Barback by Radiatoryang

[raw]
made by Radiatoryang for LD25 (JAM)
full write-up on my blog: http://www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2012/12/new-game-barback-for-ludum-dare-25.html

CONTROLS =======
WASD and arrow keys.

THEME? =========
I didn't want to make a game about a blatant villain. Maybe that's why this game doesn't seem to fit the theme too well -- villainy *has* to be blatant, or else you're not a villain?

ABOUT ==========
I was playing Tapper the other day at Barcade and it occurred to me how bad the multiplayer was: basically, one person watches the other person do stuff, no simultaneous play.

One of the reasons was probably because of the screen ratio / joysticks: the arcade cabinet has a very tall screen, which means they had to orient the bar counters horizontally to make room for all of the sprites. That meant a player needed two joysticks: 1 for movement, and 1 to pull-down to pour a beer. (For 2 player simultaneous play, the machine would need 4 joysticks!!)

The idea of a "downward motion" mapping to "pouring a beer" is very important. Fortunately, because 16:9 screen ratios are so common now, I can orient the counters vertically and now players just need 1 joystick each, and it still maps as "down = beer."

BUGS / REGRETS ============
- sometimes, 2+ patrons will take the same mug... essentially producing a net gain of mugs for you, actually
- patrons keep drinking even after the level is over
- typos and stuff, ergh
- I want to rewrite the script but didn't have time
- it's hard to find music

CREDITS =========
- all art by me, most of it handpainted within 48 hours
- Rokkitt font by someone else
- music by "Stormby" http://ccmixter.org/files/Stormby/39747
- lots of freesound.org samples
- some mechanics from "Tapper", but it's a very different game altogether with my rule changes

Ratings

Coolness 50% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.44 73
Audio(Jam) 2.43 208
Fun(Jam) 3.40 55
Graphics(Jam) 3.42 129
Humor(Jam) 2.73 135
Innovation(Jam) 3.13 112
Mood(Jam) 2.81 167
Theme(Jam) 1.78 320

Feedback

bitwise-constructs
18. Dec 2012 · 05:52 UTC
Very hard to play one-player, but otherwise a fun, well-executed game.
Sgt Squirrelly
18. Dec 2012 · 06:01 UTC
Is this intended to be a 2 player game. I played it by myself and had a blast. Makes it really challenging though, in a good way. The only thing that was tough to rate you very high on was theme, but I think you probably already knew that. Great job!
Tanner
18. Dec 2012 · 08:29 UTC
Iam a failure. But the game works pretty good in singleplayer mode as a multi tasking nightmare too. :D
Robotic
18. Dec 2012 · 09:20 UTC
Pretty fun, and an original take on the theme
MaTX
18. Dec 2012 · 16:41 UTC
It does not have much to do with the theme (as you said) but I must say that the graphics are amazing for such a short time lapse. Congrats!
Pierrec
18. Dec 2012 · 22:16 UTC
I need to find a friend to try this, but it's still fun to play alone (even if much harder, my right hand is doing great while my left hand keep making mistakes!)
Overall, the game is great! Pretty, fun...everything! It doesn't even need music, it sounds just great like this.

It's probably because the characters are called Jake and Elliott but I would totally see this bar somewhere on Kentucky Route Zero. ^^
goulding57
19. Dec 2012 · 04:19 UTC
Very fun to play. Completely forgot about the 2nd guy until halfway thru, so totally lost, but had fun doing so.
Bensonance
19. Dec 2012 · 14:58 UTC
Dude, fantastic game! Loved the gameplay, art and music, but narratively as soon as you justify a character's actions they begin to lose their villainess. They turn into more of an anti-hero.
BrothersT
20. Dec 2012 · 03:15 UTC
Wow unexpectedly cool multiplayer game. Will have to play this with my brother before rating!
Rex Peppers
20. Dec 2012 · 03:27 UTC
pretty tough game one player!
evilseanbot
20. Dec 2012 · 03:29 UTC
Five stars! Put the needle down on me!
Dark Acre Jack
20. Dec 2012 · 15:45 UTC
This is fantastic. Excellent work.
haxpor
20. Dec 2012 · 16:07 UTC
I have fun!
Really hard to play by one player and control both of them. Yeah, I hate the blue one, ha ha. I saw your blog post on ludum dare website about the initial woring-in-progress, that time is just a bare-bone bars. This is a big leap. Good work!
matthias_zarzecki
20. Dec 2012 · 18:31 UTC
Lovely title! Like the low-fi graphics, and how the 3d looks 2d :D

Didn't like the unskippable intro though, and the "looping" movement, where you suddenly jump from the rightmost side to the left. Also too bad it isn't really about "villainy" :(
mcc
05. Jan 2013 · 07:52 UTC
cool idea. wish i could play this 2-player -_-