LudumData

Geology Rocks by theengineers

[raw]
made by theengineers for LD29 (JAM)
This is our puzzle game where you play as an unnamed digger/miner/generic underground job title, and you must get from A to B simply using the rocks (blocks) around you. Good luck :D
WASD, Right Click to mine (delete), Left click and drag to move light coloured blocks.
Notes: We only have a few levels for now but there are MANY more to come. We are also going to be adding a soundtrack with sound FX.
Please follow our Twitters @ChiptuneDev and @WaistcoatDev for updates and the like:D

About the levitation... It's incredibly fun and all, but there are also puzzles too xD
NOTE: I have included a second link. This link is a version of Geology Rocks that is constantly being updated, and therefore I cannot use as my official submission. The first link is the original submission, which has not changed.

UPDATED THE GAME!:D We now have (pretty crummy) sound FX, and we have fixed the levitation problem. (But we're keeping it in for something else...) Also Lava. Enjoy!
Web http://jkabyemela.byethost15.com/
Web 2 (After 72 Hours) http://geologyrocks.esy.es/
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=37408

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 2.91 543
Audio(Jam) 1.66 653
Fun(Jam) 2.75 505
Graphics(Jam) 2.74 607
Humor(Jam) 2.64 345
Innovation(Jam) 2.99 387
Mood(Jam) 2.52 633
Theme(Jam) 3.14 382

Feedback

Hamsternator
29. Apr 2014 路 13:03 UTC
Funny mechanics, although if you plan on doing something more with this project you should do something about the ability to cheat by standing on the block that you move =)
Zeta
29. Apr 2014 路 13:09 UTC
Pretty neat game! The name of it made me chuckle :D
tiffi
29. Apr 2014 路 13:10 UTC
The idea is great. Really love it, but after figuring out that it's possible to fly on rocks its a lil bit easy!
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 13:12 UTC
Ah yes, flying on the rocks is a bug I need to fix xD As long as you play the game through properly too, it'll be fine (for now) :3
baykush_figtree
29. Apr 2014 路 13:14 UTC
I like the mechanics idea, but the puzzle structure is too simple.
Besides, i got confused with what was and was not a path.

I love the art. It took me back to the 80's, those torches felt bizarrely nostalgic to look at haha

And sorry but after telling me that i CAN levitate using a rock, i WILL levitate using a rock :T I'm a terrible person
TheGrieve
29. Apr 2014 路 13:19 UTC
Potential as a strong puzzler here, adding cave-in's for being too heavy handed would be great (and enjoyed the stand on blocks bug, made the game a really crazy version of that electric wire steady hand game :)
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 13:27 UTC
@bakyush_figtree I'll definitely redesign the levels to be more intuitive (and remove the pesky Levitation Bug xD)
archaeometrician
29. Apr 2014 路 13:36 UTC
Nice mechanic ! Interesting interaction with the game physics. Great work !
manabreak
29. Apr 2014 路 13:40 UTC
You can pretty much fly through the levels if you move a block you're standing on. :)
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 13:41 UTC
@manabreak Yeah it's an unfortunate bug. But how did you like the rest of it?
kmakai
29. Apr 2014 路 13:42 UTC
Good job! If you want to keep players from "levitating," you could make the blocks not collide with the player while being moved, and then have them reset or not be placed if they're in the player's way? Fun!
indigofiz
29. Apr 2014 路 14:23 UTC
I'm really intrigued with the gameplay and can imagine several ways of it being really interesting. You should probably fix the mechanic of moving the blocks, maybe freeze the screen and prevent it from overlapping one another?
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 17:13 UTC
The levitation bug has been fixed. But I am actually allowed to update it?
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 18:14 UTC
UPDATE: Fixed the levitation bug, (it should count as a typo as I just deleted a line of code), enjoy the new, better Geology Rocks!
RobotParking
29. Apr 2014 路 18:53 UTC
ROCK PUNS
maffydub
29. Apr 2014 路 18:54 UTC
Nice mechanics, although it might be interesting to make the blocks tip if they're not supported correctly. Pretty good graphics, and a good sense of humor!
TheGamingProject
29. Apr 2014 路 18:57 UTC
Fairly interesting, really easy though even without standing on the block and moving it. Overall pretty decent
sink_t
29. Apr 2014 路 18:58 UTC
Violating Newton's 3rd law of motion is SO FUN! Troll physics FTW, please don't fix it!
gorgonzolapasta
29. Apr 2014 路 19:00 UTC
You could add control with the arrow keys. (I don't use a normal keyboard layout.)
The Pixelart looks nice!
illugion
29. Apr 2014 路 19:00 UTC
Cool idea and that character has style haha XD That bug with the flying rocks, maybe you could turn it into a mechanic, it would be really cool to actually do it on purpose somehow :D the only thing that bothered me was the character's hitbox, his arm collides with the walls and i couldn't make some jumps there D:
But overall its a really cool game, nice job !
Ludipe
29. Apr 2014 路 19:36 UTC
Hi there fellow construct user!

The idea is cool but, as some users said before, you need to disable the collisions while dragging blocks, otherwise players will keep cheating.
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 19:37 UTC
Ludipe I may have found a few ways of doing it without destroying any other mechanics...
sandbaydev
29. Apr 2014 路 19:41 UTC
Really cool idea & well executed. I wonder what kind of puzzles can be built with this... but can definitely see the potential. Good job.

I liked the "quake" effect when placing blocks.. tiny "harmless" detail but made the world difference :)
Oddly Shaped Pixels
29. Apr 2014 路 20:31 UTC
Nice idea and good execution, some puzzles are really well designed. I would love to hear some SFX feedback.
Muu?
29. Apr 2014 路 20:35 UTC
Writing in the instruction to NOT do something will cause troll players like me to do that exact thing.
I completed the first two level by legit means, but after that everything became a shoot to the moon. :D
Without this "feature" the game would not have been this fun.
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 20:38 UTC
Muu? I may keep it in as an unlockable powerup xD
eLLectron
29. Apr 2014 路 21:07 UTC
Love it ! Especially levitation :3
Tuism
29. Apr 2014 路 21:46 UTC
Really cool idea, but I broke the game by riding rocks like a magic carpet :P Looks like everyone did :P
IAmSpencer
29. Apr 2014 路 21:48 UTC
this was a good idea, and also a lot of fun. Nice job, was pretty impressed with this one :)
terraco
29. Apr 2014 路 22:02 UTC
It would restart the game every time i jumped on a movable block.
馃帳 theengineers
29. Apr 2014 路 22:15 UTC
You were probably hitting the monster (terraco)
Seraphic Media
29. Apr 2014 路 23:54 UTC
Can't wait to see what you add to it. You'll have to keep us posted :)
blockbot
29. Apr 2014 路 23:57 UTC
This is a fun mechanic, this would probably do well on mobile.
BrothersT
30. Apr 2014 路 01:38 UTC
Kind of a broken game, but hey, I should talk ;) seems like it could be fun, you should carry on with it.
hyouko
30. Apr 2014 路 01:43 UTC
Would have loved to see the game do more with the enemies and the rotating blocks (and much earlier - too much time spent stacking blocks). I think it'd be helpful to highlight the 'goal' region in some way, since it's not always in the same place relative to the user.
petrocket
30. Apr 2014 路 02:08 UTC
fun little game. didn't play it very far though so i don't know if it got more interesting besides placing blocks and jumping
SevenKingdomsSurvivors
30. Apr 2014 路 02:11 UTC
Sweet idea! My only complaint is that I must've hit space 10 times by accident. You should make the restart button something less common.
cr2crstudios
30. Apr 2014 路 02:56 UTC
Cool concept! I think you can still hover on blocks if you're already standing on them. . .
noom
30. Apr 2014 路 03:44 UTC
OK! I'll admit it, I cheated!
valid4life
30. Apr 2014 路 04:15 UTC
It was good! I found it pretty funny in a good way!
Thorig
30. Apr 2014 路 06:34 UTC
Fun game, but only because I cheated by jumping on a block and dragging it to the end of the stages.
spotco
30. Apr 2014 路 09:25 UTC
That mechanic that the instructions said not to do could have been really fun :(
Mythalore
30. Apr 2014 路 10:07 UTC
Very interesting, the main mechanic is actually one that I employed in a previous project. I will say it is a bit glitchy in places and the title is missing a exclamation mark ;) but other than that a good entry, well done.
Lyje
30. Apr 2014 路 11:12 UTC
Love the main mechanic. Plenty of possibilities for more levels!
RyanNielson
30. Apr 2014 路 14:30 UTC
Love the name, and the aesthetics and mechanics are pretty good as well. But like others said, the fact that I can fly using blocks makes the puzzles pretty trivial. Although it is pretty funny.
Ken Ichi
30. Apr 2014 路 14:46 UTC
I like the concept of this game =]
the levitation bug still there. (jump on top of the block and carry this to levitate) but thats fun!
Make A Game
30. Apr 2014 路 15:43 UTC
Nice mechanics, levitation included hehe
My biggest problem with the game was the lack of guidance to the level finish
Techblogogy
30. Apr 2014 路 16:32 UTC
Nice game
TeamInCharge
30. Apr 2014 路 17:03 UTC
nice
BoaHeck_ArtGent
30. Apr 2014 路 17:28 UTC
I really liked the screen shake effect. and the character. Well done
Sparrow
30. Apr 2014 路 18:58 UTC
Cool game with a lot of potential. It's a shame it lacks sound, it really needs sound. Maybe you could add a sort of finish line or button on which you place a block to complete the level. Still awesome job!
ioboi
30. Apr 2014 路 19:57 UTC
The graphics are really nice :)
The mechanic is cool though cheating is a little bit too easy.
oranebeast
30. Apr 2014 路 22:46 UTC
A great gameplay idea, Well executed
metkis
30. Apr 2014 路 22:51 UTC
Funny game!
MrShoestore
01. May 2014 路 00:14 UTC
Cool idea, would like to play it with sound.
andreaswitzen
01. May 2014 路 00:24 UTC
Nice game! I especially enjoyed the part where you could levitate using the blocks.
arrogant.gamer
01. May 2014 路 01:46 UTC
Pretty game, neat idea, but kind of random!? I seem to die without reason and am never sure of my objective. Also, I was promised digging, but was unable to dig...

(ps my game also had trouble with "die for not reason" ^o^)
javifugitivo
01. May 2014 路 01:55 UTC
Nice puzzle!
MidCry
01. May 2014 路 03:15 UTC
Simple but catchy idea ...
Could jump on a block and drag myself with mouse ... :D
psychonull
01. May 2014 路 04:18 UTC
haha fun game. I will say go with the "levitate", I found it pretty new and a good idea ... use the glitch ;)
jeffz
01. May 2014 路 05:56 UTC
I enjoyed cheating through this one since it was still challenging to ride the block I was moving. Well done!
deathray
01. May 2014 路 07:03 UTC
Nice idea! I had fun trying to break the game by hoping on a block and moving it around with the force.
tomvert
01. May 2014 路 09:18 UTC
I found the controls pretty clunky and got stuck rather quickly, too bad I liked the concept and the character design :) Keep it up !
finefin
01. May 2014 路 09:32 UTC
kinda reminds me of the Half Life 2 crade puzzles :)
good work, thumbs up!
hadesfury
01. May 2014 路 09:54 UTC
I did not see the level exit :( but no but found
Great
Kuchalu
01. May 2014 路 11:17 UTC
Really fun! I like it.
praporomsk
02. May 2014 路 01:09 UTC
Flying on the blocks is a lot of fun! I wish this game was called "The Jedi Minecraft" :)
I did not figure out how to mine, seems like this feature left unimplemented.
jomomomo
02. May 2014 路 01:22 UTC
Nice job, wish the digging mechanic was used more...
roaet
02. May 2014 路 03:02 UTC
Yeah neat mechanics! When I played the 48 hour one I couldn't tell if it was the end or not. Fun game!
Garris
02. May 2014 路 03:50 UTC
Pretty good game : D the dick more is too much fun to not do though. Even with that exploit, there's some really solid puzzles here. Well done.
Penguincat
02. May 2014 路 06:44 UTC
Nice concept, but I actually think your levitation bug is a much more interesting mechanic, you should just roll with it and make that the central mechanic of the game. Just come up with some backstory about telekinetic powers or something :P
DustyStylus
02. May 2014 路 09:19 UTC
Interesting ideas in here. I'd disable levitation while moving. Or alternatively *only* have levitation while moving for trickiness. "We are also going to be adding a soundtrack with sound FX. " - is this in the post-72 version? Silence here. :|
atombrot
02. May 2014 路 11:20 UTC
It's a fun game mechanic and could lead to some nice puzzles. I can stack the boxes directly to stairs (impossible physics), which makes the game rather easy. It would be fun if the towers collapsed if stacked improperly ;)
thinkster
02. May 2014 路 17:18 UTC
Nice entry. I enjoyed playing it. I would like to see more of the level though so maybe add a zoom out feature!
Artless
02. May 2014 路 17:48 UTC
Their has to be a way to make the game fun and challenging while keeping levitation in there! Make it a feature.
conormn
02. May 2014 路 18:12 UTC
Ha, very nice game. I likes the mechanic very much. Well done!
Random Abductions
02. May 2014 路 18:16 UTC
A little buggy (probably fixed in the post-compo version?)
Logun
02. May 2014 路 19:01 UTC
Simple and cool ! Nice job.
dylanwolf
03. May 2014 路 00:49 UTC
Neat mechanic, and your levels show off a number of ways to use it. I did find it a little easy and wish there had been some more complicated puzzles.
jsspiegel
03. May 2014 路 02:44 UTC
Really nice concept!
Loneshark
03. May 2014 路 05:31 UTC
In regards to the update:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXukwNQG0uA

Up, C, Down, C, Left, C, Right, C, Hold A + Start
Loneshark
03. May 2014 路 05:43 UTC
Also, you might want to change the geologist's walking pose. It *might* be offensive if viewed the wrong way...
NoahC_
03. May 2014 路 06:47 UTC
Simplistic controls at its finest! Accessibility is often the toughest part about a game, but you nailed it! Good work!
gwa
03. May 2014 路 07:58 UTC
Nice game I cheated a little ;) but its fun to play it.
Recon
03. May 2014 路 09:19 UTC
Good game but next time you should make a game with your own game engine!
GamerTaters
03. May 2014 路 09:45 UTC
Cool concept. "Space" as the reset button caused me quite a bit of frustration. I kept hitting it by reflex sometimes since it's a common button for jumping. Also would have liked sound. Art looks good. Nice work.
Brian Stegmann
03. May 2014 路 19:47 UTC
Definitely a neat concept with lots of potential. I was able to figure out a trick where I dragged a block mid-jump and could jump off of it again :)
hanoth
04. May 2014 路 00:48 UTC
Cool stuff. I think you should use the levitation to your advantage and build puzzles that use it.
Maschinen-Mensch
04. May 2014 路 10:15 UTC
Neat idea. I like the instructions and the levitate pose. Gameplay feels very loose, I think you should have focused more on what makes the game tick within the short time you had. It's hard having a gamebreaker as obvious as yours in there (stand on levitating block) and expect people to "play around it". If you can't get it out by design means, then embrace it and make it a real mechanic!
Nice, moody entry overall, but lacks in sound, gameplay and representation of the theme.
lorniebear
04. May 2014 路 14:54 UTC
Like it
Wakka
04. May 2014 路 17:30 UTC
very nice concept, the block handling is well made. The game is a bit buggy and unfortunately has no sounds :( However there lays lots of potential in the game
Mr. Jif
04. May 2014 路 19:46 UTC
Very nice entry. Although the puzzles were a little on the easy side and didn't require too much thought. Also an actual indicator of where the goal was would be nice too. Flying around using the 'stand on block and move it' bug was fun even if it was unintentional :P
FREEZX
04. May 2014 路 21:30 UTC
Cool idea, felt a little buggy with the blocks tho.
Calvin Pacheco
04. May 2014 路 23:58 UTC
I try to play 5 times, but I always die with the blocks I my head =/
Ryan up in here
05. May 2014 路 02:17 UTC
Man I didn't want to float around on the blocks... It can't be undone.
wschorn
05. May 2014 路 12:17 UTC
rockin'
csanyk
05. May 2014 路 13:45 UTC
I couldn't get anything to happen. Clicking on the blocks doesn't mine them, all I could do was make the miner walk around and make the blocks float. Not going to rate until I can figure out how to play. Title screen looks great!
gmaker
05. May 2014 路 18:40 UTC
its high five!
JaJ
05. May 2014 路 18:42 UTC
the puzzles are fairly easy, with and without levitation. The exits seem to be invisible? It's not clear where they are.
jsmars
06. May 2014 路 06:17 UTC
Nice presentation and idea, but could use some polish :) Also for pixle graphics I believe you shouldn't mix different resolutions (ie. all pixels should be same size).. I see this all to often these days (rotating pixels is also a no-no for true pixelated style)
Meedoc
06. May 2014 路 11:59 UTC
Nice game. However, the exit of a level is not always easy to identify.
Nezzhil
06. May 2014 路 16:08 UTC
That blocks seems to like to get stuck in my head :/
Toby Pinder
06. May 2014 路 19:20 UTC
I found it rather confusing to traverse, to be honest. It'd be nice if you didn't feel like you were going the wrong way all the time.
mustaine
07. May 2014 路 05:20 UTC
I like to fly :)
ChuiGum
07. May 2014 路 05:29 UTC
Love the graphics, fun too
Pietro Ferrantelli
07. May 2014 路 17:21 UTC
I really enjoyed this one ! Great job :)
romandtom
07. May 2014 路 21:18 UTC
The game is quite cool, but it took me a while to understand
what to do..
And after I did, it was too easy...
I just flew to the end of the level.
PaperBlurt
08. May 2014 路 07:23 UTC
Geology truly rocks.
Nice and COOL game with a lot of attitude.
Gameplay wise it didn't get it, but maybe I'm stupid.
littleball
08. May 2014 路 12:27 UTC
Good game, with some flaws in the physics. I got trapped by dropping a rock on my head. With some more polish this would be a great game. Love the humour!
flannelvindicate
08. May 2014 路 15:57 UTC
Hey! You've been featured on the Button Masher Bros series - LUDUM DARE TO BELIEVE! Check it out! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxYzJdCreCk
BadPaul34
08. May 2014 路 20:58 UTC
I LOVE the intro ^^
And the graphics
mrbungle
09. May 2014 路 14:00 UTC
Cool little puzzle game
xdegtyarev
09. May 2014 路 16:46 UTC
nice, has potential!
foodzilla
13. May 2014 路 04:18 UTC
Doesn't feel right... the controls don't feel fun, I think is the basic problem. But interesting nonetheless. Like the theme!
jtpup0
13. May 2014 路 13:50 UTC
I'm a fan of platformers that allow players to manipulate platforms, Very enjoyable.
soy_yuma
14. May 2014 路 20:12 UTC
I like the puzzles, but it's a bit too buggy... It's funny and I enjoyed it. Good job! :-)
aelita1992
15. May 2014 路 09:39 UTC
The concept is interesting, but it would be nice if the blocks wouldn't get stuck so often, one into another, because it's too easy to move a block too much and then both of them are unplayable.
TheSheep
19. May 2014 路 15:26 UTC
The easiest way to win is to ride a block.
wilbefast
19. May 2014 路 20:18 UTC
Rating this as a jam game so I'm playing the post-compo (72 hour) version. First play-through got stuck under one of my own blocks almost immediately, made bad :P Second playthrough got stuck inside one of my own blocks. Third playthrough I made it through a few levels and then got two of my blocks stuck together. Man I suck at this so much!

The name is clever, the gameplay is too, just a few glitches that make it a little frustrating :S Nice artwork too, and good that there is sound in the game though it does get a little repetitive.