Gold Extraction by obittner

[raw]
made by obittner for Ludum Dare 53 (JAM)

Gold-Extraction.png In "Gold Extraction" you are sent on a lonely mission to deliver gold while also protecting your mining outpost. Open the build menu with the "B" key and build a mine on a ore deposit to gain gold. Either send your gold home to increase your score or use it to build defenses.

Controls:

  • Move with W, A, S, D
  • Collect gold with Space
  • Open/Close the building menu with B
  • Toggle repair mode with R then click on buildings
  • Zoom with mouse wheel
  • Use the red "D" button on the helipad to deliver gold and increase your score
  • You need gold in hand to reload your weapons but gold on your helipad to build and repair

Quick Start

We would have really liked to create an in game tutorial, but since we ran out of time, it is here in written form.

Your base is on the left side of the map, while your opponent is on the far right. You can see them when you zoom out all the way. The game ends as soon as any of the two helipads is destroyed. Your goal should be to deliver as much gold as possible before destroying the enemy base.

You start the game with enough gold to build one ore mine on the spot to your left. You also get a low amount of passive income in case your only mine get destroyed. To build new structures, you need to load the gold onto the helipad. A button to do so will pop up if you're standing next to it. You can use the gold in your helipad to build, repair or deliver it via the red button labeled "D" to increase your score.

Changelog

  • 2023-05-04: Fixed bug where walls would sometimes be invisible after being build

Ratings

Overall 1216th 2.448⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1186th 2.448⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 986th 2.845⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1180th 2.69⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1069th 2.232⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1051th 1.808⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1170th 2.125⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 42🗨️

Feedback

Yossarian
02. May 2023 · 15:51 UTC
Hello- thanks for submitting- but I had a hard time figuring out what to do. I went looking for gold all over the map and couldn't find it. Maybe I'm missing something!
Jo Bettaque
02. May 2023 · 18:16 UTC
Hey, thanks @yossarian for checking out our game! We sadly ran out of time a little bit and so it's not quite clear. You can open a build menu and build a mine on one of the ore deposits right when the game starts :)

The nexus (helipad) will gain a small trickle of gold aswell.

Thank you, i have updated the description.
Jampla Games
02. May 2023 · 20:32 UTC
With the tip to purchase the a mine at the beginning I got going for a bit. Good feels with controls, sound, art. Had fun building cannons and collecting gold. I had three big cannons loaded with gold in front of the base but those little guys always slip past the bullet. So they became more like barriers. I tried to build the walls too but they seemed to glitch and not build anywhere. Repair mode maybe is not finished yet, or I missed how to use it after toggle to R?
🎤 obittner
03. May 2023 · 18:14 UTC
Thanks for playing our game @jampla-games

The "little guys" are in fact cannonballs from your opponent. You can not block them with your shots (that was originally the plan, but we ran out of time). The idea is more to shoot the enemy weapons.

I just noticed the bug with building the walls as well. I will fix it as soon as I get the time.

I adjusted the description again with your feedback. Thank you.
Gametrodon
03. May 2023 · 19:46 UTC
Similar experience to Jampla and Yoss. It might make sense to add a tutorial, or even just a screen saying "BUILD A MINE". Might also help to give the player some gold to start, I had to sell parts of the floor to have enough to build a mine.

I do like the idea though, it reminds me of a tank battle minigame from Dragon Quest I played years and years ago. Congrats on finishing what you did.
Wolfier
04. May 2023 · 03:27 UTC
I think having the player with some starting base would help cause when you start you have nothing but a helipad and floor. Having a mine spitting out gold from the start would draw our attention to them. Also having an indication of how much gold we actually have would help as well. There's numbers for costs but nothing for how much you have.
Vilius
05. May 2023 · 06:44 UTC
Interesting concept, but the execution falls short.

The main issue being UX and UI. Nothing was obvious to me about this game.
I did not read the controls from your description at first just to see how it plays while being dropped in blind.
The first thing I did was tried to interact with the holes in the walls, but pressing buttons next to it did nothing.
Then I swam into the sea. And this is where I would have stopped playing normally.

After reading the controls and finding out that there is an opponent and that you can zoom out...The game was still confusing as it is not clear what the buttons in the build menu mean or do.

A guiding hand in the form of a tutorial would definitely have made this a more fun experience.
Genpaku
05. May 2023 · 06:55 UTC
It's hard to figure out what to do, it take me some time to know how the buying things work, it's strange that you have to move your gold to helipad to buy anything. When I started to get hang of this game it just freeze :( But overall cool idea, need some more polishing :)
🎤 obittner
05. May 2023 · 07:33 UTC
Hi @vilius

Thank you for playing our game and leaving such extensive feedback.

We are first-timers at LD and got carried away by our ambitions and in the end had barely time to finish our gameplay loop :sweat_smile: Next time we will try to set smaller goals so we have time for balancing and polishing.
Wilko
05. May 2023 · 14:11 UTC
I think something that would greatly benefit the game would be more information: info on how much gold you have, how much things cost, etc. But you have the groundwork of a really solid game and a great first try!
Sylvic
05. May 2023 · 14:19 UTC
The idea is cool but this is an example of overreaching in a jam. Should have tried to cut out features to get a more playable version. Also, the lack of music is notable.

The gameplay is nice when you figure out what to do. If you guys are willing to take a bit more time developing the game you could have a nice thing in your hands.
🎤 obittner
05. May 2023 · 14:31 UTC
@sylvic thank you for the feedback.

You're absolutely right, we aimed too high and really struggled in the end with what to cut. But LD hooked us, and next time we will know better.
HagamosVideojuegos
06. May 2023 · 20:56 UTC
I found the game a bit difficult to understand, not so much because of the instructions but because there were times when I could place certain objects in certain places and times when I couldn't.

Nevertheless, the intention behind the game was good. Perhaps focusing on fewer things, such as just collecting gold and defending the site, could have made the game more polished and better reflect what you were trying to do for the event.

Despite trying to cover too much ground, I think the intention is good and the game could become interesting if more time is dedicated to organizing the ideas more clearly.
LDJam user 166918
08. May 2023 · 19:27 UTC
The AI isn't very smart and doesn't really cause any inconvenience. The tactic of building up the base with walls is unattainable for him. Also, the graphics are quite painfully perceived. However, the game itself is quite good and fun. It would be interesting to play it against real people, but I'm sure there will be balance issues.
someone
08. May 2023 · 20:02 UTC
Managed to get started building a mine and acquiring a bunch of gold.
I like the direct use of gold as ammunition.
I didn't realise the buttons on the helipad were buttons to click on at first.
It felt arbitrary whether I could build and repair stuff or not. Some numbers somewhere would have helped.
The goal is also unclear, am I supposed to sell gold for a score, or attack the opponent, or just hang out indefinitely.
That splash sound highlights the fact there are no other sounds or music, which makes it a bit jarring.
DeadByDeath
15. May 2023 · 16:38 UTC
I had to check the comments to see how the game is supposed to be played. I liked the concept and the interpretation of the theme. The art, the music and the mood of the game are simple but very well implemented! Nice entry!