Pride Before a Call by Carraka

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

The more calls you take, the more customers you satisfy, the better your life will be, right?

Test your multi-tasking and your patience in this call management simulation as you place callers on hold, switch lines, and transfer irate customers to your boss.

Some of the callers may be a little ... unorthodox.

All story, art, and music created in 72 hours by three audacious game developers.

Remember to comment so we can give you feedback in return! Thanks!

screenshot2.pngscreenshot3.pngtitlescreenshot.png

Ratings

Overall 115th 3.931⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Fun 191th 3.741⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 165th 3.707⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 36th 4.276⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 259th 4.034⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Audio 75th 3.983⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Humor 32th 4.155⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Mood 198th 3.759⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Given 36🗳️ 23🗨️

Feedback

Jack Maxwell
06. Dec 2017 · 00:59 UTC
I couldn't get the game to load. But It looks really good based on screenshots!
Charles Cox
06. Dec 2017 · 01:03 UTC
Looks Great! I loved the art direction and the concept in relation to the theme.
Reality Blind
06. Dec 2017 · 01:05 UTC
Good work on graphics and music, well done !
Avon
06. Dec 2017 · 01:09 UTC
Very good game, the art is very nice and you have a lot of sound effects. There was a lot of fun dialogue with the callers. The game reminds me a lot of Papers Please.
kromeboy
06. Dec 2017 · 01:21 UTC
Very cool concept: I think that it could become a full game with a little more variety.

One thing: after the "rush" around 12:00 I am not getting any call. Is it intended?
mooncalf
06. Dec 2017 · 01:23 UTC
This was really good and really well executed. Sound added a ton to the experience. I really can't think of any feedback that would make it better than it is. Could definitely be expanded upon.
🎤 Carraka
06. Dec 2017 · 02:41 UTC
@avon Papers Please was definitely an inspiration! I even told Henna (@radonkalmer), the artist, to use it as inspiration for the palette, and then we had to dial back the Soviet red ... xP

@kromeboy The calls should continue throughout the day until 5 p.m., but I calculated the time wrong. I've uploaded a new version with a faster clock so people who want to experience the ending don't have to wait around for the time to run out.
malero
06. Dec 2017 · 20:34 UTC
Awesome idea! I'd buy a longer version with some more options. Nice work!
Vija02
07. Dec 2017 · 23:01 UTC
Interesting concept :D. I was very interested to play until the end. However, there's just too much instruction to get you started. I think if the game includes a somewhat tutorial level or something along those lines, it's going to be very entertaining. Other than that, very solid game :)
Strega
08. Dec 2017 · 08:32 UTC
Nice graphics. Its pretty overwhelming. I ran into a bug where text at the bottom froze, but I could still click buttons on the phone.
Patrick Woodcock
08. Dec 2017 · 20:54 UTC
Having done that kind of thing before this game was all too real. I love the sound effects and the dialogue was very funny.
Medamaudee
09. Dec 2017 · 06:11 UTC
This is the most stressful game I've played so far! FANTASTIC art, especially the title screen... I mean.. damn! Great idea and it was executed well. I'm glad you said it in a comment because it definitely reminds me of papers please! Wonderful entry!
Athoka
11. Dec 2017 · 22:34 UTC
Oh my, it was SO stressful... I LOVED IT. The art was nice, the idea is really great and i'm a little addicted to it. Congratulations, it's an amazing game!
PUR3
14. Dec 2017 · 14:04 UTC
Very nice work but, man is this game frustrating lol. I could not concentrate what so ever! Also it took me a while to understand the transfer system. Art work is very well done, gameplay is challenging reminds me a bit of Papers, Please.
axoona
15. Dec 2017 · 23:09 UTC
Excellent! It's really funny and I actually played 4 times or so to try different conversations with the callers. I really loved that there was a bit of an intriguing story behind this time management game. It's a very fun combination.
The graphics and audio are great, the talking sounds are a very good addition.

Also it's a very cool way if introducing the tutorial. And the time management mechanics are just horribly complicated at the beginning. But both things serve the game right as the whole experience seems yet more realistic when you transfer without holding, or press the wrong number etc.
and so it accidentaly becomes ridicoulous as well :)
(this paragraph it a compliment in case you wondered :D)

I don't have any other remarks really. I find it's a perfect jam game.

I guess the ending depends on the avarage rating you get at the end? are there more endings than 2 (make it through the day and get fired?)
🎤 Carraka
19. Dec 2017 · 11:52 UTC
@axoona Thanks so much for the in-depth review! It's rewarding to learn that someone played it more times than strictly necessary to rate!

There is a third ending if you get five stars, but I don't think it's possible to obtain. I didn't have enough time to test the balance of the game and realize I would need to tweak caller responses to make sure it would be possible.
chunkybrewster
20. Dec 2017 · 21:29 UTC
Funny take on the theme, although for the life of me couldn't figure out how to transfer calls. I really like the indicators for each of the incoming calls and the dialogue was very entertaining; definitely helped me to keep playing despite all the annoying ringing.
Fork0
20. Dec 2017 · 23:23 UTC
My head is ringing now... :D Loved the idea of the game!
M-1
21. Dec 2017 · 11:24 UTC
Well, if I worked in a real call centre, I would probably kill myself after (or during) the first day :grin:. (I would probably be fired in the first five minutes, though...)

Interesting callers with even more interesting problems, making this game fun.
mgadrat
26. Dec 2017 · 17:10 UTC
It took me some time to understand how it works and I really feeled to be a call center worker. Stress and all that stuff xD Mobilizes big part of the brain. Great job, awesome theme and graphics !
terryg
27. Dec 2017 · 09:14 UTC
Wow. just wow. This is really awesome and fits the theme super well. I love the art and game play. Great job simulating a call center.
🎤 Carraka
28. Dec 2017 · 21:39 UTC
@axoona

I finally played my own game and I got the third ending (the five-star ending). At least I know it's possible! It was probably easier for me to do because I'm familiar with the controls and know the optimal choices.
axoona
28. Dec 2017 · 22:29 UTC
Haha cool! :) So it's feasible with a few playthroughs and a white sheet of paper to note the best options.