LudumData

Seagazer by Turncoda

[raw]
made by Turncoda for LD 38 (COMPO)

sg<em>title</em>card.png

Links

  • Game:
    • Windows: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vkk53b071o701tu/Seagazer_Windows.zip?dl=0
    • Web: https://turncoda.itch.io/seagazer
  • Source Code (ZIP): https://www.dropbox.com/s/5xtcovt8bv92kvx/seagazer_src.zip?dl=0
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/turncoda

Controls

  • W - move forward
  • A - turn left
  • D - turn right
  • Up Arrow - look up
  • Down Arrow - look down

Tips and tricks

Walk into the pillars!

About

I decided to make a game about looking at the stars. In the game, you solve spatial puzzles and decipher cryptic drawings. I had a lot of ideas but only had time to implement 3 puzzles. I hope you enjoy playing! And if you don't really get what to do, I hope you had a nice time looking at the stars!

If you made progress, let me know. If you didn't know what to do, I'm interested to know what you tried.

Gameplay Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzEtZ9gIMj8

My Stack

  • Game put together in Unity
  • Music made in OpenMPT with samples from DKC SNES soundfont
  • Brownian noise (ocean sounds) generated in Audacity
  • Drawings done in Photoshop
  • Pen and paper ;)

Update Log

(times in PST)

  • Sunday 5:55pm - First submission with link to the game
  • Sunday 6:18pm - Wrote a blurb, uploaded a title screen, other misc. info
  • Sunday 6:30pm - Remove debug settings from build :P
  • Sunday 6:53pm - Final tweaks to build
  • Sunday 7:13pm - Revise blurb
  • Sunday 7:18pm - Update title card
  • Sunday 8:28pm - Added web version hosted on itch.io
  • Tuesday 11:41pm - Added gameplay video
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/seagazer

Ratings

Overall 178th 3.545⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Fun 377th 2.882⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 18th 4.152⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Theme 136th 3.758⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 262th 3.294⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Audio 271th 2.882⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Mood 16th 4.176⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Given 27🗳️ 58🗨️

Feedback

Shodanon
25. Apr 2017 · 16:05 UTC
What a lovely game, what a great concept! I'm afraid it will be underrated, though.

I too love stargazing (and am annoyed with anyone who installs additional lighting in my area), this simple concept of quickly changing your lon/lat on a tiny planet to observe "Polaris" and the idea of using star & constellations for puzzles was excellent. I was "one step away" but I encountered the same problem I have in real life. I just couldn't find Aviana (like any other constellation irl) so the final piece of the puzzle remains elusive, or at least that's what it seems.

It is an excellent idea, though. One I would stick with. Especially that the simple geometry and graphics, darkness, ambience and the monolithic pillars achieve a very... primal? visceral? effect.

Not many people look at the sky anymore. Perhaps this will show them how beautiful an experience that is.
Takusan
25. Apr 2017 · 23:11 UTC
Excellent idea indeed, I agree with @shodanon. Actually I don't really know what I could add not to be repetitive. I especially liked that this game makes you actually think - not about a puzzle, but about its whole premise. Dark planet, monoliths, no way of finding a path except the stars, the sheer minimalism - all works great together.

It is a fine example of a game-meets-art project, and I like it very much. I hope you get noticed! Saving this for my vote list. Cheers!
🎤 Turncoda
26. Apr 2017 · 02:44 UTC
@shodanon @takusan Thank you so much for your encouraging words. Though I feel I didn't reach my vision, I still have much faith in this idea, and I hope to come back to it soon!
Wheffle
26. Apr 2017 · 08:15 UTC
This game definitely invoked a sense of discovery and wonderment. That moment when it "clicked" and I knew what to do, and then getting a confirmation from the game breaking the darkness and silence for a moment, it was a pretty amazing feeling. Well done!
🎤 Turncoda
26. Apr 2017 · 08:32 UTC
@wheffle That means a lot to me. I hope to facilitate a lot more "clicking" in the future :grin: Thanks for playing.
widdershinscrustacean
26. Apr 2017 · 09:44 UTC
This is such an interesting and beautiful little game (those simple colours really nailed it).

Since I have no spatial awareness whatsoever I was afraid of getting completely lost in the dark, and realising you could *actually* navigate by the stars was such an awesome thing :)
AlexHoratio
26. Apr 2017 · 22:09 UTC
This is a wonderful game. It's simple enough to trust the player's intrigue, for a start. It's visually beautiful. The moment of realization is amazing.

You've really made my favourite kind of submission- something small, thought-provoking and wonderful.

Saving this to vote on later!
Shodanon
26. Apr 2017 · 22:31 UTC
@turncoda Please continue working on this project. You may always try to change the graphics to something less pixelated if you believe it would help create something more clear or readable. In one of my projects I also made a nice, starry skybox. Maybe that could be some inspiration.
https://streamable.com/ai84y
Jupiter_Hadley
27. Apr 2017 · 00:06 UTC
Very mysterious! I included it in my Ludum Dare 38 compilation [video series](https://youtu.be/1N8pCHp9YZg), if you’d like to take a look :)
🎤 Turncoda
27. Apr 2017 · 00:17 UTC
@shodanon Interesting! I don't see many examples of real stars in games, so this is good inspiration.

@alexhoratio Haha, it certainly wasn't envisioned to be this small, but I'm glad the concept got across. Thanks for playing!

@widdershinscrustacean Yeah, stars are pretty cool like that. Thanks for playing!
🎤 Turncoda
27. Apr 2017 · 01:37 UTC
@jupiter-hadley Nice, thanks for making the video! The black "loading" screen is actually an intentional blank screen that lasts one second, in order to slow down the pace. People have told me it feels like running into the pillars means death, and I can see how it could be annoying after a while; there's probably a better way to go about that.
M-1
28. Apr 2017 · 20:50 UTC
Wonderful.

I am also just one step away, stuck at finding what Aviana constellation is "looking at"...

If there were more puzzles, it may be a good idea to allow a small failure rate - allow progress even when only e.g. 4 of 5 puzzles were solved. You could also give hints after some time (e.g. the background noise's amplitude could tell "how far" you are from solving a puzzle)... Or does it already have a hidden meaning? :slight_smile:
MaggardJosh
28. Apr 2017 · 22:14 UTC
This was a cool experience. I like my puzzle games to be a little more on the 'vague' side, and this definitely was. I wasn't even sure there was any gameplay at first (which if there wasn't it still would have been a cool star-gazing game). Great entry!
🎤 Turncoda
28. Apr 2017 · 22:25 UTC
@maggardjosh Interesting feedback. I do love myself some mystery in a game. Thank you!

@m-1 Those are some wonderful suggestions, thank you! I love the idea of sound design taking a more important role in the puzzle solving of the game. You are very observant, but unfortunately the background noise doesn't have any hidden meaning (in this iteration of the game, at least :wink:)
simonhutchinson
29. Apr 2017 · 00:31 UTC
Nice job! I love the mystery.

I wonder, often, about the threshold between being mysterious and inscrutable, and what our responsibilities are to be "accessible." That said, you seem to have made a number of people above very happy to have solved the puzzle, so how can you fault that!

Keep up the good work.
JoyFired
29. Apr 2017 · 00:36 UTC
Really didn't expect the puzzle side haha. Nice game, although sadly not exactly my type. Still cool though
🎤 Turncoda
29. Apr 2017 · 03:32 UTC
@simonhutchinson I wonder that as well. I do wish that I could have made it more accessible, as I have been disappointed time and time again watching people struggle to understand what I had hastily thrown together. Given more time, I certainly would have been able to make the game easier to understand (and easier to control! hah!) Shaping the experience takes time, above all. I erred on the side of mystery because I feel that it makes the "click" that much more satisfying.

@joyfired Thanks for checking it out anyway! Don't worry about it, it's a really unpolished experience and even then, puzzles aren't for everyone.
Megalink
29. Apr 2017 · 09:54 UTC
This game is really good! Very creative and I loved the mystery of it. The atmosphere was fantastic. I managed to find the star that doesn't move however I was unsure of what to do next. Good job on this game! :)
Burgee
01. May 2017 · 11:47 UTC
Played it for a bit, but wasn't able to figure out 'how' to play it on my own. I triggered some stuff - constellations popping up, the sky changing color, some music, etc. on my own though!

Without knowing how to play I can still say it was enjoyable. I always felt like I was about to walk up to an ocean (sound, atmosphere were good) and it was cool how you implemented the sky dome over the world. It 'felt' like a real, tiny world.

Nice work man!
Takusan
01. May 2017 · 12:43 UTC
Since the voting is up, I've added rating to my earlier feedback. Cheers!
ooku
01. May 2017 · 22:15 UTC
Nice, moody entry! It took me a while to figure out that I'm supposed to walk into the pillars. But then it was clear and fun to solve the puzzles.
(maybe you can opt "humor" out in the rating)
Evannex
02. May 2017 · 06:19 UTC
This is absolutely beautiful. I love the thought process behind it, though I'm not so great at puzzle games so I didn't get much progress. But I love this entry none-the-less. Great job!
FailedStarfish
02. May 2017 · 19:04 UTC
Really enjoyed this, excellent mood and use of the theme.
Jeremy Ryan
02. May 2017 · 21:06 UTC
Awesome idea, cool experience. Not too many actual "game" elements but very in-theme and fun to walk around. Well done for 48 hrs!
zsoltbartok
03. May 2017 · 18:46 UTC
I totally lost track of time while playing your game. Thank you for making this. I love it.
carlosvVk
03. May 2017 · 20:10 UTC
For a moment I was lost, couldn't solve the first puzzle. But later it's easy to understand, nice entry!
chris-delta
04. May 2017 · 05:03 UTC
Great mood to this! It would have been nice to have more interesting terrain around in some small capacity, and I really would have appreciated a "walk backwards" button for positioning myself. The fact that you can't quite look down really helped the atmosphere by emphasizing that you're supposed to be looking at the stars, as did the pillars that named constellations, and the silhouette of those pillars against the sky was very striking. This is certainly one of the most unique Ludum Dare games I've played, stick to it!
Robber
04. May 2017 · 12:26 UTC
Liked this game a lot, but for me it was mostly about figuring out what it is about, kept being stuck at 'you are 1 step away'. then later i saw something, went back to the center: 'you have done well'. not sure there is more. Although i like the mysteriousness, i think a bit more hints and guiding will give players more a feel of accomplishment.
Oxlander
04. May 2017 · 12:54 UTC
I like the idea of the game, I've had the problem of many of the first commenters. I really wanted to beat the game, so I continued even after the "one more step" hint, but to no avail. Really curious as to what the end may be, but I couldn't figure out the last puzzle. :confused: Either way, simple game but good job!

(Also, I don't know if it was a bug or just a rare thing, but there were like 2-3 posts that made this weird sound when I got to them the first time. It was also extremely loud so actually scared me! :laughing: Maybe those were the last, winning posts and I reached them before the others? Honestly can't say.)
🎤 Turncoda
05. May 2017 · 05:02 UTC
@robber That's all there is, actually. I'm a bit disappointed in myself that I didn't make the ending more satisfying. Part of it was my inexperience in manufacturing satisfying experiences. I'm working on a post-jam iteration that is hopefully more satisfying to play and a bit more self-explanatory.
Geckoo1337
06. May 2017 · 17:01 UTC
Weird - it was mostly about figuring out what I am supposed to do. And I like it - also the aesthetic is pleasant and quiet. A good experience. Thank you ++
Josh Riley
08. May 2017 · 01:32 UTC
I really like the concept and feel, although it seems like it might not be completely finished (which is totally forgivable for a 48h jam). It was really pleasant to walk around and take in the sights and sounds, though. I will say that the sound mixing could probably use some balancing, I jumped the first time I heard the solve sound haha!

Hope that doesn't sound too negative, I actually really like what you've got here. Great work!
mooncalf
08. May 2017 · 01:55 UTC
Can't really add more about stars than what has been said. Great experience. I was often confused but found my way forward nonetheless.

Great entry!
🎤 Turncoda
08. May 2017 · 03:58 UTC
@josh-riley I definitely didn't intend to jump-scare anyone, but I have seen this happen on multiple occasions, including to myself :sweat_smile: A good lesson for next time!
jishenaz
08. May 2017 · 23:56 UTC
Very peaceful game :)

The simple graphics and audio are very befitting. I must admit that I didn't finish the whole thing, but looking for the constellations depicted was an interesting experience. Even though it's a small world, it's easy to get lost in it for some reason. This is probably the best game in the Mood category.
Bunnery
09. May 2017 · 10:59 UTC
This is a great looking game and is totally mesmerising to play! I enjoyed wandering around the night sky - even if I didn't figure out what to do when I found the constellations. I will try again though - it's intriguing me!
adventurjourney
11. May 2017 · 20:24 UTC
There is a nice feeling of mystery in this game, the clues hidden in pillars is also an interesting way to discover a new depth to the game. Though I regret that I couldn't control the view with my mouse.
Imphenzia
17. May 2017 · 23:48 UTC
I got the feeling of "Myst" if you ever played that game =) I was searching for the stationary star but my odd senses make me motion sick when I look at smooth panning/rotating items so I was unable to locate it before I had to pull the plug. Mouse control would have helped me to play longer because it's the slow smooth panning that gets me. I love space and stars so the idea of star night sky appealed to me!
slash_random
18. May 2017 · 21:37 UTC
I like the game, its concept and the graphics with the dark and moody colours. The puzzle mechanic is really cool. Unfortunately I could only solve two of them. The third was absolutely impossible for me to find, which was disapointing. Either I completely missed one or more pillars at all or the hints where way too vague. Also the controls are hard to use. Even if you know the spot, you need to go to, it is hard to reach, because you often have to turn away from any pillar and walk blindly alongside of it. Some sort of straving movement would be super helpful and I strongly advice, to add a key for moving backwards.

Anyway, your game is still great and I enjoyed playing it. Well done and thanks for the astounding contribution.
Zorg
18. May 2017 · 21:40 UTC
![seagazer.png](///raw/cb2/3/z/47b7.png)

I'm completely unable to find this. The other two spots were pretty easy to find. But this third one, no idea. There are only two single pillars (and one is wrong, because of rotation direction), it should not be that hard, but i guess it is, somehow. The hints for this one don't seem to be as distinct as the others. (You alrady said the game is not easy to control, but why did you bind WAD but not S? Is there a particular reason for this? Not being able to step back without turning around is annoying.) The game idea really is intriguing and i like the minimalism, but that last puzzle forced me to quit the game.
KCreanor
19. May 2017 · 21:58 UTC
I got the first two puzzles (almost definitely by luck!) but the third one had me stumped. The mood in this game is insane, it reminds me of Myst or something equally disconcerting; 'why am I here and how do I get away' - butwithout any answers and the clues are maniacally cryptic. All in a thoroughly enjoyable game, oddly unsettling but in a really profound way. Great work, well done :smiley: