ReactorWrangler by Edmanbosch

[raw]
made by Edmanbosch for Ludum Dare 50 (COMPO)

(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🗨️

Feedback

incobalt
04. Apr 2022 · 23:57 UTC
I'm still not sure if I was playing this right, but it fits the theme if I was! It took me a while to realize what everything did. At first, I didn't seem to be able to refill anything and then I realized there was some gremlin or something sabotaging? Then I didn't understand why I died, and then I realized that's what the other button was for. I'm still not sure what the x is for. Even still, it works and has a very creepy vibe to it. Nice job!
🎤 Edmanbosch
05. Apr 2022 · 02:03 UTC
@incobalt Sorry that the game was confusing, I didn't have enough time to make a tutorial.
eggland_games
10. Apr 2022 · 17:41 UTC
I played the version with the spoken tutorial. It definitely helped but it was a bit difficult to understand (acoustically). I think a better mic might help.

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.
🎤 Edmanbosch
10. Apr 2022 · 18:10 UTC
@eggland-games Thanks for the feedback. I actually added some audio effects to the the spoken tutorial to deliberately make it sound low quality, so that's why it sounds the way it does.
GreenPig
10. Apr 2022 · 19:45 UTC
I like the idea but it's a little few for me, also I found a strategy that i cant lose with, i just spam the two buttons and the F key, but all in all cool game if you have motivation i would really like to try an extended version if you ever make one.
Brachistosauro
10. Apr 2022 · 19:50 UTC
At first I found it confusing but I think I've got the hang of it - even if death seems inevitable (but that's the theme alright). I think that some actions could benefit from having more feedback, like pressing F to scare the creatures; with some polish this could work pretty well.
BluishGreenPro
11. Apr 2022 · 03:18 UTC
In future, I'd recommend allowing the user to resize the window, especially if you're going for a spooky / horror game; things get a lot more frightening when they take up your whole screen (and you can't see your desktop or web browser in the background)
Blue Pin Studio
13. Apr 2022 · 03:20 UTC
Not bad for a compo! I could barely understand the voiceover, it sounded like it had crazy peaks and crazy valleys. The game was pretty pretty snappy though!
candlesan
13. Apr 2022 · 06:06 UTC
I like the thematic you chose with the reactor and the coolant, it's a good setting for the jam theme.
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!
VixenMink
14. Apr 2022 · 02:02 UTC
Very interesting concept you thought of for this jam.

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:
Bernhard
14. Apr 2022 · 17:10 UTC
Big props for the voiced tutorial!
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!
TheMadPangolin
14. Apr 2022 · 23:08 UTC
Cool idea that fits the theme very well! I will say I found it a bit confusing at points and some of the noises - particularly the sound of creatures in the office which was much louder than the others - got a bit grating, and hearing the explanation everytime I started over got a bit tiresome. Still, great work ^-^
Danial Jumagaliyev
17. Apr 2022 · 08:12 UTC
Nice simple game, kind of reminded me of FNAF Sister Location's custom night mode a little bit.

Played it on stream here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1456566145