LudumData

Kill The Dragon by kromeboy

[raw]
made by kromeboy for LD 40 (JAM)

Immagine.jpg

This short game (about two minutes) is a collection on multiple ideas and experiments. In this game I am reflecting on some recent trends in game design.

Resolution is fixed at 1280x970 but you can adjust the zoom in your browser if it doesn't fit your screen. You control this game only with the keyboard: the commands will be prompted when necessary.

Most of the pictures are from Hokusai, or other japanese painters. The music is an original composition by myself.

Hope you enjoy this game, as I have enjoyed making it.

Changelog

I will occasionally tweak the HTML5 version of the game. The windows version will remane as originally posted.

4/12

  • Added player control in the second part of the game.
  • Added one light to mark the target in the second part of the game.
  • Changed the attack command from On key Up to On key Down.

5/12

  • Added light trail and a message to clarify the second part of the game
  • Changed how cats positions
HTML5 (web) https://kromeboy.itch.io/kill-the-dragon
Windows https://kromeboy.itch.io/kill-the-dragon
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/kill-the-dragon

Ratings

Overall 971th 2.967⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1036th 2.609⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 498th 3.239⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Theme 700th 3.279⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 751th 3.174⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Audio 610th 2.738⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Humor 399th 3.279⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Mood 653th 3.174⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Given 65🗳️ 42🗨️

Feedback

gonutz
04. Dec 2017 · 09:27 UTC
Can you post a screen shot of your game?
Zapakitul
04. Dec 2017 · 10:11 UTC
So I won even though I had a ton of cats following me (updated twice)! Had no idea how to play the pachinco part. Just saw the metal balls falling everywhere and it said "You win" and the end description.
🎤 kromeboy
04. Dec 2017 · 10:18 UTC
@zapakitul that's about it: the pachinko is all about luck, like a slot machine. If 10 balls get in the basket on the right side you win, if not you loose :-)
Priom
04. Dec 2017 · 10:50 UTC
Nice concept. I had to play it twice because I was completely confused the first time around
ysty
04. Dec 2017 · 11:19 UTC
Very clever. I like the idea of using stuff from paintings as the art style, it works really well.
Edword
04. Dec 2017 · 11:25 UTC
I really liked the idea and almost wished you wouldn't have posted that explanation in the final screen, i'd say it was pretty clear. Lovely art!
🎤 kromeboy
04. Dec 2017 · 11:53 UTC
@zapakitul I have updated the game and now you have to hold down the spacebar to shoot the balls. It's almost incredible how a little agency could change the experience.
pcmxms
04. Dec 2017 · 14:33 UTC
Weirdly good. Very nice art and a surprising ending! Absolutely recommended.
pcmxms
04. Dec 2017 · 14:34 UTC
PS: The cake is a lie.
Mark Kennedy
04. Dec 2017 · 20:48 UTC
Great joke, yet serious and needed commentary on lootboxes and gambling. Also I laughed when it zoomed out to the dragon, that was a great part.
Noa Calice
04. Dec 2017 · 21:18 UTC
I like the japonese atmosphere ! The controls are however a little slow for me ! Still a nice Ludum Dare entrey :) ! Cheers !
🎤 kromeboy
04. Dec 2017 · 23:33 UTC
@noa-caice I have just noticed that I have bound the attack on CTRL up, and this may be one of the reasons why the game seem unresponsive. I think that i can patch this.
Xacur
05. Dec 2017 · 02:04 UTC
At the end I don't know if I won or lost. Just pressed space bar and didn't know what was happening.
🎤 kromeboy
05. Dec 2017 · 02:21 UTC
@xacur yes, the last part after the twist is confusing. I am thinking of how to render clear how the machine works. Maybe a trail of lights that point toward the goal basket. Not that it makes any difference: pachinko is only about luck, but surely is best for the player to know what is happening. Maybe another message like "hit the target 10 times to win"...

Thanks for the feedback
Faktori
05. Dec 2017 · 02:30 UTC
that twist
bridgs
05. Dec 2017 · 06:21 UTC
Like the way the art blended with the gameplay!
kakarotsan
05. Dec 2017 · 17:01 UTC
That was hilarious.
Filipe Leal
05. Dec 2017 · 19:53 UTC
WOW! That was unexpected! LOL. Good job.
Asellio
06. Dec 2017 · 04:19 UTC
Very clever. a very fun game
Reality Blind
06. Dec 2017 · 11:57 UTC
We don't kill dragons, they are our friends !
wrexialmt
06. Dec 2017 · 12:26 UTC
Hahahaha!i love the loot-box spam + twist at the end! :D Maybe the wording could've been a bit clearer to wtf is happening, but i got it on the second play-through so its not bad ;) Good job! :D
fancy89
06. Dec 2017 · 12:58 UTC
plot twist!! Thanks for your comment on our game ;)
MarioBarone
06. Dec 2017 · 13:13 UTC
Bit confusing at first, but super cool :)
Taldius
06. Dec 2017 · 13:37 UTC
Hahahaha! This game was a surreal trip. Nice satire of the lootboxes and good job overall.
Carraka
06. Dec 2017 · 17:17 UTC
Good game with a great message! After the first lootbox, I was sure that I was being tricked, but I just couldn't resist those cute cats! However, when I lost, I felt it was worth it, because at least I had those cute cats, while if I hadn't bought all those cats, it was still possible that I would have lost to the dragon and then had nothing.

One suggestion would have been if you could control when the lootbox stops spinning. I think being able to do that increases the player's (erroneous) sense of control, leading to addiction. Maybe forcing a player who doesn't upgrade to also have to press CTRL several times to kill the monster (although there's no danger of them failing) would be good as well. I'm not sure if that contributes to your message, but it would make sense that resisting temptation is expected to come with a certain amount of persistence.
tweedle
07. Dec 2017 · 05:14 UTC
5 stars, great message, poor choice of font ;)
🎤 kromeboy
07. Dec 2017 · 09:47 UTC
@carraka I think that the lootbox opening should work just like a basic slot machine: is it how it works for real lootboxes, no agency or illusion of control other then click to open. It need a better animation (lootbox animation was indeed cut for time on the third day of the LD), cat spawning, and an highlight on how the abilities numbers improve.

Forcing the player to "grind" if he doesn't buy lootboxes is a good idea that expand the message on how lootboxes actually works, but it doesn't fit with the "the more you have, the worse it is" theme.

Thanks for the feedback.
FailedStarfish
07. Dec 2017 · 15:06 UTC
That was strangely fantastic. I liked the art style and weirdness of the first section with the cats. I wish the art style of the loot boxes fitted with that art style more. I wasn't sure what to do in the pachinco section but I enjoyed it. I very unique game :grinning:
🎤 kromeboy
07. Dec 2017 · 15:41 UTC
@failedstarfish Thanks. The art style of the lootboxes is intentionally different from the base game to enforce a feeling of "out of place" as it often are in real games; yet my solution was indeed rushed: I was thinking to something more complex involving nyan cat dancing around but I ran out of time. In the pachinko is just hold down spacebar and hope that the balls get in the basket on the right.
sawtan
07. Dec 2017 · 21:09 UTC
What the game lacked in mechanics it compensated with catz! Always a plus in my book hehe
Eric Florio
08. Dec 2017 · 00:14 UTC
WTF I just saw?!?! hahahaha

I was enjoying the experience, but I felt cheated at the end. You just lied to the player. I'm sure there would be a more honest way to trick the player into buying the loot boxes instead of explicitly telling them to buy it. It's a plot twist only if there are clues about the twist from the beggining.

Besides that, good work, very "outside the box"
🎤 kromeboy
08. Dec 2017 · 00:24 UTC
@eric-florio is more an omission then a lie :-) The abilities in the beginning are indeed bad, and you can increase it via lootboxes: the omission is that abilities doesn't metter. Of curse is a cheap trick on the assumption that any player make when presented with RPG-like statistics :-)
ExNihilo
09. Dec 2017 · 22:58 UTC
Nice and efficient way to make your point.

The discrepancy in graphic styles and the obvious feeling of being lead on by the game are pretty off-putting, but they do bring the message home.
wobbleboxx
10. Dec 2017 · 06:51 UTC
I really liked the graphics. Of course I had a lot of cats for the first fight :) It would have been nice to see the ball credits on the screen while fighting the dragon and a little more control to influence for example how the balls fly, so you could maybe win even with some cats. Nice change of game type though.
IllaBom
12. Dec 2017 · 01:35 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
MosesG
17. Dec 2017 · 14:32 UTC
Interesting concept with a nice message at the end and also an interesting art style. I like it, except that opening a lootbox took a while to 'open' and the sound was a bit annoying, but that might've been intentional ;)
Shivur
18. Dec 2017 · 01:26 UTC
That's it now I'm addicted to pachinko.
🎤 kromeboy
18. Dec 2017 · 09:47 UTC
@mosesg the lootbox opening sound was a late night failed attempt in composing a Sheppard scale. It was one of the thing in my "rework list" but i ran out of time, so i keep it for the annoyance effect :-)
Jupiter_Hadley
05. Jan 2018 · 18:11 UTC
Interesting graphic style! I included it in my Ludum Dare 40 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJ9_qM1iLA