LudumData

Lab Rat by Maxathon

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

You are a PhD student. Feed the lab animals to keep them alive.

fridge.png

Get food from the refrigerator. Feed the specimens what they ask for.

Screen Shot 2020-04-20 at 5.54.22 PM.png

Some foods require multiple ingredients. Get tools from the equipment drawer, and prepare recipes at the proper station.

Look out for optional extra credit assignments from the powers that be.

==

RECIPE SECTION

Cobb Salad (this seems to be the tricky one!) - Salad - Cooked Meat - Cheese

==

HINT FOR SPECIAL REQUESTS

Several of the special requests from The Powers That Be require special equipment from the equipment drawer, or special foods from the refrigerator.

Once the request is made, the new items will be available at the right station.

==

TEAM

Lab Rat was created by Team Squamous for Ludum Dare 46. The theme was "Keep it alive."

Team Squamous: - David Frankel (www.davidfrankel.com) - Max Lieberman (www.luderacy.com)

OpenGameArt.org music credits: - Lines of Code by Trevor Lentz - Dark Rooms & Scary Things by Isaiah658 - Biological Weapon by Patrick de Arteaga (patrickdearteaga.com) - BlueBeat 01 Copyright 2007 ERH (www.freesound.org/people/erh)

Font Credits: - Munro by Ed Merritt - Silkscreen by Jason Kottke

Lab Rat Copyright 2020, Team Squamous

==

BUG FIXES

1.0.2 (4/27/20) - Fixed: Delay between closing the level intro text and gameplay starts. - Fixed: If a message activates from the specimen menu, the specimen menu remains up. - Fixed: After level outro text, level flashes onto the screen briefly before going to the results screen. - Fixed: Gamepad buttons not always registering.

1.0.1 (4/25/20) - Fixed: Wrong icon displaying in the feed menu. - Fixed: At certain resolutions, the inventory can cover the action menu. Inventory should not block clicks. - Fixed: In some cases, the pause menu button cannot be clicked. - Fixed: Sometimes you have to walk away from a station and back to it to trigger the action menu. - Minor textual changes in the About screen.

Youtube https://davidfrankel.itch.io/lab-rat
Youtube https://davidfrankel.itch.io/lab-rat
Youtube https://davidfrankel.itch.io/lab-rat
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/lab-rat

Ratings

Overall 493th 3.816⭐ 70🧑‍⚖️
Fun 592th 3.64⭐ 70🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 695th 3.552⭐ 69🧑‍⚖️
Theme 440th 4.037⭐ 70🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 886th 3.857⭐ 72🧑‍⚖️
Humor 278th 3.777⭐ 67🧑‍⚖️
Mood 335th 3.909⭐ 68🧑‍⚖️
Given 113🗳️ 142🗨️

Feedback

TeamNova
21. Apr 2020 · 01:23 UTC
Cool! Good job!
Physi3
21. Apr 2020 · 01:28 UTC
Great job :)
Edvard Sandquist
21. Apr 2020 · 01:29 UTC
Nice game man! Liked the graphics and music is cool too! Great work.
pedrorocha
21. Apr 2020 · 01:31 UTC
Good work, the art is perfect. I just missed some mechanics apart from feeding the animals (I was unable to interact with the liqueur maker).
NomadicRockMan
21. Apr 2020 · 01:36 UTC
Really fun take on the theme! Although the controls could be improved a bit.
ssh.randy
21. Apr 2020 · 03:07 UTC
Awesome! Loved the humor, thought the controls were a little wonky around the top (where the cutting board and the top right specimen were, if you stood next to the cutting board, you couldn't switch to the specimen without walking away first).

Never figured out how to make cobb salad :/ So i lost on the 4th or 5th level.

The gameplay felt a little repetitive by the end
🎤 Maxathon
21. Apr 2020 · 03:59 UTC
Really appreciate the feedback from everyone — positive and constructive. Keep it coming! This was our first time making a game together and it was a blast.
mehrdadsh
21. Apr 2020 · 06:58 UTC
funny game man, nice
marbles
21. Apr 2020 · 07:17 UTC
Funny game and very nice pixel art except for the character, it feels like the colors don't go well with the rest of the environment. I also liked the tileset!
Chambre19
21. Apr 2020 · 07:21 UTC
Great game with a lovely art style. Really enjoyed the entry.

Keep up the good work and see you next time!
Puzmak
21. Apr 2020 · 09:21 UTC
Spooky! I loved the colors and pixel art a lot! For some reason couldn't hear the music...
Endytroll
21. Apr 2020 · 11:18 UTC
Nice pixel art graphic, and good idea :) Great job!
Woob
21. Apr 2020 · 16:54 UTC
Reminds me of another game but in a better style and gameplay. For me one of the best games i could try. Really awesome work. I love the sound, the atmosphere was really spooky.
SvenErik
21. Apr 2020 · 17:06 UTC
Loved the the design of the game overall. Maybe the pacing could be a bit better. Besides that, not being able to click on stuff with mouse when near it irked me a bit. Good work though! ^^
SynysterCola
21. Apr 2020 · 17:19 UTC
A very solid execution! Had a lot of fun with this game! Now I want carrots and lettuce...
Myro973
21. Apr 2020 · 17:25 UTC
Wow this game took a dark turn quick... Real fun, good idea and execution !
I couldn't figure out how to cut my pinky or how to use the items in the drawer though
Defiant Genesis
21. Apr 2020 · 17:30 UTC
Some of the controls were a bit wonky at times but besides that I found the game creepily fun. Hail the Rat God!
SemiHuller
21. Apr 2020 · 17:58 UTC
This game is fun I liked it a lot :D
Marcel Grolms
21. Apr 2020 · 18:22 UTC
Amazing Game, like the Pixel Art a lot. It would be great if you could retry a semester if you want to at the end.
21. Apr 2020 · 18:38 UTC
The movement felt kinda floaty sometimes and I didn't figure out how to make the cobb salad, maybe some recipes could help. The concept and the mechanics make much sense considering the theme and the pacing of the game is great. Well done!
MrTroy
21. Apr 2020 · 20:29 UTC
It was really cool. I got to the 3rd level and couldn't figure out how to dice or cook the meat. What I tried in a previous level didn't work, so I ended up losing.
LouieJams
21. Apr 2020 · 22:54 UTC
Wow, this was a great entry considering the time frame! The art was really nice and the music really set an eery tone. I found it difficult in the beginning but it got easier as it went on for the first few rooms. But when it started to ask for toasted cheese and salad (at the same time), I felt like i had to chose between the animals as i did not have enough time to make both! Fun idea, good job guys! :D
automatonvx
21. Apr 2020 · 23:36 UTC
art is really nicely done, sort of a fun concept, gameplay is ok, scene setting and story etc. was nice and worked well. felt pretty polished over all, good job. Would recommend making a webgl version though as its easy to do with Unity and you will probably get more players that way, people tend to feel a bit uneasy about downloading and running random exes from the internet. good job.
🎤 Maxathon
22. Apr 2020 · 03:17 UTC
@automatonvx Thanks for the suggestion about webgl. @hellequinne has added a web version now at https://davidfrankel.itch.io/lab-rat!
Matt D. Parker
22. Apr 2020 · 05:39 UTC
I kept feeding lettuce and carrots... that's all there was for me to do?
Malai
22. Apr 2020 · 07:28 UTC
All hail the *** god (spoiler free i hope).
Despite little forgiving bugs I encountered one which could lead to problems: On my resolution (1400x900) it can happen if you dont have the item to feed to the animal you cant close the context menu because the inventory is over the close button, going into the pause menu and walking away somehow solves it.
The same can happen if you have the tongue and scalpel and try to throw something away, the scalpel and tongues come first and you cant click the things you want to throw away nor the close button.
Hornicar
22. Apr 2020 · 10:55 UTC
This game is brilliant !
The spookiest is that it represent my PhD right now very well...
"I am the crawling chaos!"
Pieter-Uys Fourie
22. Apr 2020 · 14:41 UTC
Having trouble typing this without my pinky
Ridde
22. Apr 2020 · 14:53 UTC
Loved the game and the art style is very cool and unique. However the pace of the game is a bit slow for my liking other than that cool game, nice work!
🎤 Maxathon
22. Apr 2020 · 16:11 UTC
@malai Does hitting escape with the menu open close it? You can also control the selected menu item by hitting the "down" button w/the menu open (unless the bug is preventing this)
Malai
22. Apr 2020 · 16:23 UTC
@maxathon both method seems to be solving the problems i had :D making the inventory ui click through probably wouldn't have confused me
cvetk0
22. Apr 2020 · 20:59 UTC
That is a cool game! The general mood is great, though I missed some sense of urgency as there didn't seem to be any penalty for not delivering requested, especially to the tentacles :smile:. And the issue I noticed (at least web version) was that sometimes the inventory would overlap the actions which couldn't be clicked then, not critical but not very pleasant either. I liked it in general so looking forward to seeing more from you. Keep it up. Cheers!
Iasper
22. Apr 2020 · 21:34 UTC
Despite having a few problems, such as not always being able to use the butcher's knife, I very much enjoyed the atmosphere. The difference in sound effects for each animal/monster is such a small thing, but helps tremendously with making you figure out who to take care of. The art was very on point and I also enjoyed the music choice. The difficulty curve was easy enough not to get annoyed but also hard enough not to get bored, and every level had something new and unique to add. Congratulations!
Jake Marks
22. Apr 2020 · 23:10 UTC
Loved this game. I love little crafting/combining mechanics in games. Reminded me of the "Pam's Harvestcraft" mod for Minecraft. And the Lovecraft horror vibes are done in a funny way. Excellent!
twobitadder
23. Apr 2020 · 00:51 UTC
i really enjoyed the discovery aspect of the game! i had a little bit of trouble with holding two tools, but i did really enjoy trying to figure out how exactly to combine everything i had to get what was necessary. it was a lot of fun!
730
23. Apr 2020 · 01:04 UTC
Very nice game, gets pretty creepy in a very particular way. Got an A everywhere so I wonder if there was some way to lose or something.
Jarithius
23. Apr 2020 · 06:12 UTC
Great jam game, very fun to play, and it had good pixel art. I like the micro management style of the game play, and the humor when you tried to observe the specimens. I did notice that all the buttons were not immediately understood by me. I had a resolution issue where I could not click OFF of the specimen tank at the bottom, but I did eventually figure out you had an escape key built in for that, Well Done.
Game looks and plays well. ^^
Space Nomad
23. Apr 2020 · 13:10 UTC
what won't a student do for the phd right? as a student i can confirm that it's very realistic 10/10
seriously though awesome game. i loved the subtle shift in tone and how it escalated and escalated. great job. one of my favorites so far
Space Nomad
23. Apr 2020 · 13:10 UTC
what won't a student do for the phd right? as a student i can confirm that it's very realistic 10/10
seriously though awesome game. i loved the subtle shift in tone and how it escalated and escalated. great job. one of my favorites so far
Palvel
23. Apr 2020 · 17:33 UTC
I enjoyed it :)
Langotriel
24. Apr 2020 · 12:49 UTC
Feed the carrot to the turtle. Got it. Feed .. my lunch? to the rat.. ok.. Dice the meat for the mini-bear? So now I'm a chef :cooking: :laughing: A hungry chef who doesn't get to eat. I'm starting to think I am getting a raw deal in this lab; there better be health insurance.

Jokes aside, I think the visuals are good. I always like consistent, well made pixel art in LD games! I also appreciate the ramping of difficulty and the story elements thrown in (I'm a sucker for story). Really well done! :)
Aune
24. Apr 2020 · 19:41 UTC
Very nice pixel art and music really nice / completly in the mood. I laughed a lot for the finger and the bandage. A really enjoyable progression
marcusnystrand
25. Apr 2020 · 15:10 UTC
Got to the salad level, couldnt figure out how to make one :(

Really impressive game with a nice dark humour to it. Can't believe you made me cut off a finger

Solid entry for this jam, well done!!
soldierbear
25. Apr 2020 · 17:59 UTC
The general look and feel of the game is amazing. I really enjoyed the music and the UI interaction sound effects. This is a great submission, congrats!
curleyrach
25. Apr 2020 · 18:49 UTC
As a Scientist and a lover of overcooked I really enjoyed this :laughing: It definitely stressed me out but in a great way! I felt the difficulty ramped up well and the art and music complimented the whole thing. Great job :D
madalaski
25. Apr 2020 · 19:28 UTC
This game is so well presented and felt so good to play that I didn't even notice the main character didn't have a walk cycle. A fantastic entry that deserves a lot of love. Definitely reminds me what it feels like to be an academic student 0_0
Trigueiro
26. Apr 2020 · 12:23 UTC
Very enjoyable! One of the best games on this LD, in my opinion :)
ghostmaple
26. Apr 2020 · 18:56 UTC
Neat concept, the flavor text when observing is a nice touch. The controls were a little tough for me to get the hang of, though I later figured out you didn't need the mouse to make selections. (Maybe add the controls into your description above or to the itch page?) I was a little confused why I needed the scalpel to cut things when there's a knife right there on the cutting board. Altogether, nice work!

Also, if you are going to use assets from outside the your team (e.g. sound/music), the general rule is to remove yourself from ranking in that category. (And if some are from your team and some are not, just mention that that category should only be judge on those alone.)
Zvyaga
27. Apr 2020 · 12:39 UTC
Nice and fun game))
🎤 Maxathon
28. Apr 2020 · 16:36 UTC
@ghostmaple Thanks! Good point about the art on the cutting board.

Yes, we did remove ourselves from Audio ranking (although all sound effects were made by us) because we used outside music. Does it show up differently?
johnnysix
28. Apr 2020 · 22:38 UTC
Nice, very in depth, lots of character to the art and the story was well done. I failed to get to the end once the chopping board showed up. One minor thing that was challenging was switching between mouse / space. If you continue developing, I'd definitly say switch it to all mouse/ touch - it'd make it a lot more smooth to play, and open it up for mobile too. :smile:
ghostmaple
29. Apr 2020 · 04:57 UTC
@Maxathon I was sure I saw Audio when I rated, but I must have been looking at too many games that night. Mea culpa!
fabula_rasa
30. Apr 2020 · 21:03 UTC
Overall a fun game. Actually, a third one about feeding things I played today - must be a themed day :wink: I liked the creepy atmosphere and crazy tasks (like: "hey, now cut off your finger and feed it to the thing"). Those PhD students will do just anything to keep their position!

I encountered a sort of a bug. I approach a trashcan with a lot of things in my inventory and, as the list of things doesn't scroll, I couldn't chose "close" and they only way to exit from trashcan interaction at that point was to throw out my necromonicon or amulet.

![Screenshot_1.jpg](///raw/732/a2/z/33a00.jpg)
🎤 Maxathon
01. May 2020 · 00:11 UTC
@fabula-rasa You should be able to hit Escape to leave the menu, but definitely a bug regardless. Thanks for the heads up and glad you enjoyed the game!
Nachodlv
02. May 2020 · 18:58 UTC
Nice game! I liked how it gets creepier and creepier. I feel like the sound effects are too loud compared to the background music. Very enjoyable game. Good Job!
Bananabas
08. May 2020 · 11:55 UTC
Cool game. I love the humor and that the player has to think outside of the box