Last Days on Mars by snails84

This is my first entry into the Ludum Dare, and I'm really pleased with having created something. The game was a lot of fun to make, and hopefully it's fun to play as well!
EDIT: I updated the html version of the game after the jam ended to switch the arrow key controls over to WASD. This is because using the up and down arrows would cause the page to scroll. It only took a few seconds to fix so I hope that doesn't count as cheating or anything. Otherwise the desktop version download is still the original.
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Earth's overpopulation crisis has led humanity to flee to Mars. You are tasked with managing a colony on the red planet and dealing with the constant influx of colonists. Be warned, the mass exodus from Earth is unsustainable and you will inevitably run out of space. Your goal is to survive as long as possible.
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Tools used:
Written in Java with Eclipse IDE, LibGDX as game engine
Graphics made using paint.net
Sounds made using bfxr
| HTML5 (web) | https://snails84.itch.io/last-days-on-mars-ld42 |
| Windows | https://snails84.itch.io/last-days-on-mars-ld42 |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/last-days-on-mars |
Ratings
| Overall | 539th | 3.429⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 462th | 3.357⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 675th | 3.095⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 696th | 3.375⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 713th | 3.262⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 766th | 2.175⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 916th | 2.7⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 8🗳️ | 3🗨️ |
We used LibGDX too ( big love for multi-platform!). Rate you high!
*Edit: I now played many more LD games, and this is still the best one.*
One quick note: For some reason when I used the arrow keys to navigate the area, the page also scrolled if I pressed up or down (not sure if this is a browser-specific issue or not).
I liked that I had to plan out turns to make sure I had enough building resources to eventually build the structures I'd need to keep my other resources from going negative. The constant pressure of new inhabitants coming each turn (meaning you must keep housing positive) was a nice mechanic to keep the pressure up.
Also, coding all of this using just LibGDX is very impressive! Great job!
The mechanics seem very well thought through, though I must admit, I didn't full get all the rules and mechanics, probably because I didn't read all the text you wrote as intro for my eyes being tired.
I thought the systems were cool, and the art was really clear and nice-looking. I don't know the term MOXIE but the picture very well communicated what it was all about, which I really appreciated.
Interface-wise the shift for multi-drop was a nice touch. I did struggle with the arrow keys. There were two issues with them: first that arrows + mouse is an awkward body position, which is why usually WASD is also offered. Second, the browser as well as the game both responded to my arrow key strokes, which meant I was scrolling within the game (wanted) but also scrolling the web page down and pulling the game off the screen (very unwanted). This wasn't much of an issue in the early game where I was functioning in a limited area, but later when was utilizing the whole map and scrolling very often it was a real drag.
The sound effects were minimal and simple, but important and good at communicating important game events.
Overall I think this is a really nice entry, especially for a first LD! Congratulations.