Seven Trains by Matthew Bond

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

Tutorial is a little rough and can't be accessed mid-run. Here are some screenshots if you need to reference it, as well as a couple unmentioned tips! There are a lot of moving parts so we do recommend reading the tutorial in full.

Don't be afraid to pass a handful of turns without doing anything. Raiding trains is all about waiting for the right moment to strike!

In order to steal luxury goods from a train you have to capture them when they are on the return trip, otherwise you will only get the money they were going to use to buy the goods from another town.

There's a handy unmentioned hotkey: tab lets you cycle through any towns that are enraged.

Don't forget your goal! You win once you get enough of it.

Money and outlaws are plentiful until they aren't. Getting luxuries, money, or outlaws generally costs some of the other.

Don't forget to bribe! Too much infamy can be an easy way to get caught.

We recommend playing in fullscreen for the best experience.

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Ratings

Overall 895th 3.28⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1109th 2.7⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 189th 3.833⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Theme 234th 4.24⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Audio 463th 3.396⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Humor 883th 2.568⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Mood 545th 3.587⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 29🗨️

Feedback

Arthur Mairs
02. May 2023 · 01:40 UTC
Definitely an interesting take on the prompt! a good entry that has a lot of stuff going on!
T C
02. May 2023 · 01:44 UTC
Interesting game. Love the design, but there is a LOT to take in to start. It would be nice if there was a mini-version of the game with guided steps to onboard you, but I do know the difficulty of doing so for a game jam. Either way, cozy, neat game!
the neon shark
02. May 2023 · 01:52 UTC
I really want to play this game, but even with the tutorials I'm struggling to understand the nuances of what's going on :O I love the forward simulation aspect of this game though -- it seems very rich. The trains and detectives all bustling about when spamming "End Turn" was a joyous experience even though I had no idea what I was doing haha
Adam Gallina
02. May 2023 · 03:56 UTC
Great submission! That was a really unique experience, I had a lot of fun playing! How do you collect resources? It sounded like when you blockade a train, it would steal those resources, but I never collected any.
🎤 Matthew Bond
02. May 2023 · 04:06 UTC
@adam-gallina It's definitely a bit confusing at first! When a town sends a train out it will head to a different town that produces the resource that it desires with cash to buy it, and then the same train will come back to the town. So you have catch em on the way back otherwise you'll only get the cash.
Yaroslav Kravtsov
02. May 2023 · 14:35 UTC
It will be good to have two levels. One as the current level and other as a small level to learn the basics. You made a very clever game.
LDJam user 337697
02. May 2023 · 20:33 UTC
Interesting to play, but very hard to understand how to play. Especially, at the beginning.
xbcw
02. May 2023 · 21:06 UTC
I loved the feel of this game. the graphics, sound and interface was very good. The gameplay was rather confusing but i think i eventually got the hang of it. Nice strategy game!
BrahGold
02. May 2023 · 22:49 UTC
I really appreciate the twist on the theme and the interesting puzzle that the mechanics make. Unfortunately, something (I think the busy sand texture and slightly choppy movement) made the game give me a headache. It's a game I would have liked to play more though!
sorreveloper
03. May 2023 · 16:51 UTC
The mood is transmitted very well, felt kinda relaxing
alanxoc3
04. May 2023 · 00:31 UTC
I also couldn't understand the gameplay very well. I got to the point where I was creating blockades around places with a bunch of trains, then bribing officials so my infamy goes down, and removing blockades so my infamy doesn't increase.

I don't understand how to create blockades in a way where my infamy doesn't increase too much.

Anyways, the UI was really good and the game felt pretty polished.
DenKa
10. May 2023 · 15:47 UTC
Honestly, the game looks very interesting, and I see its potential. However, it's quite hard to figure out and understand. It would be wonderful if you could provide a smooth introduction to guide the player through the game.
Brigart
14. May 2023 · 20:02 UTC
Nice game! Interesting idea
3079
14. May 2023 · 21:35 UTC
Really cool game! I feel like it has potential to suck you in for quite some time. I felt like it's quite difficult to understand the consequences of your actions though. I found the most efficient strategy to be just placing blockades near the cities that export the good you need every other turn. Using this tactic I was able to beat the game in like 10 turns, which also produced a bug that you can see on a screenshot. ![LD53.png](///raw/def/93/z/5bc2c.png) One other minor bug is that your blockades can sometimes get obstructed by some other objects, making them really hard to click. But those all are really negligible complaints, outside of that I really enjoyed it. Technically it's impressive, and I also loved the visuals and the concept itself. Good job with this one and keep it up!