Sublunker by Fuzzy Lobster

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

Pilot a submarine and get lost in an underwater cave. Use your sonar and spotlight to scout out ahead, but beware, some animals might not appreciate being disturbed.

sonar.gif

Post Jam fixes: - made enemies a little more likely to leave you alone - made glow a little brighter - fixed UI alignment - added Zoom to Controls page - fixed bug where enemies would swim past the player - fixed lighting bug that was making everything transparent - fixed graphical issue with water - fixed AI bugs - made player start upright, so the controls should hopefully make a little bit more sense when just starting

Ratings

Overall 746th 3.614⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Fun 941th 3.326⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 928th 3.196⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Theme 162th 4.217⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 661th 3.875⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Audio 350th 3.783⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1154th 2.368⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Mood 387th 3.909⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Given 52🗳️ 34🗨️

Feedback

AbigailCorfman
27. Apr 2021 · 01:18 UTC
Hey. I wanted to play this game, but when I tried to run it on my laptop it was so slow as to be unplayable.
Cole Hutson
27. Apr 2021 · 01:26 UTC
The music is kinda buggy! It stutters alot. I don't understand the controls but I managed! Not bad!
JaeLiinah
27. Apr 2021 · 01:33 UTC
Very nice, it took me a sec (and a death) to realize that the controls such as the throttle and buoyancy toggled with each press of the button instead of needed to be held down, but once I figured that it it was a charming little game. My only issue is a lot of audio popping, which could entirely be on my end, and some of the obstacles I believed to be background objects until I smacked face-first into them. Otherwise its a fun little thing!
UncleUrgot
27. Apr 2021 · 01:39 UTC
Really cool game! Absolutely loved the art and music. Really nailed the mood of deep sea diving.
The lighting and sonar were a ton of fun to play around with. And while I never really got the hang of the controls, I still enjoyed piloting the sub. Those little piranha boys can fuck off, though.
AFlatThrasher
27. Apr 2021 · 01:52 UTC
I really enjoyed this. Very chill, atmospheric game. It took a bit to figure out (it didn't help that the large resolution made it so that I couldn't see some of the text until I managed to get it docked to my screen). Controls were a bit awkward, but in a way that worked and made it seem sub-like. Sharks are jerks and won't leave me alone, but such is the life of a submarine captain, I guess.
cannashblue
27. Apr 2021 · 18:25 UTC
The controls are a bit difficult, but I like them. Very interesting and fun once you get the hang of it, and it adds to the feeling of piloting a sub. I didn't experience any of the performance issue mentioned in the comments here. All worked great and looked great! I like the music too and sound effects. Thanks for making it!
🎤 Fuzzy Lobster
28. Apr 2021 · 01:44 UTC
@cannashblue Thanks! that means a lot. I feel like we could've done a better job teaching the controls and mechanics in-game
buckmeister
28. Apr 2021 · 11:48 UTC
Controls felt a bit odd at first but I got used to them after a while. Theme is spot-on, visuals and audio also. Liked the concept a lot, Kudos!
David U
28. Apr 2021 · 14:14 UTC
Looks just like a regular submarine game, but I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of it. The controls are challenging to master, but rewarding once you do. The music and sonar sounds really help give it a relaxing atmosphere while you explore deeper and deeper.
IllaBom
29. Apr 2021 · 02:51 UTC
The art style is amazing, the music and sound is amazing very atmospheric. The one thing that really annoyed me were the controls, really awful but I guess that's the point. It would be 10/10
Harrison Dunn
29. Apr 2021 · 14:45 UTC
The controls on this didn't make sense and seemed unresponsive. I'm not sure what I was supposed to be doing other than "going deeper" because of the jam theme. I got caught on edges and stuck with sharks a lot and ended up dying quickly. The presentation was nice and clean though which is always appreciated. Well done!
tengusheath
03. May 2021 · 05:40 UTC
Found the controls difficult and confusing
zoarfy
04. May 2021 · 23:34 UTC
Hi I just played your game a bunch and really enjoyed it. You nailed the mood, and the way lighting works. I personally felt the controls to be fine - though I could see how it could be confusing. One thing I did struggle with was avoiding the sea creatures. It felt like as soon as one spotted me the only way to disengage was to run, but I would just run into another enemy haha. I think it would benefit from a stun on a cooldown, to make it a bit more forgiving if you run into an enemy by accident.

When I wasn't being killed though it was super relaxing, and a wonderful package altogether. The sonar was also fantastically implemented, so well done on that!

Thanks for the game, I enjoyed it - congrats on finishing!
🎤 Fuzzy Lobster
05. May 2021 · 16:36 UTC
@zoarfy Thanks for the valuable feedback! It means a lot.

I've been spending some time thinking about the controls, and a couple days ago I decided it would be a good idea to start the player facing upright, so that controls on the keyboard are aligned with the way the submarine is oriented. (It controls like a rocket ship, when you think about it)

I agree that the sea creatures can be very unforgiving right now. It doesn't feel very fair to the player right now. Hopefully in a post-jam version we can figure out a way to add more options to the player.

Very happy you liked it! I will check out your game!