LudumData

A Miner Inconvenience by Nick Rafalski

[raw]
made by Nick Rafalski for LD 39 (COMPO)

Set in a procedurally generated asteroid mine Set in a procedurally generated asteroid mine Deal with your snarky mainframe master Deal with your snarky mainframe master Use your abilities to navigate the hazardous mine Use your abilities to navigate the hazardous mine

Click to play in browser!

Game Background

You are a Mark-1 Neutron Extraction Robot, or M1NER. The asteroid mining facility has suffered damage from a catastrophic gamma ray burst. All the humans are dead, and the asteroid's outer shields are running out of power.

It's up to you, with a little help(?) from your egotistical mainframe master, to figure out a way to reestablish power and save the facility!

Controls

  • Arrow keys or W/S/A/D to move
  • Spacebar to interact with the terminals
  • Click ability buttons to activate
  • F8 auto-wins a level (if you want to see the later levels and dialogue)

About Me:

This was my first LD game (or any game jam for that matter) and I’m so happy I participated. I’m a programmer by trade, so I know the game is not much to look at, and it has no sfx or music, but I’m proud of finishing something that feels (reasonably) complete.

Tools:

  • Unity
  • Inkscape

Change Log:

1.0.2:

  • Added checkbox to skip dialogue on main menu

1.0.1:

  • Fixed buggy terminal collision detection
  • Fixed some typos in dialogue
Source code http://nostyleguy.com/ld/39/A_Miner_Inconvenience_1.0.2_src.zip
Windows http://nostyleguy.com/ld/39/A_Miner_Inconvenience_1.0.2_win.zip
HTML5 (web) https://nostyleguy.itch.io/a-miner-inconvenience
Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nostyleguy.aminerinconvenience
iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/a-miner-inconvenience/id1273634164
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/a-miner-inconvenience

Ratings

Overall 190th 3.548⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Fun 207th 3.405⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 279th 3.214⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Theme 157th 3.81⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 480th 2.81⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Humor 33th 3.829⭐ 43🧑‍⚖️
Mood 209th 3.25⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Given 58🗳️ 22🗨️

Feedback

belser
01. Aug 2017 · 03:20 UTC
Looks pretty polished for a compo game, nice work!
yuigoto
01. Aug 2017 · 03:33 UTC
Nice work for the compo here! A nice touch of humor too! The game's simple, but well executed in terms of planning, I do like the graphics like this and I feel it's pretty accessible too thanks to them! :)

I do miss some sounds here and there, but overall I did like playing it! :D

I always die by getting near lava, but not really "touching" it. Is the player's hitbox a bit bigger than him?

Good Job! Cheers! :D
greysphere
01. Aug 2017 · 03:35 UTC
Really enjoyed this one, learning the powers, and exploring the maps. I didn't quite understand the lava's effect radius, it seems 'too big' (compared to the gfx) but i was able to just pre-shield everywhere and that worked. Nice work!
shanebauman
01. Aug 2017 · 03:36 UTC
I like it alot! Having to go through the intro again to replay is my only gripe. Having an option to skip would be great.
sugarbyte
01. Aug 2017 · 03:39 UTC
Really nice entry, and I loved how you introduced each new ability. Really smart!
pacificyost
01. Aug 2017 · 03:47 UTC
I agree with some of the other comments, the hitbox for the player seems a little bit too big so the edges of lava can sometimes kill you while turning too close to it (is it a box or circle collider on the player) Also a way to skip messages that you've seen already would help retention.

The random levels were also a little inconsistent in difficulty from level 2 onward, may need to reign in the lava a little bit early on.
mmason
01. Aug 2017 · 04:34 UTC
A miner inconvenience is right, going back to the start each time. This was a good game but I feel like if you at least didn't repeat the start messages it would go a long way. The progression was nice, if a bit varied (my first lava level had no lava). Other than that some music and sound effects would be nice, but you already mentioned that.
gwinnell
01. Aug 2017 · 19:26 UTC
I like the acronyms. I like the embedded software's robot-nepotism. Humor++. I like that the shield and warp get added over time. I like that there is (or appears to be) proc-gen levels.

I don't like starting from level 1 each time. I don't like catching on the corners of tiles (perhaps movement is too slippery). I don't like lava. I don't like that there's no sound (but I guess it's S.P.A.C.E. afterall).

SACK Problem: Asteroid Catastrophe Ensemble. :thumbsup:
udo
01. Aug 2017 · 20:11 UTC
Pretty good level design, and the monologue is superb :) I loved the general concept of mining machines taking matters into their own hands after the meatsacks are gone. If you're doing a post-Jam version, add some sounds, that would really make this game shine. Good job!
PerduGames
02. Aug 2017 · 04:26 UTC
I liked the work, it was a good idea. But I missed the sounds.
Jezzamon
02. Aug 2017 · 14:42 UTC
Not bad. The controls were a bit awkward on a laptop having to click the button while using WASD. Keyboard controls would work as well.

But yeah, this game needs a lot more juice, I think! It's hurt from not having sound effects or music. Pretty easy to make some using SFXR or something. And then I'm thinking like, splodey particle effects and something panic inducing when you start getting low on power.

The voice over was amusing, but it felt too verbose at times.

Maybe at a deeper level, the core gameplay mechanic of getting to a whole bunch of checkpoints works for a ludum dare game, but it's not really interesting enough if this was a stand alone game, say. Polish might be able to help, but it doesn't really answer the question of "why should I play this game when there are all these other ones". Something innovative would help :)
JSMCAG
02. Aug 2017 · 18:53 UTC
Not bad at all! A nice, simple idea, that was well executed. The use of precedurally generated levels was a good one, as it allows players to get a new experience as they try again.

The narration is quite humorous, if a bit long at times. The option to skip the dialog is certainly a welcome one.

The game, however, suffers greatly from complete lack of any kind of sound - it makes the game feel very empty. Even some really simple sound effects using Bfxr or similar would really go a long way.
AdroitConceptions
02. Aug 2017 · 20:15 UTC
Things I liked
- clean graphics
- humor in interaction
- clear goals and abilities

Things for improvement
- Needs Sound/feedback
- humor in intractions (humor good, the disrespectfulness of it, not so much)
- would have been nice to have keys for the abilities, so I didn't need to use both mouse and keyboard
Fireshake
02. Aug 2017 · 23:08 UTC
Although the graphics are not the best and the game really needs sounds, I loved playing this game because of its cool mechanics, very nice! :joystick:
jekstrom
03. Aug 2017 · 00:13 UTC
I liked the look, and the dialog was well written. It sucked having to restart from level 1 every time you died. Some form of lives or healthbar or something to give you a second chance if you make a mistake (hitboxes on the lava can be deceiving).

Good job!
KunoNoOni
03. Aug 2017 · 01:02 UTC
Congrats on finishing your first LD and in 48 too! I have to agrees with everyone else, the game needs some sound also I like the pacing of difficulty. Everything else was really good. Well done!
gamesplusjames
03. Aug 2017 · 13:15 UTC
The game was a lot fun, I really enjoyed the procedural level aspect of it and the levels didn't just feel random like some procedural stuff can. The writing in the game was really good too! Great job!
cudabear
04. Aug 2017 · 02:10 UTC
Permadeath and restarting the game wasn't so great, but the randomly generated levels made up for it in a lot of ways. Some levels generated ridiculously easy but most felt about right. The lava hitbox feels a bit cheaty, I died going over the corners of the lava sometimes. Interesting puzzle mechanics and the timer felt pretty fair all things considered.
Steve Johnson
04. Aug 2017 · 04:53 UTC
You did a good job making a lot of content for a 48 hour game. It's a good set of mechanics for the scope required. The controls are a bit fiddly but it's definitely playable! Good work.
Wizard.Exe
04. Aug 2017 · 21:31 UTC
Great idea, great game! You managed a good bit of content for a short competition. Don't know what else to add that hasn't already been said here.
Willbl3pic
05. Aug 2017 · 18:00 UTC
I like the game - the procedural generation stops it from being repetitive!
realryanrogers
05. Aug 2017 · 21:01 UTC
Very fun! The controls take some getting used to, but other than that I had a great time playing. Well done!
Pixelcode
06. Aug 2017 · 16:39 UTC
Great game! Had a real fun time playing it! I'd really like to see continued work on this!
raaaahman
08. Aug 2017 · 06:09 UTC
Good job making procedural levels. I was annoyed going back to the start and going through the tutorial again each time. I didn't handled very well the dash power, ending in walls or passing by the SACKs, but it have to have some difficulty I guess.

That's a neat entry though, well done.
Eremiell
08. Aug 2017 · 17:42 UTC
Really hard to play in browser, as the spacebar pushes the page down instead of activating the SACK. Luckily there's the Android version.

Nice game, reminds me of MUDs, Dwarf Fortress, or Sokoban, while having different mechanics to any of those. (It's the rectangular grid I guess as well as the underground environment.)
thaaks
10. Aug 2017 · 13:43 UTC
Nice compo entry! Although lacking sound & music the game has a neat idea, fits the theme very well, has humor and not too bad graphics.
I would work a bit on the UI (mouse for buttons, space and direction keys...maybe avoid the mouse or do everything with the mouse?) but that looks like a good start for a much better game later! Well done for your first jam entry!
guckstift
17. Aug 2017 · 21:01 UTC
Hi there, glad you made your first game jam entry :)
Jupiter_Hadley
18. Aug 2017 · 18:06 UTC
Nice story! I included it in my Ludum Dare 39 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzd4DGHkRKc
Ellian
20. Aug 2017 · 20:29 UTC
A simple game, but the regular gameplay "unlocks" early on, tied with that fantastic writing, made it a pretty enjoyable game! It could always use some more polish (hotkeys, tighter controls, feedbacks & tweening) but overall, it plays great!

Also, your first game jam? Hot damn! That's pretty amazing work for a first entry! Congratulations~