LudumData

The Overlooker by Geckoo1337

[raw]
made by Geckoo1337 for Ludum Dare 53 (COMPO)

Hello. I made my entry for this 53rd LudumDare - The Overlooker.

Welcome to Zakousta Respoublika [Закуста Республика] - the last soviet colony on the earth which has the best Post Office in the World - according to the words pronounced by our Great leader. As a young officer, you have a job - check some letters in order to allow (or disallow) their delivery. You HAVE to respect the rules which are defined each day. Use the buttons APPROVAL or REJECTED reading information on the panel. Letters must fit with them. If you do something wrong too many times - you will be fired without any financial compensation. The same if you work too slowly. Slava Zakouste ++

YOU HAVE TO FINISH THE GAME WITH THE BEST REPUTATION

I used my pure C++ template to create this game. I am a PostMan in my real life - and sometimes it seems to me that I am playing with Papers Please because people don't always follow the rules : bad address, wrong zip code, not enough stamps according to the weight, unreadable info, ripped label - and more more problems or mistakes. This is not the main gameplay of this project, but something not too far :)

Rate my game. Leave a comment - this way I can rate your own project. Thank you. Have fun ++

PS : source with comments embeded in the Zip file for those who like C++

Link to the Template which I used - mine : https://github.com/geckoo1337/Geckoo1337-engine

TheOverlooker.png

Link https://geckoo1337.itch.io/the-overlooker
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/53/the-overlooker

Ratings

Overall 100th 3.833⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Fun 124th 3.667⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 203th 3.333⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Theme 85th 4.167⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 122th 3.85⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Audio 255th 2.944⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Mood 81th 3.783⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Given 35🗳️ 43🗨️

Feedback

🎤 Geckoo1337
30. Apr 2023 · 23:48 UTC
Just in time :/
Vladadamm
01. May 2023 · 05:37 UTC
A rather simple game but that goes straight to the point. As you said in the description, it gives a bit of a Papers, Please feel with it being simply approving or rejecting letters in a dystopian setting. There's a good difficulty curve with various kind of rules that makes you have to adapt each day.

The graphics work pretty well with the setting and have a simple but identifiable look, with the game being pretty easy to understand.

One thing I think could be improved is that it can be a bit (too) stressful as you have no pause in-between days + you lose a significant time at the start of each day just reading the new rules. Having a small screen that tells you how good/bad you did during the day + what the rules are for the next day would be nice.

Also, the approval/rejected sound doesn't work for the first few letters in the later days.
velvetlobster
02. May 2023 · 16:16 UTC
I like the paper's please vibe to this game

but just noticed its windows only, will check it later at home
Adam Jenness
02. May 2023 · 16:27 UTC
Will check it out when I’m back home
Wouter52
03. May 2023 · 18:46 UTC
I consider this a classic Geckoo game. The style is very unique! I like it a lot, and the game really put a smile on my face. It gets complex very fast! Great job!
Smoky01
05. May 2023 · 06:02 UTC
Very good and interesting idea))
LDJam user 287424
05. May 2023 · 17:41 UTC
Cool game. Very clean and easy to play. Nailed that bureaucratic vibe with the art, and the repetitive task that you have to complete under the pressure of the omnipresent timer that's constantly ticking down. I really felt like a cog in a machine while playing. I agree a bit with Vladadamm that having a pause between days where you can catch up on the rules for the day would be nice, but I also think the fact that the clock just keeps going adds to the feeling of working under an uncaring bureaucracy. Figuring out your job is your problem, not theirs! They just care about having the mail sorted in time, and if you don't get it done, then you're out the door. Great work!
LDJam user 277954
06. May 2023 · 03:09 UTC
Your template is really cool which makes your game files so small. But I think the single mechanism of the paper please is boring. It's the events in it that makes the choice meaningful and then make the game popular. Maybe you can add some unique and different events in your game or just change a way. Best wishes.
helekopeter
07. May 2023 · 11:52 UTC
Great, feels like a speedrun version of papers please. And while the graphics are simple, they are consistent and well-executed.
Rayqdr
07. May 2023 · 13:19 UTC
Cool little game ! Reminds me good feelings from Papers Please so I enjoyed playing it. Well done !
GyMate
07. May 2023 · 16:38 UTC
I really enjoyed the game, it created a stressful environment, and a challenging few minutes for me.
I liked the imaginary city names.
And well done for doing it in C++!
LDJam user 336851
08. May 2023 · 07:22 UTC
Very good raising of the difficulty very fun!
yoddaa
08. May 2023 · 08:02 UTC
@geckoo1337 very cool game. good job :)
caeonosphere
08. May 2023 · 17:33 UTC
Not a lot of letters making it to their destinations in Zakousta, huh? I managed to finish with 5/5 reputation, just barely. Difficulty seems well tuned!
Skleembof
08. May 2023 · 20:46 UTC
Simple. but very difficult. I like how the difficulty ramps up significantly with each new rule. You get a false sense of security with the timer early on, and then quickly realize you have to be quick. Overall, it was a fun experience and I enjoyed the challenge.
squareronin
09. May 2023 · 06:34 UTC
Fun, just the right amount of difficulty. The changing rules was good to keep you on your toes. Wasn't quite sure what the clock was for though. Played very smoothly :)
Tom_Oak
09. May 2023 · 08:47 UTC
It began overwhelming me a little bit at day five but I guess that's kind of the point! Great aesthetics, and your story adds to the experience.

On a technical note, the clock didn't seem to stop for me and I never reached a fail state?

Nice project overall, congratulations!
🎤 Geckoo1337
09. May 2023 · 13:58 UTC
@squareronin @tom-oak in fact, if you don't finish your day work in the time (60 seconds) you lose one point in your reputation score. So you cannot stay 4 or 5 seconds on a letter if you want to reach a good final appreciation. Just a way to increase a little bit the difficulty. Thanks for playing ++
LeReveur
10. May 2023 · 21:05 UTC
It was difficult, and I finished with a… Let's say : "meh" reputation, but I finished, and I think I would do best if I train a little more. Simple to understand, simple to play, well balanced (yes, even if I'm bad I can see when it's balanced, and I think it is), so, as often : well done!
Rolly
11. May 2023 · 18:24 UTC
Really nice take on the theme. It gets difficult quite fast, but it really got me wanting to play again to improve. Of course I did worse on the second attempt, but it was fun anyway :)

Good job!
LDJam user 338394
11. May 2023 · 23:20 UTC
Very nice game. I like its simplicity, but it still requires some practice to pass. It is a really good mental exercise.
Fnkee
12. May 2023 · 22:30 UTC
Tried both versions of your game! I would say that compared to paper's please, this feels way more arcade-like! Very fun and challenging, with just the right amount of art and sound effects. Definitely a game I'd replay a couple of times to end at 5/5 in rep! Great job! :)
Trexxak
16. May 2023 · 05:07 UTC
The difficulty curve is just right - challenging, but never frustrating. The authentic touch really shines through, too! Keep sharing your unique perspective, it's a joy to experience! Thank you for this amazing compo! (I also liked it a touch more than Papers Pls, btw :D)
ardorugus
17. May 2023 · 05:26 UTC
Yep, difficulty curve is quite good. Have to pay attention to the details. Maybe, needs more entertainment being a game, but is a fine sim of some real life routine. Can get addicted to this one, even)).
Tygrak
18. May 2023 · 20:51 UTC
Cool game! I liked the aesthetic. Also very cool you made it in C++ basically from scratch :).
I don't know if I got lucky, but it actually mostly got easier near the end, because close to the end almost everything got rejected which was quite interesting. The government was probably really cracking down on those letters :D.
I can really see the papers please inspiration :).