LudumData

Namcap: Reverse Pacman by caranha

[raw]
made by caranha for LD25 (COMPO)
"It's a simple plan. We kill the pac-man."

The roles are reversed! In this game, you are the bad guy, controlling the ghosts in the game of Pacman. Which side is harder to play with?

Use the directional keys or ASDW to control the ghosts. Press 1-4 to change which ghost you control. Don't let Pacman eat all pellets!


Please let me know your high score when you comment!


KNOWN ISSUES:

* Many commenters complained about ghost selection (hard to know which ghost corresponds to which key). Post-compo version will feature a better ghost selection scheme inspired in the suggestions. Thank you!
* Pacman's AI is dumb. It will get stuck sometimes when it can't find a path to its desired coin. It completely ignores pellets. Still, it should give you a nice challenge.
* I had no time to implement increasing difficulty. So the game does NOT get more difficult as you kill Pacman.
* Someone reported a crash when pathfinding. I was not able to reproduce it.


CREDITS:
* Software: Java with Slick2d, programmed with Eclipse
* Graphics: Inkscape and The GIMP
* Fonts: "Joystix" font from the "Game Font Database": http://www.thealmightyguru.com/GameFonts/Series-Retro.html
* Sounds: Bfxr
* Music: Autotracker (I wanted to use darwin tunes, but couldn't get my computer to listen to it)

All Platforms (JAR) http://claus.castelodelego.org/games/LD25/namcap-fat.jar
Source (Java) http://claus.castelodelego.org/games/LD25/namcap-src.tgz
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-25/?action=preview&uid=7847

Ratings

Coolness 92% 2
Overall 3.42 142
Audio 2.94 194
Fun 3.19 200
Graphics 3.19 263
Humor 3.14 161
Innovation 3.17 220
Mood 3.09 205
Theme 4.13 24

Feedback

Zaszx
17. Dec 2012 · 00:03 UTC
Could be better if pacman had a better AI, but it is still nice this way.
xgeovanni
17. Dec 2012 · 00:45 UTC
Straight implementation of the theme. I like it.
Manuel777
17. Dec 2012 · 05:24 UTC
Would love to see more implementations like this on, good job!
Smaxx
17. Dec 2012 · 10:53 UTC
I really like the idea, also feels like the original. The only downside for me, I've had issues picking the right ghost in time (yes, it's on screen, but I'm usually too distracted keeping an eye on Pac-Man). I guess just requires some more practice.
Fonserbc
17. Dec 2012 · 16:30 UTC
Really Nice. Clear objective, and quite confortable control.
SonnyBone
17. Dec 2012 · 18:28 UTC
Wow, this game looks very smoooooooth. The art is very well done here, although I know it's not totally original. But still, the aesthetics are great. The AI of PacMan leaves a lot to be desired. He mostly just ran right into a ghost within seconds of starting. Make that AI a bit tougher and you've got yourself a winner!
lucky.luddite
17. Dec 2012 · 23:50 UTC
I like the simple layout. Nicely polished.
🎤 caranha
18. Dec 2012 · 02:16 UTC
Thank you all for the comments!

Smaxx - yeah, some people commented on having difficulty switching ghosts. I tried a few alternatives, but nothing that really satisfied me. Someone else making a Pacman game on this LD put a huge arrow on top of the Ghost head, which was brilliant. I will try to add that to the fabled post-compo version :-)

Sonny: Thanks for the comment! Making it very similar to the original pacman was a conscious decision. The art is not original (although it was hand-made), but I think this makes the "you are the enemy you always fought against" impression stronger. What do you think?
ilo
18. Dec 2012 · 03:17 UTC
The AI needs a bit of work but the core idea is implemented well.
LoneStranger
18. Dec 2012 · 07:25 UTC
Great job. Blows my anti-Pacman out of the water.
KWL_TW
18. Dec 2012 · 10:11 UTC
pretty fun!
recursive frog
18. Dec 2012 · 15:35 UTC
I think this is probably one of your best LD entries so far. You kept the scope a lot tighter in this entry than in past ones where the scope of the world stood in the way of your progress.

Sure, the AI here is a little wierd, but it's still pretty good.

My only suggestion from a mechanics perspective is that in the arcade game each ghost had a different behavior profile and speed. I kept expecting to be able to move faster as blinky, or for Pinky to do his whole "cut him off at the corner" behavior.
🎤 caranha
19. Dec 2012 · 03:36 UTC
Hey .Frog(Soda), thanks for the comment!

Having different behaviors for the ghosts was in the original plan (that is why I added the names and stuff). But that was quickly dropped when I started cutting off features :-) Maybe in the mythical Post-compo version!
🎤 caranha
19. Dec 2012 · 03:37 UTC
Also, yeah, I was super worried about the tiny scope of the game when I started it out, but it turned out to be my best decision. I'll surely talk more about it when I write the postmortem/timelapse.
SonnyBone
19. Dec 2012 · 05:13 UTC
Yeah you can tell that you made the art from scratch, but it's still obviously the Pac Man we all know. Your art, however, is very smooth and appealing, unlike the much older and obviously outdated 'real' Pac Man.
Faust
19. Dec 2012 · 06:11 UTC
Interesting reverse pacman, would be better with smarter AI and control.
Jiggawatt
19. Dec 2012 · 08:06 UTC
Deconstructions are well in line with the theme. It's a bit difficult to effectively micromanage, particularly after Pacman's had a power-pill and you can't tell who is who.
ArkadyDracul
19. Dec 2012 · 10:12 UTC
Good entry! I like it!
marudziik
19. Dec 2012 · 11:49 UTC
Wow, what a perfect idea! It definitely feels like Pac-Man, so congrats for achieving the right mood! I think that Pac-Man's AI is pretty good - if it was any better, the ghosts would have to move much faster (and then it could be really hard to manage them).
Regarding switching: you could also put somewhat transparent numbers over the ghosts' heads (or that could be switched on/off). It would really help to distinguish them.
Anyway, I loved the entry. Congrats!
boxerbomb
19. Dec 2012 · 11:56 UTC
Great entry yet there were 3 reverse pacmans (mine was one) this was much better than mine. Next year you should come up with a more original idea.
🎤 caranha
19. Dec 2012 · 13:29 UTC
Marudziik: "you could also put somewhat transparent numbers over the ghosts' heads (or that could be switched on/off)."

Wow, what a fantastic idea! Thanks!

Boxerbomb: Well, I'd say that 3 out of 1000 people is acceptable, in terms of originality :-)
mutuware
19. Dec 2012 · 13:49 UTC
Nicely done! I was wondering how you would handle the player controlling four ghosts, but the numbered switching feels natural.
Madball
19. Dec 2012 · 13:51 UTC
You should make ghosts distinguishable while a powerup is active. And make another way to select ghosts, like you click the screen and it selects the closest one. The current way is too confusing.
Great idea. A decent game, but needs more polishing.
JaJ
19. Dec 2012 · 13:53 UTC
Great job! It's hard but I did manage to defeat pacman once! (As in, killed him 4 times)
Pierrec
21. Dec 2012 · 14:01 UTC
This is a simple and yet pretty cool idea! With the great realisation! I would say the only problem is that the ghosts don't really seem to need me to get Pacman :/ It get harder with the levels, but still
Birchmountain
21. Dec 2012 · 15:38 UTC
A little hard to control the ghosts, but still very enjoyable. You almost managed to catch the retro feeling but the score numbers and the selection ruins it. Still a really good and well executed idea!
🎤 caranha
21. Dec 2012 · 15:52 UTC
Thanks, by selection you mean the selection image on the bottom of the screen? I'm thinking about removing it once I implement Marudziik's idea.
GreenPixelDev
21. Dec 2012 · 16:58 UTC
Very clever! :D I remember saying to myself as a kid playing Pacman, "I wonder what it'd be like to be the ghosts?" Thanks for answering that for me!
Christina Antoinette Neofotistou
22. Dec 2012 · 14:54 UTC
Fantastic idea, completely on-theme. These are the first bad guys in gaming history, and it's so nice to play as them! Beautiful presentation, fun gameplay, lovely! I'm not as good yet, that pacman's AI strikes me as stupid.

Would like to see a button (space?) that overrides 1-4 and selects nearest ghost, like in old soccer games. Might be fun. All in all, excellent entry!
Eniko
22. Dec 2012 · 15:29 UTC
I really like the idea but I am so, so terrible at this game. Like some other commenters, I have issues linking numbers to the ghosts on screen. Maybe it would work better if you could click a ghost/near a ghost to select them as well.
🎤 caranha
22. Dec 2012 · 15:44 UTC
Christina, selecting the closest ghost is an awesome idea. Thank you! I will try to put it into the post-compo version too!
Dark Acre Jack
23. Dec 2012 · 03:20 UTC
Nice. I wonder if it would have had the same impact if you'd chosen different characters. Also highlights just how sophisticated the real Pac Man AI is.
Puzzlem00n
23. Dec 2012 · 03:40 UTC
Funny idea here! Let's break down my comments:

Bad:
-Slightly weird A.I. sometimes. Aside from walking right in to ghosts, one time he just stopped altogether and sat there.
-Ghost selecting is hard... Especially when they're all blue.

Good:
+It's still a great concept.
+I love how the scoring system works... Really adds some strategy to it.
savethejets1
23. Dec 2012 · 05:05 UTC
I quite liked the opening part. Overall pretty good, it was a little hard to tell which ghost was which when pacman ate the pill though. Really good job!
BlockBrains
23. Dec 2012 · 16:33 UTC
Great. :-D
Clodial
23. Dec 2012 · 19:19 UTC
I like the game for its use of the theme, I just found the game to be slightly slow. Just slightly. Great Work! XD
Mista Koo
25. Dec 2012 · 14:38 UTC
Good, but would've been better if I could control two ghosts - or more - at the same time.
lotusgame
25. Dec 2012 · 17:45 UTC
Kill Pacman, what an excellent idea ! Good work and good polish. Bravo !
Pacifist Games
26. Dec 2012 · 04:19 UTC
I found myself really wishing the ghosts would just stay where I placed them, but I guess that would be a bit unfair... It seems like the scoring system doesn't work. My score was always 0, even after I killed Pacman 3 or so times. Great job though! I enjoyed it!
🎤 caranha
26. Dec 2012 · 04:50 UTC
Pacifist Games:
The score is only increased when you beat the level (kill all 4 pacman lives). This is because the score for each level is (2xMaximum pacman score - actual pacman score).

In other words, you only get to increase your score after you get a "you win" message for the level.
AdricZero
27. Dec 2012 · 15:24 UTC
Great execution on your idea.
infernet89
27. Dec 2012 · 15:26 UTC
Pretty awesome execution! I had a similar idea, but i was stucked by the IA of the pacman and the control system of the ghosts.. And you solved those problem very well! I see a winner here..
Rabbits...
28. Dec 2012 · 17:26 UTC
fun game,the first round I got owned, but on the second game I got 9720 points!
LogGiant
28. Dec 2012 · 18:32 UTC
Great game! The AI was a little funny at times, but it was never game-breaking. I was really glad when I saw the other ghosts moving as well, I was afraid I would have to micro all four at once (which would have been awful). Nice work.
Tobias Wehrum
29. Dec 2012 · 03:37 UTC
Interesting idea. I like the gameplay - it's surprising challenging. (Although sometimes it's very hard to catch him, and at other times he just runs right into you.)

I'm not sure if I agree with the choice of controls. It's hard to memorize the color-number-associations, and I'd like to control more than one ghost at the same time. Maybe you could try mouse-control, where you drag & drop to set directions or targets for individual ghosts?

I love the graphics. They are so neat, almost cute!

The audio works well. The missing music is barely noticable.

All in all quite a good entry. Good job!
Cake&Code
29. Dec 2012 · 10:22 UTC
I thought the Pacman AI was fairly good (mainly because it beat me so often!) and the ghost AI when not being controlled was competent enough. It definitely felt a lot like the original game, with the obvious twist.

Controls were smooth as butter, very well implemented. Switching between ghosts was easy enough once you got the colors mapped to numbers in your head. Though I kind of wish there was some kind of lead-up or story it is what it is.

Very well done! :)
Cyboot
29. Dec 2012 · 23:04 UTC
Very nice reverse Pacman.
Good Job!
TakeNapEveryday
04. Jan 2013 · 01:33 UTC
Nice job! Looking forward to seeing how you make out with the post-compo version.
BipoleMoment
05. Jan 2013 · 13:14 UTC
Oh my gosh
That opening music <3
waveon foxdale
06. Jan 2013 · 21:02 UTC
As pretty much everyone stated, Pacman's AI isn't great and the difficulty remains the same, which makes the game really easy. Other than that, it's a great idea and pretty well made.