Tale of Scale by ratking

[raw]
made by ratking for LD25 (COMPO)
Started very late because of lack of ideas. Anyhow, this one is about how perspective is a subjective thing ...

Theme is in it, if you play it through you can even see it. :)
(Fun fact: I didn't play through the last level yet. I hope it's beatable. :P)

\o/

[SPOILER]
If you get stuck at the 2nd level, think outside the box!
[EVEN MORE SPOILER]
If you think you've cleaned the room, but didn't win the 2nd level, there still might be something in there. (Hint: This is not a pixel hunt.)

Ratings

Coolness 59% 3
Overall 4.10 7
Audio 3.06 152
Fun 3.74 33
Graphics 3.85 87
Humor 3.15 155
Innovation 4.72 2
Mood 3.69 40
Theme 2.55 616

Feedback

nate427
17. Dec 2012 · 03:12 UTC
I really, really, really love the game-mechanic! Great game, can't wait for the voting to start.
Deril
17. Dec 2012 · 03:18 UTC
I fail to run this. I get "Error lunching unity player".. Invalid unity web file... (chrome, Last unity web player version)
mpahrens
17. Dec 2012 · 03:28 UTC
That was really enjoyable and I was glad to see a game that intuition was the main mode of gameplay. No guessing as to what I was supposed to do. I also wont penalize for prospective 3D making me dizzy, but I hope you don't get that complaint too much :)
zazery
17. Dec 2012 · 04:30 UTC
When I saw the screenshot I became really excited. Great concept and I was not disappointed with the execution.
aeveis
17. Dec 2012 · 06:02 UTC
interesting mechanic, very nice job!
wallmasterr
17. Dec 2012 · 09:25 UTC
this is soo fun. I love the machanic. played it for ages but got stuck on level 2, how do u clean , i tryed puting everything on the shelves including the other shelves :P
🎤 ratking
17. Dec 2012 · 10:50 UTC
Thanks, guys!

@Deril: I uploaded standalone versions, do those work?

@wallmaster: This level needs some ... thinking outside the box ... (hint, hint :P)
wzl
17. Dec 2012 · 11:01 UTC
Ingenious mechanic! Unfortunately the game's a bit dull. Looking forward to a post compo version though <3 (do eet!)
Sanguine
17. Dec 2012 · 11:07 UTC
I came here to complain about your game, but I wasn't able to. I really like the graphics and the scaling mechanic :)
AtkinsSJ
17. Dec 2012 · 11:13 UTC
I absolutely love this. :D The only problem I'm having is some slightly glitchy physics. I really want to see this made into a full game. :D
Lidfrid
17. Dec 2012 · 11:43 UTC
I really enjoy the time spent on this game! Great 3D style :)

my mind was screwed after 2 minutes playing -.-


Good job :)
NuSan
17. Dec 2012 · 11:55 UTC
Realy great idea, never see that in a game before. And the fact that you need to discover the perspective effect by yourself instead of using a tutorial is really great, make me think a little. Owever im stuck in the second level, i have clean everything and nothing happen. I have seen some object passing through walls or ground, maybe that the cause. I will try againg.
ParaPup
17. Dec 2012 · 12:23 UTC
That was really trippy really liked the Idea and concept of the game.
Muu? (lanoiadimuu)
17. Dec 2012 · 14:17 UTC
The game-mechanic war really interesting.
But I got stuck at level 2, I don't really understand what I was supposed to do.
CoffeeOnimal
17. Dec 2012 · 14:39 UTC
Awesome mechanic. Tricky, but not frustratingly so. I'd like to see this worked out even more.
dek
17. Dec 2012 · 14:41 UTC
Really interesting game and Idea. I have never seen this somewhere. Got stuck at level 2 sadly, but I did enjoy it.
bentog
17. Dec 2012 · 16:05 UTC
Yes, the last level IS solvable. And challenging. This game is ultra mindblowing, creative and fun. Gaaah, why didn't I had this idea before? You should really make a full-lenght game out of this, it has potential. I'll be mad if this doesn't show up on the top 20 at least! 5 stars!
kivifreak
17. Dec 2012 · 16:20 UTC
Cool game though the object size kind of is confusing and it isn't really about the theme (at least the second level)
bentog
17. Dec 2012 · 16:32 UTC
I've already commented, but I like this game so much I'm commenting again. If you make a real puzzle game with lots of stages out of this, I'll totally buy it!
scriptorum
17. Dec 2012 · 17:25 UTC
This is a great mechanic. When I solved level 1 I thought there was a glitch in the game engine, it didn't sink in until level 2. :) Level 2's goal could be made clearer; I really needed that "think out of the box" hint to solve it! Level 3 is fantastic. Well done.
matthias_zarzecki
17. Dec 2012 · 17:53 UTC
This is a nice array of mechanics :). Probably better that nothing is explained. Nice work!
Pierrec
17. Dec 2012 · 18:19 UTC
I got burried alive under a mountain of giant cubes...so close...that was epic! Thanks you, this is the best LD game I've played so far. Now I hope there will be other ones that good!
SamoojaMies
17. Dec 2012 · 22:07 UTC
Mindblowed by the perspective thingy. Very cool. Nice simple art style. Couldn't figure out the 2nd level :|.
Good job!
NuSan
17. Dec 2012 · 22:40 UTC
Ok, nevermind, you just have to clean everything ! The final level is tough, i have tryed 3 times before completed. But once familiar with the concept, you can begin to control scale and orientation of your objects. I wonder what other puzzle type could offer that gameplay ... realy impressive.
recursor
18. Dec 2012 · 01:36 UTC
Quite a unique mechanic you came up with. The graphics are nice and stylistic. I agree with everyone else that a full game designed around this concept might be really fun.
31eee384
18. Dec 2012 · 02:43 UTC
Huh, interesting mechanic. Took a bit to figure out how to wield it, but I became a proper villain in no time!

I got far (I think) in the third level after using the "spoiler" hint. Just as I was getting the room filled, though, a jump failed, I hit the ground, and got stuck in a wall. Couldn't move at all. I encountered similar glitches in the earlier levels too.

Cool game, interested to see if you expand on it later. At the moment I think it's very innovative, but not very exciting at them moment. Has potential, though!
Eniko
18. Dec 2012 · 05:21 UTC
Wow it took me forever to wrap my head around the perspective properly to do the last puzzle. XD Really awesome concept though, I'm really curious how you pulled this off code wise.
Radiatoryang
18. Dec 2012 · 06:28 UTC
fantastic!
vrav
18. Dec 2012 · 07:15 UTC
Awesome innovation. Took me a while (until a ways through cleaning) to realize what was going on. I like that it wasn't obvious at first, though I knew things were changing somehow. Very surreal and ominous.
SmallDeadGuy
18. Dec 2012 · 10:44 UTC
I swear it kept taking control of me and I couldn't do anything. I was only trying to make everything tiny! Great concept :D
KWL_TW
18. Dec 2012 · 12:07 UTC
wow, this game is so special!
emveyh
18. Dec 2012 · 16:39 UTC
Wow! And that in 48 hours. Nice game, had a lot of fun playing it :D
Gornova
18. Dec 2012 · 17:53 UTC
a really good idea!
bradleypollard
18. Dec 2012 · 20:08 UTC
Idea is fantastic, but it's really hard to control the scaling. Plus the jumping really needs some work.
ProfessorMoriarty
18. Dec 2012 · 22:20 UTC
mindblowing in a few ways :)
Jezzamon
19. Dec 2012 · 00:34 UTC
Cool game, but obviously lacking as far as the theme goes.

My friend thought of this idea years ago, great to see it implemented as a game. :D
Amoaeba Junior
19. Dec 2012 · 01:21 UTC
Most innovative mechanic ever, awesome mood and storytelling
Cake&amp;Code
19. Dec 2012 · 06:31 UTC
Incredible. The mechanic is absolutely brilliant from top to bottom. It reminds me of all the times I've held up my hand to my eyes and done the proverbial "I am crushing you with my fingers" maneuver.

The levels were fun and different which helped keep the mechanic fresh. I do hope you expand upon this! :D
GeorgeBroussard
19. Dec 2012 · 10:59 UTC
Super neat mechanic, but it's all really clunky now. I saw the red blocks in level 3 and pulled some out but it seemed way too hard to get to the top. I'd continue this idea, because it's super fresh and clever but work on much MUCH simple puzzles using the perspective trick. All 3 of these puzzles were pretty rough and you could do a lot more with a lot less. This is a really clever idea for a premium puzzle game. I also really LOVED the context of the little kid and mom. You could easily make a fornt line game from this mechanic and that setting, assuming you polish the mechanics enough and simplify it so it's less clunky.
🎤 ratking
19. Dec 2012 · 11:46 UTC
@Eniko: You can have a look in the source code? It's not dark magic, just resizing and repositioning the object based on the current camera view, combined with thousands of collision checks.

@SmallDeadGuy: I hope that error is on your side, I never experienced that ... :-/

@bradleypollard: Yeah, the character controller is suboptimal, and not only the jumping needs a lot of work. Every complaint about stucking walls is due to me having no time to do a cool controller. :-/

@Jezzamon: The theme is in it, you just have to play it through to see it! Think of "Looper" ...
Oh, and I had the idea already as a kid, so your friend didn't have the idea before me. :-P

@GeorgeBroussard: You don't have to get to the top in level 3, there's just window. I think you can even use the pins only.
Altogether yeah, you can do more with less, but I thought having some kind of sandbox to play with is kind of fun. That you have certain goals in each level is a bonus, really.
🎤 ratking
19. Dec 2012 · 11:47 UTC
Thank you everyone for the kind words!
monomanio
19. Dec 2012 · 13:01 UTC
The visuals are amazing!!
allinlabs
19. Dec 2012 · 14:33 UTC
5 stars for innovation.
You should really dig more into it, it's a very unique concept that I've never saw anywhere else.
impulse9
19. Dec 2012 · 14:49 UTC
Great concept. :)
DeathBySnail
19. Dec 2012 · 17:28 UTC
Nice concept! Loved it.
Pitoum
19. Dec 2012 · 20:24 UTC
The concept and the execution are really really great. Look further a bigger game with this idea! It's so clever and simple at the same time! Congrats for this beautiful entry! 5 stars innovation, no hesitation!
Dark Acre Jack
20. Dec 2012 · 00:20 UTC
Always impressed with what you managed to come up with gameplay-wise in less than 48 hours, and this is no exception. Good work.

P.S. Check back on my entry for a full explanation of the design choices I made ;)
amassingham
20. Dec 2012 · 03:22 UTC
Really really nifty concept. Love it.
Norgg
20. Dec 2012 · 12:04 UTC
Amazing.
Hatscat
20. Dec 2012 · 17:36 UTC
Very good game! I love it! At first I was asking me how have you did that, but you've certainly get the distance to set a scaling coefficient, this is genius!
The only thing that annoyed me is that we can't jump if we walk, that make the last lvl very hard, but doable
otus
20. Dec 2012 · 20:04 UTC
thats was great!
the mechanic is so outside of reality that it looks like a nightmare or a dream, i'd like to play more games like this
danielcmessias
20. Dec 2012 · 22:24 UTC
Love it!
Caironater
20. Dec 2012 · 23:46 UTC
Thanks, that was awesome! I managed to finish #3 without the extra blocks btw.
blob
21. Dec 2012 · 02:24 UTC
What a freaking awesome idea ! The 2nd level definitely needs an ingame hint, even with the hint on the site it took me a while... The last level is kinda tedious, but it doesnt matter: this is a really clever mechanic and you should exploit it.
TakeNapEveryday
21. Dec 2012 · 02:27 UTC
You've managed to capture what is probably a universal childhood fantasy that many of us may have forgotten about. For a few minutes I reexperienced the awe, creativity and mischievousness of being a child left alone with his imagination. Thank-you.
Jiggawatt
21. Dec 2012 · 19:00 UTC
Well, that was a mindfuck. I love how Ludum Dare encourages people to make innovative experiments like these. Definitely needs fleshing out, but this could be the egg from which the next Portal hatches.
Cell
21. Dec 2012 · 20:36 UTC
Good game :)
Kharza
21. Dec 2012 · 22:51 UTC
mindblown.gif
Christina Antoinette Neofotistou
22. Dec 2012 · 10:34 UTC
Lovely! Reminds me of psychonauts visually, for some reason. It's full of style, and the idea is so meta! Congrats, ratking!
Codexus
22. Dec 2012 · 14:12 UTC
Wow, amazing concept, that's really original! Fun to play but a bit confusing: the objectives should be more clear. Also sometimes a bit glitchy (I got stuck several times in the last level) but that's to be expected when trying to implement such a crazy idea in 48h.
Houly
23. Dec 2012 · 19:39 UTC
Great idea! But a little bit off from the theme.
lekochen
24. Dec 2012 · 01:08 UTC
Ahhhhh I got motion sickness, but this is awesome!
ddionisio
24. Dec 2012 · 22:13 UTC
Wow this game has one of the most brilliant game mechanic I've seen here, to be honest! Great game! It wasn't quite clear how to clean stuff up in level 2 though.
commanderstitch
24. Dec 2012 · 22:31 UTC
holy innovation rat-king. That's totally blown away concept! superb coding and execution. last level was a great application! a real head scratcher. loved it!
odrega
24. Dec 2012 · 23:12 UTC
Awesome!

I couldn't figure out the second level though, which is a shame. I interpreted it to mean that I have to put everything outside, but that didn't work.

Also, it would be awesome of there was a way to 'craft' items, e.g. picking up two lego pieces and slotting them together.
Harsay
24. Dec 2012 · 23:41 UTC
My face when I played it -> :O
Harsay
24. Dec 2012 · 23:42 UTC
My face when I played it -> :O
Darkfrost
25. Dec 2012 · 03:27 UTC
This was absolutely amazing! Spent a while WTF'ing about what was going on until I realized it!

Loved the last level, such a simple goal, but so hard to pull off until you get your head around the mechanic :) And then it gets pretty easy!

Please, please, please develop this into a full game!

One thing that might of been nice is the ability to rotate whatever you're holding, although I got the hang of that later by the jumping around it and picking it up!
Gungnir
25. Dec 2012 · 05:42 UTC
I'd say plenty of parents would get the theme link here ;) This is a brilliant concept - I hope you continue to work on a final version post compo. I really like the presentation, actually. The child's hand is a very well realized UI element.
Xavier
25. Dec 2012 · 11:44 UTC
Nice job man. I love the idea, but it's a bit mess and confusing the change of the size of the objects. Anyway, it's a great game that will be nice to see a later development.
krutech
25. Dec 2012 · 14:10 UTC
Fantastic. At first i thought there was something wrong with z buffer but nay, it was a mechanic!
Madball
25. Dec 2012 · 16:04 UTC
Phew! Completed it! Good job, nice idea and theme implementation!
Jeremias
25. Dec 2012 · 16:34 UTC
This is one of these games where I think, this would be a fantastic (commercial) game with many puzzle rooms to solve. I hope you continue to work on this game at ratking entertainment! Solved all the rooms, but I needed the hint in the second one ^^
ArkadyDracul
25. Dec 2012 · 16:51 UTC
Yes great mechanics, but I dont the Villain in your entry, sorry.
juaxix
25. Dec 2012 · 16:55 UTC
I am totally fascinated with this idea and development , thank you so much for share :)
juaxix
25. Dec 2012 · 17:00 UTC
Could you explain this line?:
---
floorLayerMask = 1 << LayerMask.NameToLayer("Default");
---
i dont understand very well what are you doing here...
jayhC
25. Dec 2012 · 17:59 UTC
perfect.......
SonnyBone
25. Dec 2012 · 18:09 UTC
Brilllllliant perspective mechanic. Nice interpretation of the theme with the 'origins of a villain' story. But holy CRAP the platforming controls are seriously frustrating. The jump is either broken or just completely unpredictable. Not being able to jump while walking down an incline on the boxes nearly kills the entire final level. It took me 12 tries on the final level before I finally decided to just try it without the boxes. Made it all the way to the top with just the tacks by picking them up from under me while jumping and resticking them immediately... almost like an elevator. The game is innovative enough and interesting enough to make you fight through the controls, but the ending that you get is a serious letdown after spending that much time trying to get out of there. GREAT WORK OVERALL!!!!
SuperDisk
26. Dec 2012 · 19:54 UTC
This is a great puzzle concept that would fit right in with Portal or something. Nice job.
Norgg
27. Dec 2012 · 14:51 UTC
Got thinking about this game again, and having the player play as a child is one really nice touch here. Playing from a perspective you're not used to to begin with, where everything starts out looking bigger than you're used to makes the mechanic that much more impactful when it clicks.
goerp
27. Dec 2012 · 17:17 UTC
I didn't read anything beforehand and just started playing, and I found it almost immediately clear waht was happening and what the goal was. Very intiuitive I would say.
Looks good and very VERY original.
wow.
Alex Shestakov
27. Dec 2012 · 18:05 UTC
Awesome concept. Please make a full game out from it :)
infernet89
29. Dec 2012 · 17:56 UTC
Five stars in innovation, awesome idea. Keep working on it, please!
Mago
29. Dec 2012 · 21:44 UTC
Mind blowing!
brantkings
29. Dec 2012 · 22:25 UTC
None less than incredible. The fact that you done this is 48h is incredible. Sir, you should feel proud.
Strkl
29. Dec 2012 · 23:48 UTC
This game is beyond amazing
refreshcreations
30. Dec 2012 · 00:46 UTC
Great game, really nice concept and well thought through! Also, OMG, I just spent an hour on level 3 and couldn't beat it, got close to the top a phew times, then ended up in red brick central after a wonky jump. Still really loved playing it!
haxpor
30. Dec 2012 · 08:36 UTC
Like this man!
fishbrain
30. Dec 2012 · 17:44 UTC
Extraordinarily innovative! Brilliant! Well Done!... I couldn't even solve the first puzzle though :/ had no idea what my goal was.
zenmumbler
31. Dec 2012 · 01:07 UTC
What the? That is brilliant. Never seen this used this way. Brain-breaking bizarreness. Got stuck a few times and it all takes a bit long but this is certainly worth investigating more!
DTG
01. Jan 2013 · 06:53 UTC
Really awesome mechanic, Could easily be used in a lot of other types of games. The graphical style really helps with the feel of it too.
nilstastic
01. Jan 2013 · 19:53 UTC
Good: Excellent game mechanics and super-nice graphics!
Improve: It was actually a bit boring. To many legos! =)
Patacorow
04. Jan 2013 · 20:38 UTC
CRAZY work for 48h
Benjamin
05. Jan 2013 · 03:32 UTC
Wow totally crazy game. Top idea, top execution, even the controls feels good and it must have been a nightmare to tweak. And you even had time for story telling o_O
evilseanbot
07. Jan 2013 · 01:59 UTC
The level design/puzzles aren't great, but otherwise this is a very nice showcase of a fun, novel core mechanic.
leafo
07. Jan 2013 · 07:55 UTC
What an incredible idea :) Great game. All the levels were great.
DavidErosa
07. Jan 2013 · 19:57 UTC
Really original idea and very well made! Great!
ahm99
07. Jan 2013 · 22:36 UTC
THAT WAS AWESOME!!! I was amazed by the concept of scaling the objects to win the level. You did an amazing job!
mrexcessive
07. Mar 2014 · 17:50 UTC
Nice ratking! Very (very) much simpler example and some code for Unity at http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2014/03/07/forced-perspective-example/comment-page-1/