LudumData

The Unfettered Arrow by inkeystring

[raw]
made by inkeystring for LD31 (COMPO)
So, my first Game Compo/Jam
I'd planned to enter the Jam but had somewhat of a playable game just in time for the compo (minus sound) and not sure I can take another day of this:s Have learnt so much in two days.

Try to keep the momentum up of your arrow and see how long you can last, you have three degrees of turn in each direction, the sharper you turn the more momentum you lose. Hit apples for more momentum and defend yourself by killing attacking ninjas.

Game requires two hands, Q,A,Z turn left...O,K,M, turn right..instructions in game if required :)

I'd planned for a fair bit more action in this game...fires that burn and spread, walls, trees..oh well...maybe be something I continue with... :) It needs a lot of tweaking!

I also planned for the action to ramp up , more ninjas, more objects...increasing difficulty...and more levels.

Cheers for taking a look,
@inkeystring
Web http://www.inkeystring.com/Ludum31/index.html
Source http://www.inkeystring.com/Ludum31/LudumComp31UnfetteredArrow.zip
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=44838

Ratings

Coolness 79% 2
Overall 2.72 1001
Fun 2.44 1045
Graphics 2.20 1076
Humor 1.95 856
Innovation 3.18 516
Mood 2.03 1087
Theme 3.11 1017

Feedback

eruditespirit
08. Dec 2014 · 12:03 UTC
Very interesting control scheme, wish the arrow was a little faster, but overall, good game!
hexagore
08. Dec 2014 · 12:05 UTC
Really neat concept, couldn't last much longer than about 166 time units though!
hectorhon
08. Dec 2014 · 12:46 UTC
This game had me grinning. I thought the character would be firing multiple arrows and was surprised! +1 Humor
xerohuang
08. Dec 2014 · 13:21 UTC
Good concept. Would be better if optimize the level setting.
hadesfury
08. Dec 2014 · 13:49 UTC
Really inovative
Also hard :D
Great first game
🎤 inkeystring
08. Dec 2014 · 15:11 UTC
thanks for your comments...I had much bigger plans for it :s..spent too much time on boilerplate stuff :o
oh_cripes
08. Dec 2014 · 15:23 UTC
Cool idea, took me a while to understand what I was doing.
pjimmy
08. Dec 2014 · 15:28 UTC
nice, very interesting concept, but it's missing a Pause button
kalugny
08. Dec 2014 · 15:32 UTC
Fun! I wish there was some way to make the arrow go faster (at the expense of more momentum of course)
MaesK
08. Dec 2014 · 15:54 UTC
Nice game, I also wished the arrow was faster, but is nice. "Momentum" seems like a better name than simply "Hungry" :D Keep it up!
🎤 inkeystring
08. Dec 2014 · 15:58 UTC
thanks...will definitely speed up the arrow and create more pickups to affect speed etc :)
anokta
08. Dec 2014 · 18:04 UTC
a bit strange choice of keyboard controls, still an interesting idea though. maybe i'm just blaming the keys because i kept lacking momentum. :)
🎤 inkeystring
08. Dec 2014 · 18:10 UTC
:) ..I originally wanted to do a mobile version where your rate of turn depended on where you pressed the screen. Since I did for web in the end, I simulated by having just three degrees of turn using keyboard:/
Eponesh
08. Dec 2014 · 19:03 UTC
Greate concept! Good job!
Benjamin
08. Dec 2014 · 19:18 UTC
innovative control and gameplay !
guldlock
08. Dec 2014 · 19:22 UTC
The controls were interesting but the game was nice when I got the hang of it. But it could speed up the pace for more challenge!
AlSweigart
08. Dec 2014 · 19:23 UTC
Good original concept. The controls took some getting used to, but this was a solid game.
🎤 inkeystring
08. Dec 2014 · 23:00 UTC
thanks for your comments guys :)
andysolace
09. Dec 2014 · 10:06 UTC
Not a bad little entry overall :)

Controls, as its been said, are interesting and took a minute to get used too. Game is pretty tricky too, and in a few attempts I only managed to survive to ~80 or so.

That said, I've not quite woken up yet, so perhaps I'll come back a bit later and try to improve on it :P
🎤 inkeystring
09. Dec 2014 · 10:36 UTC
Thanks Andy, that's appreciated :) I really had much bigger plans for it :s I thought I was going to enter the Jam so was thinking I'd have an extra day on it. Also I've learnt now I should have come in to Ludum with an engine prepared/chosen and lots of boilerplate all ready to go!

Great learning experience a game jam is!
Beerman
09. Dec 2014 · 20:20 UTC
Cool game. The controls looked a little weird at first but once you start playing they make perfect sense.
I definitely agree the arrow needs to be faster - maybe start off fast and slow down as you lose momentum?
5k0d
09. Dec 2014 · 21:35 UTC
Nice Game, feels a bit like snake with an extra touch and actually difficulty
🎤 inkeystring
10. Dec 2014 · 00:28 UTC
It does slightly slow down as you lose momentum..I guess not enough. I really didn't tweak anything like I should have:( I just suddenly realised I could enter the compo and kind of rushed things....I'd had enough ..those two days were intense:s..will definitely take all comments and rework the whole thing with better graphics, gameplay etc..thanks Beerman and 5kod :)
dunin
10. Dec 2014 · 06:28 UTC
use two hands just for two buttons is.... pretty cool!
The game is a little slow and need more features, but nice start!
🎤 inkeystring
10. Dec 2014 · 11:57 UTC
well, I guess it comes from back in the day where two hands on QAOP was the original WASD...I will definitely change and tweak and develop after the comp closes :)
WatercressStudios
11. Dec 2014 · 04:20 UTC
Unfortunately can't get over the awkward control scheme.
🎤 inkeystring
12. Dec 2014 · 09:25 UTC
that's fair enough :)
ViliX64
12. Dec 2014 · 14:32 UTC
Fun to play entry :)
wavertron
28. Dec 2014 · 08:46 UTC
Seems like a solid idea. Nice ninja/samurai characters, I guess the apple seems a little out of place by contrast. Didnt quite understand the choice for the redundant key mappings (left x 3, right x 3). Left and Right arrows would work fine.... although if the player controls multiple arrows in future, I can see the need for multiple left/right mappings. Anyways interesting little concept.
🎤 inkeystring
30. Dec 2014 · 23:03 UTC
thanks for comments . Well the three different controls turn the arrow at different rates. If you turn sharper then your momentum drops more quickly..so you can manage your momentum by not turning as hard left or right and save momentum :)...it needs work! ;)
🎤 inkeystring
30. Dec 2014 · 23:05 UTC
thanks all for votes , I think everyone's been quite generous considering the gameplay.. or lack thereof
🎤 inkeystring
30. Dec 2014 · 23:06 UTC
yep - the apple is out of place..I originally was going to have it set in Old England where an apple shot with an arrow might have seemed more appropriate :/