LudumData

Todd the Caver by Sam Bigos

[raw]
made by Sam Bigos for Ludum Dare 48 (COMPO)

Todd the Caver is a sadistic ragdoll platformer. Explore deep into an abandoned caving system and uncover the secrets within!

You will control Todd with each limb individually, using the mouse to fling yourself around with disregard for poor Todd's wellbeing.

PS. There is a pay-off at the end if you manage to make it through!

Update: I have made a post-submission update (applied to the HTML5 build) which decreases the difficulty of a single section after the intermediate sign. I did this because nobody was able to get past this section (typical case of the developer being too good at his own game). The original Win64 build (v1.0) is still there if you want to rate that instead.

I also fixed a bug that caused the player to fly around randomly.

gif-small.gif

Controls

  • [Q] [E] - Left and right arm respectively.
  • [A] [D] - Left and right leg respectively.
  • [LeftButton] - Grab a touched surface with the currently selected limb.
  • [Mouse] - With a surface grabbed, move the mouse to fling yourself around.
  • [R] - Reset from the last checkpoint (sign).
  • [F] - Toggle display modes in the Win64 version (small window, large window, fullscreen)

ss1.png

ss3.png

ss4.png

Link https://github.com/samuelbigos/todd_the_caver
Link https://sambigos.itch.io/todd-the-caver
Link https://sambigos.itch.io/todd-the-caver
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/todd-the-caver

Ratings

Overall 127th 3.886⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Fun 162th 3.795⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 192th 3.705⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Theme 109th 4.114⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 104th 4.091⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Audio 194th 3.619⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Humor 61th 3.786⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Mood 90th 3.955⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Given 16🗳️ 17🗨️

Feedback

liammasters
26. Apr 2021 · 01:15 UTC
Very fun and silly game, it was hilarious wiggling my floppy limbs around to get around the obstacles. The music and art are also very good. Only criticism is that the restart button is too close to the controls, I kept hitting it accidentally!
impbox
26. Apr 2021 · 09:38 UTC
Looks amazing, love the shadows and cave vibes. The controls are super confusing yet hilarious. I wish they were a bit more reliable, I love the idea of a caving game, having to squish my body awkwardly through tight spaces, but this felt far too chaotic and silly. But it is entertaining for a bit. But I couldn't figure out how to actually achieve anything useful with my limbs. Also I think there was a bug where I'd fly up/get pulled in to the air sometimes. Really cool idea worth pushing further I think if you can get the controls tight and reliable. Some SFX when you grab/release would be good.
squimmy
26. Apr 2021 · 09:47 UTC
I really enjoyed this game! The sound and visuals were simple but atmospheric, and the controls were challenging, but not frustrating. I ran into a bug a couple of times where gravity seemed to go sideways, but resetting to the last checkpoint fixed it, so it didn't have too much impact on my enjoyment.
🎤 Sam Bigos
26. Apr 2021 · 10:31 UTC
@impbox @squimmy thanks for the feedback! Yes, there is a bug where something keeps applying force onto the player, it is quite rare and I haven't tracked it down :( Respawning fixes it though.
Ghost_Wave
26. Apr 2021 · 11:35 UTC
Woaw this is really impressive, everything is very on point: from art, to music, to gameplay. This is the best compo submission I've seen so far. Professional.
mdotedot
26. Apr 2021 · 11:36 UTC
Too hard on the controls. But i dig (!) the idea.
LDJam user 237913
26. Apr 2021 · 11:53 UTC
The mood on this is awesome. That first pothole frustrated me for a while, but I made it to the Intermediate path, I'm calling that a win! Thanks for making this!
azagaya
26. Apr 2021 · 15:17 UTC
Great game! Physics interaction is so well done. Movement mechanic is really funny!. I liked the art too, and the detail of the lights affecting the borders of the terrain.
Well done!
minibobbo
26. Apr 2021 · 16:04 UTC
The physics were wonky, but I guess that is the point :smile:

Well done on the entire presentation. I definitely couldn't get past the intermediate route. I wish that Todd was a little stronger.
Nazorus
26. Apr 2021 · 18:40 UTC
Okay I had a lot of fun with this one, the controls are wonky as hell but in a good way. It's pretty tough though, I wasn't able to get past the climb to the intermediate route unfortunately, I wish I could see the rest of the game.

Aesthetics are simple and efficient, I really like the "fluid-plain-pixelly" style and the music does a great job at setting the mood (too bad it stops after hitting R). I did get the bug where a force was constantly applied, but respawning fixes it. Great entry overall!
gramozilho
27. Apr 2021 · 09:04 UTC
Loved this one! Atmosphere is great and signs add a nice humorous touch. The grip on those feet is incredible!
🎤 Sam Bigos
27. Apr 2021 · 10:45 UTC
@nazorus @minibobbo @doc-kaos Thanks for the feedback. It is clear I made that pothole after the intermediate sign far too hard. I decided to go back and make it easier (v1.01 on Itch - and the HTML5 version). I hope that is within the LD rules, I really want people to be able to get past that point and see the rest of the game (that was probably the hardest part).

The original v1.0 is still available for Win64 and if you want to rate based on the this submission that is completely fine by me.
minibobbo
27. Apr 2021 · 11:51 UTC
@sam-bigos I got past that pothole! Then somehow Todd gained the superpower to fly.
![FlyingGuy.gif](///raw/b17/z/4081b.gif)

Now he follows my mouse flying through the caves :smile:
🎤 Sam Bigos
27. Apr 2021 · 12:57 UTC
@minibobbo :O Thanks for the clip! You can see it's a force being applied to the thigh causing it to lift up the player. I think I tracked down the problem piece of code and made a new build with a fix (I hope the gods of Ludum Dare don't punish me).
minibobbo
27. Apr 2021 · 14:18 UTC
Every freaking time!
![stuck.png](///raw/b17/z/40a22.png)
LDJam user 236935
27. Apr 2021 · 18:50 UTC
Wonky to play, but pretty fun. This is my "Lazy Somersault Simulator" of the year for 2021, for sure. Graphics are simple and appealing, and the music's pretty good. No real complaints here.
GeneralSturgeon
29. Apr 2021 · 17:58 UTC
Loved the concept! A tad too hard for my taste but lovely mood and graphics. Great work!
kristof
29. Apr 2021 · 19:20 UTC
I have to admit, I did not make it to the end. It was a bit too difficult for me. But I really like the idea! I am a big fan of the pixelated look you went for! Also the music was quite fitting. Very solid entry!
krexor
01. May 2021 · 08:58 UTC
I like the idea and artstyle. The grip for the hands and feet felt very good. I took some time to get used to the controls.

A good ludum dare game.
Vaanrile
01. May 2021 · 11:24 UTC
Really great game ! I liked the music/graphics a lot, and the gameplay is really enjoyable (I took way longer than expected to get used to it, then I switched to a QWERTY keyboard which then became way more intuitive to control, although quite hard).
Anyways, great job, I enjoyed playing through your game a lot !
RollCreators
01. May 2021 · 17:35 UTC
It's very fun game!)
Idea is really cool and original. Games with difficult conroler are intresting but are bored fast.
Good job.
cheesepencil
01. May 2021 · 20:48 UTC
awesome compo entry, it's very difficult but I did make it to the intermediate tunnel after some fussing around. Good score for innovation lol
MarkoPoloDev
08. May 2021 · 07:12 UTC
Very glad there was a reset button on hand, I accidentally jammed myself in here because I thought it was something I could interact with :laughing:
![Screenshot (3).png](///raw/988/e/z/42476.png)
I love the way the skulls and bones just get thrown everywhere every time I landed in a pile, it reminded me of jumping into a ball pit as a kid :thumbsup: Those bridge physics also made for a lot of fun. Definitely a neat art style as well, the way the vision cone fades out (and changes color at the end!) Nice work!