Doll house: q-Be or not q-Be by Liam :D

[raw]
made by Liam :D for LD31 (COMPO)
Remember back in the day, when all the rich kids had doll houses, and the rest of us had to play with rocks? Yeah, I don't either, but I'm sure there are people who had this very specific problem. Those people are my target audience! :D

Anyway, this LD I've made a dollhouse game. I'm quite pleased with how much I managed to create. Yes, it's clunky, yes it's unfinished and imperfect, etc. etc. But for 48 hours, it's pretty good, even if I say so myself :D

All feedback is welcome!

Some information, not present in the game:
- The game is an easy sandbox. It doesn't have win or lose conditions, it merely provides you with a few tools to make your own fun.
- There are a few player stats, but they have little impact on the actual game, past aesthetics of the player mob. This is by design.
- The player stats are (top to bottom, left to right): Waste, curiosity, energy, hunger, health and fun.

A note on the title: q-Be or not q-Be, obviously referencing Shakespeare, but also q-Be being read the same as 'cubie' or 'cube' (if you're drunk anyway) is a reference to the game being made almost entirely of cubes.

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 3.16 599
Fun 2.60 955
Graphics 3.20 481
Humor 2.46 577
Innovation 3.04 628
Mood 2.74 722
Theme 3.39 816

Feedback

ilikescifi
07. Dec 2014 · 21:41 UTC
Like the style.
wdebowicz
08. Dec 2014 · 10:44 UTC
I like the simple style. Camera view makes me feel like I'm spying neighbours! I had a fun!
Anikki
08. Dec 2014 · 14:42 UTC
I like the idea. This could be expanded into something special thats not the Sims.
Fede3751
08. Dec 2014 · 14:43 UTC
Cool game! Those little mobs (or however you want to call them) are really cool, it was fun seeing them moving in the house (it happened once that one of them went on the upper floor flying, without using the stairs, and i laughed really hard :D). Keep it up, you did really good! ^^
Lars Faust
08. Dec 2014 · 15:01 UTC
Man, that pathfinding must have been one special trip to make in 48 hours.

I like the interactivty you have been able to put into the objects and rooms, it does feel like a real little Sims-y sandbox.
zorfmorf
08. Dec 2014 · 15:02 UTC
Am I not getting something or is there no way to increase the curiousity stat?
zorfmorf
08. Dec 2014 · 15:08 UTC
Forget it, I just found out that it means I should read a book. I thought it was about exploring and tried roaming the attic and the garage.
Drtizzle
08. Dec 2014 · 16:22 UTC
Wow, really well made! I saw a blogpost of you were the whole house collapsed, I'm wondering if I can make that happen in this final version :)
Kuupu
08. Dec 2014 · 18:45 UTC
the sims of little robots? enjoyed
Tasteslikefuture
08. Dec 2014 · 19:35 UTC
Neat game idea, kinda sims-y. The boxy dudes look adorable. Awesome job!
Kim
08. Dec 2014 · 19:38 UTC
Looks like you got a lot done in 48h! Really cool game :)
Ian Morrison
08. Dec 2014 · 19:41 UTC
Cool little sandbox!
scriptorum
08. Dec 2014 · 19:47 UTC
Nice. This reminds me of Little Computer People from a zillion years ago. Where is the book located? I couldn't get the zoom to work.
Pete_H
08. Dec 2014 · 21:58 UTC
Interesting game, couldn't get much to happen but can definitely see how it could be expended!
mechabit
08. Dec 2014 · 23:26 UTC
cool
LukeZaz
09. Dec 2014 · 04:39 UTC
A bit fun, though it gets boring after some time, at least until the characters start phashing through walls instead of taking stairs.
thopis
09. Dec 2014 · 07:14 UTC
Great!Nice little touches here and there.
Hellequin
09. Dec 2014 · 16:37 UTC
Polished game! Great graphics and unique concept!
the-arrival
09. Dec 2014 · 16:41 UTC
It´s impressive how much has been done in 48h, but it lacks gameplay and it´s not really on one screen. Maybe a bit too ambitious idea for such a short time, but as a first step for a prototype more than well done!
hwinwuzhere
09. Dec 2014 · 16:49 UTC
Very cool :3
Domicuc
09. Dec 2014 · 16:50 UTC
Congratulation! Style,style,style.. this is freaky good!
also check my project if you have some time x)
rainshapes
09. Dec 2014 · 17:18 UTC
I was hoping someone would make a dollhouse game. Good job!
flwns
09. Dec 2014 · 17:56 UTC
The eyes of the characters are creepy. I thought it was interesting though.
orion_black
09. Dec 2014 · 20:09 UTC
As someone who enjoys strategy/management/... games I can see how this could be evolved into a really interested game/toy. Good job.
spacedoubt
09. Dec 2014 · 20:21 UTC
Interesting. Love the style! Fun!
mrexcessive
09. Dec 2014 · 20:42 UTC
Hi there. I like the look. Shame no sounds. They move around a bit slowly, fun playing with tho' Good job!
aaronjbaptiste
09. Dec 2014 · 21:26 UTC
Cute! Great 3d modelling and lighting.
Rene Damm
10. Dec 2014 · 01:08 UTC
Great idea and execution. Surprisingly complex simulation for such a short time.
Rodaja
10. Dec 2014 · 15:02 UTC
It feels a little cheaty to add zoom and panning to the camera given the theme, but it's just a different interpretation of it.

Working out that pathfinding must have been a complete nightmare. It did get glitchy, but I guess everyone goes through walls at their own houses sometimes.

Aesthetically I recommend you to give an ambient light to almost any game you ever make, makes things nicer.

Also sound effects can even make away with the need for animations, don't neglect them.
JoshuaBurr
10. Dec 2014 · 15:16 UTC
Interesting game, like a simplistic version of the sims. I couldn't figure out how to increase my curiosity. Also there doesn't seem to be any negative consequences from letting the bars empty.
rabbit
10. Dec 2014 · 17:51 UTC
Interesting little toy. It is, as you said, a bit clunky but I enjoyed it. This is a good start to a real game.
pjimmy
10. Dec 2014 · 23:36 UTC
very interesting, well done
Animefrikis
11. Dec 2014 · 00:07 UTC
My sims went bored from using stairs, so once they started flying through walls, everything got better!
sP0CkEr2
11. Dec 2014 · 03:33 UTC
kinda like little computer people - nice job
indie4fun
11. Dec 2014 · 11:31 UTC
I like the concept of the house in "one screen", really interesting. I agree with you its a gigantic work for 48h!
And i love the rhomboid smoke!
badlydrawnrod
14. Dec 2014 · 00:11 UTC
I can see where little girls will really like this. My daughter would have loved it when she was younger. Obviously she would want to be able to do things like move furniture, change the colour of things, etc. But it is a good starting point and a really nice easy to use interface. And all in 48 hours. Wow!
SK16 Games
14. Dec 2014 · 18:31 UTC
Entertaining and simple game. Unity-made 3D models for the win! They could go faster though, and maybe some "goal" would be nice. :)
Frump
18. Dec 2014 · 02:46 UTC
This was really cool, I had fun messing around with it.
sorle
19. Dec 2014 · 17:58 UTC
man this thing is just awesome
CoderDozer
19. Dec 2014 · 18:03 UTC
Really cool concept, small bug in that sometimes the character "supermans" to the next floor. But overall really liked this, well done.
greytram
20. Dec 2014 · 15:37 UTC
Nice graphics. The "doll house" effect works well.
Controlling the characters is a bit difficult at times (you sometimes click on a destination point and they walk in the opposite direction).
Providing an alternative to the WASD key setup would be great for players that don't use a QWERTY keyboard :-)
Adding win/lose conditions would be great.
Mekuri
25. Dec 2014 · 13:15 UTC
lol what a great idea. Although the graphics are simple it really had a nice feel to it. Would've been nice with some audio. - Nice "Sims - Simple edition" with a nice doll-house twist :-)
okkolobr
28. Dec 2014 · 17:29 UTC
I've hit some minor bug (character flying in the air from one floor to the upper room with the computer, then to get to the cabinet (?) next to it, it fly to the floor below, and then get in the stair. It was fun to watch :) )

Otherwise, despite it's not my cup of tea, it was pretty nice for a 48h game. Neat graphics :)
pht59x
28. Dec 2014 · 18:03 UTC
Great 3D graphics. Wasn't it too ambitious a project?
lxd1
28. Dec 2014 · 18:37 UTC
Fun
el-pepi
28. Dec 2014 · 22:22 UTC
Quite enjoyable.
DiegoHenriquez
29. Dec 2014 · 04:44 UTC
Thats pretty cool, I like those type of games! If it was more complete it could be great fun
2fast2fourier
29. Dec 2014 · 05:32 UTC
Interesting, but it's a tad over-simplified. It feels like the Sims needs loop but separated from any of the interesting interactions that make that daily grind worthwhile. I think you could rework the mechanics a little and end up with something real nice. Splendid work for only a weekend.
🎤 Liam :D
30. Dec 2014 · 02:33 UTC
Thank you everyone for your kind words, feedback and cast votes! This LD was a blast, irrespective of what the numeric, star-based results will show!