Kitty Glacier Surfing by HUMANICS

[raw]
made by HUMANICS for LD34 (JAM)
This is our second Ludum Dare, again using our own custom graphics engine. Now with physics and bone animations, although we didn't get to use the bones this time. We even lowered the hardware requirement to OpenGL 3.2, so no more excuses, come play our game!

We mostly went with the "two buttons" theme, but fwiw, the race track keeps GROWing infinitely :)

Online High Scores at http://kitty-ld34.azurewebsites.net/

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IMPORTANT HINT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you only see giant spheres instead of a kitty and stuff, try starting the game with SHIFT pressed to activate a compatibility mode. Might impact performance, but also those spheres. You might have to click to focus the game after starting.
This only works under Windows.

=========================================================

Controls:

Move the mouse left/right to steer
Left click to jump
Right click to drink invulnerability-elixier

Score by making your way downhill, collecting stars and killing snow men!

=========================================================

Code: Benedikt Walser, Kim Werner
Some models are grabbed from the web, as are some textures.

=========================================================

- Linux version is up!
- Added a video for all the poor folks who can't run it.
- That garbled-sphere geometry bug should be fixed
- well, added a compatibility mode for that, start with SHIFT pressed (Windows only)
- Fixed the all-white bug

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 3.22 608
Fun(Jam) 3.54 224
Graphics(Jam) 2.86 798
Humor(Jam) 3.41 166
Innovation(Jam) 2.65 828
Mood(Jam) 3.05 647
Theme(Jam) 2.95 950

Feedback

mitya1234
15. Dec 2015 · 13:20 UTC
The game is very fun, just try it.
FloatingGhost
15. Dec 2015 · 13:36 UTC
I'm not quite sure what I just played
I mean

there was a cat
on a plank of wood
surfing
what
Ogniok
15. Dec 2015 · 13:37 UTC
It did not work for me, i could only see the sky and falling snow with the score counter. I tried it few times :c
ahmedrage
15. Dec 2015 · 13:40 UTC
Loved it, the leaderboard was a nice touch, all it needed was more sound.
ss64games
15. Dec 2015 · 13:43 UTC
Game crashed when I tried to open it. Looks pretty funny though!
x92rwzb
15. Dec 2015 · 13:57 UTC
What did I just play?
DeathBySnail
15. Dec 2015 · 13:58 UTC
I'm also having issues running this unfortunately, but it looks great!

Here's the most suspicious error in the output:

15/12/2015 14:01:45.358 ERROR ..\..\..\Humangine\src\ShaderManager.cpp:90: Fragment shader failed to compile with the following errors:
ERROR: 0:70: error(#160) Cannot convert from: "4-component vector of vec4" to: "highp float"
Saymon
15. Dec 2015 · 14:06 UTC
Good fun game !
Manu & Wan
15. Dec 2015 · 14:12 UTC
Nice job! The infinite map generation works well. The controls are a bit wonky but it's still playable - plus with some skill there's some mad jumps to be made :D Also the powerups work fine and seem to be well balanced.

My main suggestion would be to tweak the physics/controls a bit and use more consistent art style (graphics+sound) ; other than that it's a pretty good entry.
skysthelimit
15. Dec 2015 · 14:32 UTC
Most ammount of fun Ive ever had with a taxidermy cat. perfectly mounted on its mahogany base too.

Wasnt exagerating with the fun bit either. Give me this over SSX anyday ;)
issa
15. Dec 2015 · 15:20 UTC
Didn't work for me either, I can only see the falling snow (and that I'm getting score/losing lives).
Move127
15. Dec 2015 · 15:40 UTC
It's an interesting game. It would be nice if the controls were a little tighter. Also, it seems like the hit boxes for the trees won't let you go under the branches.
AzureAspect
15. Dec 2015 · 15:43 UTC
I am also having problems playing the game. First I see some snow falling, then white textureless cat (I assume its the surfing cat).
Then theres count down...afterwards lot of garbage appear and I cant figure out whats going anymore. Wanted to try this game badly :/
Farelle
15. Dec 2015 · 15:47 UTC
I need to beat this Highscore somehow....>.>....<.< and it has cats!
NuclearCellar
15. Dec 2015 · 15:50 UTC
Did not work for me, camera is stuck in white cloud at the beginning doing nothing :/
peterthehe
15. Dec 2015 · 15:57 UTC
Very silly game. Well done on the leaderboard.
GoodwolfStudio
15. Dec 2015 · 16:47 UTC
not working. just snow and weird white shapes. i'm on windows.
maerzhase3000
15. Dec 2015 · 17:18 UTC
i like cat's and the game is fun :)
🎤 HUMANICS
15. Dec 2015 · 17:59 UTC
@DeathBySnail: That particular bug should be fixed.

@others: You need at least OpenGL 3.2, or it just won't work. Maybe you can find solace in the YouTube video ;)
MemoryLeek
15. Dec 2015 · 18:25 UTC
Yay, made it onto the high score... for a while at least :D
Fun game. Big kudos for going with your own engine, that's really awesome.
I had to link my librtmp.so.1 to librtmp.so.0 for the game to start, as that version of the lib was not bundled and I had a later version installed.
Otherwise the game ran great, launched in fullscreen on my 34" monitor, was a very immersive experience.
Now I truly feel like a cat going downhill on a plank of wood :P
Also really cool with online high scores, gives the game a lot of replayability.
Only thing I can complain about is that the camera was a bit jumpy at times.
Coomzy
15. Dec 2015 · 18:50 UTC
10/10 Has Cat
Blobo
15. Dec 2015 · 19:36 UTC
Although i too was having issues, after clicking the screen i was sent into what i can only assume was the game. my "cat" was a giant garbled sphere, and so was everything else. i couldn't see the floor.
Simonaiso
15. Dec 2015 · 19:42 UTC
Why would a kitty go down a slope? because it is fun! nice game! The lowtech graphics are just perfect, maybe the steering needs more balancing.
OwT
15. Dec 2015 · 19:49 UTC
I have one word for it: CATS.
Seriously tho, it was a snowboarding cat. What's not to like?
refreshgames
15. Dec 2015 · 20:35 UTC
Aww, it locked the cursor, black screened and then crashed over here, nuts, still, the youtube video looked pretty nice :)

In-case it helps with debugging, On a dual monitor set-up on Win7 Pro 64-bit.
Soka
15. Dec 2015 · 23:27 UTC
I love sliding games. good job with this one, I could spend hours playing if I had the time <3
Eshford
15. Dec 2015 · 23:31 UTC
I can't stop laughing! One of the best entry!
bwatanabe
16. Dec 2015 · 00:54 UTC
Oddly soothing...
Si1ver
16. Dec 2015 · 05:06 UTC
Winter sports entry! Nice! =)
NirabazGAMES
16. Dec 2015 · 14:15 UTC
Cat on the snowboard is the great idea! :)
tribrain
16. Dec 2015 · 20:09 UTC
Fun game and nice 3d graphics, weird theme though xD. The controls are a bit non-responsive.

Good Job :)
Volatile Dove
16. Dec 2015 · 21:01 UTC
It did not work for me, I had a kind of bugged sphere in the middle of nowhere, not really anything looking like a cat.
Evergreen Games
16. Dec 2015 · 23:03 UTC
This was actually really fun! Good job on the engine, runs really smoothly. I got 2nd place on the board!
nunesbarbosa
17. Dec 2015 · 01:41 UTC
This games give me a nice mood.. It does not fit on any theme though.
Crawler Studios
17. Dec 2015 · 05:10 UTC
What did i just... k this is a weird but hella fun looking game please make a post-jam version of this :p
Gameplay actually seemed pretty solid for how simple the game is, graphics were good too, and the concept was wacky and different but in a good way. Good entry!!
NirabazGAMES
17. Dec 2015 · 21:04 UTC
nice game) beutiful art. all the peoplle love cats!
bradur
18. Dec 2015 · 13:18 UTC
Great game! Very simple controls but difficult to stay alive for long. It is very satisfying once you start gaining speed. My friend made Top 1 on the board! Loved it.
kabel
18. Dec 2015 · 13:44 UTC
Reminds me of old Nokia games. Nice, i guess.
WakeOfLuna
18. Dec 2015 · 19:58 UTC
*surfs down the hill* *hits a tree* "Au!" Girlfriend in the back: "no, meow!" And she was right!
Reminds me a lot of Tux Racer.
YinYin
19. Dec 2015 · 21:38 UTC
Aww, got the white unshaded objects as well. No way to play like that.
Kuality Games
19. Dec 2015 · 22:40 UTC
Really nice game, needs a bit more polish and visual feedback but it's pretty fun to play. And it has kittens.
Decentsauce
19. Dec 2015 · 22:52 UTC
Idea is fun! But still needs quite some polish. Didn't jump much because it didn't feel all that useful. A menu would and a way to reset the game without quitting would be nice. Still, overall pretty good entry. (And first place on the leader board baby! :p)
dx0ne
21. Dec 2015 · 13:52 UTC
There is something nice in steering controls. Personally I would like to sly as dolphin.
And there could be bouns for killing snowman mid air.
omaha
22. Dec 2015 · 03:42 UTC
This is very funny.

I wish the cat was animated. I so badly wanted to see him/her doing tricks while in the air. Maybe I just played too many snowboarding games growing up?
DarkGrisen
23. Dec 2015 · 18:46 UTC
The game would be more fun it you wasn't driving a cat :P
terryg
26. Dec 2015 · 17:09 UTC
Couldn't get it to run on my i7. Just a black screen. Looks like a great concept.
Warboys
28. Dec 2015 · 08:48 UTC
Kitty Glacier Surfing... OKAY! Overall I liked the feel of surfing once I got used to the controls, although I didn't feel the need to jump much. I think I was trying to avoid everything and only just realized you could kill snowmen. I just flew into them and died :D

It would be wonderful to have a bit more feedback when you get hit and lose a life. Sometimes I was hitting rocks and taking no damage, whereas if I was even 1 meter away from a tree it felt like I got damaged by it.
zenmumbler
31. Dec 2015 · 16:51 UTC
Nice (infinite) snow-slope runner sub-theme co-competitor entry. The randomness can cause the track to be essentially completely blocked but with the 9 lives it's not so bad. Nicely done.
Omiya Games
01. Jan 2016 · 22:21 UTC
Sometimes, colliding into a boulder at full speed causes the cat to bounce off of it, moving up hill, and through the slope's walls. To be fair, after successfully clipping out of the level, I was able to sled back in, so yay?

Simple game with oddly slippery controls. I wasn't sure I was in control, moving the mouse left and right, after sliding down at higher speeds. Random level design generation could be more forgiving, as there were points where I couldn't go through any further. Then again, I did get a high score of 700+.
Brightstar
03. Jan 2016 · 04:27 UTC
Let's go surfing now, everyone is learning how come on a safari with me.
scorched
03. Jan 2016 · 16:32 UTC
Crashed on me on right-clicking executable. Windows 7 64-bit
scorched
03. Jan 2016 · 16:33 UTC
Sorry, left-clicking, of course! :-)