ReactorWrangler by Edmanbosch
(The web version is the post-jam version, which includes a tutorial I added post-compo and has properly looping ambience. The initial version can be downloaded on the itch.io page.)
Welcome to your reactor management job for the Innium Company. The ultimate goal of your job is to maintain the plant's efficiency and health. You are required to refill two important resources using the ReactorWrangler application: fuel and coolant. These two can be refilled by clicking once on the buttons to the right. You cannot refill both resources at the same time.
Now, as you work you may notice some strange creatures appear in the facility through ReactorWrangler. If you see any of them on your screen to the left, press the "F" key on your computer's keyboard to send a strong shock that will scare them away. If you allow them to stay they'll begin siphoning resources and block you from refilling them. They might also potentially appear in your office at times, however they will run away if your computer is turned off. They'll make a loud screeching-like sound if they're in your office, so if you hear that press the restart button at the bottom left. When you do this, the computer will turn off for a few seconds and then reboot, giving enough time for anything in your office to leave while still allowing you to quickly return back to your work.
That's all there is to know. The Innium Company wishes you the best of luck in this thrilling and exciting job. Goodbye.
Ratings
| Overall | 609th | 2.477⭐ | 24🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 614th | 2.114⭐ | 24🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 572th | 2.5⭐ | 24🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 433th | 3.364⭐ | 24🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 470th | 2.455⭐ | 24🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 543th | 2.571⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 20🗳️ | 17🗨️ |
The game itself was fun and the balancing between fuel and cooling was interesting.
I think it might benefit from some improved visuals.
By that I mean something that looks more like a old-school computer terminal.
The Pixelart text is a step in the right direction for me but it does not go far enough.
I think a black background and a more "terminal" kind of look might be a better fit.
I really love the story and I also think the spoken text at the beginning really helped get it accross. The bad audio quality I mentioned earlier actually made it more believeable and real for me, so maybe dont change it after all.
Its a nice game, especially for only one person working on it. Well done.
The verbal narration instructions are extremely difficult to understand. I would try to clear up the microphone, enunciate more clearly, and slow down a bit.
Fortunately the game is intuitive enough that you can figure out the game anyways - well done!
I like the juggle the player has do deal with in order to keep the reactor going. I felt like Homer trying to manage everything and kept wondering how the reactor was functional for so long without melting down.
Some suggestions:
+ Make tutorial a little louder and stop the gameplay while each item is being explained. Since it was added postjam, I understand that it is just added for the betterment of the experience
+ Explain reason for why a player dies/gets game over
+ Maybe even adding in a scoring system to know how well/long the reactor stayed on
Good luck on getting 20 ratings and swing on by ours whenever you have time :wave:
Not just the tutorial but all of the audio work was well done. Managing the simple task was rewarding when things worked out, even though that didn't last too long for me :-) Would have been great if there was a score at the end, even just number of seconds would have been fun to post here. Great submission, fits the theme well!
Played it on stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1456566145