LudumData

Low Level Operations by Tomssuli

[raw]
made by Tomssuli for Ludum Dare 47 (JAM)

You are a handy RTS-guy in blue overalls who is stuck doing low level operations such as healing, repairing and demolishing. You control only the blue guy. AI controls everything else.

CONTROLS: - LEFT MOUSE: click on an unit to select it (the blue guy) - RIGHT MOUSE: Move selected unit or heal/repair - 'S': Stop movement

TIPS: - Walk to hospital and repair bay to replinish medikit and repair kit - Walk right next to unit and then right click it to repair/heal - Demolishing didn't make it in the game :( - You can lead enemies to places when you aggro them - If the game doesn't start, and complains about extension, try installing .NET FRAMEWORK 2.0 (the pathfinding uses it)

MAKING THIS GAME

I was busy for the weekend and still wanted to participate ludum Dare, so when I got to it, I had only 13 hours plus the submission hour to make this game. Also I had no team this time, so I did it solo. What I got done was silent, unfinished and buggy RTS, but still playable. The graphics were mostly placeholder and I never got to make final ones... Especially the menu and mission selection screen - that I whipped up in the last minutes - are hilariously crappy. Still, with all the bugs and unfinishedness I think the idea is somewhat translated to player.

THE IDEA

The idea was having three LO-OP's (Low level operations) - Repairing demolished base, mining resources by hand and bringing them in before you could repair the refinery - Babysitting harvester, clearing landmines for it, demolishing rocks to get it move faster, repairing it as some enemies would come to harass - Supporting units and buildings that AI builds as waves of enemies attack the base... Pretty much what the game is now, but I also planned turrets and different kinds of enemies. You would be stuck in this LO-OP for a longer time.

https://youtu.be/OnflOq8cr2A

Clipboard03.jpg

Clipboard05.jpg

Youtube http://www.blackenter.com/files/lo_ops.zip
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/low-level-operations

Ratings

Overall 1379th 3.045⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1282th 2.894⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 877th 3.273⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1411th 2.879⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1452th 2.471⭐ 36🧑‍⚖️
Humor 960th 2.468⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1374th 2.742⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Given 31🗳️ 48🗨️

Feedback

wheybags
06. Oct 2020 · 21:36 UTC
Interesting idea, reminds me of an idea for a warcraft 3 mod I had years ago: your army autobattles, and you move around non attacking units with different buff effects, and that's your only input.

Sad to hear that you were so rushed, I think this could have been really fun, but it seems a little too buggy for me to play through atm. I tried twice, and both times all my units ended up becoming noncombative, and would just stand there while the enemies shot me :(
StellarBearGames
06. Oct 2020 · 21:42 UTC
That's a clever take on the theme. I always like games where you play as only a small part of something larger. You already know the placeholder assets could use some work but the minimalist sprites could be pretty cool, I just would like to be able to zoom in. Your AI so far is pretty much on par with real Command & Conquer so congrats. Nice job for the time you had!
Archimagus
06. Oct 2020 · 21:55 UTC
Your game is showing up as a virus. I hope it's just a false positive. But I'm not going to run it.
![Screenshot 2020-10-06 175145.png](///raw/6d3/z/39403.png)
🎤 Tomssuli
07. Oct 2020 · 06:07 UTC
@archimagus Well that's a new... Virus protections seem to have some issues with clickteam fusion applications and windows defender hates foreign exe-files as default :slight_frown:
etrealjunior
07. Oct 2020 · 09:22 UTC
I liked your game my congratulations, I also did one if you want to know, and give me your feedback I am very grateful, this is the link https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/resurrection
Archimagus
07. Oct 2020 · 13:16 UTC
@tomssuli Yeah, I know about the Windows Defender not liking exe files. This was caught by both windows defender and McAfee web safe.
Curly
07. Oct 2020 · 16:48 UTC
I like games where you play as only a small part of something larger.
Your AI far is pretty much on par with real You already know the placeholder assets could use some work but the minimalist sprites could be pretty cool, I just would like to be able to zoom in.
Nolife_M
07. Oct 2020 · 17:24 UTC
There're some bugs, but the idea is good, I like the part of auto-controlling units.
Skvader_418
07. Oct 2020 · 17:25 UTC
Hi there fellow click team user, i love the idea, kindof reminds me of triumph! war 2099 or doom of the world 3, also the sprites look cool, even if they are minimalist, i think that its pretty good
Shay Cichocki
07. Oct 2020 · 17:29 UTC
Not the most beautiful of games but definitely one of the most fun I have had with a game this LD. Good job.
🎤 Tomssuli
08. Oct 2020 · 06:47 UTC
@stellarbeargames @curly Actually the units' graphics were the only thing I considered to be not placeholder. I've been dreaming for long to make an RTS game but never got started... and now that I have done some basework here, I can build up from it :slight_smile:
GuaranteedTrainwreck
08. Oct 2020 · 19:10 UTC
Hey @tomssuli !

Also had some trouble with false positive alert (win defender) but I guess there's not much to do about it !

I had great fun with this, graphics are very simple but gameplay is interesting enough, plus I have a special place in my heart for ultra tiny units/assets in games.

Impressive work for only 13h ! You deserve a new LD category !

Do you plan to keep working on it ? Would love to see in action the ideas you didn't have time to implement !

Keep up the good work !

Feel free to check and give me your opinions on my entry, feedback is always welcome

Cheers

Damien
🎤 Tomssuli
08. Oct 2020 · 20:06 UTC
@guaranteedtrainwreck Thanks for the positive feedback! I'm surprised that so many people actually liked my game as it's left buggy and raw. I'll keep working on the RTS engine at least, maybe I'll do those "levels" too, as they require features that I'd like to try and implement anyway.
I'll put your entry to the list of games I'm gonna rate. I had to search and list them so I'm not gonna use up endless amounts of time surfing the LD entries :sweat_smile:
clemonades
08. Oct 2020 · 21:11 UTC
Nice entry! Seems like you have a solid foundation if you want to continue with it!
Szatku
08. Oct 2020 · 21:17 UTC
Unfortunatelly, I can't play this game :( Virus Protection blocked this game. I think you should first scan your game with some antivirus, and then post it.
levlaj
08. Oct 2020 · 23:08 UTC
Hey! I couldn't try this game, as virus protection blocks even the domain it is hosted on, but I like the idea.
🎤 Tomssuli
09. Oct 2020 · 05:51 UTC
@szatku @levlaj It seems Windows Defender virus protection blocks all exe files you download from the internet. Also, some antivirus softwares interpret Clickteam Fusion executables as trojan virus, that is of course false positive.
You can override the Windows Defender blocking though. In the warning screen just click the more info and choose to open file.
Tuatarian
10. Oct 2020 · 18:51 UTC
Kaspersky flags as virus; setup certbot on your site! All downloads should be hosted from a site with SSL!
Duke
11. Oct 2020 · 10:41 UTC
This didn't spark for me, I'm afraid. I'm actually not sure how this is supposed to be played. It looks like the only thing I can control is the one little guy. Most of the buildings didn't do anything or at least did do something automatically without me knowing what it is. The friendly units couldn't be controlled directly so they just stood there until they got into aggro range by accident. That's really not much agency for the player to engage with the game itself. Most of the actions also lacked visual feedback: I never knew if repairing or healing anything actually worked. The art was ok (nothing to win a prize with :P) but also very small and delicate. That adds to the missing feedback issue when everything seems to be 10000 miles away. The missing sound and music adds to the lack of immersion but that could've been excused of course, seeing that you made this alone!

It's really hard to really rate this since it doesn't really feel like a working game loop apart from the AI implementation and automation. It really looks like an ambitious project. Making an RTS in a jam is hard enough, but alone? wow! Kudos for even trying :) I think with a little more time invested in usability, feedback and game loop improvements, this could've been really interesting.

Keep it up
🎤 Tomssuli
12. Oct 2020 · 16:02 UTC
@duke Thanks for taking time to write fair and constructive feedback. That is always appreciated! :slight_smile: Too bad I had to start so late. I was really annoyed that in that time I couldn't finish even all the functionality I wanted in, let alone graphics or sounds. Most of the time went to just building basic RTS engine where units wouldn't move over each other and I only had the last couple of hours to actually make some content to the game.

Well, it was still fun pushing myself to the limits and learning really lots about making an RTS with Clickteam Fusion. Next time though I'll gather a team like back then. My last jams have been awesome, teaming up with great people :sunglasses:
Ulisses
13. Oct 2020 · 22:45 UTC
So sad you dont have time and team. Make a rts in a jam is very challenging but the idea is very good. Congrats, if you have time please check my entry. Tks!
piscythe
15. Oct 2020 · 04:55 UTC
I really like stuff where the player controls one person or a small group and there's a huge allied force. This one, however, feels pretty sluggish. It takes a long time for anything to happen, and most of the player's time is spent running back for supplies. For this idea to work, the player needs to be in a position to make strategic decisions about where to allocate their unit. Here, for all the player's autonomy in moving around the map, they're just another grunt. Assembling this many rts mechanics in 13 hours is very impressive though - I wonder what this could have been if you'd had the full 72. Good work!
daitli
16. Oct 2020 · 02:29 UTC
Your game prompt my antivirus. I still launched it though. I had quite a bit of fun with it, it was relaxing.
japes
16. Oct 2020 · 10:58 UTC
Interesting idea, does come across as a bit rushed though. (understandable given you only had 13 hours)
Would be keen to see it if you decide to pursue the idea further!
HisHighness
24. Oct 2020 · 21:29 UTC
Well done. Even if it was a little hard to understand at first, I still enjoyed it. Its an achievement considering the time you had :)