LudumData

Pity About Earth... by mwcz

[raw]
made by mwcz for LD 38 (JAM)

teaser.png

:arrow_right: Play: Pity About Earth... (POST-JAM version)

:arrow_right: Play: Pity About Earth... (LD38 version)

(Web/HTML5 game, Chrome highly recommended)

Humanity, listen up. This is the Universe. I am sick of you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. That's why there's a huge asteroid heading straight for your pitiful Earth, courtesy of yours truly. I see you've built a flimsy Barrier and a stockpile of Missiles, but it won't help. Enjoy the end times! Bye-bye. Talk soon.

-- The Universe

Defend Earth :earth_americas: while transport shuttles carry repopulation experts to safety. Save enough of them, and Humanity will endure.

recording.gif

Controls

  • Move mouse to aim the Barrier
  • Click to launch a Missile (goes boom where you clicked, w/ AOE)
  • Play: Pity About Earth

Tips

Use the barrier to deflect asteroid barrages. Use missiles to take out stray asteroids so they don't hit you during the next barrage.

Pity About Earth is an arcade-style survival game where reflexes are key. Try to get as high a score as possible! The highest reported hiscore is 112,000 by @timeracers. If you get higher post a screenshot and I'll update this!

Credits

Tools

Miscellaneous

Jared and Michael collaborate under the name Scripta Games. This is our third Ludum Dare. Check out Scripta for more of our work.

We are extremely fortunate and grateful to have Veuskemini on our team for LD38! This was his first Ludum Dare, but he cranked out tunes and sound effects like it was his fiftieth. You can listen to the Pity About Earth OST directly. You can also find more of his work at: YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Loudr, Reverbnation, and Instagram. I highly recommend supporting him on Patreon!!

Jared is on Twitter @caramelcode and blogs at jaredsprague.com.

Michael is on Twitter @mwcz and blogs at Pale Blue Pixel.

Scripta Games' website is scripta.co.

The game title is an homage to the book Pity About Earth.

Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/pity-about-earth

Ratings

Overall 22th 4.184⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Fun 10th 4.245⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 410th 3.082⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Theme 190th 3.776⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 264th 3.837⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Audio 14th 4.354⭐ 50🧑‍⚖️
Humor 144th 3.388⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Mood 300th 3.388⭐ 51🧑‍⚖️
Given 71🗳️ 66🗨️

Feedback

jbgoodman
25. Apr 2017 · 17:19 UTC
Love the weight the sound effects give it -- I also really like the streams of asteroids that come at you in patterns. Kind of frustrating when they come alongside a normal asteroid which is then impossible (?) to deflect, but I'm thinking maybe frustrating in a good way? The inevitability of death and all that, you know. Also love that Alderaan-style animation when you do lose, so it'd be a shame for people to miss that.
🎤 mwcz
25. Apr 2017 · 17:32 UTC
Thanks! The missiles (left click) are the intended solution to take out isolated asteroids/comets. Fire one at the isolated asteroid, then use your barrier to deflect the stream. But yeah... inevitability. :)
Valmay
28. Apr 2017 · 12:02 UTC
wow I love the sound effects, especially when the asteroids hit the barrier it is so satisfying!

very simple controls & the music also fits the intense game play nicee
Togis
28. Apr 2017 · 14:43 UTC
One of my favourites so far! A game without flaw where you defend our beloved Earth against the Universe!

I never saw so much asteroid coming towards us, but I'm glad humanity built a big shield.

The rhythm is very well planed and paced. With high pressure wave interrupted by breathing periods with less enemies.

(You can see me playing this game for the first time on the vod https://youtu.be/_Upt3PIzndo?t=2h15m12s )
jamgrrl
28. Apr 2017 · 22:54 UTC
Fun little game. Man, the Universe really has it out for Earth! Easy controls. Good music and I liked the graphics as well. Gameplay was simple and effective. I liked saving Earth's scientists. May they colonists reach some kind of habitable destination in safety.
drazil100
29. Apr 2017 · 00:50 UTC
This was easily one of the most solid entries I have played this jam. The controls were tight the music freaking kicked butt and the difficulty curve felt on point. I had a TON of fun playing this game!
drazil100
01. May 2017 · 11:18 UTC
Just gave my rating for your game! Good luck!
Neato
01. May 2017 · 11:40 UTC
I had a lot of fun playing this game. Are rockets really necessary? The sound & music are played really loudly (2 out of 100 on Windows 7 was still too loud).
quill18
05. May 2017 · 13:17 UTC
Very intense game!
navot
05. May 2017 · 18:50 UTC
In the beginning I thought that I was about to play a rhythm game... It definitely had good enough music and the asteroid vs shield sound was a pretty good beat! The graphics were very nice and the gameplay was very fun. Some minor things that could be improved is that the missiles could be a bit faster and that the really fast meteor showers coming from the side felt a bit unfair. Overall, it's a really fun and satisfying game!
AdroitConceptions
06. May 2017 · 17:51 UTC
sound was somewhat over stimulating for me. was frustrating to have items come in from 2 directions at once such that you couldn't deal with both.
it was unclear what the rockets (not the missiles) leaving the planet were.
🎤 mwcz
06. May 2017 · 18:09 UTC
@jason-kennedy The rockets you mention are shuttles ferrying people off the planet (it's described on the opening screen).

For dealing with asteroids coming from multiple sides, both missiles and quick reflexes are key! In the end, this is an arcade-style, hi-score, survival mode game, so the goal isn't to win, it's just to do better than everyone else. ;)
rpmoura
06. May 2017 · 18:26 UTC
There were unfair situations (with two asteroids hitting the earth at the same time) and there are a lot of games with the exact same situation (defend Earth from asteroids). Other than I liked pretty much everything, the graphics are clean and consistent and the music is exciting.
Rixud
07. May 2017 · 04:21 UTC
jajajajaja the first fast wave of meteor caught me off guard! i like it very much!! I CANT GET PASS 20k! i need more practice :smile: nice music! GREAT ENTRY
wujood
07. May 2017 · 20:06 UTC
Well, didn't saw that one coming. Seriously. This first speed wave was totally not anounced :D Maybe put up a warning sign? Awesome how the sounds fit to the bg music though. Good job! Saved 23000 people ;)
pcmaster
08. May 2017 · 11:37 UTC
Woow! Awesome gameplay, the mouse control is really fine, I love the graphics, too. It was intense :) And the music!
Richard Michael Smith
09. May 2017 · 17:35 UTC
I haven't played the game yet...I'm listening to the soundtrack and it's AMAZING!

https://veuskemini.bandcamp.com/album/pity-about-earth-ost
🎤 mwcz
09. May 2017 · 17:47 UTC
@richard-michael-smith Thanks a ton! We are so thrilled that Veuskemini joined us for LD38, he really blew me away. His other albums (also on bandcamp) are great too.
Takusan
09. May 2017 · 17:59 UTC
Ok, first off: you know what would make this game **totally awesome**? If it was *rhythm-based*.

Game is solid and I enjoyed it very much. But I'd absolutely LOVE if the asteroid impacts were tied to the music. You've got everything: *great* soundtrack, mechanics, even the satisfying, drummy impact sound is just spot-on, just sync the asteroid/shield impacts to the rhythm. The game itself is just asking for it, listen to the call :D

As it is, it's a really fun shooter/defender. Whole mechanic is really well made. My suggestions list is not long:
- It could use some graphical tweaks regarding explosions (more frames to make them gratifying, instead of simple fades you have now).
- A bit less lag when it comes to rockets could make it more dynamic.

But please, please, pretty please consider making a rhythm-based update. I'd buy it on the spot, actually :)

Cheers!
Richard Michael Smith
09. May 2017 · 18:06 UTC
Right...I've played it now!

Not surprisingly - I LOVE the music (full marks there). The humour is also excellent (I liked the message at the end about re-population). Game-play wise - I like how responsive the barrier is and I like the missile-command type rockets. Also - the drum sound when you successfully block the waves of asteroids is very satisfying.

If I HAD to criticise then the only thing I can come up with is: perhaps it's a little too simple?...but I love it!
thelonelynug
09. May 2017 · 22:55 UTC
Simple, but fun. I enjoy the one control scheme. The detail on the asteroids when they get hit reminded me of playing classic arcade games. Music was properly executed. I don't really have any gripes about it just expand and polish the animations and UI and I could see this being a success on the right markey. You should expand on this and release a full game. What you have here would be great as a full game or a mobile game. Congrats and keep it up!
Gipzo
10. May 2017 · 09:06 UTC
Fun and challenging game :smile:
Some sort of warning about asteroids would be nice
voxel
10. May 2017 · 09:22 UTC
Amazing execution of a solid simple idea, the best kind of jam game. I especially liked defending against the rapid fire patterns, would have been nice to get some kind of bonus for deflecting an entire wave like that. Nice humour too :)
simonhutchinson
10. May 2017 · 14:27 UTC
Very cool! I like how it's a bit of stealth rhythm game too. Really original, great audio, and fun experience overall.
zwrawr
10. May 2017 · 19:41 UTC
Very fun and very fast.
I think it's benefit from some markers at the edge of the screen shoeing which direction the next 'wave' is coming from, because once you get over 20k i found it hard to get the barrier in the right place quick enough.
Eli Delventhal
10. May 2017 · 20:58 UTC
Top marks, well done. Easy to control and get into, felt challenging but not random, excellent work. I can't find much to complain about on this one. Although reality-based me was boggled at the incredible cost of making such a huge controllable barrier! That's a lot of titanium!
wischutz
10. May 2017 · 23:46 UTC
Amazing experience! Quick to learn, easy to play and feel like a hero! The combination of music and SFX is really great!

Great job!
JanGamesDev
11. May 2017 · 00:20 UTC
Fun game, in the start the game was fine, but then some of the meteors get way too fast and the first ones always hit me before I could turn around. The sound fx, music, and graphics are all great. Nice job with the game.
Elemental Zeal Game Studios
11. May 2017 · 01:54 UTC
Really fun game :D The streams of asteroids versus isolated ones reminded me of a rhythm game, which is neat (especially with the nice audio). Great job. :thumbsup:
MrTroy
11. May 2017 · 07:23 UTC
I think the general consensus is this should be a rhythm game. I tried to find a pattern to everything, but it seemed like the universe was literally just throwing stuff at me. A little more balance to flesh out the waves, so players don't feel like things are just happening and would give the game a better ramping up feeling.

Other than that, this game was extremely fun. I LOVE arcade style play till you die games, and this did not disappoint.

I managed to save humanity the third time I played. :D
Thinkofname
11. May 2017 · 10:50 UTC
The game looks great and the audio is good as well.

Sometimes the spawning of the rocks made it (seem) impossible to block everything which was frustrating.
The size of the game window also made it really hard to see the rocks in time when they came from the sides.

Overall I love the game though.
UnidayStudio
11. May 2017 · 12:00 UTC
You rock with the sound design...

When I opened the game, all my attention was called with your music and sound fx. And my first impression, even before playing was: "OMG! This game will provide hours and hours of playing and FUN! WOOOOOW." And then... I've started to play... And I've to say: You commited some bad design practices... Because you don't gave a chance to the player to beat all the asteroids coming. This is not fun or hard, this is frustrating... I recommend you to do 2 things and test (maybe you can solve this problem with just the first suggestion, or both, this is why you should test):
* STOP making two or more asteroids falling on opposite directions at the same time! This is baaaaaD!!!
* Give a small UI feedback to the player when some asteroids are coming.

Your game have A LOT of pottential, but this practice ruined my expectations :/ I really wanna spent hours and hours playing your game... So if you solve this problem, please, tell me! I'll be happy to play again and give you a new feedback! :D

Good job!
nekoballs
11. May 2017 · 18:25 UTC
Really nice! The audio was crazy good. Loved the umpf sound when you block an astroid, so satisfying! And the acid in the menu, woaah.

Gameplay wise it was fun. The astroid blocking was great, especially when you block a whole barrage. I didn't like the missiles mechanic much. It was nice in the beginning so you could stop multiple astroids from different angels at once, but after a while it was more fun not use the missiles and just block instead. Shooting missiles prevented some of the flow kinda.

Great game!
Jupiter_Hadley
11. May 2017 · 19:08 UTC
Nice little game! 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=_P7M7EgUphM
NedMakesGames
11. May 2017 · 21:45 UTC
Great game! I loved the art and sound (though the music was a bit loud). My only real complaint was that the missiles seemed a bit useless. They might be easier to use if they had a longer range or there was some way to fire them in a direction away from the cursor? But that might have been a design decision so it's fine either way. Great job!
notiiivan
12. May 2017 · 02:51 UTC
That was super fun! One of the best LD38 entries I've played yet! Not necessarily an original idea, but done to absolute perfection down to the sound effects, music, graphics, and the suuuuper satisfying gameplay. The missiles were a bit lame, but bouncing asteroids away from Earth was intense and ridiculously fun.

Please make more games!
David Cookie
12. May 2017 · 14:48 UTC
One of the most polished and fun entries I've played so far! Easy to get into it but daaamn, it gets hard passed 20 000. Couldn't beat 29 000 personally. I don't know if your goal was to completely remove all hope for the player, but it becomes hard to a point of unfairness imo.

Sometimes, I had no choice that to let asteroids fall on the planet cause I had to handle the barrage (even with the missiles in prevention, their ranges are too short). And it comes a point where the barrages are just coming way too fast to not take damage. It wouldn't be a issue if there was a warning signal or something to indicate from which direction the next barrage will come.

So yeah. Basically it just needs some balancings and a few feedbacks now (could be cool if asteroids explode with missiles, just the plain explosion feels kinda poor visually). I can really see this game working on mobile, it's already really in a good state.

It's not the most original concept (I've already seen this a few times), but well adapted for the theme, and executed almost perfectly. Well done!
randomhuman
12. May 2017 · 14:55 UTC
Phew, that's intense! I would prefer that the missiles just go in a direction until they hit something, as they are I did not find them very useful. Great game though, very satisfying to deflect a big wave of asteroids, and that soundtrack is amazing!
NightShadow0
13. May 2017 · 16:34 UTC
Holy, that escalated quickly, the difficulty just went from 1 to 11. The speed at which the asteroids come is pretty insane, and often you have no way of dealing with other asteroids while you're dealing with those incessant streams. Perhaps if the missiles could've been sent in other directions, maybe by shooting them with the mouse while controlling the barrier with the keys, that might have helped balance it out. I really like the premise and the overall aesthetic though, both the art and music are pretty good. Nice job!
BouDeSit
15. May 2017 · 11:27 UTC
This is PHASER ! a little difficult, the asteroids are too fast

Great Job ! :)
ryguydavis
16. May 2017 · 19:08 UTC
You weren't kidding, this is a hard one. I think you might be a bit hard on yourself saying it's "hard but unfair" as it is merely a different proposition. It is hard to get players motivated to continue playing a hard game just for a high score--I think the appeal of highscore tables fell off decades ago--but you can always breadcrumb people along by sprinkling in new mechanics as they progress. They'll keep playing just to discover what else is in the game.

Anyway, I wanted to say the super fast shower of asteroids felt really cool and the music was a great thumping time. I'm glad I didn't miss this one.
mmKALLL
16. May 2017 · 19:48 UTC
A great game! My only gripe is that the mouse doesn't work when the pointer is outside the game area... I was surprised by how nicely the SFX worked with the awesome music.
camilovr
17. May 2017 · 13:19 UTC
The same point of view that we use in our game.
Is a lot of fun to play.
Congratulations!!
FailedStarfish
17. May 2017 · 23:08 UTC
Really fun and strangely satisfying. Using the shield was fun but I ended up not using the missile much, maybe if it travelled for longer. I great entry.
Mariti
17. May 2017 · 23:19 UTC
Good job. I thought I was a DJ while playing. :D
sgstair
19. May 2017 · 11:01 UTC
just wow, playing this game was actually seriously exciting - after a while the asteroid chains come in so unexpectedly and rapidly it's unfair but it's still more just exciting than punishing. I think that is probably a result of the sound effects and weight as many other people have noted. Anyway great work, this is among the more fun games I've played this LD :)

Also thanks for visiting my stream (@mwcz), I did eventually get around to playing this on stream - Twitch vod https://www.twitch.tv/videos/143780402 - starting at time 1:46:45
timeracers
22. May 2017 · 05:15 UTC
Got 89,000 points:
![PityAboutEarth_ScreenShotDeath.png](///raw/d85/4/z/4920.png)
![PityAboutEarth_ScreenShotEnd.png](///raw/d85/4/z/4921.png)
🎤 mwcz
22. May 2017 · 22:39 UTC
@timeracers congratz! That's definitely the best post jam score I've seen! You really have to be in the zone to get that high!
timeracers
23. May 2017 · 21:38 UTC
@mwcz: I think I was playing the jam version for compatibility.
Here is my post jam version score as of just now:
![PityAboutEarthPost_ScreenShotDeath.png](///raw/d85/4/z/4945.png)
![PityAboutEarthPost_ScreenShotEnd.png](///raw/d85/4/z/4946.png)
Say hello to 6 digits! I just got 112,000 points!
🎤 mwcz
26. May 2017 · 11:55 UTC
@timeracers nice job! I updated the post. It was the post-jam version both times; the jam version has a portrait viewport. We're making frequent changes to the post jam version!