Mitch's Budget Movers! by SephoWepho

[raw]
made by SephoWepho for Ludum Dare 54 (JAM)

(WARNING: BUGGY AS ALL GET OUT -- you may have to restart several times as bug-fixing came wayyyy later than it should've for me...)

Introducing, Mitch: the cheapest mover money can buy. 🚚

In a world where gas prices can double every week, and cardboard boxes can't stay a steady $5, you would think a mover such as Mitch would be shaken, looking for an alternative means of work perhaps? But no, as sure as ever that he'll see through to the end of the next week he puts the key in his truck, and sets off for another day. Can you guide Mitch on with his career and avoid bankruptcy? Let's hope so!

PromoImage1.png PromoImage2.png PromoImage3.png

Audio from: Ecrett Music, Chiptone, Mario, and YOUTUBE!

Ratings

Overall 560th 3.577⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Fun 645th 3.34⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 431th 3.52⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Theme 314th 4⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 377th 3.92⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Humor 430th 3.182⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Mood 447th 3.667⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Given 13🗳️ 30🗨️

Feedback

Congeesetador
03. Oct 2023 · 03:52 UTC
Very nicely designed game! At first I encountered a bug where I couldn't pick up the last item in the first level but I restarted the game and it worked perfectly! putting the items into the boxes was quite the challenge but it was fun nonetheless!
AncientEntity
03. Oct 2023 · 03:54 UTC
Enjoyed this one! Picking up items was a little finkicky but besides that it was a really enjoyable concept. Good job :O
Big Boy Games
03. Oct 2023 · 04:00 UTC
Great work! I think you were able to pack a surprising amount of content in given the time constraint. Fun mechanics too!
Kippp
03. Oct 2023 · 04:03 UTC
Will you provide a standalone build too? WebGL doesn't seem to be working for me..
Blue Pin Studio
03. Oct 2023 · 04:16 UTC
Wow i got to do the entire start-to-finish of mailing stuff! Very cool. I don't think i've ever seen a jam game with so many mini-games within
LDJam user 250905
03. Oct 2023 · 04:41 UTC
@kippp Done and done, sir! :thumbsup:
Diego Teran
03. Oct 2023 · 04:52 UTC
This is an amazing job for a solo dev! It had a lot of mechanics that were fun and fit the main theme pretty well. I enjoyed my time with this.
hotaloca
03. Oct 2023 · 04:53 UTC
Well done! This is really a cool puzzle game. On the mechanics I liked the multiple mini games gave variety, plus when you had to pack that your decision is final (eg. you cannot take out and iterate) - this game a very interesting spin on the game. The pixel arts were really cool, and I'm suprised on the amount of scenes and objects you were able to make, this is really nice. The music supported the vibes and the loneliness of packing. Congrats so great work alltogether.
Kippp
03. Oct 2023 · 04:58 UTC
I really enjoyed the pixel art and subtle animations!
The amount of mechanics in here is quite astounding, the truck part feels really satisfying
I went bankrupt. XD
The XJ Project
04. Oct 2023 · 15:00 UTC
Really enjoyed the game, very clever idea!
Gabreu
04. Oct 2023 · 15:03 UTC
I liked the game art, just feel the movimentation a bit weird, its a good game tho. The embed WebGl has a problem with resolution
Arthur Othy-Gares
04. Oct 2023 · 15:11 UTC
I love many things about this game !
First of all the game loop is quite simple but really effective.
The art is perfect.
The music and the ambience are really cool.

Sometimes items are difficult to be taken. I had difficulties to understand the system of money.

Great game overall !
LDJam user 378283
05. Oct 2023 · 02:18 UTC
The price of oil has risen, in line with reality, full marks,lol
braktheman
05. Oct 2023 · 02:31 UTC
A few notes - first of all, something about this concept and the variety within it made this one of my favorite games I've played so far in this jam. It's really relaxing and strategic at the same time.

Unfortunately the bugs got the best of me and I couldn't make it to the end after a few attempts. Might just be a little bit of overscoping with how many neat concepts you put in, but I don't necessarily think you made the wrong decision. The game is compelling because of the different stages all working together so getting that all working before crushing the bugs makes sense to me.

Third, I learned that I would run an absolutely terrible moving service because every single I time I forgot to open the truck door and ended up throwing the first box into the side of the truck and letting it fall to the ground which is very funny. The inflation week to week also added to the comedy for me and felt like some amusing commentary as I lost money on the job week after week.

Even though I did not end up seeing it through, I actually really liked this game and I hope down the road you can iron out the bugs because I do think it's very fun. Bugs aside, I think it's impressive work for a solo dev in such a short period. Excellent work.
Bo Dangles
05. Oct 2023 · 02:36 UTC
Really fun game that nails the theme. I really liked the physics in the truck loading and driving portions of the game. I think the buying more boxes mechanic was really smart since the player just doesnt lose the game if they struggle to fit too many items in a box, they just don't make as much money, and have a harder time loading the truck. its a really good way to reward playing the game well while not being too punishing.

My only issue i had was picking up items some times felt very difficult. I would sometimes be able to get it by clicking around the item or reloading the level, but other than that very solid entry! I had a great time.
LDJam user 250905
05. Oct 2023 · 03:22 UTC
@braktheman Thank you very much, my friend! I really did over-scope on this one I think; about half the work was done in the last third of the time I had, if that explains the bugs hahaha. It was a concious decision of mine to keep the trunk closed to begin with, I'd say I'm glad I did! :laughing:

I really should come back here and work out each of the bugs, my brother found just about all of them after the game was published -- and I know what caused each, and every one of them (it was painful to watch). Either way, I appreciate you trying your hand at my game and being patient with it's issues, see you next jam! :D
Rincs
06. Oct 2023 · 03:05 UTC
Loved it! I'll take the win even though I was supposed to lose xD
FanNevada
06. Oct 2023 · 10:45 UTC
short but Good idea ! keep goin
VerttiXPertti
06. Oct 2023 · 10:56 UTC
I liked how much content there was here and the graphics were nice too. It was a little buggy and I got totally crushed on the second day for some reason losing all my money.
Vikatoria
06. Oct 2023 · 17:03 UTC
I love the ambience of the game. It's peaceful and well designed but I couldn't get to the truck part even tho I restarted several times
LDJam user 250905
06. Oct 2023 · 17:07 UTC
@vikatoria To enter truck view, you need to either fill all the boxes and seal them, or fit all the items into as many boxes as you need and seal those! Sorry if it was hard to understand, I really should get a tutorial stuck in there, haha.
GodDoesPlayDice
07. Oct 2023 · 22:05 UTC
I wasn't able to enjoy the game but the graphics, music and general amosphere are fun
dxk2294
08. Oct 2023 · 01:14 UTC
I was pretty confused at first - and I didn't really understand the trunk mechanics. I think it would have helped to start the player with a box. I didn't know what "buying a box" meant, so I wanted to avoid wasting resources at first. I also wish that the items weren't locked in once placed. Still, it was an interesting experience. Awesome work getting this all done in time!
ffffchai
08. Oct 2023 · 04:52 UTC
I love the explanatory text in the upper left corner, they are really helpful. But I think I'm still experiencing some bugs where I click on my item but can't pick it up. Anyway, i enjoy the sorting time, nice job!
Papus Games
10. Oct 2023 · 10:33 UTC
Good job! You accomplished a lot for three days, it was fun.
AdamCYounis
16. Oct 2023 · 06:22 UTC
Heya, thanks for sharing your game with me! It wasn't quite as buggy as you let on, and I was able to finish without any major issues. I thought the gameplay loop was pretty deep for a 72 hour jam entry, there were a lot of little things to do and it did seem like the gameplay mattered in judging the outcome (though, I did only play once and I assume the player always ends up in the red). My biggest issue would be that the three different screens seem to thin out play experience. The packing mechanic felt like the best part, and I think the game probably could have stood on just that one mechanic, giving you more time for polish and to create a bit more tension over more in-game days, which might have felt more dramatic by pushing the player's packing skills to the limit. But I did appreciate that the game didn't overstay its welcome. The runtime is perfect, currently.

I thought the graphics were suitable, but a little difficult to parse sometimes just due to the art style / font rendering choices. The sound was implemented well and didn't get tiresome at all.

Overall, I think this was a fair entry with clear opportunity for improvement with a bit more time / experience. Looking forward to your progress in the next jam :)
LDJam user 320570
19. Oct 2023 · 21:07 UTC
Fun take on the theme! It took a little bit to figure out how to play, but once I did the gameplay loop was pretty enjoyable. It's evil (in a good way) that the truck doors are closed by default, I kept smashing my first box straight into them, undoubtedly causing more damage than necessary to those poor boomerangs. I did run into a few minor glitches, like objects not fitting and not registering as being picked up (still reading 0/4) but nothing game breaking. Mario thanking me at the end was a beautiful cherry on top. Nice work!
ADerpyChickenStudios
20. Oct 2023 · 21:10 UTC
Neat game, it was a little buggy to pick up items at times.