Grow a Tree Roguelike by hd_

made by hd_ for LD34 (COMPO)

Summary:
You are given a randomly generated plot of land to plant a seed, then start growing a tree. You must carefully choose to place the randomly chosen card or skip the turn, and slowly grow the largest tree you can !

Note, you will lose the game if the nutrients or energy falls to -20 !

Controls:
Left Mouse Button: Place the card on the board.
Right Mouse Button: Skip a turn and draw a new card.
Mouse Move: You can move the camera around the board area.

Web	http://gamejolt.com/games/grow-a-tree-roguelike/113626
Windows	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B83zr3gcPS2mdDF4dUxiOG5HT0U
Source	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B83zr3gcPS2mdDF4dUxiOG5HT0U
Original URL	https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=35511

Ratings

Coolness	57%	3
Overall	3.33	401

Audio	2.82	393
Fun	3.20	446
Graphics	3.07	490
Innovation	3.57	234
Theme	3.93	311

Feedback

Piepenguin1995

14. Dec 2015 · 03:39 UTC

I like this! I don't think I'd quite call it a roguelike since the similarities stop at randomness and permadeath, but it's a fun concept! Unfortunately I run out of energy very quickly almost every time I play since there seem to be far more cards using it up than producing it, and a stable system doesn't seem to last so waiting isn't a very viable strategy.
I think I'm just bad though.

IanGraven

14. Dec 2015 · 05:02 UTC

I couldn't figure out how to not die in the first 30 seconds of play. It seems like an awesome concept, but I wish it was more clear how to start

PowerSpark

14. Dec 2015 · 05:02 UTC

I enjoyed this idea. I think the card based idea is unique and strategic, but there needs to be more energy increasing cards, perhaps.

zatch

14. Dec 2015 · 05:07 UTC

I was confused at first, but once I figured out how to get a solid start, everything went well. I didn't ever figure out what to do with fruit, though. It was a very neat toy for a little while. Some sort of variety or objective might increase replay value!

Membrane

14. Dec 2015 · 05:24 UTC

Cool idea, I had a hard time getting started though.

🎤 hd_

14. Dec 2015 · 07:05 UTC

Hey all, thanks for trying it out ! There is definitely room for improvement in terms of explanation and mid to late game variety and challenge.

Currently the fruit doesn't do anything other than look pretty.

To give some tips, soil with blue dots give bonus water. Sky with yellow dots give bonus light. Try avoid soil with grey (less nutrient return) and soil with purple crosses are poisoned.

Catblocker

14. Dec 2015 · 07:55 UTC

Felt a little bit to random :I

John Drury

14. Dec 2015 · 08:00 UTC

Very interesting concept! Can see this being on mobile or tabletop!

ncannasse

14. Dec 2015 · 08:00 UTC

Pretty funny game :) I played much more than I was expecting at first, growing a nice tree. Always short on water though.

Geti

14. Dec 2015 · 08:05 UTC

Was fun, but i felt too "random" - if you got a tree up in the first few turns, great, if not, start again. If you keep rolling fruit and leaves only you're in trouble :) Once you get a stable one going it seems interesting enough though.

Blake_Lead

14. Dec 2015 · 08:10 UTC

Really fun ! That's the kind of games I like, even if I couldn't grow over 10.

Gyfis

14. Dec 2015 · 08:15 UTC

Great game! A nice little strategy, pretty difficult to balance the actions... With some additional features, it could be a fun little thing to pass time repeatedly :)

Evgenii Petrov

14. Dec 2015 · 09:56 UTC

Great idea (i actually want to build large tree here! =) ), but learning/difficulty curve (i.e. energy management) could have been a bit less steep.

joekinglake

14. Dec 2015 · 20:18 UTC

Neat little game, had to figure to out what to do for a few rounds. Cool concept!

Jupiter_Hadley

15. Dec 2015 · 22:20 UTC

Really cool concept, but I couldn't get a seed on my second play. I included it in my Ludum Dare 34 compilation video series, if you’d like to check it out :) https://youtu.be/BarqoQ2BpLQ

Headmade

15. Dec 2015 · 23:20 UTC

Very interesting concept but I just couldn't get started. Always ran out of energy :(
It was completely unclear to me which tile does what.

🎤 hd_

16. Dec 2015 · 03:07 UTC

@Jupiter_Hadley Thanks for trying it out ! It does always start with the seed, but I think you skipped it -- I should have thought of that :o I have updated it so it can't be skipped.

cudabear

18. Dec 2015 · 17:34 UTC

This is a very unique game! I loved the card system, though I wish you could save cards rather than having to pass them by. With some balancing, I think it could be even better. Well done!

CheesyRamen

22. Dec 2015 · 17:41 UTC

Really neat idea! It took a while to get the hang of everything, but this can be something really interesting if you continue working on it! :)

f7f5

23. Dec 2015 · 14:59 UTC

Really cool. I just had to keep playing until I got the hang of the mechanics. Would love to see this expanded into a full game.