Morphing Maze by AGausmann
This is a fully functional labyrinth game in which the rooms shift around. The algorithm is similar to how a "fifteen puzzle" works - there is a probability that an empty space will be filled by an adjacent room.
Your goal is to find the gold key to the exit room, then you must find the room itself. Only gold keys will fit in the lock, so don't try anything else!
There are some other challenges that make this game harder. First, there is no internal mechanism for recalling where you have been. Maybe keeping a map on a piece of paper (IRL - isn't that crazy?) will help you. Also, you have a limited amount of energy which can be replenished by eating the bread that is placed randomly throughout the maze. Finally, some of the doors are locked and require a key to open. Gold keys only work on the exit; you must find the tarnished silver key to unlock other rooms.
I recommend that you download the GUI edition. The terminal edition is also provided in case you prefer that method. If you download the terminal edition, you will have to run it using a shell command like `java -jar mazemorph.jar`.
When you first start up the game, you'll see that it gives you a textual prompt. This game has absolutely no graphics or audio; it is a text-based game. After starting the game, typing "help" in the prompt will give you a list of commands you can use. x
Have fun, and remember to give feedback!
Your goal is to find the gold key to the exit room, then you must find the room itself. Only gold keys will fit in the lock, so don't try anything else!
There are some other challenges that make this game harder. First, there is no internal mechanism for recalling where you have been. Maybe keeping a map on a piece of paper (IRL - isn't that crazy?) will help you. Also, you have a limited amount of energy which can be replenished by eating the bread that is placed randomly throughout the maze. Finally, some of the doors are locked and require a key to open. Gold keys only work on the exit; you must find the tarnished silver key to unlock other rooms.
I recommend that you download the GUI edition. The terminal edition is also provided in case you prefer that method. If you download the terminal edition, you will have to run it using a shell command like `java -jar mazemorph.jar`.
When you first start up the game, you'll see that it gives you a textual prompt. This game has absolutely no graphics or audio; it is a text-based game. After starting the game, typing "help" in the prompt will give you a list of commands you can use. x
Have fun, and remember to give feedback!
| GUI (recommended) | https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2tLzzy_FsHsd2FNMkFWWVVqX2s |
| Terminal (advanced) | https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2tLzzy_FsHsNWN4VGJiVHlHWmM |
| Source | https://github.com/AGausmann/ludumdare35 |
| Original URL | https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-35/?action=preview&uid=39216 |
In fact, the second time I played (in which I beat the game), I kept track in notepad and just methodically went about the rooms until I randomly found the exit. Kind of underwhelming, but alright.
Also, at some point I tried going east and got a null pointer exception on my command prompt. It didn't actually mess up the game (simply showed up as no room being there), but you should probably check it out.
The content was lacking, so it became a little repetitive fairly quickly. Perhaps a graphical element would make this easier, with a map that fills in.
I know the content is lacking, but I appreciate the algorithm itself, and that's why I like it.
The game could be improved by adding some of the "standard" parser conveniences, for instance allowing the user to type the first letter in the command (instead of the entire command), adding all visible exits to the "what" command, and executing the "what" command automatically when entering a room.
I enjoyed seeing the different mazes the algorithm produces. A trick to make the maze seem less generic could be to have a few "unique" room-descriptions, assigned randomly to rooms (in effect creating "landmarks" in the maze). This could also be combined with "shape-dependant" generic descriptions, i.e. assigning "a corridor turning sharply" description to a room with a North and East/West exit, for instance (these descriptions could then be assigned after the level generation).
The energy mechanic added a nice sense of urgency to the maze exploration - perhaps the player should be warned, when he is about to starve to death.
The game could be improved by adding some of the "standard" parser conveniences, for instance allowing the user to type the first letter in the command (instead of the entire command), adding all visible exits to the "what" command, and executing the "what" command automatically when entering a room.
I enjoyed seeing the different mazes the algorithm produces. A trick to make the maze seem less generic could be to have a few "unique" room-descriptions, assigned randomly to rooms (in effect creating "landmarks" in the maze). This could also be combined with "shape-dependant" generic descriptions, i.e. assigning "a corridor turning sharply" description to a room with a North and East/West exit, for instance (these descriptions could then be assigned after the level generation).
The energy mechanic added a nice sense of urgency to the maze exploration - perhaps the player should be warned, when he is about to starve to death.
Also, I keep dying, although I have lots of bread in the inventory, because I forget to eat, .