Being a Kraken by struffy

made by struffy for LD33 (COMPO)

You are a Kraken. Battle with Ironclads using your mass and kinetic energy.

Game rigid body physics are simulated with buoyancy.

Ships are buoyant if a third of the hull is submerged. The Kraken is neutrally buoyant so you can travel through three dimensions.

Surface to attract the enemy AI to that position, but close by depth charges will kill.

Attack from below.

Unique features:

. Kraken is controlled by [world] yaw and [local] pitch. The roll axis self-rights allowing for easy control.

. Buoyancy is really modelled. Ships take on water when tipped and sink.

. Depth charges enter the water and really slow - just like real ones.

. Not made in Unity - but opening up game framework to the community.

See it on YouTube (here shown with the sea fixed). Original version downloadable at link below - as well as a new Oculus 0.44 compatible version.

YouTube - https://youtu.be/AqN-xPkA6nc

Blog Post here about the dev - http://ludumdare.com/compo/author/struffy/

Written for Windows 10 using OpenGL and supports Xbox controllers.

Use "beingakraken.zip" for the Comp edition game on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Let me know if there are any issues.

Controls:

Cursor keys (yaw left and right / dive and surface).
W/A/S/D - forward / strafe and backward

Windows	https://www.dropbox.com/s/3esa4rve57xnvn7/beingakraken.zip?dl=0
Source	https://www.dropbox.com/sh/olhdbo55j53zkr5/AACZEFw83Uq7HxiI2jUtFxH_a?dl=0
Original URL	https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=2600

Ratings

Coolness	56%	3
Overall	2.74	774

Audio	2.38	588
Fun	2.57	760
Graphics	2.55	727
Humor	2.19	693
Innovation	3.17	363
Mood	2.75	611
Theme	3.19	598

Feedback

tomdeal

26. Aug 2015 · 20:23 UTC

I like the idea (I made a similar game with a 2D topdown perspective), but I did not manage to sink any ship. And it was a bit hard to tell if I was under or over the sea.

NIGIC

26. Aug 2015 · 23:02 UTC

Pretty neat experimental game. Though it seemed to act pretty weird with Win7; had to close it through the task manager with only keyboard inputs available.

I somehow got stuck on top of a ship for a while. I think. Eventually managed to wiggle my way out.

Otherwise it was enjoyable.

Good job!

superfluous

27. Aug 2015 · 00:47 UTC

This looks really neat, but I wasn't able to try it because there wasn't a non-windows version

🎤 struffy

27. Aug 2015 · 18:51 UTC

Thanks all for trying it out.

tomdeal> played yours as well :). if you've any suggestions about indicating underwater i'm in. caustics / fish. I've published a new version with revised lighting that may help - saved different as the comp.

NIGIC> ive not managed that. haha. Made me think a tanker or something large where you can achieve that might be good!. I've also added a close by F4.

superfluous. currently porting to Mac OSX. Sorry don't have a version of Linux installed anywhere. but thanks for your kind comment!

farnsworth2

27. Aug 2015 · 19:27 UTC

I found the easiest way is to run to the bottom and wait. The ships swarm at your last known location, run into each other, and eventually you just have to sink the last one. The lack of a horizon made it very very hard to orientate yourself, especially after a collision. The water graphic seemed strange and made it appear like I was moving in directions that I was not. Over all sense of motion was really hard to establish, and I felt like I was floating around uncontrollable at times (even though it was just a trick of the visuals, I was probably stationary).

Very impressed that something like this wasn't made in unity though! It takes a lot of work to build a game engine and make it function well.

🎤 struffy

27. Aug 2015 · 20:39 UTC

Hi farnsworth2. Yes, you were stationary. I realised that after two hours on CPU water I must move on. Does need work on the horizon. Needs to use procedural water in a centre area and then stretch to the horizon using a plane quads - something like clipmaps.

HeyZeus

27. Aug 2015 · 21:04 UTC

Awesome, love the idea.

raducumiczzz

28. Aug 2015 · 00:43 UTC

Nice idea, need a little more work on some parts. I get the idea. Suits the theme very well, and who doesn't love being the kraken. Congratulations!

A Flat Miner Studios

03. Sep 2015 · 15:45 UTC

Was very confusing and is hard to tell where you are/where you are going. Very neat idea though and the buoyancy, etc. were very well done. Just needs a little more feedback to the user.

🎤 struffy

03. Sep 2015 · 17:54 UTC

Thanks Flat Miner - yeah it was a case of not enough time - if you're interested try the latest and let me know what you think of the improved water - and change between submersed and floating. Suggestions welcome!

crafteverywhere

03. Sep 2015 · 18:12 UTC

I will try it when it has been ported to windows. My team's game is also about a kraken.

nihilaleph

04. Sep 2015 · 01:11 UTC

Tried to run but had this weird render: http://imgur.com/o2Mz72x

I'm running on windows 10 and couldn't find beingakraken_win10_no_x_input31.zip mentioned in the missing dlls txt

Jelinib

04. Sep 2015 · 02:59 UTC

Of the post-comp builds, the non-Oculus version crashes for me whenever a ship fires. However, the Oculus version works fine (even though I don't have an Oculus Rift).

I tend to get a little disoriented whenever I hit a ship, but in some cases it also helps me to feel like I've flipped upside down and am pulling the ship down with me.

This game totally needs tentacles... I was kinda hoping I could lash out from underwater and grab the ships, haha! But bumping into them works too, especially with such limited time! Nice job. :)

🎤 struffy

04. Sep 2015 · 15:52 UTC

Hey Jelinib - Thanks for the feedback. I'll sort that asap.

Tentacles are coming next - I want to allow a stealthy attack where you can take sailors off the bridge with tentacles so that ship isn't then alerted to your presence!

Suggestions welcome for how you would control the tentacles - or even if you need to control them!

pixzleone

05. Sep 2015 · 13:59 UTC

Cool idea, but a bit hard to know whats up and whats down as mentioned earlier.
Good job!

PurpleApes

08. Sep 2015 · 18:56 UTC

Nice game. Frontal attack works just fine :P

CiderPunk

09. Sep 2015 · 11:21 UTC

very cool! my one complaint was the sea floor didn't move when I did so it didn't feel like there was any motion when you didn't have a ship in view for reference