Where Did The Stars Go? by mechabit

[raw]
made by mechabit for LD30 (JAM)
You are a dino space gardener.
(If the webplayer stops responding try resizing the window)

Instructions:
A/D = Walk
Space = Jump
Left Mouse Button = Eat
Right Mouse Button = Poo
R = Restart level

*Fertilize soil with your poo.
*Eating seeds lets you poo seeds onto fertilized soil to grow a plant.
*Animals will eat seeds too.
*If you cause a plant or animal to go extinct you might need to restart.
*The 2nd plant eats snails
*There is a thank you screen at the end

Tools:
Unity3D
Audacity
Photoshop
Water colours on paper
freesound.org


Story:
A terrible disaster wiped out almost all life in the galaxy.
You wake up to a sky with no stars and a barren world.

You find ancient ruins on the planet which rumbles into life as you approach. It seems to react to life on the planet.

There's nothing for you on this world so you jump into the shimmering portal and being your journey across the galaxy to find another of your species and uncover the *truth. (*truth not included)

Notes:
There were going to be more plants and animal types and more planets but we ran out of time as usual. You were going to uncover the cause of the apocalypse and the origin of the star gates through paintings on ruins but that was cut also.
The original story had ancient interstellar beings who built the star gates to travel between worlds but they uncover a plague that threatened to spread across the star gate network and wipe out all life. As a last resort they construct a super gate to escape to another galaxy but inadvertently triggers the disaster which caused the stars to fade and destroyed themselves.

Try keeping seeds in the air by head butting them :)

www.mechabit.co.uk

Music by Deceased Superior Technician

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 3.28 345
Audio(Jam) 3.61 133
Fun(Jam) 3.22 274
Graphics(Jam) 3.82 210
Humor(Jam) 3.65 57
Innovation(Jam) 3.36 212
Mood(Jam) 3.43 201
Theme(Jam) 2.75 548

Feedback

NnelGdaBandit
25. Aug 2014 路 23:34 UTC
If there is one thing I want to do more in games is poo!
EatYourBeef_Doug
25. Aug 2014 路 23:35 UTC
ah i didnt realize the first time round the orange things are snails. Really nice concept, and really nicely executed! I would loved to have seen some more critters though.
elcaraescombro
25. Aug 2014 路 23:37 UTC
So lovely graphics, good work!!!
馃帳 mechabit
25. Aug 2014 路 23:39 UTC
Yeah, there's only 2 plants and 1 animal but we planned all sorts of weird alien fauna and flora each with different behaviors and interactions. But alas such is ludum dare.
elliottd
25. Aug 2014 路 23:41 UTC
looks great, music is good, not on board with the poop sounds. I could only make three plants, and then they were generating the small seeds/poo and it just comes out the same... gross game. good work
nikki93
25. Aug 2014 路 23:53 UTC
The graphics are really nice and cute. The poo is hilarious. Neat idea! Playing as a dinosaur is sweet.
emmelineprufrock
25. Aug 2014 路 23:58 UTC
Loved the graphics and the overall sense of fun.
馃帳 mechabit
26. Aug 2014 路 00:05 UTC
@elliottd Ha ha yeah it's a bit gross...
LuisDC
26. Aug 2014 路 00:16 UTC
Loved the graphics and art style. I had to search for the meaning of LMB and RMB. Please, consider write "left/right mouse button" in the description.

Good job and good luck!
Miziziziz
26. Aug 2014 路 00:19 UTC
Where do you people get all this time to make such amazing music and art.
I have to say, your sense for color is amazing. Really nice visuals.
The game was also really, wish you could've made more. I ended up with snail overpopulation after a while
馃帳 mechabit
26. Aug 2014 路 00:27 UTC
Edited the instructions for less acronyms
FXCesinha
26. Aug 2014 路 01:28 UTC
Nice graphics
BoaHeck_ArtGent
26. Aug 2014 路 01:58 UTC
POOT POOT POOT POOT. Finally a game I can relate to! I'm always pooping and eating! Seriously though. well done. I really found this idea interesting and funny. The difficulty was a little bit steep though so I didn't get that far.
PixelOaks
26. Aug 2014 路 02:46 UTC
Loved the pooping. Only disappointment was that the dino wouldn't poop out any more after a while
iSamurai
26. Aug 2014 路 02:51 UTC
Funny idea! The art is awesome, and the controls is solid. If there is more hints in the game about my progress would be better :) Good job!
egos
26. Aug 2014 路 09:28 UTC
great you can eat youre poo
馃帳 mechabit
26. Aug 2014 路 13:57 UTC
Anyone managed to stick with it till the end?
Kayelgee
26. Aug 2014 路 15:01 UTC
Interesting concept. You can't get the second plant to make seeds can you?
tillrobby
26. Aug 2014 路 15:03 UTC
Funny game :D Great music
Jellycakes
26. Aug 2014 路 15:03 UTC
Really nice, the idea was pretty cute. I kept getting stuck though after I ate all the animals (I think). Nice job though!
馃帳 mechabit
26. Aug 2014 路 15:49 UTC
@Kayelgee the 2nd plant eats snails to make seeds, it's not hinted at, you just have to experiment with it. I wanted a sense of exploration with each world adding new life forms to play with.

@Jellycakes You do have to be careful with that, make sure there's always at least one of each thing left so they can spawn more. If you plant a bulb next to a snail you'll get infinite snails after a bit lol
SwiftIllusion
26. Aug 2014 路 16:58 UTC
That was really awesome :D.
Loved the management-esque mechanics and trying to develop the life in that final level where you had to balance all the plants/animals. Even though you mentioned not getting everything you wanted done, you managed to get just enough in that it felt like a really satisfying experience after completing it, great job :D.
馃帳 mechabit
26. Aug 2014 路 18:16 UTC
Thanks!
Kayelgee
27. Aug 2014 路 11:37 UTC
Can I pickup snails somehow or do I need to headbutt them after they spawned? I actually thought about moving snails to the plant but I had planted the second plant on the other side xD
馃帳 mechabit
27. Aug 2014 路 14:39 UTC
@Kayeglee You can't pick up the snails but you can lure them with seeds if you want them to move in a certain direction. I was going to make them climb walls like snails but didn't get round to it. It's possible to head butt them around but it's tricky to do.
recursor
27. Aug 2014 路 19:16 UTC
This is hilarious. By the end of my play session, I was eating my own poo, then pooping it back out. This was some great entertainment, and the graphics are pretty neat too. If you keep working on it, you should put in more animal types and perhaps some that could eat you too.
馃帳 mechabit
27. Aug 2014 路 19:39 UTC
@recursor Thanks. Your game is fun as well. If we expanded the game we'd probably add some danger element but not any combat (want to keep it about exploration and experimentation), maybe an exploding/burning seed that lets you burn plants you don't want anymore or some kind of snappy plant that blocks your path. Maybe some physics/mind altering seeds? lol
MechanicMoon
27. Aug 2014 路 21:17 UTC
You can eat your own shit GOTY
馃帳 mechabit
27. Aug 2014 路 21:49 UTC
@MechanicMoon I think your 3 eyed space pigs would get along with my pooping dino lol
KigurumiDevs
27. Aug 2014 路 23:08 UTC
Sadly my Unity web player isn't working (not your fault). Would have loved to play the game! looks like a game for me :D
primaerfunktion
28. Aug 2014 路 06:28 UTC
Cool visual style and nice concept.
Colapsydo
28. Aug 2014 路 09:19 UTC
The mix of 3d and hand drawing is really cool.
I went till the second world, but I wasn't able to obtain new orange seed. Maybe those orange plant doesn't produce them or I miss something.
馃帳 mechabit
28. Aug 2014 路 09:33 UTC
@Colapsydo The orange plant is carnivorous, feed it snails
Otrora Games
29. Aug 2014 路 16:27 UTC
This was crazy but pretty cool. Nice job
kristof
29. Aug 2014 路 19:47 UTC
Haha, I like how much effort you put into the farting sounds :D But seriously, this game is awesome! I couldn't stop playing. Very relaxing. I would have liked to see more complex ecosystems. I am sure this would make a great mobile app! You know, pooping some snails while waiting for the bus :D
Awesome work!
hb3p8
30. Aug 2014 路 11:48 UTC
Very cute dino :) Great job!
Artamus
30. Aug 2014 路 14:14 UTC
Nice game, congrats!
Ofursnati
30. Aug 2014 路 21:07 UTC
The pooping sound is awesome. Fun game. GJ.
jukimv1986
31. Aug 2014 路 05:03 UTC
A poopping dino! It is sad you ran out of time, same thing happened to us too. Graphics are colourful and the audio is neat. Good job!
馃帳 mechabit
31. Aug 2014 路 10:36 UTC
We're very happy with what we did, the main mechanics are working and there's an end lol
leafarz
31. Aug 2014 路 12:02 UTC
the game is so cute haha! :))
very nice visuals and yeah 10/10 on the poo mechanic man.
really awesome game! good job! :D
savethejets1
01. Sep 2014 路 19:08 UTC
Graphics are great!
Dietrich Epp
02. Sep 2014 路 00:25 UTC
This game is simply amazing. It did take me a while to figure out that the snails were in fact snails, and not just a limited supply of food for me to turn into poo. I'm glad I stuck it out.
馃帳 mechabit
02. Sep 2014 路 07:18 UTC
Yeah the snail spiral on the shells doesn't really come out in the water colour style. I had them walking about randomly at first but then I broke it and then kinda like how they look like dormant rocks until some food was around so kept it that way.
skiddings
05. Sep 2014 路 14:38 UTC
It's been a while since I had to do tactical pooping in a game!
H1S2
07. Sep 2014 路 08:45 UTC
very funny! these snails get a plague really quick :) catchy tune and nice artwork.
Jupiter_Hadley
08. Sep 2014 路 02:49 UTC
Cute monster :D I included it in part 22 of my Ludum Dare 30 compilation video series, if you鈥檇 like to take a look :) http://youtu.be/_5a2Oj9U9sk
pythong
08. Sep 2014 路 08:16 UTC
i liked the style, especially the texture of the world, but after finding out i had to eat the big stones and poop them into the earth, i didn't know what to do anymore? :/
馃帳 mechabit
08. Sep 2014 路 17:41 UTC
@Pythong, poop the seeds into the green grass to make plants
馃帳 mechabit
08. Sep 2014 路 17:41 UTC
@Jupiter_Hadley Thanks man!
MerlijnVH
12. Sep 2014 路 20:04 UTC
Very cool game! I liked the game mechanic and the music was great, too. Love the graphics style.
fisholith
13. Sep 2014 路 09:58 UTC
Fun idea. The music and art create a nice atmosphere.
The sounds add a ... I'm gonna say novel element, as well. :)

So, at first I experienced what I suspect to be the normal pitch range for the randomized poots. "poot, little-poot, moderate-poot, pt, poot, etc" Then, without warning, "POOOOT ... PUUUUUUT ... P-P-P-P-EW-EW-EW-EW-T" Ultra-low-frequency. Ultra-low! I mean, I'm pretty sure I may have just interfered with whale migration for the next few days.
Rage Paint
13. Sep 2014 路 20:58 UTC
Nice style with the water colors. I was only able to make the big flower that spit out seeds. I never saw any other plants or animals :(
馃帳 mechabit
14. Sep 2014 路 11:42 UTC
@Rage Paint, the big rocks are actually snails, feed them seeds to make more.
Hypnohustla
14. Sep 2014 路 17:10 UTC
Pooping is always fun. Really enjoyed rest of the game too :)
lkr
14. Sep 2014 路 18:01 UTC
That was a lot of fun :) Loved the visuals and the relaxed atmosphere.

Didn't beat the second world because I couldn't figure out how to fill the orange meter more than about two thirds. Eventually the game would slow to a crawl with hundreds of snails other things covering the planet.

Had a great time - would love to see the ideas you didn't have time to implement during the jam fleshed out :)
commodoreKid
15. Sep 2014 路 23:27 UTC
Interesting idea with walking on a planet but I felt like spending most of my time walking to reach plants or snails. Also couldn't get the point of second level really. I think this might be something if there were more variation to what player can do. Cute little game, liked it.
racarate
16. Sep 2014 路 00:48 UTC
mmmm my favorite music so far... i want to grow plants into forever
馃帳 mechabit
16. Sep 2014 路 16:03 UTC
Woo, scored highly on humour again. Too bad about the theme. Thanks for playing and commenting guys!