Caravana by Josh.Galecki
Explore a vast desert while defending your caravan from attack. Trade exotic goods with colorful characters in fantastical cities*
*That's the elevator pitch at least. I only got the combat basics in for the compo, but I might keep going with the prototype after the jam is over. I'm especially interested in hearing feedback about the combat system.
I've kept on working on the game since the competition ended. It's closer to but not quite at a demo of what I want the game to be like. More story, more combat options (combos, dodging, rolls), and better enemy balance. Camels still don't count for nothin'. The updated version can be found in the "Post-compo" zip and the original in the "LD 45" zip.

Controls (azerty-friendly!)
Up: W or Z
Down: S
Left: A or Q
Right: D
Jump: Space
Attack: Return or left mouse button
Pause: F
Quit: Esc
| Youtube | https://joshuagalecki.itch.io/caravana |
| Youtube | https://github.com/jgalecki/Caravana |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/45/caravana |
Ratings
| Overall | 380th | 3.119⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 426th | 2.714⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 439th | 2.548⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 391th | 2.929⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 190th | 3.476⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 24th | 3.976⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 169th | 2.868⭐ | 21🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 117th | 3.575⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 28🗳️ | 10🗨️ |
Good work!
You'll excuse me if I don't extol the virtues of the story. It wasn't amazing because there was pretty much no story whatsoever, just the smallest kernel of one. What's on offer is _promising,_ don't get me wrong, but there's not enough of it to qualify. I want longer dialogues and choices. :P
Combat: attacks are too slow and too weak, which, combined with the high number of enemies in the second fight, as well as the lack of any "retreating" move, mandates exploitation. You can swing whilst walking away from enemies, then instantly turn to deal damage, then turn again. This minimises the damage you receive in response. Consider making the enemies immobile during their attack animations -- this should remedy the issue at least somewhat.
A shame cause I wanted to know the rest of the story :<