D.R.I.E.D. by JasonD

[raw]
made by JasonD for LD 44 (JAM)

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The Premise

You are a lone robot in the remnants of a ruined city. The world is a dusty wasteland. Fuel reserves are low. Make your way across the barren cityscape before your fuel dries up.

You'll need fuel to reach your goal - without it, you're just a hunk of useless metal. But it's also the only resource worth a damn in this world, and you might need to trade some of it in order to get by...

The Team

Programming : Jason Davey (StrayBasilisk)

Sound : Efilheim (BandCamp)

Art : Jack Pressnell (SomeFarang)

(We teamed up randomly over Reddit / Discord to make this - this is the first thing we've ever worked on together).

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Ratings

Given 38🗳️ 47🗨️

Feedback

Raphiell
30. Apr 2019 · 01:47 UTC
Wow! I loved it! The only complaint I have is spaces where I didn't encounter anything. I felt that game was short anyways, and that could help in improving, and potentially making it more difficult.

Overall, very impressive! Well done you guys!
slimabob
30. Apr 2019 · 01:57 UTC
Loved this game. Beautiful artwork, impressive sound, and a fun little story. Looking forward to seeing more from you and your team :)
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 01:59 UTC
@raphiell Yeah, pretty much ran out of time adding encounters here =P There aren't so many encounters, so difficulty is a bit random. Ideally we'd have a bunch more - may take some time to write a load, and release an updated version at some point.
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 02:00 UTC
@slimabob Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
Préda
30. Apr 2019 · 02:08 UTC
The art looks very good! But whenever I press "Head Out" the game freezes for a couple seconds.
Raphiell
30. Apr 2019 · 03:43 UTC
@jasond I'll just have to keep my out for any futures versions of this, should they come out! I ran into a similar issue with content on my game, there's just never enough time hey?
Shaolin Dave
30. Apr 2019 · 04:14 UTC
Unforunately can't play this one (Mac), but if you do a Mac or Web build later I'll definitlely check it out.
This caught my eye because the pixel art looks great, some of the best I've seen on here.
ROBOWARRIOR1982
30. Apr 2019 · 06:31 UTC
I love the graphics and the ambience, music is very well adapted, and a boardgame-like is cool ! maybe little difficult when you have bad encounter series.Great work !
sanjeev
30. Apr 2019 · 06:36 UTC
Hey this is a really cool game! The art is amazing, both music and visuals - reminds me of Into the Breach. Took me about 4 tries to get to the end, and I loved going out and seeing all the different encounters. Awesome work guys!
AndyG
30. Apr 2019 · 07:19 UTC
Amazing artwork for a jam game!
bigwhiteshogun
30. Apr 2019 · 11:42 UTC
Finished and polished game. Beautiful art, top notch writing and sound design. Highly recommend checking this one out.
Raphael Maia
30. Apr 2019 · 12:33 UTC
The art on this thing is amazing, and it's so well polished, congrats
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 12:33 UTC
Thanks for the feedback @robowarrior1982 @sanjeev @andyg @bigwhiteshogun.
Was also really blown away by the amazing art and audio the other guys put together so quickly!
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 12:33 UTC
Hey @shaolin-dave, I just added a web player to the itch.io page :metal:
grllle
30. Apr 2019 · 13:12 UTC
Awesome entry. Beautiful and lush soundtrack. I managed to finish it on the first try so it was a short but delightful play!
squaredev
30. Apr 2019 · 13:18 UTC
Very nice art and music! They set the mood perfectly for the story. Really enjoyed how every step you take you can choose different options. Very well done!
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 13:18 UTC
Thanks @raphael-maia and @grllle! Glad you enjoyed it
Jobus
30. Apr 2019 · 13:19 UTC
Very polished and great art style. The soundtrack is great, I've kept the game running in the background for a while just for the music.
Robber
30. Apr 2019 · 13:26 UTC
beautiful!
Rune_Drawer
30. Apr 2019 · 13:30 UTC
Nice pixelart, clean and balanced color palette! Also really loved sounds, is there any place I can get this music? Want it at my play list ^_^ Mood is gorgeous.
5you
30. Apr 2019 · 13:50 UTC
It's great but I played like 4 or 5 games and only got refuled once, only 2 bars... It's harsh !
Surue
30. Apr 2019 · 13:51 UTC
I realy enjoyed your game and the arts are amazing. Adding all of those little dialog is a realy nice touch to the game!
Fleoh
30. Apr 2019 · 14:09 UTC
The game is beautifull, the art and the music too! The game is really polished, well played guys !
jvolonte
30. Apr 2019 · 14:40 UTC
Excellent art. Unforgiving wasteland, I like it. Nice take on the theme.
Did the parts, armour, weapons and mobility help in any way? As in help on the resolution of an event? If I encounter a fight and had armour will I take less fuel damage? It was the only thing that wasn't clear for me. Apart from that great work guys! ^^
Sun-Wukong
30. Apr 2019 · 14:41 UTC
That is pretty nice visuals(and that coming from the person who pretty much hate pixel art) and music.

The game ended pretty quick though. I had a feeling that you have a lot of space to make it more challenging since replays are pretty quick anyway.
vjmunhoz
30. Apr 2019 · 14:46 UTC
great work guys! Simple idea, but well executed. It remembered a lot of the fuel mechanic of FTL...
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 14:48 UTC
Hey @jvolonte. Generally each event uses a particular stat to determine the outcome. The rumours you can trade fuel for, as well as the descriptions of the events themselves, hint at which stat is applicable.

For example the event where you encounter a pack of mutated hogs. The rumour is "There's a pack of wild animals prowling around #LOCATION#. Don't hang about too long!", and the action you select if you trigger that event is "High-tail it out of here". This uses the Mobility stat to determine the outcome.
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 14:51 UTC
@sun-wukong Thanks! Might try adding a bunch more events and putting out a "complete" version of this at some point.
3mpty
30. Apr 2019 · 14:58 UTC
Short but sweet, superb art and everything just works together nicely, well crafted and polished, sounds great, plays smooth. Love the ending
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 15:49 UTC
Thanks @3mpty! We were stuck on the ending until right at the end - glad you liked it
ghostslayer989
30. Apr 2019 · 16:18 UTC
I'm not the best at the game but it is fun!
DavidPIxel
30. Apr 2019 · 18:06 UTC
Took me like 5 tries to beat the game and I had fun in all of them. Good game!
antoined73
30. Apr 2019 · 18:17 UTC
Super nice entry ! Loved the SFX, music is super smooth, graphics are really appealing and the game works like a charm. Nice entry guys ! :smile:
randomhuman
30. Apr 2019 · 18:35 UTC
Great art and music, great concept for a world, well written, and everything seems very well polished. It doesn't seem like there are enough opportunities to recover fuel (lots of opportunities to lose/spend it!) so I found it quite tough, personally.
joemanaco
30. Apr 2019 · 18:52 UTC
First of all: The music is awesome - I will keep the game open in the background just to listen to it. Everything fits together very well. Tried it serveral times. Was a lot of fun.
Bakenshake
30. Apr 2019 · 18:55 UTC
I love this game! Even though it's short, the core and polish is there. I appreciated that hovering over the icons at the top told me what they did. Otherwise, I would have had no idea. Are the encounters random? I did not replay once I beat it. The art and music fit it perfectly. I really enjoy the sound effects that come with each encounter. Reminds me of Sunless Sea. The node traversal is remnant of Faster Than Light which is another one of my favorites. Would love to see this polished more. Will playtest. Hope to buy. Great job!

Edit: I meant to include something about the worldbuilding. The foundation is there, but I'd love to see more of it.
🎤 JasonD
30. Apr 2019 · 18:58 UTC
Hey @bakenshake! The encounters are randomized. With more time, I'd like to add a whole lot more of them - I think it would make the game feel much more complete.

Definitely influenced by FTL and Sunless Sea/Skies =P
Mykola
30. Apr 2019 · 19:09 UTC
Great game! Very atmospheric, graphics, sound and story are really well done. The gameplay is interesting, I like this kind of games. Even though there was some emptiness in between encounters, I really enjoyed reading through the existing ones. Besides, original take on the theme. Very well done!
sadzanenyama
30. Apr 2019 · 19:13 UTC
Favorite game of the jam so far. Its an interesting idea to live in a world where if you run out of fuel you literally have to sit still forever. Cool game :D
plexsoup
30. Apr 2019 · 19:18 UTC
Great game. Nothing I'd change. Great audio, great graphics. It felt well balanced, with there's no single overwhelmingly dominant strategy.
anstabo
30. Apr 2019 · 19:41 UTC
Nice FTL inspired game, amazing graphics and contents for a 2 man jam. Well done !
Webow
30. Apr 2019 · 21:54 UTC
really nice artwork, and sounds. a nice premise with an ambiance to match and set the right mood. Would obviously be nice to have to progression, but that's only because I wanted to play "on". I did manage to complete the level by just trundling on on any event which seems like it "shouldn't" be able to happen? nice little game that I could play more of with more unlockables/upgrades/levels and story.
machinescreen
30. Apr 2019 · 22:32 UTC
Great game with lots of potential for development. Presentation is top notch.
player2point0
30. Apr 2019 · 22:45 UTC
Fun game with great polish
p0nce
30. Apr 2019 · 23:13 UTC
Yes great polish, won the game on first try (!) but then launched two other games to see the other encounters. Consistent and solid.
Shaolin Dave
30. Apr 2019 · 23:57 UTC
Okay, I came back to play your web build.
I really like it! As I said before the graphics are good. Experiencign the music and sound was pleasant. The theme works well.
Gameplay was simple and there wasn't a lot to tell you what right actions were, but it was more than fine for a jam game.
Definitely my favorite so far.
Garett
01. May 2019 · 01:57 UTC
This game rules! My favorite so far. You struck the perfect balance of simplicity and fun. Graphics, music, and mood are just killer.
ursagames
01. May 2019 · 02:53 UTC
Thank you for submitting your game to be played on my stream!

Once the stream is finished you can find the video here: https://www.twitch.tv/ursagames/videos
If you want to know when it was played you can find your game in the queue here: https://tinyurl.com/y5rdokvp
saucygames
01. May 2019 · 03:38 UTC
splendid all around experience.
Kodiqi
01. May 2019 · 04:48 UTC
Definitely reminds me of the events in FTL. The presentation here is just fantastic. It could definitely use more content though as success feels pretty much down to luck. I wish trading were a more common occurrence that had a bigger influence on your success. That would incorporate the theme a little better too, as currently fuel is mostly used as fuel with only a couple of chances to use it as currency. Even just a bigger map, with some fuel hubs spread around, would add some more strategy.
WongKongPhooey
01. May 2019 · 10:23 UTC
Love it! Great soundtrack and graphical work, and a nice concept that can definitely be built upon. You have the foundations of a great releasable game and you should continue working on it! Well done!
Hare Software
01. May 2019 · 11:30 UTC
Graphics are amazing, text is well written and gameplay is easy to get into. The balance could be improved a bit, but of course that takes time and a lot testplaying. In my first play through I tried to balance my choices and did not make it, but in my second play through I ignored all encounters and made it in one go. I still really enjoyed it and gave it several more tries to see what more the game had to offer. Amazing entry and a job well done!
JestemStefan
01. May 2019 · 11:51 UTC
Wow! Great game! Feel a lot like FTL.

Expand the idea and consider making it to full game!
Drauthius
01. May 2019 · 12:18 UTC
I really liked the concept, and the dialogues were well written. The gameplay was a little harsh, and there seemed to be choices I couldn't take because I lacked something (one of the resources?). Would have been nice if the resources were tied into the events a bit more, but otherwise great work!
JofersGames
01. May 2019 · 13:31 UTC
Feels great, please make this a full game :)
🎤 JasonD
01. May 2019 · 14:17 UTC
@drauthius That's definitely true - needed more time to fill out the events, and tweak/balance things a bit more.

The resolution of every event is tied to a particular resource (with some randomness thrown in), but that was only ever hinted at in the descriptions, rather than pointed out specifically. Might try having it label explicitly which resource is relevant to each event, and maybe remove the randomness from that resolution.
randomphantom
01. May 2019 · 14:26 UTC
Great graphical style, the music is fantastically sublime (please post the soundtrack somewhere!), and the mechanics are easy to understand. Somehow I found it pretty easy to get to the end though? Could do with a bit more strategic depth however understandable that an FTL like within 72 hours is already asking for too much, and you've delivered! Well worth the multiple playthroughs.
hadesfury
01. May 2019 · 14:27 UTC
Pretty game. A lot of random it seems .. I did finally succeed to reach the end :) Well done
🎤 JasonD
01. May 2019 · 14:53 UTC
Thanks @randomphantom and @hadesfury!

Currently there aren't enough events to fill out the map, so the difficulty in particular is a bit random (you might get lucky and not hit many encounters). I'd like to add a bunch more, and then it should be possible to balance things and allow for more reliable strategies.

Currently the tone/flavour is there, and it's possible to be somewhat strategic and increase your chances of making it through by playing smart, but randomness still rules.
firellon
01. May 2019 · 14:55 UTC
A nice game!
A bit sad that in order to succeed it's best not to interact with anything and not to pay fuel ever - it's generally not worth it
Also, armor and the other inventory parts could be more useful (I've got into gang of thieves twice, neither armor nor pistol have saved me)

Pixel art and music are beautiful.
nicneznic
01. May 2019 · 14:59 UTC
Beautifully made proof of the concept! Very well polished, amazing art direction resulting in an overall great atmosphere. I like the gameplay loop as well but it would benefit from more content and depth (e.g. follow-up events). Definitely something I would like to see explored more!
🎤 JasonD
01. May 2019 · 15:09 UTC
Thanks @nicneznic!

You're right - currently it's all atmosphere, and there aren't enough events to flesh out the gameplay.

@firellon

For example, that gang encounter... If you ask for a rumour, it's described as "The gangs near #LOCATION# are tough, and desperate - *go armed, or avoid that place*.", hinting that you need weapons to survive. Your "weapons" stat is tied to the odds of getting a good outcome - the higher it is, the better the odds. Since you have a fairly limited ability to plan and acquire resources to increase your chance of survival, maybe I'll remove the random element from the events, so it's determined purely by your stats.
Faiorb
01. May 2019 · 17:19 UTC
Pretty good and polished entry! Since I am a fan of FTL, this was a great experience for me.

The soundtrack is great, the text and events on it is good. I was not a big fan of some of the sound effects.

This is my favorite entry yet!
Rancoud
01. May 2019 · 17:30 UTC
Congratulations, very good game, simple and efficient
palsina
01. May 2019 · 18:34 UTC
So simple and yet so engaging. I became part of the scenery too many times but I loved it, congrats
Joe Bustamante
02. May 2019 · 00:49 UTC
I could tell I would really like this game even from the preview image, but man, it was even better than I expected. The music and the graphics are so good. The overall feel of the game that you've created is awesome. It's like a more simple version of FTL in a different setting. There's a ton of potential here for continued work on this game in terms of more levels or areas to go through, more encounters, etc. The gameplay itself was pretty good, not much to it mechanically but the exploration made it fun. I agree with what some others have said - the game was short enough as is that whenever I hit an empty spot I felt a little sad. Overall though, an awesome game. Well done!
KunoNoOni
02. May 2019 · 01:05 UTC
This was an absolutely beautiful experience! The art and sound/music worked so well together. I don't believe I've ever played a game like this before. I was sucked right in from the moment I saw the title screen, my only complaint was the length of the game. You guys have something really special here and I hope you all continue development on this or even another game. Congrats on completing the Jam!
gimblll
02. May 2019 · 05:11 UTC
It's very beautiful and the soundtrack is great too. Unfortunately I think the mechanics don't work yet, as it's pretty trivial to get through to the end by just ignoring pretty much everything. It would be a much stronger game if I would be required by the mechanics to make those interesting decisions and try to really manage the balancing act of fuel vs. route vs. everything else. Overall great work though in such a short time!
Sergi Montaner
02. May 2019 · 12:05 UTC
Very immersive, I imagine the music and sound help with it. The game reminds me of Faster Than Light. I liked the art very much.
Cem Adiloglu
02. May 2019 · 12:16 UTC
very nice graphics and audio. the game is really nice
🎤 JasonD
02. May 2019 · 14:21 UTC
Absolutely agreed @kunonooni and @gimblll. We're planning to flesh this out with some more content, and hopefully address balance issues at the same time, to make strategy more important (and randomness less so).
Alienplay
02. May 2019 · 15:29 UTC
I feel like this idea can be explored much further by adding some more content to it. But, anyways, it's a really good game. It has really good looking visuals, nice sound effects and music and, in general, it was interesting and enjoyable to play. :thumbsup:
Ceuteum
02. May 2019 · 17:51 UTC
Loved the mood and the graphics, they remind me of early Fallouts somewhat. Liked the events too!

I guess the idea is that you have to fail/talk a couple of times to get to know where are the danger zones and how to deal with them? I remember I got hit to death twice by sticking to the middle road, but then I found a combination of low road, then upper and to the highest one to be successful twice!

Anyways, this was really fun and solid for a jam submission, so good job guys :)
invader
02. May 2019 · 19:16 UTC
It is definitelly harsh and unforgiving - but that's the reality of wasteland, isn't it? )))

The pixel art it amazing - from palette to the tiny little details of each sprite and background scenery. The music is also matching the mood perfectly. Great game - my first 5* of this jam! :)
JamesOliverMusic
02. May 2019 · 20:59 UTC
Wow! Great game. Having worked with @somefarang before, I knew this game would look amazing, and wasn't disappointed. Definitely one of my top 5 so far for visuals :)
The game itself is very well put together, with enough content to warrant a second & third playthrough.
Although the music is great, I don't think it fits the 'wasteland' environment. Sound effects were awesome though :D
Kerdelos
02. May 2019 · 21:35 UTC
The mood is incredible, the game beatiful, the music fantastic and the text very well written. What can I say i'm a big fan of games like this ! Excellent job !

PS : maybe tuning down a little bit the event sound would help to enjoy the great music
arielsan
03. May 2019 · 01:35 UTC
Looks like a small game in terms of mechanics but has good content and good theme match. Graphics and music are great. Great work.
Amerigo Gazaway
03. May 2019 · 07:02 UTC
Fantastic work! Love the art and music. Almost made it to the end but I ran outta fuel. Bout to give it another shot
Fahim Faysal
03. May 2019 · 11:15 UTC
Really good atmosphere with the music and story. The pixel art is great and I love how the robot is animated.The gameplay reminds me of ftl with how you need traverse maps and trade for fuel.

The randomness is a bit unbalanced since it is possible to have no events for multiple consecutive areas.Having markers on the map would be a great wa yto let the player know which nodes are safe and which ones are not.

The game length may be short but there was enough content to want to play twice. I think I length is a good match for ludum dare and it undoubtedly made it easier for you to polish within a short time frame.


Overall, I think you and your team did a very great job. You had a clear vision of what ou wanted to do and executed on it perfectly.
🎤 JasonD
03. May 2019 · 12:50 UTC
@fahim-faysal 100% agree about the randomness being unbalanced. Ultimately I'd like there to be an event on every location, so we can balanced based on at least knowing how many events the player will hit!

Currently if you buy info/rumours from people, it'll put markers on the map. The idea is that you can gather a bit of info, and try to plan a route which avoids known hazards, or steers towards things which align well with your stats. But again, the map is a bit too sparse for this kind of strategy to be really effective right now (it can increase your chances somewhat, but randomness still rules).
Tekses
03. May 2019 · 15:01 UTC
I really liked this game for the little story elements and the great artstyle. You already adressed my criticism of the game with some of your comments, which is great in itself. Keep up the good work!
IanLux
03. May 2019 · 16:18 UTC
Great game! Please expand it into a full game! It has lovely dialogue/events, great ambience and a very strategic locomotion/item management system, amazing job!
Kukareru Sekai
03. May 2019 · 23:05 UTC
This one reminds me of a bite sized Oregon Trail which is really fun. Love to see this with more events and boards.
Lazertrax
04. May 2019 · 11:06 UTC
Fantastic game! Difficulty is a bit on the hard side but that just makes me wanna play more and finish it! Amazing artwork and details. You did a really good job in such a tight time frame! :100: :thumbsup:
Lemon
04. May 2019 · 13:02 UTC
Really great game! Fun to play, nice graphics and interesting choices to keep the player engaged.
CocaPasteque
04. May 2019 · 19:56 UTC
Graphics, music and mood, everything is on point. Great game ! Made me think a little bit of faster than light but without the fighting part :)
Good job !
Mika la Grand
04. May 2019 · 21:09 UTC
The game has great mood. It's a bit short though, unless you replay it a lot. I took the route along the bottom of the map and made in one go. There is little reason to deviate from the shortest path. Perhaps you can add some icons on some of the movepoints to encourage players to go and explore there.
ruben01
05. May 2019 · 20:54 UTC
Really loved the game, I am amazed at all you could accomplish in a weekend
Ivan Garcia Filho
06. May 2019 · 00:22 UTC
Invoking and charmming game narrative, awesome graphics and cyberpunk spouts from the deepest part of my heart!
You could enhance the experience by adding more unique sfx for every random event and more sequences of pictures to evolve the narrative and the protagonist.
Giezi
06. May 2019 · 11:44 UTC
Nice entry. Love the art! The animations on the menu and context dialogue are really impressive, and the story you came up is nicely done. Good job!