FORF by JohnDimi

made by JohnDimi for LD 40 (JAM)

Made in 72 hours for the Ludum Dare 40 JAM

It's a topdown, hack and slash, killing monsters will give you experience and leveling up will make the enemies stronger than you, so just open the door and get to the next level!

This is my first time participating in Ludum Dare, I tried my best but I run out of time, I wanted to make more levels and deepen the mechanics, etc. It was a fun productive experience. It's not a complete game by all means, but I think it could lead to something cool if I ever get back to it. Sorry if the levels don't make any sense, I just made them at the last minute. :sweatsmile: :sweatsmile:

Made with HaxeFlixel. Currently a flash build only. ( Sorry the HTML5 export is really buggy and I will try to fix it )

firstGifs (1).gif

NOTE

I am going to leave the game build intact, so you will play the version I uploaded in the submission hour!! I think it's only fair to showcase this as a game built in 72 hours.

Credits:

Snail Sprite (modified) : "sitebender"
- https://sitebender.itch.io/space-base-platform-shooter-8-bit-art-graphics-pack
Slime Sprite (modified) : "finalbossblues"
- https://finalbossblues.itch.io/pixel-shooter-towers-asset-pack
Everything Else : Me

Flash (web)	https://johndimi.itch.io/forf
Source code	https://johndimi.itch.io/forf
Original URL	https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/forf

Ratings

Overall	309^th	3.7⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Fun	173^th	3.775⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation	534^th	3.2⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Theme	625^th	3.375⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics	333^th	3.875⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Audio	352^th	3.393⭐	16🧑‍⚖️
Mood	449^th	3.45⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Given		27🗳️	0🗨️

Feedback

miki

05. Dec 2017 · 18:29 UTC

From one first-timer to another:

FORF is a retro top-down hack ‘n slash dungeon crawler game which felt really well-made to be honest. I love retro, I love hack ‘n slash and I love dungeon crawlers, so you won me over by default. On a more serious note its adorable graphics and sound effects paired up with the retro gameplay feeling and difficulty makes it a pretty nice and simple game.

It’s sad that you did not have enough time to add weapons, abilities and more monsters, and unfortunately, I didn’t feel like you nailed the theme, BUT what you should be happy and very proud about is that you’ve made a very stable base for a future game of yours and I really hope you do choose to continue with this project in the future. Good luck!

🎤 JohnDimi

05. Dec 2017 · 19:39 UTC

@miki Thanks so much! I'm glad you found it interesting I know it is almost totally off the jam theme, and it's more like an engine concept. I will try to expand on it in the future, we'll see how it goes. :grinning: :blush:

IgorsGames

06. Dec 2017 · 20:46 UTC

Nice graphics! I think you should make the monster-die sound randomized from several pre-made versions of it, otherwise it gets annoying very fast.

🎤 JohnDimi

07. Dec 2017 · 16:53 UTC

@igorsgames Yep, It was meant to have different sound effects I even had like 5 explosion sounds ready to go. But I totally screwed up and botched it :frowning2:

gyfis

08. Dec 2017 · 15:50 UTC

Really nice game, graphics, controls and the whole flow, everything mixed up together very well! Enjoyed playing this, thanks :)

Justin Toyo

09. Dec 2017 · 18:03 UTC

This was a really awesome submission! I loved the graphics and the sounds were cool!

Gama Croma

10. Dec 2017 · 18:04 UTC

Great game, enjoy the urgency, maybe it's a bit easy to screw yourself before you even realize it. Maybe somehow warn the player hes too leveled up, make the first level grow faster, just so you remember to avoid combat instead of staying.

GameQuester

10. Dec 2017 · 18:41 UTC

I really liked your game. The graphics and sounds were nice and the gameplay was good, too. The game crashed for me in the 3rd level though. Also for my taste the attack hitbox of the player could be bigger. Maybe, in return, give the enemys a bit more complex attack pattern. You did a very good job for your first LD entry.

Epono

10. Dec 2017 · 18:49 UTC

as @gamequester said, bigger hitboxes would be sweet x)

A bit of fast music, improving the feeling of rush would also greatly improve the experience IMHO.

Otherwise, nice controls, nice idea, nice subimmsion :)

Samuli

10. Dec 2017 · 18:51 UTC

The core game feel is good and game in general feels polished. It is better to have what you have working well than bunch of half-baked assets and mechanics, so you did well in prioritizing what you cut in the end.

🎤 JohnDimi

11. Dec 2017 · 08:56 UTC

@samuil, @epono, @gamequester, @gama-croma, @justin-toyo, @gyfis, @igorsgames, @miki

Thank you for taking the time to try out my game and leaving feedback :smiley_cat:

I know it's heavily unpolished, I mean I just barely slapped it together and submitted it, lol. I will get back to it and make improvements, I think this could become something nice. I'll try to work on it before the jam ratings close. Cheers!

IllaBom

12. Dec 2017 · 01:51 UTC

Nice game you have here. SUPER WELL DONE!

Come check out my game if you like!
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/virus-detected

Andrew White

23. Dec 2017 · 22:39 UTC

Nice fluid animations and controls. It fits perfectly with the theme. Good job!

jjjjason

24. Dec 2017 · 04:47 UTC

There's been a couple of "game genre but you don't do the main thing of the genre" games this LD, but I think this one handles it pretty well. As you mention, the map design struggles a little bit, but the core idea of rushing to the exit and only taking fights as you need it is a cool one. I really like the backstep one of the enemies' does--it speaks to the amount of polish. The graphics are also pretty nice, they have the modern-retro aesthetic that is pretty trendy these days but you do them well (again, the backstepping enemy's design is my favorite).

@Samuli had it right when they talked to you focusing on heavily polishing the things you could get in time, rather than getting everything in mediocrely.

LeReveur

24. Dec 2017 · 05:17 UTC

It's a very solid entry for a first time LD! Don't worry about haven't made all you wanted to, it's part of the LD experience, and what you finally done is way more than a lot of entries (not just for this LD, and especially for a first time - and I don't say that only about my own entries XD). Don't forget that the first purpose of LD is to learn, about making games, but also about yourself.
As is, I think you don't have so much to improve to make it a polished game. Make your own monsters assets to give a more personal touch, take time to design levels with progressing difficulty, some things like that. If you like what you've done, so go ! Make a post-jam version, and take fun by doing it! ;)

🎤 JohnDimi

28. Dec 2017 · 08:02 UTC

@jjjjason I'm happy you enjoyed it, thanks! (The backstepping was the most enjoyable thing to code ) :smile:

@lereveur I agree, it was a self-test as well. Learn your own abilities, how do you manage time, where to focus on your code, etc. For example I learned that I should put priority to making interesting levels first rather than other minor things, because as Reggie said *"If the game isn't fun why bother"* :sweat_smile:

Thanks for the feedback guys.