LudumData

The Ludum Dare Flame 🔥 by tobiasw

[raw]
made by tobiasw for Ludum Dare 46 (COMPO)

Hey Ludum-ites!

It’s been forever* since I last made a game with you. That’s a pretty long time. I tried to make another one multiple times, but always gave up.

I also gave up yesterday.

But the game idea wouldn’t let me go, and so I had to start working on it again today. Don't expect wonders though, I lost a lot of time. In fact, better don't expect anything at all.

And now, without any further ado...

The Ludum Dare Flame 🔥 is a massively multiplayer online cooperative clicker-type game about keeping a fire burning. How long can the LD community keep the fire🔥 alive? Will any trees be left in the end? What is your True Animal Name? Find the answer to these questions and more at https://the-ludum-dare-flame.herokuapp.com!

(Oh, and feel free to join this fan-made discord server: https://discord.gg/GFKndv5 :D)

the-ludum-dare-flame-screenshot-small.png

  • Number of simultaneous players: ∞**
  • Playtime: ∞**
  • Available fun per player: 1/∞**

I used base code ripped out of another one of my projects for the basic React/node.js/socket.io/MongoDB/Typescript project, because making JavaScript projects without a template leads only to madness. You can see that base code in the second commit. I also used the NameChange component from that base project because I felt too lazy to code it again. Everything else was made during the jam.

Game-breaking bugfixes after the deadline: - Made two variables local instead of global to prevent players from influencing each others state when leaving. - Only one tab per player to prevent massive botting operations. (Please don't bot at all. Thanks!)

PS: If you comment here, I'll play/rate/comment on yours too. Thanks for playing my game! :sparkles:

*) over 5 years!

**) slightly optimistic estimation

Youtube https://github.com/TobiasWehrum/the-ludum-dare-flame
Youtube https://the-ludum-dare-flame.herokuapp.com
Youtube https://discord.gg/GFKndv5
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/the-ludum-dare-flame

Ratings

Overall 70th 4.005⭐ 97🧑‍⚖️
Fun 367th 3.484⭐ 97🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 3th 4.542⭐ 97🧑‍⚖️
Theme 3th 4.589⭐ 97🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 968th 2.544⭐ 82🧑‍⚖️
Humor 465th 2.888⭐ 78🧑‍⚖️
Mood 332th 3.457⭐ 84🧑‍⚖️
Given 73🗳️ 149🗨️

Feedback

🎤 tobiasw
20. Apr 2020 · 01:13 UTC
The server kept truncating my full description, so I used this comment for the last part of it. It seems to work now.

\*holds up a Man in Black Neuralyzer\*

You never saw this comment.
Louis Hong
20. Apr 2020 · 01:30 UTC
This is amazing! Can't wait to rate it!
Matt D. Parker
20. Apr 2020 · 04:08 UTC
I really enjoyed this as a departure from working on my Jam. It was very clean/elegant and made me feel like I knew what I was doing. There's a sense of accomplishment that comes from other people working with you to create a large fire.

Thank you again for the experience.
Louis Hong
20. Apr 2020 · 04:11 UTC
Rated! Like @matt-d-parker said, this is not only great to play while I finish my jam, it's also really fun!! I did not expect an "MMO" from a game jam at all.
lectvs
20. Apr 2020 · 04:24 UTC
Really neat concept. You don't see multiplayer games in LD that often. One cheese I've found is to open up multiple tabs to get more wood faster :) Would love to see this reach a bunch of concurrent players at once.

**Updated review**: I have now seen this reach a bunch of concurrent players at once, and it's just as glorious as I imagined. Really cool to see people taking on specialized roles to keep the fire alive most efficiently!
🎤 tobiasw
20. Apr 2020 · 12:17 UTC
Thank you very much, @louis-hong and @matt-d-parker! The main reason I almost gave up on the game was because I thought the mechanics wouldn't be fun and the game wouldn't have much value apart from the achievement of being massively online cooperative, so seeing that you actual enjoy playing it feels great!

@lectvs, thanks! Don't worry, I don't consider it cheese since it's more work for that one player and I see the game more as a coop marathon than a sprint. And one of my core values in LD multiplayer games is that while they should shine when played with a crowd, they should also be possible to be played alone.

(And what I'm really hoping for is a bunch of *consecutive* players to keep the flame alive for a long time :D)
Louis Hong
20. Apr 2020 · 14:23 UTC
@tobiasw from my favourite book Creative Inc. from the founder of Pixar.

“People who take on complicated creative projects become lost at some point in the process. It is the nature of things—in order to create, you must internalize and almost become the project for a while, and that near-fusing with the project is an essential part of its emergence. But it is also confusing. Where once a movie’s writer/director had perspective, he or she loses it. Where once he or she could see a forest, now there are only trees. The details converge to obscure the whole, and that makes it difficult to move forward substantially in any one direction. The experience can be overwhelming.”
― Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.
Louis Hong
20. Apr 2020 · 14:24 UTC
I'm very happy for you that you made it out of your forest.
mudlee
20. Apr 2020 · 15:27 UTC
What an interesting idea! It's good you could do this and not let it go in the trash... good job man!
ChloeOfArroyo
20. Apr 2020 · 15:32 UTC
This is such an innovative concept, definitely deserves fulls marks for that! will keep a tab open with this on for a while ;)

Idle games are my jam
west
20. Apr 2020 · 15:47 UTC
Nice and silly concept,
I found myself playing for 20 minutes making sure a fire that wasn't even started by me didn't go out.

I would've liked to see a "biggest contributor: name" next to who started the fire :)
mbc
20. Apr 2020 · 15:59 UTC
really interesting concept here, I wasn't able to play at a time with lots of others on but I think coordination is super valuable to help keep a fire going here - very important that chat is included! I would like to see an expansion on the concept of a multiplayer clicker game or even just more expansive progression in this game, it definitely has potential.
SSStormy
20. Apr 2020 · 16:48 UTC
Pretty neat! I love the simple aesthetic. Haven't seen an online game in a jam before so this is pretty interesting!
NaBo369
20. Apr 2020 · 16:51 UTC
It is a really simple concept "keep a fire alive with other people" but it is a really fun and in my opinion polished game. The little text which pops up if someone joins, leaves or does something really makes it feel like you are in it together with other people and that's awesome in my opinion.
So really well done, I enjoyed it very much!
Plopmenz
20. Apr 2020 · 18:20 UTC
Really fun game to relax and chat :)
Very nice people online and loads of trees to plant :p
You got a new follower =)
(Greetings, Elon Musk ;))
IcarusTyler
20. Apr 2020 · 23:50 UTC
At last, I get to endless-click during a LDJam! :D
IcarusTyler
21. Apr 2020 · 00:06 UTC
Alright, this is pretty neat! I realize now I can't keep up the flame myself :P . The orange-green text-colors are also sweet :)
David Bohan
21. Apr 2020 · 17:17 UTC
I love browser based games and clicker games... and MMOs! This is a really neat concept, and I love that you made the theme fit so perfectly.

The idea of bringing the whole LDJ community together to play a game like this is awesome.

Great work, and glad to see you back in LD making games again!
Platyp
21. Apr 2020 · 17:34 UTC
Amazing concept, it's fantastic
Ryan Jung
21. Apr 2020 · 17:52 UTC
Wow this game is amazingly cool. I wish I played earlier im sure there would have been more people, but this is such an interesting concept! I loved all of it! Great job.
ygrichman
21. Apr 2020 · 19:38 UTC
Quite unique concept and surprisingly fun. Always good to see multiplayer as well.
Eroar
21. Apr 2020 · 19:47 UTC
I love the idea! It fits the theme perfectly and I really appreciate the chat feature.
Tatuvasara
21. Apr 2020 · 20:02 UTC
An excellent idea!

Really fun, and it is easy to get started: it is very clear what you can and should be doing!

Don't know about replayvalue though :laughing:
Kiln
21. Apr 2020 · 20:35 UTC
This game is so *simple* yet so *interesting*. I've never seen a multiplayer idle game before but I hope I see more of them now because it's such a neat and interesting idea. It's like sitting in an IRC channel chatting with strangers, but being able to do something menial while you chat. It's like sitting around an *actual* fire in the middle of a forest. Amazing!
Kszaku
21. Apr 2020 · 21:08 UTC
It has a lot of potential for a social space, and I like it for that ;)
Twistashio
22. Apr 2020 · 14:35 UTC
This is a really interesting idea. I really enjoyed sitting down a playing this for few minutes :) I really like how simple the game is and how it keeps you busy but also isn't super brain intensive! Great Job!!
Devastus
22. Apr 2020 · 16:13 UTC
A multiplayer cooperative idle game, that's a new one. A very interesting concept, and fits the theme very well. There's a lot of further potential for a concept like this in my eyes.

It is a simple game, but it is executed effectively. Very well done!
Renrith
22. Apr 2020 · 17:03 UTC
Thanks for rating my game! Here to provide some feedback for yours (I'm playing while writing this!):

I agree with everyone else, this is a lovely idea. I can see you made the page responsive, so props for that. There's not much on the side of art but you used an orange/red an green tones that go well with each other. However, while the simplicity is nice and helps locate the elements easily it would have been great to make it feel a little more alive to add some more custom styles and art, even if kept in the background.

Thanks for making this, hope to see more games from you in the five years to come!
TheBookSnail
22. Apr 2020 · 19:46 UTC
Great UI and implementation.
Trexxak
23. Apr 2020 · 02:07 UTC
This is such a neat concept :D Really wish more people played/ stayed though, especially because you could simply idle and only show up once in a while, like chatrooms back in the day. Thank you for delivering this great project!
Rhoka
23. Apr 2020 · 02:44 UTC
Really great idea! With a few more features/mechanics I could see this becoming a perpetual online game like Universal Paperclips or A Dark Room.
marcell-balog
23. Apr 2020 · 03:00 UTC
Wow, I didn't know games like this could exist here. Simple, but great idea and features, feels like a hub with friends. I wonder how long it will remain.
ursagames
23. Apr 2020 · 04:26 UTC
Hello! Your game was played during my stream!

If you happened to miss me playing the game, you can go to this spreadsheet to find what timestamp I played your game
https://tinyurl.com/yau8hjzn

And then look in my latest videos and find your game being play (after the current stream ends)
https://www.twitch.tv/ursagames/videos
Kodiqi
23. Apr 2020 · 04:31 UTC
Great take on the theme and very innovative too. Would like to see it fleshed out more. Would be great if you could earn upgrades and some automation the more you play. I think being able to idle more would encourage players (or a certain section of them anyway) to stick around a lot longer.
Jupiter_Hadley
23. Apr 2020 · 09:41 UTC
Very nicely made game! I included it in my Ludum Dare 46 compilation video series, if you want to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/ZEPFZEokffw
hhsaez
23. Apr 2020 · 12:08 UTC
I love this game! It's a great take on the theme and kind of a social experiment too.
Great work!
firellon
23. Apr 2020 · 19:15 UTC
Hey Tobias, glad to see ya here :)

It's the most unique entry I've encountered so far, have some 5/5 Innovation!

And have a great evening too
terry
24. Apr 2020 · 07:59 UTC
This is really great :smile: The concept is super good!

I rounded up a few people on twitter and set the current record, lol
terry
24. Apr 2020 · 08:04 UTC
Oh, there is a bug though - the "longest fire" record didn't tick over correctly - it's attributed to the wrong person (i.e. not me, lol)
ryannielson
24. Apr 2020 · 12:33 UTC
This is super cool, much different than the usual Ludum Dare game. I like how co-operative it is and how I can just pop in occasionally for a few minutes to see how things are going. Nice work!
despdair
24. Apr 2020 · 12:35 UTC
Interesting to see that kind of game in this jam
mypalmike
24. Apr 2020 · 12:50 UTC
Great concept game. Reminds me of that paperclip game a bit (https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/). If you're interested in another ld46 multiplayer game, check out mine (though I only saw multiple people playing on the first night of the jam...).
Freedom Is Slavery
24. Apr 2020 · 12:54 UTC
Really cool and interesting take on the theme! Surprising thing is it actually works and is fun! Often these ideas are poorly executed leading to people losing interest. But, somehow, it seems to have built a community around it! Really amazing job!
linluk
24. Apr 2020 · 13:12 UTC
cool concept. played it to the best time (so far) i think :)
gimblll
24. Apr 2020 · 13:13 UTC
Really great idea, nice to see something collaborative once in a while here.
Convg
24. Apr 2020 · 13:26 UTC
This game is insane! I played for a hour with 62 people on! Awesome job.
Stefanie Leitch
24. Apr 2020 · 13:27 UTC
Hahaha, really great idea, I LOVE the concept of an MMO clicker. It worked surprisingly well. Great fun.
vrerabek
24. Apr 2020 · 13:38 UTC
This is beautiful
disperse
24. Apr 2020 · 13:39 UTC
I heard about the game from @terrycavanagh. Not only a fantastic idea, also very well executed.
Lesslwo
24. Apr 2020 · 17:20 UTC
Cool stuff. Some visuals for the fire would be nice :slight_smile:
Conroy
24. Apr 2020 · 21:35 UTC
5 out of 5, would burn more wood again.
VeniTheRich
24. Apr 2020 · 22:26 UTC
This is excellent! I really like the concept and the simplicity of the design. It is an example that you don't need to have good graphics (or graphics at all to make a good game). It could definitely be a bit more complicated and have a few more features, to keep the players engaged for longer. I am really eager to see how this will evolve after ludum dare ends. Again congratulations!
olafstromberg
25. Apr 2020 · 07:40 UTC
Great job, a very innovative idea. I stuck around next to the fire for a while and planted a few trees. Very simple design.
Pandanym
25. Apr 2020 · 16:24 UTC
Spent a good hour in very good company. The social aspect of the game is amazing ! Thank you for your entry :)
Zennith
25. Apr 2020 · 22:08 UTC
This is such a great idea and very addicting! It has given me hours of entertainment beyond just the game play. Superb job! Keep up the wonderful work!
spawnie
26. Apr 2020 · 08:06 UTC
This is so cool, maximum points for innovation <3
Mika la Grand
26. Apr 2020 · 14:33 UTC
Pretty fun, I wanted to grow the forest a bit. So, I decided to stoke the fire to 50. That meant nobody had time to chop down trees, and the forest grew from 10 to 33. The moment we reached 50 and I stopped stoking the fire, it fell back down to 10 XD.
Rodrigo Denúbila
27. Apr 2020 · 13:59 UTC
Really nice concept. I always wanted to do a multiplayer game but unfortunately I didn't manage that yet. Good job here!
5imon
27. Apr 2020 · 15:26 UTC
I enjoyed sitting at the fire with kindred spirits, watching the flamy float go up and down, interacting now and then. Thank you for this very social experience!
I guess not having any graphics was a good choice to make as it avoids exagerated user interaction and sets the focus more on the long-term use.
Thumbs up!
Jonathan Lorenz
27. Apr 2020 · 19:37 UTC
I saw it and I was like "Ho ok I get it, not gonna play long" ... 30 minutes later I'm fighting for our fire to survive! Also loved the mood regarding of the minimalist look of the game! Good job! Extra point for originality!

EDIT : Turns out I spent two hours on this game! Officially the game I've played the most this LD!
nolanfa
27. Apr 2020 · 23:40 UTC
This is really addictive (curse you, I just wanted to play one last game before going to bed, now I have to stay up to feed the fire and make trees grow)

The multiplayer part is a very good addition. I was a bit I'd be playing alone since I only found this game pretty late in the rating period, but actually there were a few other people there.
fabula_rasa
29. Apr 2020 · 18:46 UTC
It is a really nice community idea and it is pretty amazing that you had the fire burning non-stop for 2.5 days! Surprising and refreshing. Gameplay is, well, exceedingly simple - not much to say here :wink: and it didn't really grab me. But I can surely see how people can get into it.
Josh Riley
30. Apr 2020 · 22:19 UTC
This is super interesting, I don't think I've ever seen an MMO clicker game before. This seems super novel and challenging to build in a weekend (at least to me, someone who has basically no experience networked games. This actually sparks a lot of ideas in me, which is really cool! Great work!
Epono
01. May 2020 · 13:02 UTC
Interesting take on the theme with asynchronous multiplayer. The UI is very clear and intuitive. A bit too addictive for my taste though :)
MacDoom
04. May 2020 · 19:35 UTC
This is genius! So many things that can be done this way. Love the idea to connect to a webpage with some friends anda have some adventures
omercanbalandi
05. May 2020 · 17:02 UTC
I really liked the idea behind it. UI is also pretty good. Congrats !
elysiagriffin
09. May 2020 · 19:54 UTC
Thanks for submitting your game for me to play on my livestream!

If you’d like to rewatch the playthrough, you can find it here:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/615937007?t=5h57m45s

Good luck on your ratings, see you next LD! :D

💜 Elysia Griffin AKA Button Feedback Lady

https://www.twitch.tv/elysiagriffin
kjscott
10. May 2020 · 21:36 UTC
Having a MMO to play, definitely a cool thing. I can already see that at this point over 6000 people have played it. One of the most innovative ideas I've seen in the compo so far. Definitely going to delve into the source code on this one to understand how this was all put together. Probably the first game that's ever driven me to go do that.
marcmagus
11. May 2020 · 04:03 UTC
Thanks for bringing your game by my stream for us to check out. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to it while you were there, but I was able to catch up on some of my queue later that week. If you'd like to watch, the highlight can be found at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/617517569
Statiko
30. Nov 2020 · 12:45 UTC
I myself do the streaming and recording of passages for different games. I can immediately tell those who are going to start this too that you must be able to find a good video editor for yourself. In addition, if you have a game theme, you are likely to produce 3-5 clips a day and just no time to mount them on heavyweight programs. That's why I found https://www.fastreel.com/slideshow-maker.html here, I often use it to make fun slideshows, and the rest of the editing too. It is an online editor, you can open it directly from your browser. So be sure to take a look at it and get acquainted with it. Good luck.