Fillmore's Island by Jeremy Ryan

About
Fillmore is taking his drone out for a spin, but with his controller low on batteries, the signal doesn't reach very far! Explore the island in search of batteries as your drone's capabilities increase.
Controls
- WASD: Move Fillmore
- Arrow Keys: Move Fillmore's drone
Made With
- Code: Python 3, PyGame Community Edition
- Audio: Audacity, SFXR
- Art: Paint.NET
- Music: Beepbox.co
| Link | https://plasmastarfish.itch.io/fillmores-island |
| Link | https://github.com/jeremycryan/ld59 |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/fillmores-island |
Ratings
| Overall | 6th | 4.31⭐ | 52🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 22th | 4.02⭐ | 51🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 25th | 3.98⭐ | 52🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 9th | 4.469⭐ | 51🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 4th | 4.58⭐ | 52🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 15th | 4.117⭐ | 49🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 65th | 3.167⭐ | 47🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 32th | 3.99⭐ | 51🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 5🗳️ | 9🗨️ |
Anyways, a fantastic jam game! Have fun out there!
I did manage to do a few things that I assume weren't intended. The main thing I noticed is if you are in a barricaded area and you go far away, press 'r' while holding a item like a key then it will bring that key to you even if unintended and I used this strat along with driving my drone out of bounds to "cheese" segments.

I do wish Fillmore would move just a little faster... With how easy it is to yeet the drone outside of your radius and thus having to reset the run-backs could feel a little tedious. If the movement was faster it would have been nice to add additional hazards maybe birds that try to chase the drone in a certain radius?
The zooming out is such an awesome way of showing the progress I really loved that parts of the level I had already beat became part of later puzzles really made the world feel interconnected!
Also, I love the way instructions are presented. Inside the world, which makes it more immersive!
And it's an interesting mechanic idea with the drone, imo! That's quite a big level you made in just two days, as well, playing on the same puzzle idea in different ways. You have to always remember to bring the drone with you and use both hands. That is to say, it definitely activates the brain :)
I've been crunching the numbers, and, yes, (it's true), you've just won the **Perfectly Timed Anti-Softlock Measure** award!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHDOpCqEftc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZR5_KDhSfw
I also bequeath to you the **Rained Out** award! Keep an eye on the forecast before heading out on your next island adventure.

Love how well-connected the map is; the last puzzle made me go back right to the starting spot, which I find remarkable. The controls felt somewhat finicky at first but it clicked when I realized I had to look at the drone's shadow. Something of note is the puzzle sections are intuitive to control because you usually move one unit at a time, but traversal between the puzzles depends on this twin-stick coordination (unnecessarily), hence a button that would make the drone follow Fillmore when held/toggled would be great QoL. The audiovisuals are impeccable, as expected from you.
Designing the level outwards instead of forwards is impressive work, and I always knew exactly where to go next. The visuals and sound design are so delightful. I especially love how Fillmore is always facing his drone, acting both as "juice" and a QoL feature. Loved the chipper music as well!
The softlock prevention mechanic is great (and necessary!), but I agree with @phlip45 and @j4cko16 that it should reset whatever item the drone is holding, forcing the player to do the puzzle backwards instead of just pressing R.
Great stuff, as always! I do a double take whenever I see the word "compo" next to one of your games, and this is no exception.
Well done, excellent game!
Well done, excellent game!
I really liked having to revisit earlier parts of the level!
playthrough: https://youtu.be/-zwo7QgQN-8



Everything seemed polished, graphics beautiful, soundtrack pleasant. I also liked that you could teleport the drone back if it got stuck.
Gorgeous work!
I can't beleive you made all this in two days, the graphics are stellar for that!