Goober Bros. by pvg

made by pvg for Ludum Dare 48 (COMPO)

About the game

Goober Bros. is a two-player arcade game in the classic cabinet style--no quarters required.

Get points by stunning and stomping enemies or by collecting diamonds.

Game controllers are recommended. You can also play by sharing a keyboard (US layout). An HTML5 build is available, but you will likely get better performance from one of the native builds.

Tech notes

The game was developed using Godot Engine. Tiles were drawn in GIMP and characters in Piskel. Music was composed using LMMS, and SFX were made with the sfxr plugin for LMMS and then touched up in Audacity.

Updates

I released version 1.0.1, which properly seeds the random number generator so that you get different maps each time you play. You can still download the original 1.0.0 version if you prefer.

Link	https://github.com/doctor-g/LD48
Link	https://doctor-g.github.io/LD48/
Link	https://github.com/doctor-g/LD48/releases/download/v1.0.1/goober_bros.exe
Link	https://github.com/doctor-g/LD48/releases/download/v1.0.1/goober_bros.x86_64
Original URL	https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/goober-bros

Ratings

Overall	640^th	3.184⭐	21🧑‍⚖️
Fun	491^th	3.263⭐	21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation	746^th	2.658⭐	21🧑‍⚖️
Theme	611^th	3.316⭐	21🧑‍⚖️
Graphics	713^th	2.895⭐	21🧑‍⚖️
Audio	474^th	3.079⭐	21🧑‍⚖️
Humor	196^th	3.211⭐	21🧑‍⚖️
Mood	567^th	3.056⭐	20🧑‍⚖️
Given		10🗳️	11🗨️

Feedback

mDuo13

26. Apr 2021 · 02:17 UTC

I don't remember Mr. Driller being a VS game! I don't know about starting the players facing each other where they can shoot each other to start the match, though.

Did you know you can keep shooting the bad blobs to keep them in their death animation indefinitely? Poor guys.

lokt02

26. Apr 2021 · 08:19 UTC

Oh no! I should have friends to play this(

🎤 pvg

26. Apr 2021 · 11:29 UTC

@mduo13 I did not think to try shooting ones who were dying :) We can call it a hidden feature for people who really hate blobs.

Also, for what it's worth, here's my logic in having the players start by facing each other. New players will want to explore the controls, so maybe they just start moving around, and that's fine. Others might want to try shooting to see what happens. Players who get shot are stunned, just like the blobs are. There's enough time to dodge out of the way of the shot if someone wants to, but otherwise, I hoped it would provide a fun, light introduction to the core gameplay. (A more aggressive player might just immediately go after those gems...)

iorena

26. Apr 2021 · 12:13 UTC

Love the title screen & style, very evocative of nostalgic games. Map randomization was often unfair for one player!

mdotedot

26. Apr 2021 · 12:33 UTC

This is sooooo good. I really need some friends. Great graphics, mood and fun.

🎤 pvg

26. Apr 2021 · 14:19 UTC

@iorena Yes, that's true. Finding a more balanced solution was on my radar, but not in scope.

Ack, I just realized that the level sequence is not randomized. That's a one-line change in a script that slipped my mind. I think the compo allows for this kind of patch? I'll have to check the rules later.

🎤 pvg

26. Apr 2021 · 14:21 UTC

@mdotedot Thanks! I watched several videos of Dig Dug, Bubble Bobble, and similar games to try to get the right groove. My pixel art skills are not up to snuff, of course, but I did try to capture the aesthetic as best I could in the timeframe.

Timbertoes

27. Apr 2021 · 20:05 UTC

Great little entry! You don't see enough multiplayer games on LD, so this was great to see. Reminds me of old 2 player DOS games and old couch co-op games. The sound effects were cute and fitting. Well executed and by all accounts a complete game made in 48 hours! Well done. :)

Dom De Re

29. Apr 2021 · 04:32 UTC

This was a pretty shiny classic arcade experience, I didn't get to try it coop, I'll have to find someone

ubershmekel

29. Apr 2021 · 04:42 UTC

The characters were cute, and this might've been more fun if I had an extra person here with me. I thought for a moment that this was a co-op digger game. It could have been fun to have a few more levels. But it did give me a nice nostalgic digger vibe, so thank you for the game.

🎤 pvg

29. Apr 2021 · 12:40 UTC

Thanks @ubershmekel! Clearly, I don't draw so well, but I had fun trying to capture a fun shape for the characters.

I was working on another kind of an enemy--one with a projectile attack--when I realized I just didn't have time to pull it together. Alas, the blessing and curse of the time limit!

@dom-de-re Thanks! I'm glad you (and uber above) both enjoyed the retro feel. Some days, in my memory, I can still smell the arcades.

LDJam user 239493

29. Apr 2021 · 20:59 UTC

Cool music and interesting 2-players 1-keyboard setup. I'm not sure if it's intentional that both players die if they run into each other, but it's definitely funny either way lol

ElSombrero

14. May 2021 · 04:17 UTC

Chara design is so funny😂like it
GOOD JOB dude

candlesan

15. May 2021 · 06:43 UTC

Cool - always neat to be able to make a 2 player game. Reminds me of playing Digdug back in the 80s!

TheJohnyFeeD

15. May 2021 · 07:48 UTC

Unfortunately, I don't have a friend to play with, but I still had fun trying to control both characters myself :"D

🎤 pvg

27. Sep 2021 · 14:39 UTC

Sorry for not responding earlier--away from LDJam between jams--but @candlesan definitely nailed it. I referenced _Dig Dug_ screen size and gameplay to pull this together.