LudumData

Maze Explorers by caranha

[raw]
made by caranha for LD22 (COMPO)
MazeExplorers is a maze game with a few twists. Your goal is to find the exit of the maze before your food runs out.

My goal regarding the theme was to use "alone" in the mechanic of the game, not necessarily in the "dressing" of the game. There are other explorers in the maze - each of them will give you some ability, but they will also eat your food (do you will have less time to complete the maze), and they will block your way (possibly taking you to dead ends).

So, is it better to try to solve the maze alone, or ask for their help? This is a crucial decision.

There are 5 mazes in the LD48 version of the game. Even if you beat a maze, you can still try to find the minimal path.

Also, there is a secret kitten mode ;-) Let me know if you find it.

This was my first entry to Ludum Dare, and it was quite fun!

Code is Java/Slick. Sound is sfxr and espeak. Sprites based on the openPixel project.

Make sure to check the time-lapse of the game being made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tpQZ1pjQKM

Linux/Mac/Windows (jarball) http://claus.castelodelego.org/games/MazeExplorer-fat.jar
Web Applet http://claus.castelodelego.org/games/LD22
Source http://claus.castelodelego.org/games/MazeExplorers-dev.tgz
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-22/?action=preview&uid=7847

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 2.95 219
Audio 2.31 312
Community 3.96 10
Fun 2.78 182
Graphics 2.73 307
Humor 2.10 252
Innovation 2.80 210
Mood 1.97 470
Theme 2.25 487

Feedback

Awennor
19. Dec 2011 · 19:05 UTC
I liked it, but not a whole lot to do with the theme!
ladron
19. Dec 2011 · 22:13 UTC
Nice little game! At first I didn't think it was more than a simple maze solver, but the characters and their abilities really add a lot.
🎤 caranha
19. Dec 2011 · 23:30 UTC
Thanks for the comments!

Awennor: Yeah, the idea was to have the theme link up with the decision, each maze, of having the characters join you or going alone. If I had time to write more levels, I would have explored this further.
cakemonitor
20. Dec 2011 · 14:11 UTC
Great little game and I loved your ideas for different types of help you can get from the various other people in the maze (although you're not exactly 'alone' when your game specifically involves teaming up with other people ;)). It was a bit of a annoyance that if I walked into a dead-end with a helper behind me I was stuck and couldn't walk back because they blocked the path so we had to both stand there and starve - I felt that's too stubborn on their part! Still, very good work overall.
🎤 caranha
20. Dec 2011 · 20:40 UTC
cakemonitor: Well, I wanted to use "alone" more as a gameplay element, a choice, than as the central theme of the game. But I see your point. Thanks for the comment!

The "blocking your path" thing was a decision I made, that is why I added a key to quit the maze. But maybe it is indeed a bit too harsh, a lot of people are complaining about it. Maybe I should make the game auto-detect that you are stuck and game over you there.
SonnyBone
21. Dec 2011 · 02:34 UTC
"Failed to load" on start.

:(
🎤 caranha
21. Dec 2011 · 02:51 UTC
D: That sucks... are you using OpenJDK? I couldn't get it to run with OpenJDK on my linux system, so I had to use Sun's Java. I'll look into it tomorrow and get back to you!
kiwieagle
21. Dec 2011 · 16:24 UTC
Great game!

(Yes I had to shift+f5 >.> <.<)
kiwieagle
21. Dec 2011 · 16:26 UTC
One question though: Is it normal for the white wizard to get you stuck in alleys?
dr_soda
22. Dec 2011 · 07:08 UTC
I liked the basic idea for this one, but the "stuck" mechanic seems a bit unfair at times, as it doesn't really allow you to explore the maze freely. It seems like you have to explore on your own for as far as you can until you die so that you can have a mental map of the maze. This isn't necessarily bad, but at the same time I feel like it's a bit too unforgiving right now.

Oh, and "Nom nom nom!" :)
Sempai
22. Dec 2011 · 20:43 UTC
Well... It's a nice game.
Simple, perhaps too simple... but, try the escape is fun...
Good job...

The flame gays block me... it's normal...?
🎤 caranha
22. Dec 2011 · 21:55 UTC
dr_soda, sempai, kiwi: Thanks for the comments. Yes, the "assistants" blocking your way was a design decision, and part of their balance. I see that I didn't manage to get this part very clear to most players. Oh well :-(
SeanAtr0n
23. Dec 2011 · 03:44 UTC
I like that the companions eat your food and block your path, makes being alone preferable so I think it is on theme. Also, good job balancing the difficulty, I like failing occasionally :)
cadin
23. Dec 2011 · 17:28 UTC
I like this a lot. The helpers mechanic is a really great idea. I like the conflict that they introduce (they can help you, but they can also hurt you by blocking you in). It is a little too harsh to have to start over though.

Maybe you could choose to kill/abandon them if they get you stuck. You'd lose their special ability, but you could continue on with the game...

Great work!
waynebeam
23. Dec 2011 · 20:57 UTC
nice job! i like the idea of alone or with help+consequences. never played a maze like that before. the simple graphics/sounds fit well too. great first dare!
Make A Game
24. Dec 2011 · 18:38 UTC
A maze with a twist =D!
Although I have completed the 5 levels I couln't find the cat easter egg.
I got mixed feelings concerning the sound, in one hand the omnomnom sound helped with the humor, but the step sound was so annoying that made me turn the sound off, but anyway good job ^-^, and congratulations for your first participation =).
Keep the giving us games :P
🎤 caranha
28. Dec 2011 · 00:50 UTC
Cadin: Yeah, I should do something about the "getting stuck" part. My main goal is to make certain routes impossible when alone, but the food penalty should be enough for this, if the level is well designed. I will probably drop the "friends block you" feature completely from the post-LD version.

Make A Game: Thanks for the comments! Yeah, sound is really my weak spot - the synth voices are tooooo low compared to the sfxr sounds... I will probably do all sounds over for the post-ld version.

Thanks all for the encouragement!
🎤 caranha
28. Dec 2011 · 00:51 UTC
Oh yeah, I posted a hint to the easter egg in my postmorten ;-)
Pierrec
28. Dec 2011 · 19:12 UTC
Well...This is a very clever game! I really would like to play more levels.
Pierrec
28. Dec 2011 · 19:13 UTC
Well...This is a very clever game! I really would like to play more levels. And I think it has a lot to do with the theme. Being alone or not is an important decision.
Hazard
28. Dec 2011 · 23:54 UTC
Great game! Especially the negative aspects of the followers make the it interesting and strategic.
🎤 caranha
03. Jan 2012 · 18:35 UTC
Thanks for the comments :-)
jeffz
04. Jan 2012 · 06:40 UTC
would have liked some music and automatic level progression, but otherwise cool!
🎤 caranha
04. Jan 2012 · 07:39 UTC
Hmmmm. Authomatic level progression: that's something simple that I didn't even consider, wow! Added to the to-do list for the post-LD version, thanks!
h.attila
05. Jan 2012 · 02:35 UTC
Nice concept, and I kinda liked the sounds as well (nom-nom-nom).
I think the transition takes too long when you run out of food, and it was frustrating to get stuck because the companions block your path (as already mentioned).
Jorjon
05. Jan 2012 · 03:46 UTC
Interesting approach to maze games! I didn't completed the whole game, but I liked the abilities feature.
guzzungo
08. Jan 2012 · 00:48 UTC
Wow! I've got a score of 52 in the 4th maze named "somebody to love".
summaky
09. Jan 2012 · 20:09 UTC
I fail to see the link with the “alone” theme when there are other people around the maze. People, by the way, that are more of an obstacle than anything else most of the time ¬_¬'

I liked the graphics, but was fun only to a point.