Ocean Diver by Soul Grinder

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

Take your boat and dive into the ocean in search for pearls and treasures. Trade pearls at the Shop of the Docks to upgrade your Dive Suit, which will increase the Oxygen timer, plus also increase your swim speed, enabling you to swim deeper and deeper each dive.

Collect all 8 Treasures to complete the game. A diving grade will be issued after the game is over on the results screen.

OceanDIverScreen3.png OceanDIverScreen2.png

Ratings

Overall 547th 3.741⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Fun 885th 3.37⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1194th 3.019⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Theme 57th 4.389⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1023th 3.593⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Audio 496th 3.64⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Humor 953th 2.619⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Mood 394th 3.904⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Given 23🗳️ 31🗨️

Feedback

zyrjello
26. Apr 2021 · 16:04 UTC
Cute, atmospheric game. Solid gameplay loop. I especially like the sound design.
Eric Smith
26. Apr 2021 · 16:57 UTC
Great game! I really could feel the anxiety of getting deeper with my limited oxygen. I had Dive Suit 4 and when you go back to the store it always says its Dive Suit 1 instead of what it really is. Good job! :clap:
🎤 Soul Grinder
26. Apr 2021 · 18:37 UTC
Thanks for kind feedbacks and Eric for spotting that, the Dive Suit should display it's correct lvl when you return to the shop now.
chesschaser
26. Apr 2021 · 19:43 UTC
good game. however, when you first dive in you swim a bit too slow. Nice work though!
almgru
26. Apr 2021 · 20:06 UTC
Fun and relaxing game! I especially liked the cute pixel art and I think it made a good job of conveying just how big and deep the ocean is.

Some suggestions if you plan to keep working on the game:

- When you've gotten a few upgrades, it takes a long time to get back up after diving. Maybe an upgrade to increase you diving speed could help.
- It can be difficult to remember how far out to sea you where during your last trip. Maybe a indicator ,like a buoy or some landmarks, like mountains in the distance, to help you remember where you where.

Great work!
🎤 Soul Grinder
27. Apr 2021 · 06:08 UTC
Thanks for feedback. Yes I'm planning to add features to the game once voting is over, thanks for suggestions.
ColeSlaughter
27. Apr 2021 · 22:05 UTC
The audio on this one is top-notch. :ok_hand: I dig the underwater ambiance. Overall the game is very relaxing. :slight_smile:

I do think that the map is maybe a liiiiiiittle too wide though? Going back and forth took a lot of time, and I felt like I had experienced everything in the game after the first treasure or two. I don't fault the game for that though, given the time constraints.

I can definitely see this expanded in the future!! Looking forward to see where you take this.
Aerolink
06. May 2021 · 09:14 UTC
Very cool little game. As some have said going back and forth is a little bit boring when you have a lot of distance to travel to only dive for a short time (well it is realistic at least), maybe have an upgrade on the boat speed? Also sorry but I broke the game...![ckc.PNG](///raw/2fd/e2/z/42379.png)
🎤 Soul Grinder
07. May 2021 · 13:58 UTC
@aerolink Nice bug find, not sure how you managed to sky dive but will look into to preventing this ability lol. Yes I agree it needs a lot more adding to it but I worked on this alone and there wasn't enough time to include everything at once, but I've been working on adding lots more features and changes to this game to give it more variety and also add more interesting travel options to shorten the long travel distance parts of the game. Thanks for feedback
masterkrepta
08. May 2021 · 00:27 UTC
The atomspherics are spot on and impressive for a game jam. I loved the way the background got darker and darker the deeper you got. I didnt find all the treasures on the map but Is there a way to get more oxygen while underwater anywhere? I think the need to keep going back for air is the only feature that felt somewhat tedious.
nosfer
08. May 2021 · 18:20 UTC
Super atmosphere and feel of the game, especially the music. I missed the alternative underwater music a bit, but maybe because of my memories of Traps'n'Treasures on Amiga. And as the rest already mentioned, it would be useful to upgrade the swimming speed, because the returns are getting longer and longer.
🎤 Soul Grinder
09. May 2021 · 18:38 UTC
(@masterkrepta) Thanks for playing and the feedback, no not with this version but I'm working on more features to add after the voting ends. I've just got a treasure detector working to help players to find treasure easier, squashed a few bugs, and planning on having underwater cave pockets to refill oxygen at a few locations. Also working on travel options to shorten the long travel distance parts of the game.

(@nosfer) Ah yes that was a good Amiga game . Yes you can upgrade your swim speed by upgrading your diving suit, which also increases your oxygen tank, but these will be separate shop options eventually. I'm also going to add the ability to use oxygen as a thruster after the voting ends, might also help shorten long journeys to make it more interesting. Thanks for feedback
asfdfdfd
09. May 2021 · 20:32 UTC
Love how this game have a meditation feel. Nice entry!
polkoii
09. May 2021 · 22:00 UTC
A really relaxing time! The music makes it very atmospheric and I like it how the ocean goes from one ear to the next. The grades at the end was a nice touch!

I wish there was something to do besides just swim to the bottom because over time the game becomes very repetitive and takes a long time to get to the shop again. Maybe having the shop at the boat would alleviate some of the wait but overall, a pretty solid title!
Francisco Lucas
10. May 2021 · 00:23 UTC
At first I thought it was cool and relaxing to play, but over time it got repetitive. I think 5 treasures would be enough. But I liked to play, I got 45 pearls and S grade. Good job and I hope to see more games of you in the future! I invite you to play our game too :)
digital bacon
10. May 2021 · 10:43 UTC
Nice game. I liked the graphics and the soothing ocean sounds; easy controls and straightforward gameplay. A good entry!
dingdingding
13. May 2021 · 22:17 UTC
Cute little game!! Very calming and easily enjoyable. The sounds felt very balanced and created a nice atmosphere. :)
rgb-games
14. May 2021 · 20:53 UTC
very nice stuff. Had a lot o fun. The water effect is very nice.
DoctaDragon
17. May 2021 · 20:24 UTC
Really enjoyed the audio, it creates a really cool atmosphere when it comes to being underwater
Aprioriface
17. May 2021 · 20:47 UTC
The best game I've ever played on this jam! It has an easy-to-understand concept so you can start playing right away. Because of the amazing music, sometimes I didn't even want to dive. I just wanted to listen to this beautiful melody. Sometimes when there was not a single fish nearby, it seemed that the ascent rate was very low. And then it even became scary that oxygen would run out before the diver floated up. The only thing I would add to the game is the vehicle position indicator. Several times after the dive, I had to search for my ship on the surface for a long time. And also there was not enough inertia of movements under water. Nevertheless, I did not regret my time and found all 8 treasures, and then restarted the game and sent the ship on an endless voyage. What if an Easter egg is hidden there in the form of a desert island?)) But I did not swim further than 20,000 yards ((