LudumData

The Probability of Meltdown Is Minimal by DarthBoseiju

[raw]
made by DarthBoseiju for Ludum Dare 49 (JAM)

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Mechanic 0542. We've had a little problem and we need your help. Nothing out the ordinary - I'm sure you've seen worse on sewer duty. The generator had a little problem and it needs a quick fix.

Management said you're small enough to fit in the tunnels and old enough that you can count past 10. I literally couldn't imagine someone better suited. Just pop on through, sort out that reactor and everything'll be just fine.

Oh, do watch out for the cleaning robots. They'll probably try and clean you if they have the chance, and we wouldn't want it impacting our safety rating.

Good luck!

Controls -

WASD to move

C or Ctrl to Crouch

Look at objects in environment to interact - if they're interactable, they will glow white, and left click to use.

Patch 1.1 - Fixed menu resolution bug if not in 1920 x 1080. (I think).

Patch 1.2 - Fixed character being too fat to fit into side panels to hide from cleaners.

Known Bugs - Occasionally cleaners ignore doors.

Game is nominally spooky - be aware!

Definitely a case of "Would've liked more time". I gave it a go, and whilst I think I achieved a lot in a small timeframe, I haven't captured the atmosphere as well as I'd have liked. Still, such is jam life!

Hope you enjoy - I think there are no major bugs left! It's just me on the team so I haven't had time to properly test it.

Link https://fattoadgames.itch.io/the-probability-of-meltdown-is-minimal
Link https://fattoadgames.itch.io/the-probability-of-meltdown-is-minimal
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/the-probability-of-meltdown-is-minimal

Ratings

Overall 708th 3.553⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1099th 3.085⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 972th 3.104⭐ 50🧑‍⚖️
Theme 873th 3.404⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 588th 3.781⭐ 50🧑‍⚖️
Mood 205th 3.968⭐ 49🧑‍⚖️
Given 40🗳️ 76🗨️

Feedback

G_Kobu
04. Oct 2021 · 19:46 UTC
it's intriguing, but I didn't understand where you can download the game.
🎤 DarthBoseiju
04. Oct 2021 · 19:52 UTC
Oh no! Is there no download link on the Itch page? I can see it on my pc. I'm currently doing the Mac and WebGL build, although I think the WEBGL might be too slow.
blacksheepza
04. Oct 2021 · 20:09 UTC
I love the atmosphere you created for the game and the sound design really adds to it! The sound the robot makes when it comes closer make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
The interactions are a bit finicky but that definitely adds to the tension of trying to take off some screws when the robot is closing in on you.

Well done on the great entry!
🎤 DarthBoseiju
04. Oct 2021 · 20:12 UTC
Cheers! That's basically exactly what I was going for :) Glad you enjoyed it!
Fiote
04. Oct 2021 · 20:19 UTC
Ok, I need help. WASD is control. Mouse its to look around. I can crawl with CTRL... but what else? How to interact with things? I'm stuck on the first room haha! Also, why does EVERYONE seems to like building games in fullscreen? and I the only one that like them windowed? lol
🎤 DarthBoseiju
04. Oct 2021 · 20:24 UTC
Hah I mostly didn't know how to change to it! And to do stuff - go to the door and look at the bolts on the box to the left hand side - they should highlight and that'll get you started :) I'll add something to the description once I hook up the quit button >.>
QueenOfSquiggles
04. Oct 2021 · 21:08 UTC
This is a pretty tense game. My two runs were total disasters because I didn't imagine a reasonable factory would need me to take screws off to get access. Once I figured that out all the little puzzles were a breeze. Maybe helping the player understand at the beginning how cheap the factory owners were with worker safety, or make it easier to notice the screws. Either way the mood was on point! Well done!
🎤 DarthBoseiju
04. Oct 2021 · 21:12 UTC
Yeah cheers! Unfortunately time got pulled very thin so tutorialisation fell by the wayside >.> Thanks for playing! I appreciate it.
Sploky
04. Oct 2021 · 21:37 UTC
Really good game, I don't know how you made this in 3 days.
curleysam
04. Oct 2021 · 21:53 UTC
Very atmospheric! I love the theme.
It had me spooked and made me jump a few times. 😂
Took me a minute to figure out what I was supposed to be doing but once I got going it had me gripped!
Really good effort to put this together in 3 days!
leon75
04. Oct 2021 · 22:26 UTC
Edited: Nevermind my previous issue, refreshing the page worked.
Quite fun! Beat it first try too. Enjoyable mechanics, even if it was the same mechanic, it was still fun to figure out where and what to press.
Salaen
05. Oct 2021 · 07:38 UTC
Liked the atmo and the style.

Was stuck in the first room until i looked in the comments. Maybe that needs to be communicated a little more obvious. Other than that. Very nice. Liked it
🎤 DarthBoseiju
05. Oct 2021 · 08:51 UTC
Thanks all - glad you enjoyed it! Communication definitely fell by the wayside towards the end. My code on day 3 was an absolute mess and I had to cut cut cut.
chesschaser
05. Oct 2021 · 09:22 UTC
Cool game! A great entry!
Binary Systems
05. Oct 2021 · 15:13 UTC
The removing-screws mechanic definitely needs to be explained a little clearer. I got stuck in the first room until I re-read the comments; I don't think I ever would have figured it out that the screws themselves are the interactable object since the hitboxes are so small. Maybe mousing over the access panels could give you an outline but only make jiggling noises when clicked to imply you need to find a way to free it? Or even a manual page with screw diagrams for the control box next to the screws.

Anyway that doesn't really matter too much because the mechanic is so good. You really hit it out of the park basing the game around a single task that lends itself to multiple immersive tasks so well. Great job!
🎤 DarthBoseiju
05. Oct 2021 · 15:17 UTC
@binary-systems thanks! again - definitely right. If I was doing it again I'd put a diagram on the wall to the left of the tunnel to make it clearer what you're meant to be doing. The original idea was that there'd be more puzzles, but then it turned out that making things is always longer than you want it to be. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Szkocka
05. Oct 2021 · 15:47 UTC
Hey, this game is unique horror(the drones are so scary ;O) like experience about not OSHA compliant workplace and I love every bit of it :D
Great Game ;D
🎤 DarthBoseiju
05. Oct 2021 · 15:50 UTC
@szkocka thanks Szkocka! I'm glad you liked it :)
UglySwedishFish
05. Oct 2021 · 16:52 UTC
Fantastic atmosphere! Only (minor) problem is I found the drone to be slightly too loud (when compared to the rest of the game) Other than that, great job!
🎤 DarthBoseiju
05. Oct 2021 · 16:55 UTC
@uglyswedishfish Thanks! I dig it - I had some issues sorting out the audio curves. It's why the fans are silent!
tubaDude99
05. Oct 2021 · 19:09 UTC
I love this game, what I played of it was pretty fun. The screws thing definitely needs to be more obvious, I had to come here and look at the comments to figure it out. I like the binary puzzles, although it'd be cool to maybe see a different kind of puzzle for each lock (different number systems, symbols, etc.). The bot noise started to hurt my ears after a little bit, and I had some kind of resolution problem (see screenshot), but other than that, great job!

![Untitled.png](///raw/19e/32/z/47287.png)
defectivemelon
06. Oct 2021 · 01:58 UTC
I hate those damn drones! But I like the game :) I do think you nailed the atmosphere, people have mentioned sound issues with the drones but I thought those were fine, my sound problem was the clock ticking noise, which was just a little loud and grating. Oh -- and excellent font choice!
Quite Good
06. Oct 2021 · 03:21 UTC
Really nice job on the atmosphere and the sense of panic that this game achieved. I am really impressed how much suspense could be built in a simple game. Sound design was cool and immersive, even if its a tad loud. The reactor theme was also a lot of fun/ horrifying (you gotta watch Chernobyl if you have not). Great work!
🎤 DarthBoseiju
06. Oct 2021 · 08:46 UTC
@defectivemelon thanks! the clock was meant to be an everpresent remninder but it definitely gets annoying - i discovered this whilst testing it was working but didn't have time to fix it! Glad you enjoyed it and liked the fonts! I'm a sucker for a nice sans.

@quite-good yeah I didn't have time to work in settings and adjust the audio. I'm glad you enjoyed it (and I haven't actually watched Chernobyl, even though I quote it at the beginning - it was something my brother mentioned that I thought worked with it)

@tubadude99 Yeah! Alas I ran out of time (a classic creep problem) cause I wasted a load of time making things I then had to cut. Cheers for the resolution issue - I think I've fixed it so will reupload that (i forgot to adjust the anchors, if you're familiar with Unity)
GameDev and Architecture
06. Oct 2021 · 15:40 UTC
I was surprised (in a good way) how abrupt the death can be. :laughing:
Good job making this game! I especially liked the atmosphere it gave!
triggthediscovery
06. Oct 2021 · 22:02 UTC
Really good entry, I was panicking so hard at first before I "got" it. I finished with 34 seconds on the clock and I swear I was gonna have a heart attack.
MarkVeligod
07. Oct 2021 · 07:19 UTC
The sound is amazing! great job!
🎤 DarthBoseiju
07. Oct 2021 · 14:12 UTC
@markveligod Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

@triggthediscovery Excellent! Thanks for playing!
Kiwi663
07. Oct 2021 · 15:59 UTC
Great job! Very nice graphic and mood.
terryg
07. Oct 2021 · 19:42 UTC
the game was fun but I feel like I needed more direction to get to the reactor as I spent most of the time doing rather aimless wandering.
🎤 DarthBoseiju
07. Oct 2021 · 21:18 UTC
@kiwi663 thanks for playing! glad you enjoyed it!

@terryg you're definitely right - I ended up cutting the map because I overcomplicated it and was trying to make it a digital thing that took a while to open, to add to stress - it just ended up taking too long!
cad
08. Oct 2021 · 21:14 UTC
Crisis averted! The mood for this game is on point, and it was smart to make the door puzzles randomized so that memorizing the level wasn't a possible win strategy. I found that the little side panels that I assume were meant for hiding from the cleaners didn't allow me to slide into them most of the time, which effectively made me ignore them.

Great job! Definitely hit the claustrophobia nail on the head...
xsangyhix
08. Oct 2021 · 21:20 UTC
For a one person team it definitely feels really polished. The audio was not overwhelming and no jumpscares : ). I would suggest guiding the player at the beginning that they can do something with the screws. I spent over 5 minutes thinking that the game is bugged because the door did not open.
🎤 DarthBoseiju
09. Oct 2021 · 08:47 UTC
@cad yes, you are correct, they are meant to be able to be hide in. I did not realise that you couldn't fit inside - I must have made the mesh too tight. I'll see if I can patch that this weekend - cheers for letting me know! Glad you enjoyed it.

@xsangyhix Thanks! And yeah the beginning is for sure waaaaay too obtuse. I'm glad you enjoyed it though! If I had more time I'd have put an instructional posted on the wall.
C0nt
09. Oct 2021 · 16:41 UTC
The game had great atmosphere thanks to level design and sound. This made the exploration and the puzzles rather enjoyable. If it weren't for the graphical glitches, I feel like I could've been truly immersed in this experience.
BrandonDev
09. Oct 2021 · 16:42 UTC
A really cool entry! The breaking down of components is a cool mechanic. One thing I would do is remove the switch panels from the doors that lead to walls. It was frustrating for me to spend my time opening a door only for it to lead to nothing. Another suggestion maybe would be to leave the front panel off the first switch box. I wasted a good amount of time my first time playing not knowing what to interact with. Having it open might make it more obvious that you are supposed to interact with it. All in all though I enjoyed it, could definitely be expanded into a full game. Great job!
Wassim
10. Oct 2021 · 20:34 UTC
I really like the gameplay and the quick reaction thing with the panels I was bit confused at first but I got the hang of it afterwards, Wish there were some more constructions otherwise it's a cool entry congrats on making it :smile:
🎤 DarthBoseiju
10. Oct 2021 · 21:18 UTC
@cad Just letting you know I fixed it. Turns out I'd accidentally left in a collider like a scrub. Again, appreciate you letting me now.

@c0nt Thanks for playing! What were the graphical glitches? Was it mesh clipping cause boy that caused me issues and is not easily fixable but if it's something else I might be able to fix it.

@brandondev Cheers brandon! This is another one of those "oh boy" moments - the puzzle locations are totally random and I didn't have time to properly seal off the ends (ergo why they've got weird solid walls with no textures). But you're for sure right.

@wassim thanks! I too wished I'd had more time to make more puzzles!
Konrad
11. Oct 2021 · 19:21 UTC
This is definitely a good execution (as well as setting) for a horror game. Your description is really funny but there could have been a bit more of a conspiracy in the story itself rather than just "The reactor is literally melting down right now, be fast". There is also more potential for playing with the fear of the unknown but right know the only dangers are of course the cleaning robots. The interactions/puzzles are nice and fitting and the highlighting visuals are really good. For the binary number puzzle I somehow never got numbers higher than 13 or so. Also, and this might be a little thing, but while the sound design as a whole is stellar, the beeping countdown sound is incredibly unpleasant and waaay too loud in the mix, it kinda destroyed my ears as soon as I started and there is no volume slider in the game itself. But other than that solid entry xD
Laurari
17. Oct 2021 · 16:03 UTC
Good job!! :smile: It took me a while to understand what to do, I lost like 2 mins from my first try on the initial place trying to do something with the things on the table :sweat_smile: but I finally made it into the core!!
BarelyEvenGames
19. Oct 2021 · 05:28 UTC
Oooo what a neat mood. Perfect post processing effects! Fun game!