LudumData

Weed it & Reap by JavaSaurus

[raw]
made by JavaSaurus for Ludum Dare 50 (JAM)

TitleScreenFull.PNG

Instructions.PNG

* How does this tie in with the theme? *

Delay the inevitable... is reflected in the fact that the game features zombies controlled by a necromancer, their inevitable death is being prolonged for the entire round ! On top of that... it is inevitable the game will end !

* For The Developers Out There *

Hey there, thank you so much for visiting this page. It was supposed to be a COMPO entry, but fate decided to have an accident happen in our neighborhood, effectively cutting me off from the internet last night. I decided to continue on the next day anyway, completing the game in time to make it a regular JAM !

But why am I writing this ? Actually... I am trying to get your attention to look beyond the game. The backend is pretty darn advanced and I am really proud of it. Weed it & Reap is a very basic "hot and cold" game, yet it is backed by :

  • A home made A* Pathfinding algorithm
  • A home made behavioral decision tree (yes... the other reapers do have their own characteristics)
  • A whole bunch of voice lines and my own clips (the scythe noise is a stretched "klink" on a glass coffee mug)
  • Coded animations (as in, I didn't use the unity animator except for the swaying title screen)
  • A working leaderboard
  • Proper audio options

I've also tried to make this game be playable on a mobile phone. Holding down the mouse to one side of the character will move the character in that direction. Additionally, clicking the character will make you attack. On top of that, by opening the options menu, you can set the movement method to "Auto-Move", meaning the character will use the A* to traverse the map !

But MOST of all...

* I hope you've enjoyed the game as much as I have had building it ! *

Link https://javasaurus.itch.io/weed-it-reap
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/weed-it-reap

Ratings

Overall 755th 3.489⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Fun 773th 3.307⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 676th 3.33⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1237th 3.011⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 592th 3.784⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Audio 256th 3.807⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Humor 281th 3.721⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Mood 645th 3.523⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Given 27🗳️ 60🗨️

Feedback

Nexade
05. Apr 2022 · 00:37 UTC
Interesting twist on the theme and overall good game. It got a bit old after a few minutes though as from what I could tell the game didn't get more difficult over time and the other grim reapers died pretty quickly.
🎤 JavaSaurus
05. Apr 2022 · 01:00 UTC
@Nexade Yeah I fixed part of this RIGHT on time... There was a bug, there are two "winning" conditions to limit the duration a game can last, one being you run out of time , the other is that there are no more zombies or that you're the last reaper remaining... It's the best I could come up with to make it interesting and to keep rounds short and snappy ! Nonetheless a very valid point, thank you. Thanks for playing !

*** SIDENOTE *** : this message should mark the exact submission time :D I didn't go overtime :)
Atlantiica05
05. Apr 2022 · 11:46 UTC
I'm a player ... not a creator ... ive tested some games now and something i regret at other games was not here i could play the game whitout needing to dowload it ... seccond i really like te easy arrow controls as other games use a lot of WASD controls and it sucks a lot if you play on AZERTY kayboard ... i've played a few times till i got a 1400 highscore and was happy with it let others try and beat me lol !!! i think it's a verry fun game and love it a lot not to hard and not to easy but fun to do and try to get that highscore ... good job !!!
lydocia
05. Apr 2022 · 20:08 UTC
I am blessed to be part of Javasaurus' mod team on Twitch, so I could follow the making of this game upclose. Like in everything, Java was super driven in creating this and seeing the utter glee on his face whenever something worked out or an idea came to him, was a completely blissful experience. The game has an interesting premise that reminds me of all the old games I get nostalgic about, all while creating a whole new concept to a collecting game. 5/7 perfect score.
Mopifish
05. Apr 2022 · 20:34 UTC
Cute game, very polished!
Game play wise I had a ton of difficulty actually finding the zombie to reap (I think I found one out of 3 play throughs), and the other reapers typically did nothing. At one point a reaper even held a zombie in place so I could kill it haha
SJPixels
05. Apr 2022 · 20:37 UTC
Nice little game!

Things I liked:

- The art style was cute. Specifically sketch/paper look of the characters was really nice
- It fit the theme well and was quite a creative idea for a game
- The voice lines were... interesting. I found them pretty entertaining but I could see them getting irritating if you were playing the game more than a couple times
- The music was nice and fit the game really well

Things that could be improved:

- The movement felt kinda strange. I often would tap a movement key once and move twice and then kinda get stuck for a second. It didn't feel like I was really in control
- There wasn't really feedback that I was hitting enemies other than when they died
- The other reapers died way too fast and then I was left just running around an empty room after

Overall, great job!
oxnh
05. Apr 2022 · 20:39 UTC
Art is nice and sound effects are funny. But maybe there were TOO many sound effects and voice lines. Sometimes they got in the way of the music. Still I liked them overall. The game play was decent, but I found using the scythe a bit clunky at times.
Phillip Scott
05. Apr 2022 · 20:51 UTC
Map left a little large, but I really enjoyed this played it a couple of times - its maybe a little RNG based. Good Job on submitting!
LDJam user 262525
05. Apr 2022 · 21:21 UTC
Dang! That's a real charming game! Basically the opposite of what I expect a game jam game to be: really polished and kinda basic otherwise. My main complaint is that the movement felt kinda slow and delayed, which is a shame given that it is the main activity. Everything else, though, is great! I loved the voice clips and graphics. It's impressive that you managed to create a functioning leaderboard. I'm happy to say that I managed to get into the top 8, but I feel like that was mostly due to luck.
Lvl99Chicken
06. Apr 2022 · 03:12 UTC
Really like the graphics and sounds/music! The objective was clear as well. The combat felt a bit confusing, couldn't tell if I was damaged or if I had damaged someone else. Otherwise really enjoyed the game!
theStoff
06. Apr 2022 · 04:36 UTC
Well done! Lotta work for one person. The art was nice and the game-loop was fun. Solid entry for sure! Also cool that you had a leaderboard :D
Kylazaur
06. Apr 2022 · 12:02 UTC
I had no idea what was going on at first but then hearing the voice ques, "where's those zombies at" i got to looking (though they don't look very... zombie like? ahah) and first try ended up getting the highest on the leaderboard? I've no idea, I was confused the whole time playing hahah

Great entry though <3
Mehran
06. Apr 2022 · 12:54 UTC
Loved the audio. Nice job
Bakaraf
06. Apr 2022 · 15:57 UTC
Congrats to you this was really fun to play ! Too much sound deisgn for me, it was hard to really appreciate the music, which was lovely and very well fitting !
Steve7411
07. Apr 2022 · 19:21 UTC
So close to the high score: ![reaper.png](///raw/238/73/z/4d6a6.png)
Gabriel Dias Oliveira de Almeida
07. Apr 2022 · 20:06 UTC
I basically loved this game!

It's a great game by itself and it's amazing to know that you did all by yourself basically, so I am so impressed by playing this.

Everything is spot on, the music, art, menus, hud, UI, everything is completely amazing and cool!

The sound effects are really cool too, thank you so much for this amazing experience! :D
Josh Bothun
07. Apr 2022 · 21:42 UTC
Cool idea and executed well. The graphics look really nice and are consistent, and the audio is good too. I noticed i could sort of stunlock the zombie for a long time, not sure if that was intentional, but ended up quitting after 10 mins or so because i felt like I could go forever, so perhaps the difficulty needs to be turned up a bit.

Nice game overall!
Hawke Games
07. Apr 2022 · 23:23 UTC
Game is really cool. I like the voice lines Lol, they remind me of Worms. The only thing is the zombies seem to have a bit too much health so they're really hard to kill unless you corner them and spam space. But that could also have just been me misunderstanding how to attack or something. The graphics are awesome and the story/mood executed perfectly.
Artyom Volkov
08. Apr 2022 · 07:42 UTC
Overall, the idea is great. But the gameplay is a little bit clunky. I can grind one zombie for a long time, as it may have quite a lot HP. In addition, it's hard to understand the damaged area. Anyway, great job to finish the jam, well done.
Emaigualmc2_art
09. Apr 2022 · 04:35 UTC
Great game! very funny, especially for the effects and sounds, those voice acting are great xD. The art and style accompany the gameplay very well. The controls are super easy, something essential in this kind of game and I like that the idea that it can be played in multiplayer is raised. Great job!!
Bauke Regnerus
09. Apr 2022 · 09:53 UTC
Thanks for the little lecture about the AI decision making yesterday on stream. Although the game didn't entirely work out the way you wanted, what you accomplished code-wise is already impressive. I wasn't immediately aware that I needed to cut down grass in search for zombies when I started. Also the difficulty level doesn't seem to increase. The voice overs are a lovely touch and add much character. The pixel art is great as well. I'm sure if you continue working out the AI system you'll have a good basis for future jams.
elysiagriffin
09. Apr 2022 · 10:44 UTC
Thanks for submitting your game for me to play on my stream!

If you’d like to rewatch the playthrough, you can find it here:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1450162412?t=05h28m21s

Good luck on your ratings, see you next LD! :D

💜 Elysia Griffin AKA Button Feedback Lady

https://www.twitch.tv/elysiagriffin
Honest Dan
10. Apr 2022 · 08:16 UTC
You did well, especially since you had some technical difficulties! I liked the radar mechanic to help you find the zombies, I also thought it was a good challenge to keep your eyes peeled for rustling bushes. I think with real players it could be fun, because it becomes a mix of pve and pvp there, where you can take advantage of someone being distracted by a zombie and get some damage done on them!
arya-s
10. Apr 2022 · 08:49 UTC
Very cool game! I really like the artstyle and music. It's also very impressive that there's a multiplayer and highscore system!

I managed to place 4th on the leaderboard :)

Congrats on making this!
Kaldrin
10. Apr 2022 · 18:37 UTC
Thanks for putting arrows controls, saves from the war between azerty and qwerty!
Nice game, congrats on the things you mentioned you developed yourself!
I think the scythe sounds could have used a randomized pitch effect because it gets a little repetitive.
Slecornu
11. Apr 2022 · 19:46 UTC
I wasn't sure what i was meant to be doing but i had a load of fun cutting grass. Good job!
Okamit
11. Apr 2022 · 21:17 UTC
Overall fun game, had fun playing it and I like that you shared your personal achievements coding this game, good work!
jordantanner
11. Apr 2022 · 22:56 UTC
@javasaurus Hey man! Great game. Concept, controls, and graphics were on point, and the audio clips were pretty funny. Leaderboard was a great touch, too! Did you use Dreamlo for that by chance, or something else? Great submission. Also, thanks again for playing and rating my game on stream earlier, I really appreciated that!
fraanns
13. Apr 2022 · 21:50 UTC
Excellent game. All the little voice lines really give the game character. Also, good work on also including a leaderboard.
Wendel Scardua
13. Apr 2022 · 23:34 UTC
I liked the concept, the voices were a nice touch :) One thing I found weird is that sometimes I kept hitting a zombie in the same place for a very long time - it seemed like the zombie was dying and another was respawning in the same place (or it was just blinking once in a while). Also, I found the information on the top left of the screen a bit hard to read, I think it should at least have a darker background.
ColeSlaughter
19. Apr 2022 · 06:47 UTC
Dang, this was a CRAZY ambitious project to take on solo for a weekend! The AI, the power-ups, the pathfinding, the art...holy crap.

I do wish there was a bit more of an in-game tutorial to teach me the ropes (any text-based tutorial flees my mind immediately once I leave the page), but I was able to pick it up in the end. :slight_smile:

Crazy good job on this man! :pray:
Papaver
19. Apr 2022 · 22:50 UTC
Cool! I enjoyed the music (did you make it yourself?) and voice acting. :smile:
It's very cool that you made AI enemies, but there seemed to be a problem with zombies that got stuck.
I managed to become the reaper a few times. :confetti_ball:
It felt a bit strange to have a leaderboard, since your score also depends on how quickly your opponents die.
Overall, nice entry! :smile:
nicholascam
28. Jun 2022 · 11:36 UTC
OH! I enjoyed playing this game a few years ago. It was a good time killer. I liked the concept of weed in the game. It was a pain killer, which it is in real life. I had surgery on my leg, and it was very painful. It is why I was getting edible from https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/national-marketplace/2022s-top-6-broad-spectrum-cbd-tinctures-brands-for-pain-relief/ with CBD so that I could relieve some pain. It was helping a lot, especially during the nights I couldn't fall asleep because of the paint.
sameidandpw
26. Jul 2022 · 13:48 UTC
I, too, use cannabis products so I don't feel pain. And sometimes I get condemnation from some people, like it's not right. Although I understand that people don't understand at all and just judge by a stereotype. Everything is legal and really helps me. I have trouble getting around the house and prefer to use bento weed delivery (https://askgrowers.com/deliveries/california/redwood-city/bento-delivery) which I can advise you if you have the same problems. I hope i was helpful)
StevySokal7
26. Aug 2022 · 10:41 UTC
I have been using cannabis for treatment for a year now, and, despite me being a skeptic, it did work and still does. I regularly get some from Toronto Cannabis Store For Everyone https://shivaasrose.com/ . It helps me get rid of my back pains and anxiety issues. I know that there are different opinions on cannabis being good for your health. I am not a professional doctor to say something about this. Still, I think many painkillers cause worse physical consequences than some good cannabis.