LudumData

Lily The Bee by Vivien Fargette

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

Story

This is the story of Lily the bee,
against moths threatening her hive,
each time trying to stay alive,
which is now a kind of monotony.
Some nectar can help her,
quitting this boring loop,
but will this kind of soup,
get her into another?

Controls

  • ← → : Move the Bee
  • Space: Shoot
  • Enter: Drink nectar

Softwares & ressources

  • Unity & Visual Studio
  • Krita
  • Tracktion Waveform & Audacity
  • Font: https://www.dafont.com/fr/schoolwork.font

Credits

Video game made for Ludum Dare 47!

  • Writing & coding: Vivien
  • Drawings & animations: Emilie
  • Writing, sounds & music ♫: Laurent

Thanks for playing! Feel free to leave a feedback ☺

Spoiler video here - inspiration for the game

Known issues

  • The bullets are too small and needs a better outline/contrast
  • There are typos in the subtitles and they don't always match the narrator
  • If the screen resolution isn't proportional to 1920*1080, the nectar bonus may not be visible ingame
  • Introduction video doesn't play on Linux version (there are only voice, text and a black background)

Mac Build

Special thanks to @shaolin-dave in comments for updating our Mac build to work without having to run some command lines. The good build should be in the .dmg. If you encounter the problem of .app zipped with other games, you can instructions to solve this at https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/the-looper-encounter/important-note-for-mac-builds

Youtube https://votre-pseudo.itch.io/lily-the-bee
Youtube https://github.com/ViviFar/LudumDare47
Youtube https://votre-pseudo.itch.io/lily-the-bee
Youtube https://votre-pseudo.itch.io/lily-the-bee
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/temp

Ratings

Overall 1094th 3.307⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1092th 3.09⭐ 74🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1555th 2.438⭐ 74🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1456th 2.79⭐ 71🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 656th 3.729⭐ 74🧑‍⚖️
Audio 523th 3.486⭐ 71🧑‍⚖️
Humor 529th 3.052⭐ 69🧑‍⚖️
Mood 461th 3.7⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Given 90🗳️ 139🗨️

Feedback

Lamasaurus
05. Oct 2020 · 17:48 UTC
I got an error saying `There should be 'Lily_The_Bee_Data' folder next to the executable` when I try to execute the .exe :(
Thulium Games
05. Oct 2020 · 17:51 UTC
To play you need to rename the folder called "LDjam47_Data" to "Lily_The_Bee_Data".
Meemog
05. Oct 2020 · 18:04 UTC
This game is great, and it's a shame that there is a bug that makes it hard to run. Please fix this so more people can play
Sayuri
05. Oct 2020 · 18:05 UTC
I enjoyed "cut scenes" and VO. Art and writing is cute. But gameplay didn't support those and it was really hard to use enter and arrows at the same time.
🎤 Vivien Fargette
05. Oct 2020 · 18:16 UTC
@lamasaurus @thulium-games thanks for the feedback and sorry about that, it has been renamed to work accordingly
🎤 Vivien Fargette
05. Oct 2020 · 18:17 UTC
@meemog thank you for your feedback, is the bug due to the "_Data" folder or is it another one?
Lamasaurus
05. Oct 2020 · 18:32 UTC
Ah yes that worked, I'm not very familiar with Unity. Lily must be the most bad ass bee ever! Protecting her hive in the face of so many enemies 🐝 I really enjoyed the plot and art of this game, very lighthearted and fun. I was never able to shoot an enemy on the first 'bounce' that the enemies made because Lily did not move fast enough. I think if Lily started in the middle of the screen, that would have made it easier to manage. Overall a very fun game about the epic little bee Lily, keep up the good work!
🎤 Vivien Fargette
05. Oct 2020 · 18:43 UTC
@lamasaurus thanks, indeed starting from the middle might have been a good idea. Also, maybe try using the bonus a bit more to see another layer of the story ;)
Meemog
05. Oct 2020 · 19:01 UTC
@vivien-fargette Yeah, the data folder thing
🎤 Vivien Fargette
05. Oct 2020 · 19:04 UTC
@meemog the bug is fixed now if you want to try again :)
Laurent
05. Oct 2020 · 19:10 UTC
@sayuri
Thanks for the input! Maybe the layout is not optimal indeed - for the gameplay, try using the nectar a bit more :)
netmute
06. Oct 2020 · 07:01 UTC
I would love to try your game, but I can't play Windows games, sorry :confused:
🎤 Vivien Fargette
06. Oct 2020 · 07:16 UTC
@netmute What is your os? I can try to get you a build but I can't guarantee it will be working as we develop nor test for other os than windows
netmute
06. Oct 2020 · 07:43 UTC
@vivien-fargette HTML5 or Mac will work :hugging:
🎤 Vivien Fargette
06. Oct 2020 · 08:11 UTC
@netmute added a Mac build, I hope it work (please let me know if it doesn't) and that you will enjoy the game
netmute
06. Oct 2020 · 08:23 UTC
Such a cute take on Space Invaders!
Huge kudos to you for doing actual voice acting, this must be the second time I've encountered this in 8 years of Ludum Dare :thumbsup:
A solid entry, congrats to all of you! :thumbsup:

@vivien-fargette thank you for the Mac build :blush:
CookieNoir
06. Oct 2020 · 08:32 UTC
Wonderful (but sad) story, entertaining visuals and voice acting. Enjoyed it pretty much!
The only thing that looked weird was that bee shoots from its back. Found it not comfortable and not easy.
🎤 Vivien Fargette
06. Oct 2020 · 08:42 UTC
@netmute glad it worked and thank you for your dedication to trying our game :p

@cookienoir glad you enjoyed it. We didn't find the bee shooting from the back uncomfortable and that's why we kept it that way but maybe we tested it too much so we did not realize its downside, thank for the feedback :)
Cubiclaw
06. Oct 2020 · 09:31 UTC
Cute art and great storytelling, a real heartbreaker though, poor Lily :cry:
Frederik Boye
06. Oct 2020 · 11:54 UTC
Super cute art! The gameplay was classic space invaders with a little twist with the powerup - I'm still not entirely sure how the powerup cooldown and recharge works, and how it affects Lily the bee - is it the powerup that made her tired and killed her? A few notes on sound and music; the music was fine, albeit a little basic and became slightly monotonous while playing. Next time use a popfilter on the mic or distance yourself a little from it while speaking to avoid pops. Good job overall, considering the timeframe of the jam.
🎤 Vivien Fargette
06. Oct 2020 · 12:07 UTC
@frederik-boye Thank you for this feedback, especially about the mic. You get it about the powerup: it is kind of getting in the loop of drug where the more you use it, the more you need to take it to get a shorter effect every time and we could improve the cooldown information indeed.
loligxp
06. Oct 2020 · 13:09 UTC
Absolutly great game, love the little story and the voice acting was great (You need a pop filter though :P).
the art ist cute and wholesome, and lilys death was so sad.

there is just one thing, I couldn't see my "bullets" at first, they're too small and not distinctive enough.

really well done ^^
🎤 Vivien Fargette
06. Oct 2020 · 13:18 UTC
@loligxp thanks for the feedback, glad you liked it :) we took note for the pop filter and will use one next time ;)

We did not find the bullet too small as we made them small on purpose but we'll make them bigger next time :)
Apfel
06. Oct 2020 · 13:22 UTC
Very cool game! I like the story and the plot (Bye Lily :( ). I think you could have talked a bit louder instead of whispering.

Overall, youve done a great job :).
The Missing Bracket
06. Oct 2020 · 13:41 UTC
good Cute and narrative gameplay, i recommend a background other than a flat color
Laurent
06. Oct 2020 · 14:09 UTC
@apfel Thank you! The voice acting definitely needs some improvement, it was the first time I did something like that!

@the-missing-bracket Thanks! And fair point, we were afraid that spending too much time on the background could lead to something too cluttered, so we chose to spend more time on other features
Lenophie
06. Oct 2020 · 17:44 UTC
awww lily is too cute, love the effort put into the cutscenes, the mic saturated a little tho :c
I was disappointed by the game being "simply" Space Invaders but the cutscenes and aesthetics were a nice touch!
daine0
06. Oct 2020 · 17:46 UTC
Not bad.
eeperdeheap
06. Oct 2020 · 17:49 UTC
Super cute bee. Due to colors the buttons are hard to see. Funny game, love the story and cut scenes.
Sli
06. Oct 2020 · 17:58 UTC
Very cool. I liked the plot very much. It seems that Lily has some lives, before her death, but there is no indication of that.

Overall great entry!
Redunca
06. Oct 2020 · 18:24 UTC
Apart from some typos, this is great. Now i'm sad.
Eugenik
06. Oct 2020 · 21:16 UTC
Great music a gameplay
Kassie Kitsune
07. Oct 2020 · 08:23 UTC
super adorable little game, Lily immediately caught my attention, I'd appreciate Lily's stinger being a little more visible and maybe a little faster, the little bits of narration between stages was super cute too, nice work!

EDIT: the narrator's voice was pretty pleasing to the ear as well, just, throwing that out there
🎤 Vivien Fargette
07. Oct 2020 · 08:39 UTC
@kassie-kitsune glad you enjoyed it, on the stinger, we didn't notice during development but we'll learn from that one ^^
About your edit, I am sure @laurent will be pleased and, from now on will become annoying, often reminding us how is voice is pleasing :p
roboshamit
07. Oct 2020 · 13:59 UTC
Great game! The collisions seemed a bit off for me but everything else was super neat!
Miklou
07. Oct 2020 · 17:10 UTC
Great ! I love lilly the bee, i was so scare when i so her sleeping for ever. Great graphics and music.
Kitiliisu
07. Oct 2020 · 17:13 UTC
So cute! Loved the art style, was smiling the whole way through(excpet well...:((( ). An adorable little story. :)
clemetayer
07. Oct 2020 · 19:13 UTC
Cute ! I especially liked all the details near the end !
jharler
07. Oct 2020 · 20:03 UTC
I really liked the story and atmosphere you created with this. Unfortunately for me, poor Lily wasn't ready for that last wave. I think making the projectile bigger and easier to see would be helpful. It seemed the collision wasn't quite matching up with the size of the projectile. But overall, great job!
🎤 Vivien Fargette
07. Oct 2020 · 20:14 UTC
@jharler sorry about the projectile, we got that feedback a lot and will surely adjust that later on. On the collision, I checked and the hitbox don't match perfectly, not on the projectile but on the enemies, that's on me, my bad. Thank you for your feedback
Thiago Nascimento
07. Oct 2020 · 21:11 UTC
Cute but sad 10/10
Alexascher
07. Oct 2020 · 21:34 UTC
I like it so much! So simple, but so satisfying for eyes and ears!

It's very sad I can't beat one of the waves - it's too fast for me. Still, this is the best game of LD47 for now.
fermingimpel
07. Oct 2020 · 21:39 UTC
Good game, i love the art!
I think you could make the shot a little bigger, it's hard to see sometimes, and in the game, when you press escape, the buttons and the text are very small.
🎤 Vivien Fargette
07. Oct 2020 · 21:46 UTC
@alexascher You still have the nectar to help you beat the waves ;)

@fermingimpel Fair point on both takes: the shot is a recurrent feedback we got and you just made me notice the escape menu: we made the buttons of the main menu bigger because of that but forgot about the escape menu :'(
Eden Shazar
08. Oct 2020 · 08:42 UTC
Such a cute aesthetic! It's a nice little interpretation of invaders, wrapped in a rhyming bee story.

I'd have liked to see this iterated upon, maybe you can stumble on something pretty interesting! What bothered me the most is the size of the shot - it even took me a bit to realize I was actually shooting. The cutscenes were pleasant, and I agree with previous comments regarding @laurent's calming voice (though its volume is slightly too low!). Good job :)
🎤 Vivien Fargette
08. Oct 2020 · 08:51 UTC
@eden-shazar please don't remind @laurent of his voice, I want to be able to live in peace :'( Thank you for the feedback tho and yeah, we'll make the shots bigger after the jam :)
fachscahfttf
08. Oct 2020 · 13:06 UTC
Cool little game! Love the voice acing.
Nice spaceinvaders analogy.

Keept it up
Curly
08. Oct 2020 · 13:10 UTC
Nice idea, nice to see a game associated with a bee, very original and beautiful!
Samuel Hollywood-Summers
08. Oct 2020 · 14:08 UTC
It is great that you have included a narrative, and the game has a consistent aesthetic style that contributes to a pleasant mood. The biggest problem to solve is that the projectiles are very difficult to see against the background. There should be much more contrast there. Another minor thing is that the VO and text do not always match, and there are a few spelling errors. Interspersing the cut scenes with the gameplay was a nice touch, and enhanced the overall feeling of the game.
Enad96
08. Oct 2020 · 14:09 UTC
Well polished and very nice art/audio that suits the mood of the game.
Chocolat-Endive
08. Oct 2020 · 14:48 UTC
Nice entry! I liked the cutscenes telling the story, as well as the palette choice for the overall mood. I agree with the previous comments regarding the bullet size or lack of outline.
Arthurds
08. Oct 2020 · 14:55 UTC
Never thought I would be so emotionally attached to a bee this LD. Thanks for submitting it! -PomoTheDog
Laurari
08. Oct 2020 · 17:18 UTC
Love the graphics, the game reminds me a lot of Space Invaders
Los
08. Oct 2020 · 17:29 UTC
moth invaders!
shubart
08. Oct 2020 · 18:47 UTC
I loved the mood for you space invader like game. Very cute. You could improve this just by increasing lilly's speed and shoot size (that are very hard to see). Thank you for your game
ROBOWARRIOR1982
08. Oct 2020 · 19:04 UTC
Nice game, the graphics are cute.

I like the story telling between loop, but the shoots is difficult to see on the background.

But Lily is ready !

Gameplay is classic like space invader.

But Lily is ready !

The music is maybe too loud.

But Lily is ready !

Anyway i liked playing with Lily she's so strong and cute !
🎤 Vivien Fargette
08. Oct 2020 · 19:35 UTC
@robowarrior1982 I get what you felt about this one: we had lines to match up with the "state" of Lily (roughly the number of time she used nectar) but it is true that, if you don't use it, this line comes back every cutscene. We decided to still use this system as it is a way to enforce the "fall" of Lily
Beefbone
08. Oct 2020 · 20:47 UTC
The cut scenes and the narrative were charming and melancholy, but were done really well. I agree with the comments about the size of the shots being too small. I think it would've benefitted from making Lily's negative reactions to the nectar more obvious because otherwise the ending can seem quite abrupt. Good job though
🎤 Vivien Fargette
08. Oct 2020 · 21:10 UTC
@beefbone we thought the changing Lily's sprite and background going darker were enough of a feedback: the idea of the nectar is kind of an allegory to the "loop of drug usage": the first time(s) you use it, you don't realize that there are negative effects but the more you use it, the more you will need to take and the effect will be shorter. Once you are deep down in this loop, you might realize the negative effects but you need it to go on. That's why, it is not clear at first sight that the nectar has negative effects.

As for the shot, it is too small indeed: I use a "nocturn luminosity" quite high on my screen that made the bullet quite clear when I tested the game and I forgot to turn it off to test, lesson learned and I will turn it off for my next jam xD
epb9000
09. Oct 2020 · 00:31 UTC
Wouldn't happen to have a Linux build lying around would ya? ;) [I only ask since Wine couldn't run it and I'm curious. If it's something you can do easily that is.]
🎤 Vivien Fargette
09. Oct 2020 · 08:17 UTC
@epb9000 I added a Linux build to the itch.io page. Could you tell me if it is working or not, to know if I should keep it and announce it on this page or if I should remove it please?
Gao Ming
09. Oct 2020 · 10:10 UTC
So cute !
DoctorHummer
09. Oct 2020 · 11:57 UTC
Good job, keep it up!
Shaolin Dave
09. Oct 2020 · 16:22 UTC
Mac build needs to be fixed with a Terminal Command before running (anyone want specificys, look at my feed, I made a post about it).

I did not expect a narrative about addiction in a cute space invaders clone. Graphics were great, music and sound too.
Game_Coder28
09. Oct 2020 · 17:01 UTC
Amazingly cute game! I love the art and the story was well thought out. Overall great game and great concept!
🎤 Vivien Fargette
09. Oct 2020 · 17:13 UTC
@shaolin-dave thanks for the feedback, do you mind if I link to your post for Mac builds in description?

As for the narrative, we thought addiction is a vicious circle that fits well into the "stuck in a loop" theme so we went on with it.
Shaolin Dave
09. Oct 2020 · 17:32 UTC
@vivien-fargette sure. Also, you can replace your Mac download with this fixed version that I already ran through on Terminal:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/64xsgy4u1ga0o2z/LillyTheBee.dmg?dl=0

Here's the post with the Mac Terminal fix for those who might need it on other games:
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/the-looper-encounter/important-note-for-mac-builds
Oddmes
09. Oct 2020 · 21:15 UTC
Cute and funny game. Amazing art and decorations.
Kamuniaft
10. Oct 2020 · 10:22 UTC
Wow! "What a cute little game", I thought, and then smth is wrong, and my nectar is not helping me anymore, and then it was the end of it.. You hardly find similar game experience somewhere outside jam games. Awesome work, thank you!
Cedric86
10. Oct 2020 · 12:45 UTC
Nicely done! Really cute artstyle and way of telling the story. Brave and strong. Lilly is ready.
Artyom Volkov
10. Oct 2020 · 14:37 UTC
A pretty bizzare game, but fun. However, the movement of the bee is a little bit sluggish.
CodeRaurus
10. Oct 2020 · 15:23 UTC
The game is good, and Lily is ready. I liked the storytelling visuals and the very fitting music. Is bullet sfx actually part of the soundtrack, it fits so well? I didn't use nectar till I got stuck in a level (I forgot it was an option). As others have mentioned, the bullets are quite small and unnoticeable. I didn't mind bullets shooting from the back at all.
🎤 Vivien Fargette
10. Oct 2020 · 15:28 UTC
@coderaurus it wasn't part of the soundtrack. As for the nectar, well you don't need to use bonuses while they are not necessary, especially given the outcome of this one ;)
TheBookSnail
10. Oct 2020 · 19:09 UTC
Loved the mood, music, and Lily. I liked that I learned the tactic of quickly turning around and firing to get a little extra reach.
kack3y
10. Oct 2020 · 19:16 UTC
Love the mood, the chill voice of narrator, the too loud music and the very cute graphics ^^

Nice entry continue like this.
epb9000
11. Oct 2020 · 02:36 UTC
@vivien-fargette Yep Linux build worked fine. Just remind folks that they'll need to give Lily_the_Bee.x86_64 execute permissions. (Also, this was timely given I was talking to someone who was trying to get adderal just a little while ago.)
Empty Set
14. Oct 2020 · 01:46 UTC
The art is very cute. I especially like the pastel color palettes.

The bullets Lily shoots are a bit small and difficult to see. It's a small detail, but it's a little bit frustrating that you start at the side of the screen and have to try and chase the enemies - I wish you started in the middle.

The time slowdown feature is cool and fun to use.

The game could definitely use some more variety - it gets repetitive pretty quickly.

Overall a charming game.
guimoliveira
14. Oct 2020 · 18:05 UTC
Cute game! Good job. :)
MSiddeek
15. Oct 2020 · 09:24 UTC
A bit on the simpler side, but very cute and artsy. Nice poetry you got there :)
Greytyphoon
18. Oct 2020 · 15:21 UTC
Very cute game, I was not ready!
drprettypatty
27. Oct 2020 · 01:10 UTC
What a beautiful game, I loved the art direction and audio, and the great voice acting ha. Others have said most of the things I would have -- the only thing I would add is a nitpick on the audio I guess. It's not super noticeable, but a pop filter of some kind or speaking off to the side of the mic would help the quality of the vocals a little I think. Nice job!