals, but apparently this is not enough for the wide audience...
onyon
29. Aug 2016 · 17:00 UTC
Camera is way too fast, it's frustrating having to aim intro the right spot for few seconds before you can go forward. I'd be looking forward to seeing more though. Thumbs up! :)
Garfeild
29. Aug 2016 · 17:33 UTC
I was fighting controls for 5 min and wasn't even able to enter the first portal. You need to work on those a little more to make it more enjoyable and playable =)
pixzleone
29. Aug 2016 · 17:34 UTC
Controls are too fast like people have already said. I liked what I saw though, and the talking in the beginning was cool :D
c2v4
29. Aug 2016 · 17:37 UTC
Stucked at level 1 :( Controlls are quite overdriving. The first entry with FPP :)
ccglp
29. Aug 2016 · 17:42 UTC
Also stuck at level 1, please fix the controls or the level design
CMLSC
29. Aug 2016 · 19:42 UTC
I'm confused as to what exactly this is...
I found many glitches including going inside the wall and platforms, and also even hitting the end with nothing happening. The platforms were also glitching. The controls were also a pain. It took me 5ish minutes to beat it. .-.
🎤 svyatozar
29. Aug 2016 · 20:04 UTC
K, I listened to all of your requests, re-read the rules, and they say: "We allow you to fix crashes, win condition, or tiny bugs after the deadline. In a sense, this is like “porting” to support more players." So, basically I only applied changes to the controls without touching anything else. The controls are now smooth and you can actually control your jump speed now.

Please understand that this is a whole 3d game engine with physics, collisions, map file structure, geometry loading, webgl and webaudio interface to worry about, so I had no time to fix all the glitches, or even make a decent game map. I apologize for these inconveniences. This is a lot of work as is, trust me. (And yes, that soundtrack recording and mastering was also done by me, with some initial technical difficulties.) I took it easy on Monday, and still am exhausted.
Bogden
29. Aug 2016 · 20:53 UTC
Hmm, is there only 1 level? The intro is a good start, but there feels like a lot lacking.

The controls are a bit difficult to maneuver around, and the physics around moving feel more suited to a vehicle than walking around. Not being able to accelerate while in mid air is little odd for this type of game.

Glad you hit on bits of audio and graphics for a compo entry though. Always good to see that. For short compos like this though, I would recommend aiming for simple game experiences that you think you can implement in 48 hours. As it is, it doesn't feel like much of a "game" with the amount of content it has.

It's pretty impressive for being done in WebGL in only 48 hours, but there's nothing wrong with using game dev tools like Unity or Game Maker to do things quickly!
wheerd
29. Aug 2016 · 21:04 UTC
Not sure if I got the version with the improved controls, but I still didn't manage to complete the first level :/
jakatpemadi
29. Aug 2016 · 21:05 UTC
Hmm... I am curious how you create this demo. Usually my computer is very lag at 3D games/simulations, but this demo is running smoothly.
Ghen
29. Aug 2016 · 21:13 UTC
the control very weird, like "action 52" on nintendo, you can't move while jumping, the other like rotation and stuff that you put on the desc game working fine for me

and also the terrain glitched with the pilar object, the ground at the pillar area flickering everytime i moved

while you doing this only with webGL, mechanicly its impressive for what you made in mere 48 hours
cushycode
30. Aug 2016 · 10:27 UTC
Hm, I agree with other reviewers. The movements are too fast an harsh. I even couldn't climb up the stairs =(
kmitz
30. Aug 2016 · 11:12 UTC
Like the others, the controls are too harsh. The fact that you cannot move while jumping makes all the difficulty.
I managed to reach the portal but the lack of level too is a bit disapointing :)
Jupiter_Hadley
30. Aug 2016 · 17:10 UTC
Good start! I like the intro. I included it in my compilation video series of Ludum Dare 36 games, if you’d like to take a look :) https://youtu.be/hC8B45eG0n0
tompudding
30. Aug 2016 · 23:00 UTC
I struggled with this. The intro didn't play in my firefox (v43), but I got it to play with Chrome. Then I had a bad time with the jumping but I eventually made it. Good effort for making the webgl engine in 48 hours though!
monkeybit29
31. Aug 2016 · 20:12 UTC
Needs more gameplay, lower the sensitivity
monkeybit29
31. Aug 2016 · 20:17 UTC
Not much of a game, but I get the theme, nice job!