Spaceman Biff vs The Red Robots by ChainedLupine

made by ChainedLupine for LD23 (COMPO)

Bug status: The bug has been fixed! You can now get off the ship, and so the game is playable. And I squeezed in under the original submission time limit, too, woo!

Update: I added a link to an enhanced "jam-like" version. This is the same game, but a bit more polish. It was finished within the jam submission deadline. Be sure to use the compo link for judging purposes. :)

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THE GAME
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You are Spaceman Biff and those annoying ex-terraformer Red Robots are lowering your property value. Destroy them!

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INSTRUCTIONS
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Controls in Spaceman mode:

ARROW LEFT/RIGHT to move
ARROW DOWN to board ship (if under it)
SPACEBAR to shoot

Controls in ship mode:

ARROW LEFT/RIGHT to steer
ARROW UP/DOWN to thrust/brake
(If on planet) ARROW DOWN to disembark Spaceman Biff!

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ADDENDUM
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There is no sound. I ask that you do not vote me as 1-star for the lack of aural abuse -- just mark "NA". ;)

Web (48hr compo)	http://chainedlupine.com/spacemanbiff/WebPlayer.html
OS/X (48hr compo)	http://chainedlupine.com/spacemanbiff/SpacemanBiff.app.zip
Enhanced version (Web only)	http://chainedlupine.com/spacemanbiff/jam/WebPlayer/WebPlayer.html
Windows (48hr compo)	http://chainedlupine.com/spacemanbiff/SpacemanBiff_WindowsBuild.zip
Source	http://chainedlupine.com/spacemanbiff/source
Original URL	https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-23/?action=preview&uid=1746

Ratings

Coolness	59%	3
Overall	3.21	287

Audio	1.38	722
Fun	2.88	398
Graphics	3.79	113
Humor	2.04	534
Innovation	3.21	303
Mood	2.71	410
Theme	3.64	125

Feedback

refreshcreations

23. Apr 2012 · 20:11 UTC

That was pretty good fun! Played through on Tiny World mode, the minimap is really handy to have, well thought out GUI, nicely made 3d graphics, all fitting within the general theme of the game. Sound would have made it even better but, hey, there's only 48 hours available. Excellent!

free_napalm

24. Apr 2012 · 20:07 UTC

The gameplay on the planets was a bit boring, but what made the game for me was flying from planet to planet. Different enemies would have been cool, but on the other hand you only had 48 hours, so that's okay.

free_napalm

24. Apr 2012 · 20:07 UTC

The gameplay on the planets was a bit boring, but what made the game for me was flying from planet to planet. Different enemies would have been cool, on the other hand you only had 48 hours, so that's okay.

Wampus

24. Apr 2012 · 20:12 UTC

Good entry. Ambitious for 48hrs given how many factors were at play here. The way gravity was handled worked nicely. 3D models were appealing. The rotating background almost gave me motion sickness!

Kimau

24. Apr 2012 · 20:57 UTC

The game has a lot of promise but fails on minor points.

At first launch I think brilliant I have limited fuel which I need to carefully managed... then find out I pick up so much fuel its a non issue.

I pull away from the planet and try to execute my first turn... only to get a slow turning arc and a camera which is disorientating when it follows.

Then I thought ooooo I'm coming into land better be safe with my velocity but conserve my fuel. Only to be auto landed (which works nose first).

The bullets even follow the curve of the planets removing any interesting gun play there.

A REALLY BRILLIANT idea just needs a few bits of balance and polish and its a great game. Little things which make a big difference.

firstrowgames

24. Apr 2012 · 21:04 UTC

the gravity was really well done, and the gameplay was nice.

🎤 ChainedLupine

24. Apr 2012 · 21:24 UTC

@Kimau: Aye, sadly a LOT of things were cut. Fuel upgrades were indeed meant to be more scarce, and planetary landings challenging (since you had to conserve fuel *and* not damage your ship).

The planets were supposed to have obstacles, too, so you couldn't just run from left to right (or vice versa) and blast things into oblivion.

I did do a bit of polishing for the enhanced "jam" version, but that was mostly fix some of the issues you mentioned (such as the turning radius) and fleshed out the robot's attacks.

Fireblend

25. Apr 2012 · 04:47 UTC

Nicely done! I really really liked going from planet to planet on the spaceship; killing the robots wasn't nearly as fun; but space navigation definitely made up for it :D

Galaxy613

25. Apr 2012 · 22:10 UTC

A decent game, the background during space flight really throws me off, almost nauseating. I wish the robots would do better fighting back then just being bullet sinks but you've updated that with the after-compo version. I do so very like the art style and the concept of tiny planets in space!

Yapikom

25. Apr 2012 · 23:17 UTC

Promising idea, but it lacks much, wich makes it hard to rate. It fits the theme decently. Please add audio next time, sound effects adds so much to the game. :)

Incredible Ape

26. Apr 2012 · 00:34 UTC

Would be nice with some nice graphics and reactive audio :)

Rex Peppers

26. Apr 2012 · 19:08 UTC

So much fun! Add powerups!

DaveDobson

30. Apr 2012 · 04:56 UTC

Really beautiful-looking with the 3D - I've got to learn Unity. Physics and flying around was fun; the stuff on the planet less engaging, since there was no strategy really other than to fire a lot until the robots went away. Very impressive overall - good work.

amodo

02. May 2012 · 19:12 UTC

Really liked the aesthethics and the era it teleported me into a lot. Nice little game with nothing to complain about. Does the background distorion effect remind me of 2001 or Disney's Black Hole?

robcozzens

05. May 2012 · 00:07 UTC

This was really good! And the enhanced version is quite an improvement.

zazery

09. May 2012 · 21:12 UTC

I beat the game on Tiny World mode. I really like how landing and taking off from planets works. It feels really good. In space unless you see planets it's hard to gauge how fast you're travelling. If there are little specks of stars that move in the background it might make it easier. The mini map was certainly helpful. Combat had a lot to be desired.

tcstyle

11. May 2012 · 19:05 UTC

This is a pretty great idea. A pity there is no sound.
I love the concept of planet combat and space flight and the graphics are pretty good.

someone

11. May 2012 · 19:31 UTC

It is a nice start of a game. The idea is good, but not particularly interesting in its current form. Good work for 48 hours.
Flying between planets was fun, though the turning circle felt a bit slow.

Raptor85

11. May 2012 · 20:12 UTC

interesting take, a little easy since the robots dont really move or aim though and the space flight is a little stiff. The windows build works ok in WINE since it uses no sound or mouse aiming though.

FredericRP

11. May 2012 · 20:57 UTC

Great special fx when launching the rocket, but the steering was a little too slow to be comfortable (it's realistic, but it's annoying). Not very much challenge with the robots, but good overall !

Thotep

11. May 2012 · 20:58 UTC

It looks really good, although the gameplay isn't fleshed out. The ship has a very annoying inertia, and the planets pose little to no challenge.

machinas

13. May 2012 · 04:52 UTC

the background is beautiful, the flight mechanics are very interesting and fun to play around with, though perhaps a bit tough to use. The gameplay on the planets is very simple, but still enjoyable. Nice job with the graphics. My ship got destroyed because I landed too close to a robot and couldn't shoot him fast enough :)

maxman43

13. May 2012 · 04:56 UTC

I couldn't get the game to run in my browser, it got to the title screen and wouldn't do anything else.

masterhyjinx

14. May 2012 · 00:07 UTC

Very good entry. Congrats. The moving around from planet to planet is cool. The combat was on the very easy side but I can see what you were going for. I think you could have something cool on your hands if you developed it further. Graphics look great and good job on generating all the animation for a 48 hr compo.