LudumData

Involucion by elxris

[raw]
made by elxris for LD24 (COMPO)
I can say that it is my first time and I'm pretty comfortable with it, but I could not get everything I expected.
And probably has many errors, but I think that is enough. It's my first game!

Extra Note: I didn't use more than the Java API. :D All the power of Math API.

The game tries to make ecological niches, and see how far you can go.
The bodies that are old do children evolved.
The bar indicates: orange life, oxygen cyan, and hunger pink bar.
Basically when they are hungry or are suffocated them go for food, or oxygen.

If not working, try to update. http://www.java.com/download/

**PD: I rebuilt the game with Java 6. (Before Java 7)

***In Post-Compo I improved gameplay and movement patterns. (Soon more stuff)

All Systems Post-Compo v0.3 (Java) https://dl.dropbox.com/s/hkd037bsf6y2k6z/Post-Involucion.jar
All Systems Compo (Java) https://dl.dropbox.com/s/7hjh0hvts34s4uc/Involucion.jar
GitHub https://github.com/elxris/Innvolucion
Source https://dl.dropbox.com/s/w3zzvygcecodvt5/Involucion.zip
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-24/?action=preview&uid=12870

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 2.60 573
Audio 1.19 603
Fun 2.07 661
Graphics 2.18 641
Humor 1.83 461
Innovation 3.21 208
Mood 2.44 468
Theme 3.15 271

Feedback

panzermancer
27. Aug 2012 路 06:44 UTC
I can't entirely tell what is going on here, but I'm guessing it's supposed to be some sort of a life sim. I think this game highly detriments from not having a proper explanation; I'm literally just clicking random places and putting stuff down. I don't know the consequences for doing anything, really.
ubear
27. Aug 2012 路 07:06 UTC
Interesting idea, the game is quite meditative. I have 1666 points at the moment. I think you should create start script for persons without java background, or place your game as applet to some hosting. Good job.
vidarn
27. Aug 2012 路 16:59 UTC
I don't really understand how this game works, but at least it's fun to look at :)
馃帳 elxris
27. Aug 2012 路 23:52 UTC
Thanks all, for yours comments. I've add a instructions in-game.
mdkess
28. Aug 2012 路 00:30 UTC
I feel like I don't get this. I saw that you put a tutorial in, but it might be nice to have a more in depth explanation (even just on this game page, not necessarily in game).

That said, I still like it. You put a lot of thought into this clearly, and the game itself is satisfying if confusing. I just wish I knew what the little guys were thinking. In any case, great work :)
Milo
28. Aug 2012 路 01:04 UTC
I *think* I get how the simulation works, but the goal seems unclear, since whenever stuff gets eaten/dies it seems to reappear in the box thing. It looks like it's doing something really cool in the simulation; I just wish I could understand it more deeply.
Benjamin
28. Aug 2012 路 01:23 UTC
I could undestand the way of playing thanks to the explanation. For the goal I guess you must find some balance where all the creatures can have their needs fulfilled by their own production ?
jwin
28. Aug 2012 路 01:50 UTC
I quite liked building a little ecosystem out of these things, surprisingly entertaining.
Sgt Squirrelly
29. Aug 2012 路 02:14 UTC
It's confusing, but still appealing in it own way. I placed all my stuff, then watched for a few minutes before closing it.
tastive
29. Aug 2012 路 02:18 UTC
Doesn't seem to work for me. :( Win32, vista.
馃帳 elxris
29. Aug 2012 路 04:24 UTC
Tastive: Try to update Java.
cominu
29. Aug 2012 路 18:34 UTC
doesn't start on mac :(
BrothersT
29. Aug 2012 路 19:28 UTC
Nice.
minism
29. Aug 2012 路 23:51 UTC
Wont start on OSX 10.7 for me
raohmaru
30. Aug 2012 路 12:46 UTC
Quoting @vidarn,
"I don't really understand how this game works, but at least it's fun to look at :)"

Interesante juego.
Josh @ Dreamland
30. Aug 2012 路 23:20 UTC
Can you build this for Java 6? I do not have Java 7, and it is not yet offered on my platform.
馃帳 elxris
31. Aug 2012 路 22:02 UTC
Josh, yes I will...
caranha
01. Sep 2012 路 04:39 UTC
Very Interesting! You should have implemented some sort of crossover or mutation mechanic, but the niche-formation was pretty cool.
phren
01. Sep 2012 路 20:08 UTC
Looks like you have the simulation part in place, but I think the user interface needs quite a bit of work. It was very hard to follow what was going on - sometimes you could definitely see the creature (or whatever) going for some item you dropped there, other times it just died without making the move. All of this was made quite a bit harder and more annoying by the fact that all my clicks didn't register for some reason. There could perhaps be more clarity in the whole graphical design and maybe you could have some of the rules/guidelines visible during gameplay, since most of the stuff was hard to remember once the game got started.
infernet89
03. Sep 2012 路 10:30 UTC
So hard to understand, but a really original work!
heuermh
04. Sep 2012 路 04:07 UTC
Great idea, I enjoyed this.

And waste marching across the screen is very cute.
zx81
05. Sep 2012 路 17:42 UTC
Great game, really liked it. The graphics are quite nice. However the game needs a proper instructions!
jprogman
07. Sep 2012 路 03:55 UTC
I had to keep checking back on what the three bars suppose to represent. Definitely a nice simulation game after you resolve some of the flaws that most users had provided already.
Gabriel
16. Sep 2012 路 05:49 UTC
Nice entry! I agree with most comments, the only problem is that it is a little cryptic as it is right now: difficult to understand what is going on until you get used with the several abstractions. Maybe if you placed graphics and clear measurable objectives so that players can gradually come to understand the inner workings of creatures and resources, and get used to manipulating it, it could become even more satisfying and accessible. Anyway, good work! ;)
galman
16. Sep 2012 路 09:54 UTC
Really nice life sim :-)
You should really work on your post-compo version and add some more gameplay and it will be awesome!
Dan C
16. Sep 2012 路 12:15 UTC
I can't make any sense of this at all, I'm afraid.