LudumData

Planet LD48B by Outfrost

[raw]
made by Outfrost for Ludum Dare 48 (JAM)

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After being dropped off on an unusual alien planet, our clever scientist embarks on a journey deeper and deeper into the jungles to collect and study precious materials unique to the planet that others want for their own purposes.

  • A pixel art action adventure
  • Battle enemies while learning about the planet's mysteries

Introduction

Well, this seems like a good place to get you started...

There seem to be powerful precious materials on this planet. There have been reports of rogue operations trafficking them to neighbouring systems to trade for weapons. People have been calling for us to put a stop to their actions and protect foreign ecosystems.

Your mission is to research the materials whilst protecting these jungles. They're hidden deep within, so we will let you get settled in this area. Hopefully, you have all the equipment you need to get going.

Watch out for exploiters trying to grab the stuff before you get the chance.

Mothership, signing off. We await your safe return.

How to play

Explore

Find out what the jungle has to offer. To get to some places, you'll probably have to cut through vegetation.

Research

Pick up samples of the local flora. Research them at the research table at the camp.

The red orb plant emits warmth. this orb creates fire!
The blue orb plant is so cold! this plant creates ice!
The yellow orb plant creates wind!

Craft

It's dangerous out there. Take this, straight from the crafting table!

The orbs can be used with leaves dropped from the plants, and twigs from bushes. Combine them at the crafting table to obtain new powerful attacks for enemies and shrubbery of the corosponding colours.

Fight

You'll inevitably encounter rogue exploiters on your path. Be prepared to defend yourself and the ecosystem.

Controls

Keyboard and mouse:

Move: W A S D ↑ ← ↓ →
Attack: Space Enter Mouse1
Use, pick up: F L
Cycle attack modifiers: Q E [ ]

Reset game and go back to menu: Backspace

Gamepad:

Move: Left stick
Attack: L2 R2
Use, pick up: A
Cycle attack modifiers: L1 R1

Credits

Art, animation, gameplay design, dialogue:
Zoe Anslow Gwilliam
Instagram | Twitter | Twitch | ArtStation | itch.io

Music, sound design:
Marek Domagała
YouTube | itch.io

Programming, producing, creative direction:
Outfrost
itch.io | Twitch | GitHub | Discord

Level design, gameplay design, programming:
666Savior
itch.io | Twitch

Font: Silver by Poppy Works (CC BY 4.0)

Changelog

v0.1.5

Submission hour version

v0.2.0

  • Put in forgotten crafting table sprite
  • Adjusted tree collision
  • Sped up player & enemy movement
  • Added a visual highlight for lootable objects
  • A few small UI adjustments

v0.2.2

  • Improved readability of health bar
  • Placed an extra bush
  • Fixed bottles being researchable (which caused inventory confusion)
  • Made damage numbers for player appear in red
  • Fixed enemies spam-attacking each other
  • Fixed misaligned animation sprite
  • Fixed music track crossfades and starting volume levels
  • The executable is now called PlanetLD48B, you're welcome ;)

Links

Both desktop and Web builds are available. If you wish to play the submission hour version, please go to the itch.io link and download a desktop build there.

Linux 64-bit (post-jam) https://github.com/outfrost/ld48/releases/download/v0.2.2/PlanetLD48B-Linux-X11-amd64.zip
Windows 64-bit (post-jam) https://github.com/outfrost/ld48/releases/download/v0.2.2/PlanetLD48B-Windows-amd64.zip
macOS (post-jam) https://github.com/outfrost/ld48/releases/download/v0.2.2/PlanetLD48B-macOS.zip
Web browser (latest) https://outfrost.itch.io/planet-ld48b
Link https://github.com/outfrost/ld48
All builds https://outfrost.itch.io/planet-ld48b
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/planet-ld48b

Ratings

Overall 1010th 3.467⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1370th 3.033⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1229th 2.989⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1555th 3.056⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 267th 4.26⭐ 50🧑‍⚖️
Audio 409th 3.717⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1002th 2.545⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Mood 857th 3.544⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Given 59🗳️ 46🗨️

Feedback

Massillon Magic
27. Apr 2021 · 11:27 UTC
I love the graphics, the game, and the animations :smiley: Good Job YOU MUST BE PROUD!
LDJam user 156819
27. Apr 2021 · 13:35 UTC
Thank you! Glad you like it :sparkles:
BrokenMatcha
27. Apr 2021 · 21:19 UTC
This game is so beautiful! Good job!
thevinter
27. Apr 2021 · 22:36 UTC
Cool concept! The art was great and the exploration part was cool, even if I wished the map were less empty. I love the idea of enemies blocking your exploration with you having to come back at a later time. The music also was pleasant and I didn't find any bugs, which makes it a solid entry!

I found it a bit confusing at first and a map would've probably helped as the environments are very similar. Also for a moment I was confused as to why the character was attacking with his handkerchief haha :P
kypello
27. Apr 2021 · 23:24 UTC
You should consider cutting out all of the anticipation on the attacking animation - make it so the full arc of the swing is the first frame. Trust me, it will make attacking feel so much more satisfying. Otherwise this is a cool game, I really like the art style and it is fun to explore although I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing.
remram44
27. Apr 2021 · 23:38 UTC
Nice looking game! The music is good. The graphics are nice but the choice of enemies is a bit confusing (red/blue humans). Maybe they should have been something more obviously elemental like slimes? The weapon also seems to be some kind of towel?

I feel like some indication of inventory is missing, all there is is the console output. The van next to the research station was also confusing (seemed important at first but couldn't interact). I also wasn't sure what the "red bottle" was for, since there was no obvious change in my actions, but I could then beat red enemies. Walking back to camp is also a bit of a chore.
LDJam user 156819
28. Apr 2021 · 00:00 UTC
Thank you so much for playing and the feedback!
jitspoe
28. Apr 2021 · 03:32 UTC
Love the music, and the art is also nice. Faster movement speed might make this more fun, especially since there's not much time to check out all these games and this one requires a good bit exploring. Some improved UI and visual tweaks for things that can be picked up (ex: a golden outline when you're next to something you can pickup) to make it easier for players to tell what's going on would help a lot, but it's tough to do all that stuff in the timeframe of a jam.
Geo3D
28. Apr 2021 · 09:48 UTC
Great graphics. The game play feels a little slow, a run button would work well.
Lots to discover, great sound design.
varalta
28. Apr 2021 · 14:31 UTC
Lovely graphics and art!

I also really enjoy the spacey melody and musical mood.

The gameplay also presents itself pretty originaly.

I think this game has lots of potential -- you guys should consider developing it further into new releases and versions.

The gameplay at first felt a little bit puzzly to me, to understand the objectives, crafting system etc.

But the mood and the play of the game are cool once you get the hang of it.

Anyways, congratulations on this Ludum Dare game, guys. It was one of the most interesting games I've played this edition! =D

Best regards,

Caio Varalta.
Robotex
28. Apr 2021 · 15:54 UTC
It is very beautiful game
LDJam user 156819
28. Apr 2021 · 20:16 UTC
Thanks for the lovely feedback folks! :sparkling_heart: I'm fixing some of the issues live on [Twitch](https://twitch.tv/outfrost) right now :)
Kaleido
29. Apr 2021 · 00:50 UTC
Nice sprites! I found it confusing to understand the goal/context of the game, and what could/could not be interacted with. It would be helpful if the environment can indicate what can be picked up/chopped. E.g. I was stuck in the first area for quite a while until I found a bush that I could cut. But one next to it that looked identical could not be cut. Those expectations are important to set up.

The music was great, and again, loved the aesthetic.

Congrats!
BoxedMeatRevolution
02. May 2021 · 17:48 UTC
Cool soundtrack and eye-catching pixel art! Lots of walking (almost too much :laughing:) in this game. I would love to see a teleportation system or minimap, just to make the walking a bit more bearable.
Re-Lo
02. May 2021 · 18:10 UTC
I liked the game a lot, the music was nice, the graphic and the general mood of the game are well achieved. I found a bit confusing to start playing in the begining, the crafting system and the objective of the game. Overall nice game and pretty nice mechanic.
filgru
02. May 2021 · 22:37 UTC
I really like art style in this one. Very nice atmospheric melody in the background! I'm keep having some difficulties finding new stuff to have them researched:) and you need to walk and walk and... walk even more until you get lost! :) Maybe some sort of mini map would be a nice addition? Anyway, great work!
LDJam user 156819
02. May 2021 · 23:51 UTC
Thanks everyone, we really appreciate your feedback! It's really valuable, especially as a source for learning, but also because we want to finish the game post-LD :)

We definitely want to make it clearer when something happens in game and how the mechanics work, so we'll be working on that. Visual hints and sound effects will likely see improvement too, as we have a few unused ideas and SFX lying around.

A common bit of feedback is that it tends to take a long time to get places. We've seen a bunch of ideas for how to improve that, so thank you! Getting lost is kinda part of the 'exploration' experience, but obviously we don't want to make it boring :smile:

It's also an oversight on our part that there is no way to restore HP, other than getting slain by an enemy, which, coincidentally, is sometimes the most convenient way to return to camp :smile: It could've been as simple as regenerating health while at the camp, so we'll make sure to patch up that gap.

Look out for new updates on **[itch.io](https://outfrost.itch.io/planet-ld48b)** and in LDJAM blog posts!
ColeSlaughter
03. May 2021 · 02:32 UTC
[Thanks for submitting your game to the stream!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1007626304?t=06h24m45s)

This was clearly a super ambitious project, and I'm honestly floored at how much you all were able to pack into such a short period of time. I plan to play y'all's post-jam version the next time I get the chance, and given what you guys were telling me you updated, it sounds like it will be one hell of a game once I get to it. :thumbsup:

Godspeed, you talented people!
Villanelle
03. May 2021 · 07:09 UTC
Beautiful game! I saw it on someone's stream tonight and left it here for some time I could play it. Well, there's nothing bad to say really, just a few things to improve imo. The graphics are, for me, the strongest part of the game. The gameplay is somehow not very intuitive and there are a lot of controls for the player to learn. Also, I experienced some bugs with the animations. When you try to attack and move at the same time the animation sometimes freezed. Nevertheless, great entry! Congrats to all the devs.
Holtzzy223
03. May 2021 · 13:32 UTC
a bit frustrating, didnt really get how to progress. though it looks and sounds amazing and feels nice to play.
YuriKun
03. May 2021 · 23:51 UTC
I liked the the story, art and music, but I got lost in the florest. A map would be a good implementation to the game. Congratulations to developers.
LDJam user 156819
04. May 2021 · 23:54 UTC
Thank you for checking out our game folks :heart:
JUSTCAMH
09. May 2021 · 01:35 UTC
Hey team, I played Planet LD48B on stream, and really enjoyed it! Is there anything to see after the yellow enemies? It felt like I was missing something, but anyways, here's the vod if you wanna see what happened:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1015379431
LDJam user 2331
11. May 2021 · 03:15 UTC
Like others have pointed out, it was easy to feel lost in the game, but maybe that's okay in a game revolving exploration, and it just needs to be fleshed out in what you can do and interact with. :D I love the palette in the pixel art, and how you managed to get such vibrant colors to both work well together and also not distract from the rest of the game- great work! :)
LDJam user 156819
15. May 2021 · 00:44 UTC
Hey @justcamh, I had no idea you'd be playing on stream haha! And don't worry, I knew you were trolling me back for Pillars of Anguish :laughing:

There was supposed to be a "boss" kind of thing in the final area you discovered, but, guess what, we ran out of time x) Thank you for the insight from your stream, it's given me extra thoughts on how to improve things :)

Thank you for playing too, @meep! Really appreciate the feedback :heart:
ChrisAP
17. May 2021 · 01:32 UTC
I enjoyed the game quite a bit! The music is calming and energizing when fighting enemies. The art style is super cute and appealing. I really enjoyed the game loop finding the different types of flower orbs to proceed to the next section! Congrats on a successful game jam! <3
udo
18. May 2021 · 17:58 UTC
Saw this on HonestDan's stream, it's simply amazing what a good team can accomplish over a weekend :open_mouth: Especially good job on the art, well done!
Shakedimus
18. May 2021 · 19:20 UTC
This game looked and felt very good , the sound also added something to the exploration feel. It was a bit unclear though what to do, I understood I had to collect thing but the level was quit mazey. A running button might help to traverse it faster. And there were a lot of things that looked like I could pick them u or hit them but I couldn't. This made it a bit frustrating to find what to do. It would be nicer if you can see at once if you found something you could use by making it glow a bit or something like that. Also I made something but then Q and E did nothing even though it was at the bottom of the screen. This big world also felt a bit empty, I only found a cuple of different types of lfowers and no other travellers. Overall a very solid entry in look and feel but it's missing some content.