LudumData

The Average Quest by MelekTaus

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

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Prologue

This is my fourth time attending this jam. As always, I really enjoyed it, even if there were fewer ideas this time. The last few jams I worked together with one of my best friends, only this time we decided to try it the hard way: "Back to roots, lets do Compo".

 

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The Game

The Average Quest is a relaxing platformer where you only have to feed a "beast". There is no time pressure and no death, but well-known and timeless game mechanics. After each feeding, there's a chance that elements will unlock to get you to places you couldn't get to before (aka Metroidvania).

 

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The Development

This time I decided to create a pixel art game. I kept doing something along these lines and suddenly "Ludum Dare" was right around the corner again, wonderful! Of course I've built up theoretical knowledge over time (color palette, consistency, etc.)

But now I wanted to know if I could create a reasonably coherent game in this style in a short time, since I haven't really made pixel art "seriously" up to now.

 

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Shoutout

My good old jam buddy @leorid also developed a solo game alongside me. I would be happy if you check out his game too: Play and rate Be the inevitable

 

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Link https://github.com/themelektaus/ld50/tree/d9399575a8
Link https://nockal.com/ld50/
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/the-average-quest

Ratings

Overall 79th 3.9⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Fun 93th 3.833⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 511th 2.783⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Theme 318th 3.633⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 115th 3.984⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Audio 129th 3.645⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Humor 152th 3.4⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Mood 123th 3.679⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Given 69🗳️ 20🗨️

Feedback

LDJam user 281643
04. Apr 2022 · 02:54 UTC
Really Good! The spot of the last food was tricky!
kbf123
04. Apr 2022 · 14:31 UTC
Fun ride! Decent platformer with some exploration elements.
I think a time limit between each food item would be nice though, since right now it feels like you're just running errands for a hungry jerk.
🎤 MelekTaus
05. Apr 2022 · 00:19 UTC
@waysneighborgo2 Thank you. The left or the right one? :sweat_smile:

@kbf123 Thanks. I was thinking something similar but unfortunately, my time budget was used up faster than I thought :laughing:
foxwater
05. Apr 2022 · 02:25 UTC
Really great compo entry! The jumps were really well placed which made for fun/challenging exploration and the art and music were super pleasant!
johjoh
05. Apr 2022 · 03:51 UTC
Charming game and pretty well designed. Wondering if you used a capsule collider for the player? Made for some interesting jumps but would be nice if the collision was more precise.
Pitxardo
05. Apr 2022 · 16:41 UTC
Good game and good art!
🎤 MelekTaus
05. Apr 2022 · 18:22 UTC
@johjoh Thanks. Yep, capsule collider. It was a quick decition but it kinda works :sweat_smile:
PoshDan
06. Apr 2022 · 03:33 UTC
It's good game design to show the player a path that they can not take yet, and grant the ability after, creating a sense of achievement. I appreciated how the items in the corner picked up on my momentum.
I know how taxing it can be to design levels that challenge the player at an appropriate pace, you've done well with the time you were given.
Kylazaur
06. Apr 2022 · 13:10 UTC
Good job on this, the mouse as a jet pack was a weird choice since the mouse isn't used in any other part of the game but I did complete the whole thing so I enjoyed my time with it, great job
rhewid
06. Apr 2022 · 14:25 UTC
Oh no it crashed on me twice when I was using the jetpack! Nevertheless really cool game. I was often taking the wrong way but it had some element of exploration. Also very cute pixelart!
LDJam user 139668
06. Apr 2022 · 16:40 UTC
Really nice game. Made me remember DLC Quest, heh! Thank you for it!
🎤 MelekTaus
06. Apr 2022 · 16:42 UTC
@poshdan Thank you, I'm flattered.

@kylazaur Thank you and for playing it. Hehe, SHIFT or ALT or CTRL would have worked too.

@rhewid Too bad, I wonder if I can reproduce this problem. Anyhow, thank you for your kind words :slight_smile:
krakadushka
06. Apr 2022 · 17:13 UTC
It is a really cool game!) I have had a lot of fun. Nice)
And the end was quite predictible but still funny ahah
Lvl99Chicken
07. Apr 2022 · 03:45 UTC
Really good level design that stayed true to the metroidvania style! I was able to use my new-gained power to get the next food and then was given a shortcut back. Meanwhile, I was able to see areas I could not reach until I came back with upgrade, really well done! The music got a bit repetetive but did the job. Art style was great. Played to the end and had lots of fun!
jd557
07. Apr 2022 · 07:29 UTC
Very nice, the controls and jump fell really good.

Also loved the art style.
mlho7
07. Apr 2022 · 09:26 UTC
That's a cool game with smart work on level design, good job.
pdotjpg
07. Apr 2022 · 11:25 UTC
Cute little platformer. The level design is really intuitive - I somehow always went where I had to, even when it the next step didn't seem that obvious. Great job with that.

As far as complaints go, I didn't know the spacebar was also used for interacting with the monster and was really confused. Thought maybe the game was broken, but saw that no-one in the commments was complaining. I don't know, maybe I had a brain fart, but usually there is some prompt on which key to press.

But that's a minor complaint. Got there in the end :) Good compo entry.
PashaLoban
07. Apr 2022 · 16:00 UTC
Cool game
owca
07. Apr 2022 · 16:10 UTC
Nice game. Good level design and player controls. I expected it will end that way :)
BiOniKMonSTeR
07. Apr 2022 · 16:37 UTC
Simple but so cool! Thanks for the experience!
Proxy-Games
07. Apr 2022 · 17:33 UTC
It's a simple, but charming platformer. The gameplay works well and each new gameplay mechanic implemented does a good job at building upon the current moveset. The level design also does a great job taking advantage of all the abilities. The pixel art is simple, but cute, and the music and sound design are very pleasing and fitting. I did get confused initially by the use of 'Space' when talking to the monster, but I managed to figure it out. I also learned that my browser's hotkey for creating a new bookmark is 'Ctrl + D', which made jetpacking to the left go comically wrong half the time (though, that's no fault of the game. I just thought it was funny).

Overall, very nice work.
Bytomancer
07. Apr 2022 · 17:46 UTC
Excellent work on the game feel and level design. I especially like your use of particles.
korfi
07. Apr 2022 · 17:58 UTC
Cute little platformer! I enjoyed playing it a lot, the audio and the graphics were nice! :)
🎤 MelekTaus
07. Apr 2022 · 18:05 UTC
@proxy-games Thank you. "Ctrl+D => Bookmark" I really had to smile :smile: I thought it would be a good idea to allow Ctrl **or** Shift **or** Alt for the jetpack :face_palm:
Jake G
08. Apr 2022 · 04:28 UTC
Fun how intuitive the map felt as you looked for the food. The jetpack feels nice, I wish I could cheat and get unlimited fuel :D
lbrande
09. Apr 2022 · 21:15 UTC
Gorgeous graphics, difficulty feels just right. Very polished for a Compo entry.
NoobHereo
11. Apr 2022 · 21:33 UTC
This was an awesome little game, I really enjoyed it and did not mean to go the full length but ended up completing it. Controls are really nice, so are the sound effects and it feels really well put together and very solid for a compo game. With that said the overall theme is also very simple and as fun as it is I wonder what a scenario would be like if you wanted to keep working on the game? Awesome controls as well, really well done!

![screenshot.PNG](///raw/e68/93/z/4de1e.png)
Amerigo Gazaway
13. Apr 2022 · 19:37 UTC
This is really well done. As an aspiring pixel artist I can appreciate the art style and cohesion and color palette. The music is also groovy. Great work!