LudumData

The Heat by DzejPi

[raw]
made by DzejPi for Ludum Dare 52 (COMPO)

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Great rumors are spreading far and wide. It seems that the earth is becoming parched and dry. Some speak of the sun's heat intensifying to the point where it is setting all ablaze. There are hushed whispers of Tzitzimitl's return spreading throughout the land. Could our final days be nigh?

Gameplay: no more than 5 minutes.

How to play

You can switch between items either by using middle mouse button or by pressing 1, 2, 3 or 4 on your keyboard.

  • 1: Nothing
  • 2: Sickle. You need to equip sickle in order to be able to harvest crops. Once equipped, go to the nearest crop field and click on it. If you do, you will harvest it. You need to bring your harvest into the harvest bin next to your house. Once carrying crop, you cannot switch between items. Hurry up! Also remember that cannot harvest burning crop.
  • 3: Bucket. You can use bucket to put out the fire. Do not forget to fill it with water first. Equip the bucket, look at the water well and fill the bucket by left click.
  • 4: Spade. You can use spade to destroy any crop. If the crop is on fire, destroying it with spade will put the fire out as well. Use to your advantage!

Try to save as many crops as you can. The end is near.

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Controls

  • WSAD: Move like in all 3D first person games.
  • Left click: Interaction with items.
  • Middle mouse button scroll: Circle between items if you do not like using numbers.
  • 1-4: Switching between items.
  • Escape: Toggle pause menu. Focus on HTML5 on Itchio is not perfect, so if you're playing HTML5 version, press Esc twice and click on the Continue button with your mouse to focus it back properly.
    • You can turn the sound and music off in pause menu as well, if you want to.
  • Shift (hold): Sprint.
  • Space: Jump.

Tools used

  • Game engine: Godot v3.5.1.stable.official [6fed1ffa3]
  • Aseprite v1.2.40-x64
  • Blender 3.4.1
  • Ableton Live 11 Lite
  • Audacity 3.2.1

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Links

  • https://dzejpi.itch.io/the-heat - Download or play in your browser on itch.io
  • https://github.com/dzejpi/the-heat - Check the source code here.
  • https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/the-heat - Ludum Dare page.

My commentary

This was my first 3D LD game! I was playing around with 3D for quite some time, but this LD was time to put my knowledge to test. All of my lucky stars had to be aligned properly, because I actually haven't run into any major issues. I learned so many things; more than last few months combined. This was the most fun LD I have had so far.

And since last December, I have a Windows desktop, which means that I am no longer stuck on rating HTML5, so there is not going to be any big delay rating your Windows games as well!

Curiosities

I think you could get a laugh by how I made some of the sounds, all of them were recorded on my phone (iPhone SE 2020):

  • Button confirm sound - me tapping key on my keyboard
  • Water throw - me throwing a cup of water into the kitchen sink
  • Crop destruction - rummaging through the hay left over by my bunny on the floor
  • Crop harvest - taking the hay off the ground
  • Crop drop - taking the hay and dropping it on the floor next to the phone
  • Fire - actual fire, but from the candle, and super heavily amplified
  • Item change - taking wallet out of my jeans
  • Walk - actual walk

Of course, all sounds heavily edited in Audacity. :)

Source code on GitHub https://github.com/dzejpi/the-heat
Link https://dzejpi.itch.io/the-heat
Link https://dzejpi.itch.io/the-heat
Linux (Untested) https://dzejpi.itch.io/the-heat
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/the-heat

Ratings

Overall 150th 3.522⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Fun 258th 2.989⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 184th 3.244⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Theme 57th 4.144⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 99th 3.878⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Audio 98th 3.522⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Mood 36th 3.943⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Given 64🗳️ 79🗨️

Feedback

LDJam user 0
08. Jan 2023 · 20:44 UTC
Been trying to play it, however lags picks up quickly (on the web version at least).
🎤 DzejPi
08. Jan 2023 · 20:48 UTC
Thank you for letting me know! Can confirm; slightly laggy for me too, but Window build should be much smoother. Unfortunately didn't have time to optimise it further. :(
shahinm
08. Jan 2023 · 23:30 UTC
Lags for me on the web so didn't get too far. I like the idea :)
I'm not really sure about the game loop. There doesn't seem to be a defined way to win/lose scenario.
An example would be flappy bird, dodge as many as possible and the game loop ends with you dying.
An idea would be to plant the plants yourself and hopefully prevent your house to burn down. :)
But with that being said. Absolutely great job for a compo!
🎤 DzejPi
09. Jan 2023 · 06:02 UTC
Hey @shahinm, thank you for feedback! You bring the interesting point about the game loop. The gameplay loop here is about desperately trying to save as many crops as you can before the inevitable demise. Idea is that you can try different tactics - either ignore the fire completely and try to harvest everything you can while risking fire spreading out more quickly, or trying to put the fire out with the water, which slows the harvesting down, or trying to targetedly destroy crops in attempt to cut the fire's way. Rated your game back. :)
LDJam user 312238
09. Jan 2023 · 06:03 UTC
The art of the game is really good.I love it!!
But it seems to have no ending.I can't get any happiness of success.Maybe you can add an enging for the game.
Anyway,as the LD's result,it's cool.I think I can't make a such game but you did it.Thank you for your game!
I've got a lot!
🎤 DzejPi
09. Jan 2023 · 06:36 UTC
Thank you for the comment, @poietic-ruby! No happiness here, just pain and suffering. :) There is an ending though - if most of your crop are harvested or burn, you get the game over screen with the summary of how many plans have you harvested and how long are you going to survive with them. Rated your game back!
Jonqs
09. Jan 2023 · 09:10 UTC
Nice job on the ambience ! I thought i was playing another farming game but the music told me that something was different. I had some lag when the fire started but after a few crops burned it was fine. The flying dude/squirrel gave me the creeps :scream:
Found Bow Tonight
09. Jan 2023 · 13:51 UTC
How can you make such a great game in 48 hours.There is no reason for me not to give you full mark. But I don't know what is the monster in the sky using for???
Cloughd
09. Jan 2023 · 17:37 UTC
I tried cutting the fire off and saving as many crops as I could but it spread too quickly for a single farmer. Farm life is tough. I think I saved enough to support my family though. I did not end up using the bucket as much, opted for trying to harvest as much as I could instead. I enjoy the intuitive control scheme you had used here. It made me feel like I had concise control even in the chaotic environment.
🎤 DzejPi
09. Jan 2023 · 17:55 UTC
Thank you for the awesome feedback, @jonqs! Indeed, with me, there is always some darker twist. Glad the demon freaked you out! And I already rated you game. :)

Thank you for your positive feedback, @found-bow-tonight. Demon is just flying around, looking at your inevitable demise, but does not serve any other purpose, really. It was inspired by Tzitzimitl, a mystical Aztec deity. However, it could have been more freaky, that's for sure. Rated your game back. :)

Thank you for your great feedback, @cloughd, glad to hear that you liked controls - I figured I couldn't go wrong with the typical 3D FPS ones. And I love hearing about the approach you took, every approach has something into it. Glad you were able to support your family. And I see I already rated your game. :)
Pe7e
09. Jan 2023 · 19:50 UTC
Cool game, good thing you had a bunny at hand for sound engineering. Really liked the art.
🎤 DzejPi
09. Jan 2023 · 21:12 UTC
@pe7e thank you for your comment! Glad you liked the art. :) And here is my sound engineer himself:

![andy-the-sound-engineer.png](///raw/046/93/z/55968.png)
ImInSoftware
10. Jan 2023 · 06:35 UTC
Great game! I like the retro 3D art style, and the fact that you made and recorded all the sounds effects is pretty cool. I tried my best, but the fire quickly got out of control :P
Ipsl0re
10. Jan 2023 · 14:00 UTC
Good game- though it could definitely be improved with either extra carry capacity, or some kind of reward mechanic; as it is, it feels pretty tedious to walk back and forth so slowly holding one crop at a time, for the little counter to only go up by 1. Still, those are minor faults compared to the technical achievement on display- the way the fire spreads is really clever, and it really elevates it. Well done.
euske
10. Jan 2023 · 16:01 UTC
It's such a simple concept but I really liked the ominous atmosphere of the game. The art and sounds work great. Also, that flying thing in the sky! Sadly I was too distracted by that thing and gave up my crops rather than saving them. I ended up with 11 crops. As someone above said, farmer life is tough.
🎤 DzejPi
10. Jan 2023 · 16:02 UTC
@iminsoftware thank you for your comment! Glad you liked the style. And that's alright, the soil is super dried out and the sun is blazing! Rated your game back. :)

@ipsl0re thank you for your great feedback! You have a great point with being able to carry more crops at once. Maybe like 5 of them? That's actually a great idea, too bad it didn't occur to me. Glad you liked the fire spread, it took me a while to figure out how should that mechanic work. I didn't want to go with area detections, because I was worried about even the bigger performance drain, so I ended up with the idea of embers. Glad you liked it! Rated your game back. :)
🎤 DzejPi
10. Jan 2023 · 16:12 UTC
Thnk you for comment, @euske! The demon in the sky just wanted to take a look at your suffering. Farmer life indeed is tough, especially when the end times are coming. Rated your game back :)
JoeFazz
10. Jan 2023 · 16:28 UTC
Absolutely love the style of the whole game 5 stars for mood easy, both the ominous music and the uncomfortable ambient silence really add to it. The visual style is great too very clear and easy to understand. I have to say though that I didn't really understand why I should keep harvesting crops vs put the fire out or vice versa. I understand the goal is to harvest crops but I didn't feel wildly motivated to do that vs fight the fire which was more fun. Think this has a lot of promise and would love to see a bit more :)
nwt
10. Jan 2023 · 17:49 UTC
Holy cow, it's burning!
I really liked the visual style of your game, the sounds too (Looks like you have the best sound engineer!).
I could feel the battle against fire in a strong heatwave and trying to save my crops.
You implemented mechanics that work well, that's a win in my book! Great job!
Kilirane
10. Jan 2023 · 19:02 UTC
I liked it, very nice! I liked this strange atmosphere of harvesting in an apocalyptic setting with a "silent hill like" sound ambiance. I first tried to destroy plants to isolate the fires, but nothing helped! I resigned myself to harvesting what I could. Interesting feeling of tension and great graphics. Bravo!
LDJam user 315748
10. Jan 2023 · 19:59 UTC
really cool experience! ran really smooth too
LDJam user 246128
10. Jan 2023 · 23:15 UTC
Very nice game with great unnerving atmosphere. Wanted a bit more though. It seems there are only one fire, and after you extinguish it you just walk around assessing the damage and wondering if it'll start again.

Minor nitpicks: crops after being destroyed by spade still have non-zero health and status "burning". Burned down crops too. You can pour water on destroyed places and they will change status to "destroyed". Maybe the were multiple fires, the game just thought that first one was not extinguished?

Also it seems you can infinitely collect crops from a single bush :thinking:
🎤 DzejPi
11. Jan 2023 · 06:42 UTC
Thank you for your feedback @joefazz. Glad you liked the atmosphere! It's pretty much about choosing whether to endlessly fight the fire or just let it run wild and try to save what's left. You need to harvest something, otherwise you are going to starve, but at the same time, harvesting slows you down and lets the fire destroy more and more quickly. Unpleasant choices!

Glad you like the mechanics @nwt, and indeed, my sound engineer is the best of his kind. He's so tired that he's sleeping next to my feet now. Very demanding jam!

Thank you for your feedback @kilirane, having the atmosphere described as "Silent Hill like" makes me really happy. True that once we know we cannot control it, we can resign, but that's the time when we have to push harder. :)

Hey @seltzerfish, thank you for the comment, glad to hear that! Played the Windows build or HTML5 one? I suspect Windows one. :)

Thank you for your feedback, @t90! It's true that you're assessing the damage here, because the new fire will always start. :) And thank you so much for letting me know about those bugs, I have absolutely no idea how those slipped through, especially the infinite harvest one, wow! Guess I was a little bit in the blindfolds mode the second day. Have to fix those after the jam!

Rated all of your games back too. :)
TildeCat
11. Jan 2023 · 08:03 UTC
Fantastic game! I really like visual stylization. Also gameplay is interesting. Maybe controls with specific buttons (for example LMB to use bucket, RMB to use tool) will be easier to play.
Leon Oost
11. Jan 2023 · 10:23 UTC
Cool game! I really felt the stress of the fire and with music and the flying person watching from above the game had a creepy mood. I also thought it was cool that by destroying crops you could control the fire and prevent it from growing.
🎤 DzejPi
11. Jan 2023 · 12:34 UTC
Thank you for your feedback, @tildecat. That indeed sounds like a great idea! Will keep in mind next time. Rated your game back. :)

Thank you for the comment, @leon-oost and love to hear about your approach. Rated your game back. :)
p0l4r
11. Jan 2023 · 15:15 UTC
I really liked the presentation of this game, it had a good sense of style. there was also something very atmospheric and doomy about seeing the fires in the sky while doing farming stuff.

The thing that i didn't quite understand what the mechanics other than the sickle was for. Why would you destroy crops, and why would you try to put out the fire as the fire grows faster than you could possibly put it out?

I liked it because of the mood :)
🎤 DzejPi
11. Jan 2023 · 16:37 UTC
Hey @p0l4r, thank you for the comment! Sickle can be used to try to cut the way where the fire can spread. The fact that the fire is growing faster is... true, good point. :) Glad you liked the atmosphere. Rated your game back!
Tero Pulkkinen
11. Jan 2023 · 19:14 UTC
crops and fire are pretty neat. Fire, walk with me. Looks otherwise like a walking simulator.
Mad Brokli
11. Jan 2023 · 19:15 UTC
Interesting visuals though the gameplay felt a bit slow, perhaps it would work better if the tension escalated faster. I really liked the creepy mood though!
nullval
11. Jan 2023 · 19:22 UTC
A really haunting sound design, simple gameplay (with a tutorial, oh la la) and a nice and clean art style.
... also why was there a flying woman/fairy being in the sky?

did I appease it perhaps? :)
Or did i anger it? :(
TheSmellofOxygen
11. Jan 2023 · 19:42 UTC
Good sense of dread. Was unsure of the victory conditions. Ended up digging up half my field frantically to stop the fires.
cogcomp
11. Jan 2023 · 20:03 UTC
Interesting idea. The crops starting burning out of control really fast so I really didn't feel like I stood a chance of putting out the fire. Maybe adding some kind of ditch building mechanic with the spade to be able to temporarily cut off a region from the fire would've benefited me.
Stone Pacifier
12. Jan 2023 · 00:51 UTC
My favorite farming game i've played so far. Intuitive game play. However after working in the field for awhile I swear I saw a skeleton fairy thing hahahaha.
🎤 DzejPi
12. Jan 2023 · 07:00 UTC
Thank you for the comment, @tero-pulkkinen. You're right, it kind of is when you think about it. :)

Thank you for the feedback @mad-brokli. Glad you liked the visuals. Interesting, a lot of people think that the fire started raging too quickly. Balancing is my nightmare. :)

Thank you for your feedback, @nullval! I thankfully implemented the game logic pretty well, so implementing tutorial was actually super simple and quick, so I went with it. Glad you liked it there. In case of game over and playing again, it does not appear anymore too. The demon was inspired by the Aztec mythology, it's like a representation of famine. It destroys the world all around equally, nothing personal!

Thank you for the comment, @thesmellofoxygen. Great tactics!

Thank you for a feedback, @cogcomp! That is a great idea. I wanted to do something like that, but unfortunately, didn't have enough time for that. Maybe next time or after the jam! Fire indeed grows out of control fast, it was pretty hard to at least somewhat balance, didn't want to make the game too long, but yeah, could have been slower.

Thank you for your comment, @stone-pacifier. And I have a feeling that it saw you as well. Very well!

Rated all of your games back. :)
math_daemon
12. Jan 2023 · 10:48 UTC
I liked the art style very much, reminds me of the old pc and ps1 games. After a while i spotted the death angel in the sky, or whatever it is supposed to be, and it truely scared me, always kept it in sight from there on :laughing: It did not feel like i can do much to prevent the fire, so i was almost exclusively using the sickle at the end. Could maybe need some balancing there.
streq
12. Jan 2023 · 16:31 UTC
I actually went in blind on this, without reading anything outside the in-game text itself, the fires took me by surprise!! a nice twist on the gameplay, I agree that it would be better if it had an ending, but as it stands this game conveys a feeling that's not common to most. The idea of starting with a simple task, and then watching as it all goes away, with no choice but to watch it burn or destroy it yourself with the spade, because there's no way you can prevent it with a bucket, is really powerful. The art is great too! The eerie background noise is a nice touch.
Really enjoyed this one!
🎤 DzejPi
12. Jan 2023 · 18:35 UTC
Thank you for the comment, @math-daemon. Glad you liked the graphics and that the scared you like this, haha! Yeah, balancing is always my Achilles' heel, I completely agree there. :)

Hey @streq that's the best way how to do it, don't go with any expectations. Glad you enjoyed it! You have a good point with starting with simple task and watching it all go away, maybe watching Pathologic videos did that to me. Proper ending instead of game over screen sounds like a nice idea. Will try next time. :)

Rated your games back. :)
deimos
12. Jan 2023 · 19:16 UTC
Love it. First of all I like the pixel/3D art style and how you manage to keep all the sprite with the same ratio of the pixels, making the visual looks consistent. And the gameplay: I believe you are succesful presenting the player a certain feeling - pushed to make the choice between rescue+harvest, destroy to stop the fire and harvest those without catching fire first. It's like a bunch of feeling of achievement and loss mixed together. Really intersting and great work!
XOREAXEAX
12. Jan 2023 · 19:22 UTC
Cool artstyle. Nice combination of pixel art and 3D - would look very nice with some light fx :) The gameplay was very stresful :D But the general concept is nice. I like that the smoke can be seen from far away to plan the next moves. I had the feeling that it is impossible to get in control of the situation however (but maybe that was the idea :D)
asfdfdfd
12. Jan 2023 · 19:56 UTC
this game has STYYLE
brandann
13. Jan 2023 · 04:29 UTC
the fire got out of hand quick!
loved the minecraft feel
Blue Pin Studio
13. Jan 2023 · 05:14 UTC
Really nice! After my first failed attempt i came back armed with knowledge and a plan. I quickly divided the crops into the crops i was willing to lose and the protected ones. That way eventually the fire went out and i still had a ton of crops left. I didnt bother harvesting all of them because it would've taken me a long time due to the slow walking speed. Great entry!
shadowbrain
13. Jan 2023 · 13:22 UTC
The walking sounds got a bit repetitive but overall it's a neat little game!
Gets very frantic once the fire starts spreading- I was trying to destroy crops in a circle around the center to section it off from the fire but it appears the fire spreads far beyond that haha.
🎤 DzejPi
13. Jan 2023 · 17:04 UTC
Thank you for your review, @deimos! Good point with pixel ratio, most of the items match certain ratio, as I made them in Aseprite, so that was easy to keep under control. However, grain bin or water well don't match that, would take too much time to get them match perfectly. Glad you liked the gameplay and the feeling it invoked in you!

Thank you for the rating, @xoreaxeax. Indeed, it's impossible to keep it under control, so you did well!

Thank you for comment, @asfdfdfd, your game has style too. :)

Glad you liked the artstyle, @brandann. Thank you for your comment!

Thank you for your review, @blue-pin-studio. That's a great way how to do it and probably the best tactics! I understand you quitting the game afterwards, but there is a very evil feature implemented that detects whether there are any fires and if there aren't, it makes sure that it doesn't stay that way, so the fire would get out of control again eventually, so no need to worry about having to harvest 500 crops. No way how to run away from this evil. :)

Thank you for your rating, @shadowbrain. You have a good point with walking sounds, but not sure how to tackle that in the future. That will require some thinking. :)

Rated all of your games back, if not rated already. :) Apart from the VR one, as I don't have VR. :(
mvasko2
13. Jan 2023 · 19:01 UTC
Excellent sounds and really heavy and eerie atmosphere, great job!

The game also has a nice core idea. I do have some nitpicks though:
- Switching the items felt too slow, so instead of trying to save the crops by carrying water or destroying them, I just gave up and ran around and harvested as many crops as I could. Maybe there could have been separate buttons for using the tools so the player doesn't have to worry about switching as much? The gameplay is already pretty fast-paced, so removing obstacles could improve the game, I think.
- There's no punishment for sprinting (stamina), so why bother taking my finger off the Shift key? I'd probably make running the default and remove the walking altogether. Or add stamina, though that might make the game more frustrating.

Overall, great entry!
MarcoMing
14. Jan 2023 · 10:12 UTC
very nice atmosphere! the music helps a lot in telling that something is going to happen, I didn't have major lag issues. Overall very nice entry! Good Job
🎤 DzejPi
14. Jan 2023 · 10:20 UTC
Thank you for your thorough feedback, @mvasko2! Yea, someone already mentioned that and using left and right mouse buttons for different items sounds like a great idea. When it comes to stamina, then you bring a great point. I wanted to implemented it from the start, but then sort of forgot about it. True that if you don't use stamina, you will end up holding Shift the whole game. Will keep those in mind. Thank you very much! And I see I already rated your game. :)

Glad you liked the atmosphere and that game ran without any lags, @marcoming. You must have a pretty powerful PC. Thank you for your comment! And I see I rated your game already. :)
dry-squid
15. Jan 2023 · 05:49 UTC
Loved the cohesion of art in this game. The aesthetic, light music / soft sounds left me feeling pretty good. I also thought the mechanics were nice; love the arrange of tools at hand. This takes me back to burning the fields when I was kid on the farm. Well done! (fire mechanic was slick)
If I had to critique any part of this, I would critique the end goal for the game. After cutting down and collecting so many crops, it begins to drag and get boring. I wish there were more enemies (more fire) and more mini objectives. I am asking for a lot here, but what you created was great. Thanks
🎤 DzejPi
15. Jan 2023 · 10:00 UTC
Thank you for the thorough feedback, @dry-squid! Hopefully burning the fields when you were kid went better than in this game. Mini objectives sound very fun! Maybe after LD. And I see I rated your game already. :)
lfreinoso
16. Jan 2023 · 17:57 UTC
Intense survival game, makes me think a lot about the life of farmers, how difficult it must be. But I really liked it, I'm not good at this type of game, but all the elements are there, the tense music, sounds, the work we have to do, just phenomenal! I think the fire spreads too fast before we understand what to do. It could have a selection of difficulty level or adaptive difficulty, which would make it more comfortable for players like me.

Check out my game: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/space-harvest
Buni
16. Jan 2023 · 19:30 UTC
Your game is really polished and I love the visuals. But the gameplay was a little boring after a while. Anyway great game for such a short development time!
🎤 DzejPi
17. Jan 2023 · 06:23 UTC
Thank you for the feedback @lfreinoso! Glad this made you think about the life of farmers. You have a good point that some difficulty selection would be cool, I wanted to include "fast" and "slow" mode of gameplay, but didn't have enough time. Rated your game back. :)

Thank you for the comment, @buni! I can definitely see that, will keep in mind for the next time. Rated your game back. :)