LudumData

Glop Plots by Carsen D.

[raw]
made by Carsen D. for LD 38 (JAM)

My first Ludum Dare entry! Glop Plots is an idle/puzzle game where you must build buildings to gather resources using a very limited number of spaces. Try to maximize your resource output through careful arrangement and management of buildings in the ultimate goal to create never-ending (and completely identical) worlds!

Screen Shot 2017-04-24 at 6.45.09 PM.png

Link (Plays in browser)

https://loch-nesrac.itch.io/glop-plots

Basic Controls

W/A/S/D controls your character (the little white square).

E opens the Build menu when standing on a plot of land.

Arrow Keys to navigate the Build menu when standing on a plot of land.

Enter/Return to purchase a building.

The controls are indicated in-game for the most part in case you need them, though.

Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/glop-plots

Ratings

Overall 500th 3.161⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Fun 369th 3.194⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 383th 3.129⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Theme 308th 3.581⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 719th 2.129⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Humor 398th 2.556⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 32🗳️ 36🗨️

Feedback

La mecanique du plastique
26. Apr 2017 · 15:40 UTC
The combination of idle and puzzle, with the management of a limited set of spaces and building bonuses requiring different patterns to optimize the current needs is neat. Hope you'll be able to get it further ! Bravo !
kr4ft3r
01. May 2017 · 02:05 UTC
Nice take on the theme. Can't describe my thrill when I built the first research station :) Think it would go smoother if E button was thrown out so build menu opens by itself.
🎤 Carsen D.
01. May 2017 · 03:58 UTC
@kr4ft3r Yeah, I agree with the "E" button not really being needed. I guess my thought process behind keeping it was in case you end up moving between multiple plots quickly, the menu would end up flickering on and off and could get annoying. Although that brings up the question whether to have the menu close at all... Things to think about for sure!
vkmicro
01. May 2017 · 04:43 UTC
The controls are super floaty, for me at least the character keeps moving even when I let go of the move button, was weird. The general game idea seems to be inspired by the cookie clicker and similar games where it's all about just building up more resources and faster obtaining of the resources :D which are SUPER addictive and honestly with some proper textures and graphics and fine tuning the controls, add some sounds and this would make for a great fun addicting game running on the side that u just need to check it once in awhile :D Very neat
🎤 Carsen D.
01. May 2017 · 06:40 UTC
@vkmicro The problem with the controls is probably because of Unity's physics. There is a short period of acceleration when you press and deceleration when you let go of the button, which is probably why it keeps moving a little. I had toned this affect down a good amount (it is _super_ floaty by default), and what it's at now felt pretty alright to me when testing the game, but I might have just gotten used to it!
oxrock
01. May 2017 · 06:44 UTC
I like it, it's bare bones as you said but it's a jam game, it's to be expected. You have the beginnings of a fun little game going on here. Obviously not something you sit and play for hours or anything, maybe a mobile or browser game you check every few hours or something, but those definitely have a market. I personally like game to have some kind of failure condition and I'm not seeing that at the moment. So that's a drawback. Maybe you could be competing against other builders for spaces, or selling resources against an evolving market, something where you could perhaps not be gaining no matter what.
Kodiqi
01. May 2017 · 07:18 UTC
I do like the idea of an incremental/upgrade game with such a limited number of building spaces. I think if you were to expand on this and have the player need to carefully manage which resources they placed where, specifically with how they interact with each other, it would be fun as a player to figure out the maximum output you can achieve with different setups.
I'm not sure why there is a need to have a controllable avatar (the little white square). Was there a plan to extend on what the character would do?
Articulated9
01. May 2017 · 19:00 UTC
The original concept has potential, but I feel like the game would benefit from a few design changes. Firstly, I think that getting rid of the white square and making it controllable with the mouse would fit with the game's themes a bit better than WASD controls - it would make decision-making more responsive, which would make the game feel better in my opinion.

Overall a promising effort with room to grow, given some time and TLC :)
Epicsoft
01. May 2017 · 21:30 UTC
Great idea. Love the game
Tony Godfrey
01. May 2017 · 21:59 UTC
Very bare bones, as you point out. The concept seems to work. I am not sure why you went with WASD instead of mouse for something like this. Great job getting it together and working for the jam!
hekst
01. May 2017 · 22:06 UTC
Oh this is addictive :) I like the idea that I need to re-develop a cell as resource needs change over time. I think the gameplay could have been trickier if there were stronger 'conflict of interests' when harvesting resources, meaning more settings like Glop Grinder, where it uses 5 grasses for one glop. But for the short amount of time, you've setup something promising :D
TechnoNugget
01. May 2017 · 22:24 UTC
Concept seems to work, controls are a bit annoying. It's one of those "cookie clicker" type games which I'm not a huge fan of but it has it's niche I suppose.

Good work either way.
OccultOne
02. May 2017 · 04:50 UTC
I Live-Streamed this game this past evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfvbUFJnui4

Concept is really solid, I want to see this as a Mobile Game, but the current control scheme is really not intuitive. Really solid unfolding / clicking game.
ArcticMattekar
02. May 2017 · 12:01 UTC
This is an really interesting idea. I this kind of games (maybe with a little less waiting :wink:). The controls are intuitive. Nice entry and good job :upside_down:
aaranos
03. May 2017 · 01:31 UTC
Simple concept but I enjoyed it. I was worried it was a clicker game at first but was glad to see it wasn't. There is also a small bit of strategy to it which greatly amplifies it's fun. I tried to make the most optimal farm.

I think some payoff with the end sequence would have set it over the top.
vkmicro
03. May 2017 · 22:16 UTC
@carsen-d I never used unity so I wouldn't know. It's a really cool game anyways and idea too. Cheers and good luck.
p.s. would u mind chekcing out my entry too? Thanks :)
Chaseplays
08. May 2017 · 22:13 UTC
Good job! I liked how the limited space forced you to think about what you needed the most at a certain time.
keckles
10. May 2017 · 01:37 UTC
pretty good little tycoon game the gui was decent (programmer art but that's expected) and not really any bugs so ya not bad
Stoemason
10. May 2017 · 07:15 UTC
Nice idle game with a bit of strategy involved, considering where you place everything actually matters. The controls could use some work. As you've said, it's because of how Unity handles physics - but you really don't have to use Unity's physics for this.

Certainly has potential, if you build on this idea you could probably expand it and put it on Kongregate and similar sites.
Remicy
11. May 2017 · 12:33 UTC
Great game! The mechanic was very cool. It's challenging and also fun!
D-Studios
13. May 2017 · 02:41 UTC
Awesome sweet game! It would be better if there was a better UI (better looking buttons and usage of icons to indicate what the buttons will do) and a stylish font. Other than that, the game is extremely good. I like its simplicity and elegance!
Sputnik3D
13. May 2017 · 15:38 UTC
Hey there! I tried it out. Seems very well made and is also a bit innovative. Good job!
atmospherium
13. May 2017 · 18:19 UTC
Really great take on the idle game concept. There was a clear sense of progression through the game and it always felt like i could figure out the right path forward. With games like this I find that balancing is usually a big issue, but I think you got it exactly right. I'd be interested in seeing a more fleshed-out version of this down the road.
M-1
16. May 2017 · 21:34 UTC
I really like the rules for improving material production, minimalist graphics and the game's name.

Thanks for getting me stuck playing your game for ... how long did I even play it? It's really addictive!
coomzy
18. May 2017 · 21:31 UTC
Nice little idle game! Was a bit anti-climatic when I finished it, but hey I guess that is reward in itself.

If you could rate my game (in need of ratings), that would be great :)
Link: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/final-front-planetary-defence
Jordgubben
19. May 2017 · 18:37 UTC
Waiting games is an odd genre, but it's very convinient as you can rate and comment on the game wile playing it. I will probably leave it running while playing some other games to (things for not pausing the game when switching to another tab).

At first I didn't get this at all, since I was in a bit of a hurry (bad me) and the controls where not on the itch.io page. But then I figured it out I was all right.

Making it to the end and seeing it start over felt refreshing in some odd way.
gimbalock
19. May 2017 · 18:53 UTC
This was a really nice game. Well done for your first LD. I love idlegames, and this was a really fun experience. I like the idea that you walk around and build things. Great game! Would have been nice with more graphics and music/sfx. And maybe if you could click the menu with the mouse? Overall, great game!
nbilyk
19. May 2017 · 20:55 UTC
A good game up until my glops overthrew the government (me) and started building on their own. It wasn't long before my entire screen was covered in glop plots and quarries, building up for god knows what. I had to pull the plug and yank my laptop battery before they became too powerful. Nice job, but next time program in a kill switch please.
Jupiter_Hadley
09. Jun 2017 · 19:01 UTC
Interesting game, though I couldnt build a stone mine? I included it in my Ludum Dare 38 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1o2f-9mGRU