One screen Labyrinth by NaoisTheGuardian

[raw]
made by NaoisTheGuardian for LD31 (COMPO)
NOTE: If the game doesn't work, use the post-compo version and email the "output.txt" to me at "naoistheguardian@gmail.com"

The aim of the game is to survive as long as possible in an ever-changing labyrinth of stone walkways by reaching the green platform before the room shifts.

I've spent the last 2 hours trying to get my resources to load internally, but they simply refused, when suddenly it came to me: load them externally! Anyway, I had a lot of fun on this project, but it certainly ended up nothing like I had originally planned. It's meant to be a dungeon crawler/infinite runner, but basically became an infinite runner.

Unfortunately, I was unable to implement most of the features I had planned, but I'm happy I got it in on time (by a matter of seconds) unlike the first ld I was involved in.

EDIT: Universal version supports any refresh rate, but I don't recommend using a monitor less that 720 pixels tall

Ratings

Coolness 69% 3
Overall 3.33 409
Audio 3.16 281
Fun 3.38 291
Graphics 2.95 645
Humor 2.41 613
Innovation 3.10 576
Mood 2.97 512
Theme 3.85 266

Feedback

chaosed0
08. Dec 2014 路 04:12 UTC
For something so simple, the mechanics work pretty well!
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
08. Dec 2014 路 04:58 UTC
Thanks! I was aiming pretty low to make sure I got it out on time.
rjhunter
08. Dec 2014 路 07:40 UTC
I had a go at running the game from my Mac -- I noticed it was Java and I thought I might be able to grab a copy of the platform-specific LWJGL libraries and put them in the jar. It didn't quite work with the version I downloaded, but if you've got a matching version, you might be able to port to Mac and Linux relatively easily.
WhoaConstrictor
08. Dec 2014 路 07:51 UTC
Pretty simple, but well executed. The movement feels really good- the little bit of slipperiness plays very well.
Valtaroth
08. Dec 2014 路 08:06 UTC
Nice and simple game, but still kind of addicting :)
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
08. Dec 2014 路 08:36 UTC
@rijhunter good idea, I didn't have much time to set up cross platform when I was packing the jar, I'll try and add it now. (but I have had some issues with that in the past)
@WhoaConstrictor, Nice name ;) and thanks for the feedback
@Valtaroth, Glad you felt so :)
wandersenus
08. Dec 2014 路 09:06 UTC
nice game!
Iak
08. Dec 2014 路 09:33 UTC
Smooth controls are pretty nice, overall graphics and sound fit together well, too. Could use a few more things to increase the difficulty (i dunno, traps or somesuch) but running out of time is nothing rare in a LD XD
HolyBlackCat
08. Dec 2014 路 09:37 UTC
I can't play it. When I start the game, my monitor turns black and shows the error: `Out of range: 99.4kHz/60Hz`.
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
08. Dec 2014 路 10:59 UTC
@HolyBlackCat, Ah, sorry about that, I'll need to make it compatible with non-60-hz monitors
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
08. Dec 2014 路 11:56 UTC
@HolyBlackCat, Fixed :)
rabbit
08. Dec 2014 路 23:18 UTC
I had trouble getting it to run on windows. Not sure what happened, as the game just never started.
cardanai
08. Dec 2014 路 23:36 UTC
I can see how someone can get addicted to this, and you really nailed the movement. The background and graphics overall could really use some work though.
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
09. Dec 2014 路 00:02 UTC
@rabbit, What version of windows? Can you run it from cmd for me? (hoping you know how to do that)
@cardanai, Thanks, and yeah, graphics aren't my strong point, but I'm mostly happy that I managed to get some semblance of depth, you should see what the game looked like earlier
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
09. Dec 2014 路 01:18 UTC
@rabbit, try the java 1.6 version
Kopeph Developers
09. Dec 2014 路 04:57 UTC
Really liked this game. Beauty in simplicity. I can confirm the first link works properly on OS X10.10
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
09. Dec 2014 路 05:11 UTC
Yay! Thanks 'Kopeph Developors'! :D
BMacIntosh
09. Dec 2014 路 05:21 UTC
Excellent. Would be a killer mobile game.
Hellequin
09. Dec 2014 路 06:18 UTC
Great mechanics... Overall good game!
RockhopperGames
09. Dec 2014 路 08:39 UTC
Fairly simple, but kinda cute still! I've seen a few games that have tried to work around the one screen limitation by having multiple levels, but you made the changing layout feel like it wasn't a change of scene! I think not moving the character between levels was a good step here. The piano was rather nice too!

As for things I disliked, the wobbly sound for starting and dying was a bit unpleasant, and it felt a bit hard to control at times. Also, I noticed that your little dude really freaks out if you stop moving, but I think I'll choose to consider that a feature, not a bug! ;)
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
09. Dec 2014 路 09:08 UTC
@BMacIntosh, It's possible I could port it to android, but the game isn't made to be played on screens less than >720 pixels in height. It's possible, but not preferable.
@Hellequin, Thanks :)
@RockhopperGames, Thanks for the comprehensive feedback, My aim for the game was to have the player complete one little task on the platforms, like destroy all enemies, then get to the end before the time runs out, then all of the platforms would descend into the lava, except the last one. (yes, it's meant to be lava) It would be a mix of infinite runner with dungeon crawler or roguelike. This would mean that the screen never changed, and the labyrinth just descended to and ascended from lava.

About the little dude freaking out, It never happens on my computer, but seems to happen to a couple of people I know. :/ Anyway, thanks for your replies everyone :)
talecrafter
09. Dec 2014 路 09:30 UTC
Atmospheric game. Fun to play, and somewhat relaxin, even if you run against the timer.
Well done.
JNyknn
09. Dec 2014 路 09:33 UTC
Nice game, but maybe the gameplay was a bit too simple.
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
09. Dec 2014 路 09:52 UTC
@talecrafter, thanks :)
@JNyknn, I agree, I just ran out of time to add anything else
ChaosCult
09. Dec 2014 路 10:32 UTC
Crushed on startup =(
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
09. Dec 2014 路 10:35 UTC
@ChaosCult, Tried the java 1.6 version?
FloatingGhost
09. Dec 2014 路 11:43 UTC
Completely crashed my system (linux)
Chaoseed
09. Dec 2014 路 11:57 UTC
Kinda fun! It does what it's supposed to...conjures up its world nicely. (I particularly like the bubbling lava.) Although, it does make me curious about the unimplemented features. ;)
dsoft20
09. Dec 2014 路 12:42 UTC
Simple but addicting game!
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
10. Dec 2014 路 00:33 UTC
@FloatingGhost, Sorry about that, but there's not much I can do, I don't have a linux anymore, and if it completely crashed your system, then I don't imagine that running from terminal would tell me what went wrong.
@Chaoseed, Thanks, the bubbling lava was meant to convey that the texture at the bottom actually was lava, and as for unimplemented features, I'll quote a previous comment:
"My aim for the game was to have the player complete one little task on the platforms, like destroy all enemies, then get to the end before the time runs out, then all of the platforms would descend into the lava, except the last one. (yes, it's meant to be lava) It would be a mix of infinite runner with dungeon crawler or roguelike. This would mean that the screen never changed, and the labyrinth just descended to and ascended from lava."
@dsoft20, Thanks :)
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
10. Dec 2014 路 00:52 UTC
Oh, and another late feature I was planning to add was where you occasionally see an extra platform over the end of the last platform. It was going to have a thing that gives you extra points, but that was one of the later features I didn't have time to add.
masterhyjinx
10. Dec 2014 路 02:50 UTC
Worked on my MacBook Air running OS X 10.9.5

Simple and well done. Bums me out that I got to the green tower before time ran out but time expired before it scored. I played it a few times
PIXEL^3
10. Dec 2014 路 07:40 UTC
I had a problem where the player twitched around while idle and would be propelled a little bit in odd directions as I moved. There were a few time where this killed me as soon as the labyrinth change. But with a lot of polish I could see this as a mobile game.

-AlucardX60
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
11. Dec 2014 路 00:06 UTC
Oddly, a few people complained about this, I don't know why it's happening though, because it never happens on my computer.
Recon
11. Dec 2014 路 12:48 UTC
Crashing on start, I don't score it!
Hempuli
11. Dec 2014 路 12:49 UTC
Seems to crash as soon as I open it :( Windows 7, 32-bit
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
11. Dec 2014 路 22:58 UTC
I know this is an issue, and I can't know how to fix it unless people use the debug version and email me the "output.txt". I'm really sorry for the inconvenience.
Odefus
11. Dec 2014 路 23:39 UTC
It works. Some of the levels really put you to the test with how much ground you have to precisely cover to make it making it pretty challenging.
sorlok
12. Dec 2014 路 04:08 UTC
Good game; solid mechanics. The green circle collision detection is a bit too precise, but otherwise the game is fun.
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
12. Dec 2014 路 05:26 UTC
Actually, you just need to be anywhere on the tower for the green circle to register you being there.
Taunia Sabanski
14. Dec 2014 路 03:57 UTC
This is a good base-game concept that needs quite a bit more content to be really fleshed out. It's really amicable that you focused on a very basic idea so that you could finish it by the end of the compo. In the case of a compo game, it's quite simplistic, but well done in that simplicity.

It does need a lot of polish, though. What is here that works, works. The controls are slightly slippery, and though I know you meant them to be slippery, I found I was sliding off into the lava more than I was being late to step into the green circle.

With some cleaner graphics, more content, different environments and possibly more win/lose conditions, this game has plenty of potential to build upon. :)
Bonobo Games & Mechanic Moon
16. Dec 2014 路 11:46 UTC
Well finished and clear to fulfill objectives. I must learn from you on my holdings. I liked a lot.
Rothens
18. Dec 2014 路 11:41 UTC
I really loved this entry :) As for the resource loading internally:
You make a class, e.g.: ResourceManager.java, inside it you can use ResourceManager.class.getResource("/res/image.png"); to get back the resource from inside the jar :)
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
19. Dec 2014 路 01:16 UTC
@Rothens, Unfortunately that wasn't working for me, strangely. In fact, I tried just about every variation on that theme. I think the problem might have been that I was loading resources from classes that were in a package, unlike the last two times.
@Taunia Sabanski, Thanks for playing my game, and thanks for the comprehensive feedback.
@Bonobo Games & Mechanic Moon, That name is a mouthful, and thanks :)
cxsquared
19. Dec 2014 路 04:07 UTC
Really great interpretation of the game. Lots of fun. Nice work.
Rothens
19. Dec 2014 路 21:08 UTC
@NaoisTheGuardian, Strange... this always worked for me, and I always place my classes in packages. :/
JayCee23
25. Dec 2014 路 20:47 UTC
I can't seem to get it to open, sorry...
shyupuff
25. Dec 2014 路 20:48 UTC
I like how u respawn at the location that you finish the previous level at. That was nice. The music was kind of sad and moody, which I liked. Smooth walk motion. Overall nice job! :D
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
26. Dec 2014 路 01:36 UTC
@JayCee23, Sorry about that, it seems to happen for some people...
@shyupuff, Thanks :) The idea was that you never moved at all between levels, and the level moved around you, but given the time I had to do it, I just had to use a screen flash for the platforms to move.
p1x3lruckus
26. Dec 2014 路 08:49 UTC
It was pretty fun, but like you said it would of been much better if there had been enemies and other challenges. Also I think it would of been better if as soon as you hit the green it would turn over, I died a few times because I was holding down the key and overshot. But I guess that might of been the point.
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
26. Dec 2014 路 09:26 UTC
@p1x3lruckus, That's something I planned on, but I got caught up at the end trying (and failing) to pack the jar file. :/ I might add it in my post-compo version.
joppiesaus
26. Dec 2014 路 13:41 UTC
How can be something so simple so hard?!
Excellent idea, nice theme implementation. Really fun mechanics, nice sounds & graphics.
Neat!
efux
26. Dec 2014 路 14:25 UTC
Nice game! It's kind of hard yet very addicting. I especially like the graphics style with the little details (bubbles of the lava).
馃帳 NaoisTheGuardian
26. Dec 2014 路 23:58 UTC
@joppiesaus, By using hyperbolic equations to calculate difficulty so that as the level approaches infinity, the amount of time you have to get to the platform approaches two seconds. I'm glad you liked the sfx, It was worth a total of five minutes (unless you count the music, that was an hour or so)
@efux, Thanks, that makes one of us. I jest, I was happy with how I used a minimal amount of textures and a few lines to make the platforms look like actual stone platforms above lava rather than big grey rectangles.