Thief! by MaximBegunov

[raw]
made by MaximBegunov for Ludum Dare 45 (COMPO)

You play as a lost person that has no money and has to pickpocket others to get enough for a ticket home.

Play in fullscreen mode (everything is very small) but there may be bugs with some resolutions.

CONTROLS:

PRESS LMB - for movement towards cursor

RMB with LMB for moving at higher speed

E - to start pickpocketing and to finish it when the white indicator is in the green zone

E - to enter the shop

Escape - to go the main menu (progress will be lost)

To pickpocket you need to get behind person and stand in his shadow (your character becomes darker). 123.gif

If you get ahead of him or stop pickpocketing in the red zone he will detect you and cops will come after you. 999.gif

If you step out of his shadow while pickpocketing he will see you but cops won't come after you, but this will slide only once.

In the shop you can buy items that will benefit you while stealing and you can buy the ticket which will end the game. ырщз.png

If you didnt steal enough money at the end of the day to get yourself food it's game over.

The game was made in gamemaker and the few sounds were made in sfxr.

Ratings

Overall 130th 3.667⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Fun 170th 3.422⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 146th 3.578⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Theme 168th 3.644⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 169th 3.567⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Audio 261th 2.955⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Mood 135th 3.5⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Given 54🗳️ 29🗨️

Feedback

Marcin J
06. Oct 2019 · 23:56 UTC
This is pretty similar to what I wanted to origianlly do, but I figured stealth game was too much for me to handle :D
I like that pickpocketing is a dexterity mini-game in itself, but the controlls could be better
🎤 MaximBegunov
07. Oct 2019 · 00:07 UTC
@marcin-j I had a feeling controls might feel clunky, should've invested more time in it instead of making blinking lights :D
patvanmackelberg
07. Oct 2019 · 00:08 UTC
Fun! Some music really would have set the mood but it was well put together!
Evannex
07. Oct 2019 · 00:12 UTC
Really awesome entry! It's definitely challenging though.
Marcin J
07. Oct 2019 · 00:14 UTC
@maximbegunov It might be personal preference, but for this type of game I feel like I'd have more control if I moved my character with WASD and mouse was used for pickpocket? Idk. Just spitballin. Trivial to implement and in a normal game settings menu would fix this particular issue :D
🎤 MaximBegunov
07. Oct 2019 · 00:25 UTC
@marcin-j At first I implemented WASD controls but because npc's trajectory goes kinda in an angle it was even harder cause you had to repeatedly press WASD to stay behind them in the shadow and at the same time try to get the pickpocketing right so I decided to switch.
NachtWitch
07. Oct 2019 · 01:24 UTC
Could use some better art, but plays like a charm
blobo
07. Oct 2019 · 02:25 UTC
Oh man this is tough. The window to grab the cash is super small, and the visual bar is moving with the character too. I got the hang of it after a few times starving though. Nice game!
di3goalmeida
07. Oct 2019 · 15:11 UTC
Nice game!
Copper_Aardvark_Games
07. Oct 2019 · 16:54 UTC
Super fun game! great take on the theme, and I absolutely love the graphics!
Decappoolla
07. Oct 2019 · 17:06 UTC
Real good, I have to care about following the person in a different speed and caring about the stealing bar, it`s really like actual stealing(which I have never experienced)
To be honest, I starved to death at day 1 every time.
🎤 MaximBegunov
07. Oct 2019 · 17:19 UTC
@decappoolla Thanks, the game turned out to be too hard, I guess.
idk_what_im_doing
07. Oct 2019 · 17:38 UTC
too hard to get past first day.
controls are good, idea is good. just needs a bit more balancing
adrupen
07. Oct 2019 · 17:43 UTC
Super hard but I really enjoyed the graphics and the atmosphere!
Decappoolla
07. Oct 2019 · 18:18 UTC
@maximbegunov When playing I was thinking maybe it`ll be a good idea to have a place you can "hide your money" so you don't zero out every time you get caught, so that the progress can be made gradually. Of course this place will also cost your precious time so you have to decide whether to go bravely or spend some time saving what you got. Just a little suggestion for this nice game.
Beshr Kayali
07. Oct 2019 · 18:33 UTC
Super cool entry!

Getting the thievery to stop on the green is really difficult while following the people, also wasn't sure those blue-edge people are police, but I suspected it. Kind of difficult, but I really liked it. Could've used some minimal background music.

Keep it up :)
Decappoolla
07. Oct 2019 · 18:47 UTC
I finally get the ticket home! It becomes easier once you bought the first item
🎤 MaximBegunov
07. Oct 2019 · 18:50 UTC
@decappoolla That's a great idea indeed! One of the upgrades kinda does similar function but what've you suggested would be a fine addition. I thought if the green zone is too small player can discard the opportunity to steal from this particular person and just walk away from him to try someone else instead of risking it. But I have a feeling everyone risks it and gets caught.
Ktao
07. Oct 2019 · 19:03 UTC
Really fun! The gameplay is pretty interesting, and the art style, while simple, looks really good! It also has a great aesthetic that reminds me of Papers Please! All in all top notch!
Igoreshka
07. Oct 2019 · 19:06 UTC
I WON... That's was realy hard! Good enough to sequel)
🎤 MaximBegunov
07. Oct 2019 · 19:27 UTC
@ktao I was indeed inspired by Papers, please! At first a wanted to make a game about a thief in a dystopian world but couldn't think this through enough so this story is what I have.
Decappoolla
07. Oct 2019 · 19:41 UTC
@maximbegunov I think the feeling of risky is very important in this game. If I knew I can discard safely after I hit steal, I won't hesitate to do it. But I think it's the fun of this game that I hesitate whether I risk it or not. After all that`s what a thief should feel like,right?😆 But maybe zero out might be a little harsh for day 1. Different (but limited) options could be given to let player make some small progress at the beginning.
microwerx
08. Oct 2019 · 07:51 UTC
I struggled with this game. It was interesting to play, but I always felt that there was lag with my mouse...but I only have a trackpad & a bluetooth mouse at the moment. I may have to give this a go a little later with a wired mouse.
Polyethyleneglykol
08. Oct 2019 · 09:27 UTC
Great game! Only the punishments seem a bit harsh due To the long play time needed to aquire all the money necessary to win the game, even with the power up. Otherthen that a very neat little game!
dqmhose
08. Oct 2019 · 10:29 UTC
Really fun and seems very well made but I couldn't get the hang of it. Everything happens so quickly, that (as a slow gamer) I couldn't follow it very well and even with the explanation provided, I was not a very successful thief :D
evgenimp
08. Oct 2019 · 13:44 UTC
I can see it going the papers please way. Stealing stuff and seeing the result of it. Very cool!
Lombax
08. Oct 2019 · 14:18 UTC
realy nice game, feels realy polished alrdy.
the only thing i would like to be added was a way to escape from the police, so that its possible to prepare a escape route incase anything goes wrong.
think of it like someone steeling a purse then running into a alleyway trying to shake off the police, if being discovered ofcourse.
mikymod
08. Oct 2019 · 14:23 UTC
The controls feels clunky but... Good atmosphere and i like steal mechanic a lot.
It has potential to be developed and grow. Keep working on it pls :D
MrOmnomnoshka
08. Oct 2019 · 14:36 UTC
I liked it very much! Continue to develop! :)
Listonos
08. Oct 2019 · 16:24 UTC
I think I would prefer the stealing progress bar as part of the screen ui and it's hard being a thief :) Cool entry
🎤 MaximBegunov
08. Oct 2019 · 16:29 UTC
@listonos Actually you are right! And this is pretty obvious, I guess when you make game in a hurry obvious solutions dont come to your head right away.
silkworm_sweatshop
08. Oct 2019 · 20:46 UTC
Cool idea! I found it a bit too hard and punishing from the get go though. Perhaps the green bar could start more generous on the first couple thefts and then get progressively smaller as you continue.
azrou
09. Oct 2019 · 12:22 UTC
The game is very original and addictive, but at my opinion very frustrating because of the tiny size of shadows.

I think it could be really less frustrating by adding some "invulnerability frame" if the player exit from shadow safezone for only some milliseconds.

Good job anyway !
zubspace
09. Oct 2019 · 22:00 UTC
Wow, I like this game! I like the idea. It takes some time to get used to, but the adrenaline rush you get while running from one pickpocket target to the next one is really great. Would love to play around with more power ups, but it's still great. Good job!
LeGoLaZ
09. Oct 2019 · 22:04 UTC
It so cool, man. I love it! 10/10
🎤 MaximBegunov
10. Oct 2019 · 20:31 UTC
Thanks for feedback everyone!
Shelvid
10. Oct 2019 · 21:26 UTC
Pretty fun game :) It's nice that everyone moves at different speeds, makes it pretty intense when you are about to pickpocket and you are close to leaving the shadows. It's pretty interesting that you don't necessarily lose after being caught but if you aren't fast enough you lose in the long run.
Overall pretty fun entry but i think there's more that can be done with this mechanic, keep it up :)
QuadApe
11. Oct 2019 · 19:51 UTC
That was fun to play, good job!
Firebender
12. Oct 2019 · 11:35 UTC
I love your take on the theme ! I didn't get why falling behind my victims would also make them turn around.
🎤 MaximBegunov
12. Oct 2019 · 13:15 UTC
@firebender My logic was like when you start pickpocketing a person and you dont keep up with him with your hand in his pocket they might notice something.
Artyom Volkov
13. Oct 2019 · 17:34 UTC
The idea is great, realisation fairly good. I have an opinion that difficulty level is a little bit too high at the beginning. Additionally, it would be great if there were NPC with different difficulty level and rewards. Anyway, pretty fun game.
Oscar Henrique
14. Oct 2019 · 00:05 UTC
Very nice game!