LudumData

Life Light by Madbarron

[raw]
made by Madbarron for Ludum Dare 46 (JAM)

cover-wide.png Click to play in your browser! Takes up to 10 minutes.

Keep the Fire Alive

Lost in the woods at night, you are not alone. Your campfire is your companion and only hope for rescue. If fed, it will provide light for you to search the area for supplies. Build it up high enough to be noticed by the rescue chopper and you just might survive the night.

big-fire.png

Controls

  • Click on the ground to walk there
  • Click on an item to pick it up
  • Click and hold to drag an item out of your inventory to where you want it to go and then release.

Tips

  • Be quick! The fire will die down over time.
  • Start small. A small fire can't support a large piece of wood, and will instead smoke and go out. Try using moss as tinder.
  • Get big. Larger fuel burns longer, which you need to grow to maximum size.
  • Large pieces of fuel temporarily shrink your fire as the wood heats up, but they will pay off big in the long run.
  • Try exploring in all directions. Burn enough big branches to grow the light to the farthest reaches - that's where logs can be found.
  • If you burn up all the good stuff and want to try again, use the water bucket.

backpack.png lost-in-the-woods.png dark-path.png

Credits

Youtube https://madbarron.itch.io/lifelight
Youtube https://madbarron.itch.io/lifelight
Youtube https://madbarron.itch.io/lifelight
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/life-light

Ratings

Overall 713th 3.705⭐ 41🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1431th 3.224⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1025th 3.382⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Theme 169th 4.211⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1065th 3.737⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Audio 214th 3.961⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Mood 262th 3.987⭐ 40🧑‍⚖️
Given 55🗳️ 55🗨️

Feedback

DMars
21. Apr 2020 · 14:41 UTC
I really like the vibe here, and the character design. Interesting idea. After a while, I ran out of sticks and had to wander into the darkness to get more, and ended up not being able to find my way back. Could maybe use another couple mechanics to keep things interesting beyond stick gathering. I heard a helicopter at one point, but nothing happened, so I don't know if that means anything.
Edit: I just read the description, it seems the helicopter was supposed to find me.
aboogoost
21. Apr 2020 · 15:10 UTC
@dmars thanks for playing and for the comment! You heard the helicopter searching for you and when you get the fire big enough it will be able to find and rescue you.

Getting lost probably wasn't very fun. We're hoping to add a gamma setting to make it possible to explore the darkness on a wider range of screens. I'll tag you in a comment if/when we add that and maybe you can give it another try!
Vesper
22. Apr 2020 · 15:19 UTC
I agree it was a little difficult finding things in the farther reaches of the darkness after a while, but this was quite fun, and the mechanics were nice and easy to use. Well done

By the way, not sure if you are aware but for LDJAM the system rewards you for playing and rating other peoples games. So the more games you rate/give feedback oe, the more visible your game is likely to be. Seems like you haven't had much traffic, so if you were wondering why...well, that's it. Good luck!
aboogoost
22. Apr 2020 · 15:41 UTC
@vesper thanks for the tip for ratings! Thank you for playing! I'm curious, were you able to get rescued?
Vesper
22. Apr 2020 · 16:25 UTC
@aboogoost I wasn't rescued (the fire wasn't high enough) but I did hear the helicopter come by. It was surprisingly challenging! I gave it a few goes, but I'll have to give it another try later on when I have some more time.
PeachTreeOath
23. Apr 2020 · 02:50 UTC
Really wanna play this but I need some pointers. I'm picking up the sticks and drag n dropping them onto the fire but nothing seems to happen. I'm going out into the darkness to grab sticks too but my fire always dies out in a minute or so. What am I missing?
aboogoost
23. Apr 2020 · 03:24 UTC
@peachtreeoath If you're hearing a sizzling noise and seeing black smoke it means that what you've put on is too big for your fire and it is being smothered. Try temporarily increasing the temperature of your fire with some moss first. At the beginning of the game your fire will need a lot of attention - you won't have much time for exploring until you have a more established fire. Does that help at all?
PeachTreeOath
23. Apr 2020 · 03:40 UTC
ahhh the moss first, that'll probably do it and I didn't think of that, thanks!
PeachTreeOath
23. Apr 2020 · 14:40 UTC
Was able to play after that guidance. At first I was actually a little afraid it was going to be too close to Don't Starve. Whenever I see that, the game usually tends to be a subpar version of DS. I'm glad to see the game was really focused on the fire itself and built around that. I thought it was an engaging game and felt like a "fire RPG" lol. I liked that you didn't HAVE to have the fire light your way, and that you could pick around in the darkness if needed. Also, the art was very pertinent cuz that character basically had my face in the beginning as I struggled to figure out how to play and keep that fire from dying. Ultimately I didn't finish the game but got pretty far. I kept misgauging what the fire could absorb and accidentally stuffed out my fire with the big log. Regardless, the game was fun and I played it quite a bit.
🎤 Madbarron
23. Apr 2020 · 16:02 UTC
@peachtreeoath thanks for the great feedback! Just in case you missed it, if you put something that is too big on the fire, you can grab it off quickly. I would usually then put it on the ground next to the fire until I build it up high enough. Hope that helps!
Alex Karev
23. Apr 2020 · 20:48 UTC
The concept is similar to my game. I like your art style and gameplay. Got a Don't Starve vibes. Really enjoyed playing it
Erik Bria
23. Apr 2020 · 20:57 UTC
Really loving the sound design on this. The fire sounds very nice and crisp, same with the sfx when you put something on the fire. The music creates a very nice atmosphere, and it really suits the game style.
Grizley
23. Apr 2020 · 21:00 UTC
A bit too hard but I really like it good job interesting art stlye love it
AFKGroup0
23. Apr 2020 · 21:01 UTC
@peachtreeoath Yes it was hard for me to figure it out as well. MAybe @madbarron Yous should change the entry to say to start with the moss.
BIG EVIL CORPORATION
23. Apr 2020 · 21:01 UTC
Very very good, really enjoyed this once I got the hang of it. Fire got pretty big! There seemed to be a bug, though - I picked up two large sticks, the first went on the fire fine, but the second brought my fire back down to a small circle, as if it reset.
Olivier Millochau
23. Apr 2020 · 21:09 UTC
The atmosphere of the game is definitely it's strong point ! The light and sound effects are on point (the helicopter flying by is a nice touch !).

As for the rest it felt like it could have been more polished ...
I kept loosing on my first tries because I didn't understand I could use the moss to start the fire :/

Still, gratz on the submission !
Lamasaurus
23. Apr 2020 · 21:16 UTC
Cool little survival game. I loved the animation of the fire and the flickering lighting effects! Really gave a nice atmosphere. I got rescued after having this massive bonfire, but I would have much rather just sit near it and stare into the flames :stuck_out_tongue: Some game explanation in the beginning would have been nice though, I had to come over here and read the comments before I knew what to do. Cool that you used the theme two fold, because I had to keep the fire and the boy alive! Keep up the good work!
WegPast
23. Apr 2020 · 21:26 UTC
After reading the tips, I understand how to play correctly the game x)
Cool mood, music is matching perfectly the scenery.
I'm a bit confuse about graphics : Big pixel art along more hand-drawn sprite... But still quite coherent about color. All blend well after all.
Cool mechanics, a bit short maybe, but I had fun playing it, and that all that matter for me :)
PNWAlex
23. Apr 2020 · 22:01 UTC
@wegpast thanks for the feedback! This was my first attempt at pixel art, and one thing I learned is that I should definitely be more consistent with the resolutions I use in the future. I'm glad you had fun! :)
PNWAlex
23. Apr 2020 · 22:05 UTC
@lamasaurus that you would have liked to spend more time in the game enjoying the fire is the biggest compliment we could hope for! Thanks so much!
PNWAlex
23. Apr 2020 · 22:08 UTC
@big-evil-corporation that must have felt frustrating to lose progress to what felt like a bug! Our system is intended to prevent you from putting too much fuel on the fire at once, and perhaps more A/V feedback or text on screen would have made that a bit more clear. Thanks for playing, and for all the feedback :)
PNWAlex
23. Apr 2020 · 22:09 UTC
@olivier-millochau thanks so much! We definitely put a lot of effort into getting the atmosphere right. And you're definitely not alone with feeling confused in the early game -- lesson learned I suppose!
erebus
23. Apr 2020 · 23:16 UTC
Neat twist on the building a fire idea! Thanks for bringing it by the stream!
Moony
24. Apr 2020 · 00:50 UTC
The game seemed neat, but I struggled to preally play it due to it stuttering quite a bit
Camden Obertop
24. Apr 2020 · 00:55 UTC
Great job guys! really reminds me of don't starve. I wish there were a few more animations when the character walks around, but overall good job!
WegPast
24. Apr 2020 · 07:51 UTC
@pnwalex I know what you mean ;)
I'm did the pixelart for this entry and the previous. Keeping consistency is veeeery important, but not that ease to do... For example our actual entry : I saw too big, so my mane assets (monsters, player...) are way to high in number of pixel, and it took too much of the screen place if we let them ni intended resolution. So we had to downscale all assets (so now we don't really see it as "pixelart") and the resolution for the HUD is bigger than the assets... I learned a lesson there too :)
Augus
24. Apr 2020 · 08:49 UTC
Good concept for your submission, fits the theme of the jam nicely. Good job :)
GuitarBro
25. Apr 2020 · 01:26 UTC
I like the aesthetics on this one. The 2d/3d style with the moody color palette works really well, especially with the music. Kinda reminds me of some shows like Camp Lazlo. The gameplay is pretty simple, but works well. Things just make sense (though it takes a bit to realize why the fire goes down when you add wood). The spotlight and helicopter sounds implying that help is out there was a nice touch. All in all, a pretty solid submission.
🎤 Madbarron
25. Apr 2020 · 17:27 UTC
@moony Thanks for the feedback regarding performance. What operating system and browser did you use? We have seen some problems on Macs with Safari and Chrome, but Firefox worked OK.

I have uploaded native builds for Windows and OSX which should work better if you want to give it another shot! For the Mac app, you might have to give it the "execute" permission if it doesn't run.
🎤 Madbarron
25. Apr 2020 · 17:28 UTC
@guitarbro Thanks for the kind words! So glad you were able to figure it all out :)
AmDMaster
26. Apr 2020 · 20:11 UTC
Such an awesome game, My mind is blown away...
Red Ash
28. Apr 2020 · 14:30 UTC
Pretty fun, but quite hard sometimes. I could have used more moss. Way more. Good idea the sound of the helicopter. Good job.
🎤 Madbarron
28. Apr 2020 · 16:01 UTC
@red-ash Thanks for playing! Consider the moss as first gear: it is just the tinder to get the small sticks going. You should only need one or two moss before moving on to larger fuel. Glad you had fun!
Juice Lizard
29. Apr 2020 · 09:56 UTC
Graphics are good, even if I would prefer entirely in pixels. Gameplay is not good enough: I died too many times at the begining. I didn't managed to go far.
🎤 Madbarron
29. Apr 2020 · 15:23 UTC
@juice-lizard sorry to hear that you had a hard time. I tried to write enough tips to cover everything; can you help me understand what you were having trouble with?
Karas
29. Apr 2020 · 15:59 UTC
Got rescued ! Nice game, love the idea of the light going further and further ! Had to try several time before understanding how to feed the fire, maybe some UI, or more indication could have help. Otherwise had fun playing it !
Juice Lizard
29. Apr 2020 · 19:04 UTC
@madbarron I put all the moth to the fire and then the wood, but I died. The fire didn't grew too much and the light didn't expande a lot.
davidwesst
30. Apr 2020 · 05:16 UTC
Took a couple of tries to get the hang of it, but when I did I went solid on it until I was rescued. Really liked the sound design parts, and reminded me of a friendlier version of Don't Starve. Wanted to explore the forest some more, but didn't want to miss my chance with being saved. :)

Also, this spider rock was the thing tempting me to explore some more. :)

Great entry!

![Annotation 2020-04-30 001603.jpg](///raw/6b0/03/z/3395c.jpg)
yodoG
30. Apr 2020 · 05:34 UTC
Took me a few tries to get the hang of it, but once I got it I had a good time! The music and SFX are really excellent. Some of the best audio I've encountered in this jam so far. The art felt a little mis-matched to me. Some of it was pixel are and some of it wasn't. It didn't feel as cohesive. The game itself was pretty fun once I was able to get past the first moss/stick part. It's a nice survival mechanic and easy enough to understand, but after a while it lost its sense of challenge once I found the backpacks. It felt like I was just burning (no pun intended) time. I'd like to see another kind of obstacle introduced that keeps the challenge to the end. Overall, it was a fun play! Thanks!
zillix
30. Apr 2020 · 05:35 UTC
Phenomenal atmosphere, the music and sound effects (especially the different fire sounds) were really good and immersive. I loved the simple gameplay loop to stoke the fire enough to move to the next 'tier' of wood. Loved the concept, really great work!
juako
30. Apr 2020 · 05:35 UTC
Super nice!
I think its kind of hard at the start to figure out that you can't put in the fire any log. Just give some more feedback to the player. Best of luck!
darthone
30. Apr 2020 · 06:24 UTC
Had a great time playing this! Wish there was a bit more depth/challenge
🎤 Madbarron
30. Apr 2020 · 16:40 UTC
@davidwesst Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad you liked it!

Weird question for you: I see that you have the stopwatch in your screenshot. That shouldn't have happened on its own. Did it come up by itself or do you know the secret codes to summon it?
🎤 Madbarron
30. Apr 2020 · 16:44 UTC
@yodog @zillix @juako We like it when players are able to figure things out on their own, which unfortunately means that it usually takes a few tries. Thank you for being patient and sticking with it! :)
davidwesst
04. May 2020 · 03:21 UTC
@madbarron -- Wow. I guess I have some magical powers, because I have no idea how or when that came up during my game. I especially don't know the secrets codes. Wish I could be of more help! If you think there is something I can do, ping me and I'd be happy to help. :)
tompudding
09. May 2020 · 14:51 UTC
Great theme and mood, the music and atmosphere were top notch (the helicopter sounds were a nice touch). For a game about a fire, it's important that it looks and sounds good, and it does! I eventually killed my fire, but I think I was getting the hang of it
phantomeniasll
12. May 2020 · 10:32 UTC
Interesting game with great music
olewis
12. May 2020 · 18:37 UTC
Had fun playing this I didn't get rescued couldn't keep my fire big enough I thought I had me fire big enought for the larger branches but everytime I had the sizzle sound. Otherwise was a fun game to play and we super excited to find the backpack, love extra storage in games! Great art and sound helped make the game nice to play multiple times in a row.