Vast by FunByJohn

[raw]
made by FunByJohn for LD26 (JAM)
Controls:
Click/hold down mouse for where the player should go. Click on the square bubbles to interact.

Vast is a procedurally generated adventure in which you help other people. Explore the landscapes, and find items.

Version 1.1
- fixed bug where NPCs cheering animation wouldn't display if you had too many mood bubbles
- fixed bug where the sound volume would be weird on second playthrough
- added a small optimization to rendering

Ratings

Coolness 37% 1594
Overall(Jam) 3.89 31
Audio(Jam) 3.89 36
Fun(Jam) 2.82 298
Graphics(Jam) 4.68 2
Humor(Jam) 2.13 274
Innovation(Jam) 3.32 158
Mood(Jam) 4.32 6
Theme(Jam) 4.14 32

Feedback

daydalus
30. Apr 2013 · 03:03 UTC
Excellent game - I really liked the hand drawn art style on the white background. The old-school adventure game quest was great as well. Deciphering the glyphs was a nice tough. Good work!
Jonathan Whiting
30. Apr 2013 · 12:31 UTC
Super nice atmosphere, but got pretty bored once it became "just trawl through all the screens till you find someone and see if something happens", it could be that I'm being dumb about the glyphs in some way.

Oh, and somehow it took me ages to realize how to interact with people.
ataxkt
30. Apr 2013 · 13:33 UTC
Wow, really atmospheric! Love the style. I admit that I got bored before the end though. Not really knowing what to do fit the style, but it just wasn't exciting enough in the end to make me finish.
🎤 FunByJohn
30. Apr 2013 · 13:47 UTC
Hey guys, thanks for the positive response and the insightful feedback :) the original concept for this game was something a bit grander, with more interactivity, but we found we just didn't have the time to fit it all in (this was our artist's first time doing a game jam) so we decided to settle for nailing the ambience of the game, and turn it into something simple but relaxing.

We do admit that it turned out to be something of a walking simulator, a tad short on gameplay, so we don't really expect everyone to get to the "end".

Anyway, thanks again :)
ayamflow
30. Apr 2013 · 19:30 UTC
It's pretty neat ! I love the graphics and the SFX, but yeah, after a while it becomes "walk in the forest and trade object" basically. Good job !
kidevil
30. Apr 2013 · 19:44 UTC
Brilliant graphics and character animation! Cool concept, but like the game name, the level is so huge, I found myself just running around aimlessly a lot of the time. Took a while to find the first thing to give to a person.
Grouflon
30. Apr 2013 · 21:18 UTC
Very nice overall ambiance, gorgeous graphics & animation. The interaction system is very well designed. A special mention for the effort made on the sound. I've just found not obvious to figure out what we are supposed to do. Anyway, very solid entry, very beautiful game. Most of 5 stars rating ;)
KevinZuhn
01. May 2013 · 02:16 UTC
The atmosphere was definitely nice and mysterious and relaxing.
Do the NPCs send a bubble out in the direction of the thing they want? It seemed like they did and I tried following it a few times but to no result. I would have liked to be able to see the objects' symbols while I was still carrying them. There were too many floating around for me to remember! With a bit more feedback regarding where people were on the map or what I was holding, I think it would reduce the feeling that I was just wandering.
krangGAMES
01. May 2013 · 09:56 UTC
Initially a bit confusing, but the first time I dropped off a box... tile... thing, and got a sack lunch and then a fishing rod in return, that brought a smile to my face.

Totally digging the audio and I LOVE the graphics! My only concern is conveyance of information to the player, it seems a bit on the lacking side - being able to see what a tile's little speech bubble said AFTER it started following you would be nice.

Still, AWESOME job, the atmosphere in this one is great ♥
Mystify
01. May 2013 · 13:49 UTC
Very nice atmosphere, but as other people are saying, the actual gameplay is lacking
Madball
01. May 2013 · 16:27 UTC
The design is great, but gameplay is boring.
Make hints, what's the symbol for each item you own. Show it by clicking the item. Althrough why would I care? I can't remember all the peoples' needs. Again, this makes it boring.
atraxgames
02. May 2013 · 15:38 UTC
AWESOME! I loved the atmosphere, the graphics, the mysterious/strange world. Loved it.
Cryovat
02. May 2013 · 22:34 UTC
This game had an incredible ambience and sense of wonder to it. I'm awestruck. :)
recursive frog
09. May 2013 · 08:26 UTC
I'm a big fan of the atmosphere and the animation. I don't think I truly finished the game as I still had one bit of dissatisfaction on at least one of the little guys, and I couldn't find anything to cure it.

I like that it is somewhat zen, almost... except for the part where you're giving people items.

I think the biggest criticism is really that I never figured out what the icons actually meant. I just luggged everything around to everyone just to be sure.
Ariake81
17. May 2013 · 21:19 UTC
amazing, best game of the jam. thankyou.