LudumData

D_Sync by Ziamor

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

gameplay 1.png

gameplay 2.png

In D_Sync, you play as a forest sprite who was born with a special power, the ability to go back in time to correct its mistakes. But be careful, time doesn't like to be played with, it knows when you have a time deficit. The more you go back in time, the faster time will flow around you making it more difficult to land on the platforms.

Controls:

Use WADS to move and jump around

Press Q to rewind time, be wary of the desync meter

Programmer: @ziamor

Art/Audio: @jakub-zieba

This is our first Ludum Dare and boy was it fun, but man are we tired. The theme was a bi tricky and it wasn't till the end of the first day that we really got a soilid idea on what we wanted to do. Anyways, can't wait till the next one!

Tools used:

-libgdx

-artemis-odb

-Aseprite

-Bfxr

All assets used were created by us except for one element, due to a lack of time we had to use a progress bar UI element from kenney.nl

Windows https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GPrUAc1xdPIp2NMQD0ke9MX4THNwgXLP
Linux https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GPrUAc1xdPIp2NMQD0ke9MX4THNwgXLP
macOS https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GPrUAc1xdPIp2NMQD0ke9MX4THNwgXLP
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/d-sync

Ratings

Overall 562th 3.462⭐ 41🧑‍⚖️
Fun 548th 3.342⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 407th 3.35⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Theme 609th 3.408⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 619th 3.413⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Audio 406th 3.284⭐ 39🧑‍⚖️
Given 56🗳️ 25🗨️

Feedback

Tom Schneider
05. Dec 2017 · 03:43 UTC
Such a great idea! The time travelling aspect puts a simple side scroller into a special and amazing adventure, with lovely pixel arts and great music. I really like how the music also rewinds as the player does.
Things you guys could improve: The UI Sprites look odd, they don't have the same style as the game, and the game could start more slowly.
🎤 Ziamor
05. Dec 2017 · 03:47 UTC
Thank you for the comment, it means so much to me after spending so much time on it! yea I agree the UI doesn't match with the rest of the game and sticks out like sore thumb, but I was new to libgdx skins and I kinda left it for last minute and it came and bit me at the end. :P Lesson learned for next ludum dare though!
Matoux42
05. Dec 2017 · 04:33 UTC
Very nice entry on the theme ! It was a bit difficult for me (I'm not a good player ...), but I realy love the "time-travel" aspect.

Good Job !
jjjjason
05. Dec 2017 · 05:03 UTC
The time travel mechanic is definitely very cool. I especially like how it essentially causes in-progress jumps to go further, as if you're launching yourself every time you wind back. I can see it being used for some awesome puzzle platforming.

Also really like the background art, as well the music (and as someone mentioned, how it rewinds when you do). Definitely pursue this idea further!
🎤 Ziamor
05. Dec 2017 · 05:08 UTC
Thanks @jjjjason! I 100% plan on polishing this game and releasing it, maybe on android. I do like the idea of using high desync to allow you to reach further platforms. Perhaps I should find a way to be able to balance your desync allowing you to control your jump length!
🎤 Ziamor
05. Dec 2017 · 05:10 UTC
@matoux42 It can be tricky for me as well, and I made this game! I was having a hard time trying to strike a balance, so that's one thing I will need to focus on when polishing this game in the future.
Vottivott
05. Dec 2017 · 15:10 UTC
Fun game! Really cool feeling when you glitch forwards and backwards in time, especially thanks to the way the music reverses!
Dokalfar
05. Dec 2017 · 16:07 UTC
Neat little idea. I especially like the desync-backlash :)
flip120
05. Dec 2017 · 17:41 UTC
I love the art , good job 👍😉
The Triumvirate
05. Dec 2017 · 18:03 UTC
Good job, really like this idea of reversing time, very good idea! ++
Diegosaurio
05. Dec 2017 · 18:05 UTC
Really loved the game and the theme! I've played it for a good 30 minutes because I was having so much fun.
🎤 Ziamor
05. Dec 2017 · 18:44 UTC
Thank you everyone! This is the first time I have ever released one of my games and your comments mean a lot to me!
JohnStapler
05. Dec 2017 · 18:48 UTC
Nice simple style, looks really good! Music is also great
Dogydogsun
05. Dec 2017 · 18:58 UTC
Like the time traveling mechanic and how you have to use it sparsely to not get overwhelmed, I had a problem where my player was pushed off the screen but other than that it works really well.

It would be cool if you could improve the pacing of the game though, I know that it's supposed to go faster if you use the time travel a lot, but it felt a bit too fast, plus it would be nice if the game just generally went slower at the start. But cool game, I could easily see it as a fully released app for your phone at some point.
josefnpat
05. Dec 2017 · 20:06 UTC
I really like the idea behind this game, but I think there are a few jumps that either I don't understand, or I couldn't make in the first place. I love the d-sync concept! Great job!
🎤 Ziamor
05. Dec 2017 · 20:09 UTC
@josefnpat The maps are randomly generated, I tried to add some constraints to make each jump possible by adding a maximum distance from the last platform, but it's defiantly an imperfect system that needs to be improved. The feedback is appreciated!
hatchet
05. Dec 2017 · 23:25 UTC
It's always nice to see time travel mechanics in platformers :) Simple and fun game with neat visuals. Though I would have liked a bit more flexibility with the jumps, like mid-air control and/or height control. Great overall!
Bizbud
05. Dec 2017 · 23:26 UTC
This is a really cool idea! Maybe just make it so that it takes longer for you to die after falling, I found it really hard to get the rewind/time travel off in time after falling. The Art and Music are great too, good job.
🎤 Ziamor
05. Dec 2017 · 23:33 UTC
@hatchet Yea good idea, I'd also like to add double jump later on. I was storing the player's velocity when you go back in time but I think in retrospect that just made recovering a bit harder after rewinding time.
🎤 Ziamor
05. Dec 2017 · 23:33 UTC
@Bizbud Ohh sort of like slow down time just before you fall off the map? That sounds awesome actually!
neontropics
06. Dec 2017 · 01:13 UTC
Nice game, the time rewind mechanic is very clever - I have had a hard time actually using it in a good way though - I'm usually either too slow to start it when I really need it, or when I really need it I have to go so far back to survive that the game becomes super fast after.
Sarrixx
06. Dec 2017 · 10:26 UTC
This is a really fun game! Didn't really need to use the time mechanic often, but when I did it was very tricky to master. Your graphics are really nice, and the music is so catchy! Awesome work, kudos!
The Dankasaur
07. Dec 2017 · 22:32 UTC
Great game! I liked the look and feel of the game, as well as the music. It was quite fun. I only wish I needed to use the time mechanic more so it didn't seem so left out. Other than that, great job!
Acr515
09. Dec 2017 · 04:57 UTC
Interesting game! I like the time mechanic, although it had its share of issues (player maintaining downward velocity even after backing up), I still thought it was pretty nice. Good job!
Noble Robot
10. Dec 2017 · 06:49 UTC
I love the concept! I especially like your take on the theme, which is more unique than most of the games.

However, I found I wasn't able to use the rewind feature very much, because I didn't have a lot of time to react in the time after I realized that I made a mistake but before I fell and died. If my timing wasn't good enough to make the jump, it wasn't likely going to be good enough to scramble to correct it.

I would suggest letting players rewind even if they die, so they can eventually experience the consequences of using the rewind too often. The game would still be difficult, and players who never use the rewind will have an easier time getting further.

Anyway, really, really great job!