Apocalypse Run by LCStark

[raw]
made by LCStark for Ludum Dare 49 (COMPO)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szs7qVwc2JA

Story

Rebuilding civilization after an apocalypse isn't easy. Limited resources and environmental hazards make it difficult enough when you don't have to deal with raiding parties of mad cultists.

So, here you are. Trying to deliver one of the few surviving power sources to another settlement, when you get attacked by roaming madmen. You fend them off, but the power source didn't like the damage it took.

Before the attack, it was just glowing. Now it's pulsing with power, and the pulses are getting faster and faster. You're no scientist, but you know what that means - that thing is going to blow! Your only chance is to get it delivered to its destination, quickly (and safely!).

Objectives

  • reach the settlement before the reactor goes critical and explodes
  • destroy all raiders

Controls

  • WASD - movement
  • mouse - targeting
  • Space / LMB - fire
  • Escape / P - pause

Gameplay

Your goal is to reach the end of the road and defeat the boss enemy before your reactor goes critical.

You have some control over your driving speed - the closer to the right side of the screen you move, the faster you go. If you stay close to the left side of the screen, you will go slower and you probably won't make it in time. Hugging the right side can be dangerous, though, as you won't have a lot of time to evade road hazards and enemies. If you collide with too many objects or take too much enemy fire, your truck will be destroyed even before the reactor can blow up.

Assets

The game uses the Irony v1 font by Eeve Somepx info@somepx.com

All graphics were made during the compo.

Post-LD Update 1

  • added a speedometer
  • modified backgrounds to make gameplay objects more visible
  • darkened dust particles
  • added missing materials for muzzle flash particles

Ratings

Overall 443th 3.076⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Fun 441th 2.879⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 515th 2.439⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Theme 494th 2.682⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 171th 3.712⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Given 39🗳️ 44🗨️

Feedback

lb01
04. Oct 2021 · 02:06 UTC
Fun game with a cool line drawing style. It wasn't clear at the beginning that you could go faster by moving the car to the right of the screen, but once I figured it out everything made sense. I also liked that it wasn't an infinite runner and it had an actual end goal, which a lot of games in this genre don't have.
chesschaser
04. Oct 2021 · 15:12 UTC
Fun game!
shp
04. Oct 2021 · 18:52 UTC
Nice simple game, I like the graphics a lot, shame there wasn't music to go with it
paruthidotexe
05. Oct 2021 · 02:19 UTC
cool art style
Jupiter_Hadley
05. Oct 2021 · 08:36 UTC
Lovely graphics! I included it in my Ludum Dare 49 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/6UdIqDKcGPw
Ludokultur
05. Oct 2021 · 15:59 UTC
Love the overall risk-vs-reward structure and that it's not just endless! The aesthetics also have a lot of style to them. Great job! :)
pdotjpg
05. Oct 2021 · 16:12 UTC
Hey, saw this played on a stream yesterday, nice to see it pop up and get a chance to play it myself. Love the art style, wish there was audio to go with it. The gameplay is fun! Typical shmup, but well executed. Three changes I would make to the gameplay:
- make the weapon autofire instead of having to hold the mouse button
- make the turning speed of the gun much faster. Bullets trail behind where i want them to go, and the enemies move really quickly.
- make the game easier. I didn't complete it.

But, overall, quite polished and fun! Good job.
🎤 LCStark
05. Oct 2021 · 16:59 UTC
@pdotjpg Thank you for playing!

- autofire might be a good thing to add, thanks for the suggestion.
- the gun turns instantly, it's a problem with low speed of bullets; I planned to add power-ups increasing that speed, but that was left out because of the deadline. I guess the initial speed is too low for a game without upgrades.
- I plan to add difficulty level selector at the start, that should help with this issue.

Thanks for your feedback!
LDJam user 209292
05. Oct 2021 · 17:14 UTC
Nice game, but not enough music. Hopefully you will add this later.
Préda
05. Oct 2021 · 17:26 UTC
Even though I failed at the last 225 meters, it was quite fun. You also have some nice graphics there!
Glaikunt
06. Oct 2021 · 19:25 UTC
I just about made it at the end!!1! Fun little game graphics were really nice and the gameplay was fun. Think implementing levels or making it shorter might be good but otherwise a amazing job!
lesinvisible
06. Oct 2021 · 21:18 UTC
Nice simple game, I really liked the graphics as they have some Retro wave feel to them.
almost
07. Oct 2021 · 14:34 UTC
Pretty cool. I like the glows and some of the particles.
I didn't realize that I could drive faster by being on the right side of the screen, as it felt like it was auto-scrolling at a similar speed of regardless of where I was. After a while though I realized the reactor timer was running out and I tried moving to the right but too late. I had 172m remaining but the reactor blew.

It would also have been nice if player bullets moved a bit faster - you have to lead the enemies by quite a bit in order to hit them while they are moving.
datadazer
07. Oct 2021 · 23:19 UTC
The enemies are fun and I love their different behaviors. It felt like a good challenge but not impossible, so good balance. I didn't realize until my second playthrough that driving closer to the far right made you drive faster, which is a pretty clever risk/reward mechanic. The graphics looked wonderful, fun, and cohesive. It would have been even more cool with audio. Even without audio it was a really great game overall. Awesome job!
Barney25052
07. Oct 2021 · 23:19 UTC
Really lovely visuals.
namnam
07. Oct 2021 · 23:20 UTC
Loved the aestethic, the particles look really nice as well as the white neon effect. Lack a bit of punch but it is a really cool looking game
BinaryPrinciple
07. Oct 2021 · 23:29 UTC
Nice look but it really needs sound, something very arcade, some beeps.
Maybe add different terrains so I can feel that I'm moving through areas or biomes.
Archimagus
07. Oct 2021 · 23:30 UTC
Cool aesthetic. Not my sort of game, but it seems well made. Some sound would help a lot I think, of course I know how that goes for a game jam. Overall, great job.
caudatecoder
08. Oct 2021 · 15:23 UTC
Really solid game! I love the graphics and visual effects. Good job on making different enemies and their behaviors too!

I also like that you made some story for the setting!

I did not understand immediately that I had to go to the right side so I'd make it on time. Maybe it could be communicated a little clearer. Still a very great job overall!

I recorded my playthrough of your game. If you would like to see how a first-time player interacts with your game -- check it out: https://youtu.be/cXpAExWjwSw
Your game starts at 57:21
Runuchok
10. Oct 2021 · 16:00 UTC
Cool SHMUP! Only suggestion from me is to add colors for enemies, enemy's bullets and obstacles! It will add up to the readability of the screen and neon-style graphics.
Pio
14. Oct 2021 · 18:06 UTC
I love the art style!
schwede
18. Oct 2021 · 17:21 UTC
_The time of mad max has arrived. You got strong nerves, and a coffee is like a soda drink, then this game will be something for you!_

@lcstark Nice to see you again!

The graphics had something special. Too bad there was no sound in the game, it would have really pushed it overall.
necauqua
21. Oct 2021 · 12:17 UTC
Idk man, bloom always gets me, 5 for gfx :shrug: :)
🎤 LCStark
21. Oct 2021 · 13:05 UTC
@necauqua Haha, thanks! I've never really liked bloom in games, but since I've started playing with with it myself, it grew on me. I've probably overdone it a bit here, but it is an ongoing learning process. ;)