LudumData

Jar World by TheMixedMaster

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

Play as a bug in an enclosed terrarium! Eat smaller bugs and avoid predators.

Instructions: WASD or arrow keys to move Keep your energy above 0 by eating small grey bugs. Avoid the purple bugs as they will kill you instantly.

The game will get harder as the purple bugs grow in numbers and the grey bugs dwindle, either from your own actions or the actions of other factors in the environment.

What each object does:

brown = dirt (can be overtaken by moss)

green = moss (eaten by grey bugs and spreads to dirt)

light grey = grey bugs (eaten by the player and purple bugs and eats moss)

purple = purple bugs (eat grey bugs, players, and corpses)

black = corpse (eaten by purple bugs, sizes vary based on what died)

dark grey = large rocks (large, do nothing)

Post-jam update: An updated version of the game can now be played on itch.io!

itch.io https://themixedmaster.itch.io/jar-world
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/54/jar-world

Ratings

Overall 933th 3.129⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Fun 758th 3.186⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 453th 3.486⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Theme 911th 3.086⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 927th 2.757⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Audio 695th 2.028⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Humor 410th 3.222⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Mood 858th 3.135⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Given 25🗳️ 49🗨️

Feedback

MapleLeaf
03. Oct 2023 · 02:31 UTC
I love the chaos of this, we need more chaotic games! I think I'd prefer to have snappier controls and more agency over my movement. At the moment it feels a little "floaty". Increased movement speed and harsher gravity could help here. The gameplay itself also feels a bit samey and repetitive.
JASHYUA
03. Oct 2023 · 02:36 UTC
Really like the concept. It kept me playing for a minute. I feel I should have been able to wiggle my way down a little easier and I didn't expect to be able to jump so high.
Ethan G
03. Oct 2023 · 02:44 UTC
Nice game! like MapleLeaf said the chaos was wonderful! never really felt threatened by the purple creatures but they were always there in the back of my mind, excellent job!
Fernando Tonon de Rossi
03. Oct 2023 · 02:46 UTC
nice! I got over 8000 points very pleasant to keep jumping and collecting the smaller bugs
Adam Gallina
03. Oct 2023 · 02:47 UTC
I really liked the concept! Definitely agree that the jump was a bit hard to control and it would have been fun to be able to push into the dirt more, but the gameplay itself was really funny as dirt and bugs rained down from previous jumps. Nice job!
🎤 TheMixedMaster
03. Oct 2023 · 03:05 UTC
@mapleleaf thanks for the feedback! I agree there's a bit I could've done to improve the controls as they're really janky rn. I wasn't able to devote as much time to this as I wanted but I ended up with something at least semi-complete so I'd call that a successful first Jam.
🎤 TheMixedMaster
03. Oct 2023 · 03:07 UTC
@ethan-g yeah I could've made them spend less time "dormant" underground. But if the game goes for a few minutes, eventually the purple bugs start to multiply and wipe out the grey bugs completely lol.
poboy
03. Oct 2023 · 08:12 UTC
Full points for innovation and I love these "simulated terrarium" type games, they're so hard to do and so interesting. Got to 8047. I think I understand the vision of the game, you're supposed to keep moss alive by controlling the population of grey greebles? I didn't really feel like I had much agency in that regard but it's fun as a thought experiment.

The gravity is a little wild, and I died via a purple greeble drop-kicking me from offscreen.

Also, this is your first jam? Really amazing if so!
🎤 TheMixedMaster
03. Oct 2023 · 16:30 UTC
@poboy first jam, yeah. I probably could've fixed a lot of the issues but the time constraint got me a bit. I barely got it playable and only added the textures in the last 30 minutes lol.
BigAl
03. Oct 2023 · 17:18 UTC
Nice cozy game, agreed jashyua that wiggling down should maybe be a little easier but at the same time it was fun to yolo jump and slam down across the terrarium
tempest-smh
03. Oct 2023 · 17:26 UTC
Nice chill game, feels like calm version of agar io. It's very replayable for how simple the game is, nice job!
jaroslav2324
03. Oct 2023 · 17:32 UTC
Nice fun game, i really expected growing in size to consume those unfriendly purple things :) Also you can add some simple funny music if you wish :)
Plutonium Powered
03. Oct 2023 · 17:34 UTC
Cute game. Great job!
Stefan B.
03. Oct 2023 · 17:35 UTC
i lived a quite happy life at the very left side directly on the glass wall for very long time :)
Sallya_YT
04. Oct 2023 · 00:44 UTC
Cute game! The mechanic is simple and easily understood!
T C
04. Oct 2023 · 04:51 UTC
Echo what everyone else said here. A very satisfying game!
breadstick
04. Oct 2023 · 04:55 UTC
a fun little physics-based collect-a-thon! Also an instructive lesson in ideal circle packing... I wanted to get at those subterranean grey bugs, but unfortunately lattices of identically-sized circles are stable :(
raassh23
04. Oct 2023 · 04:57 UTC
Really cute, a game over screen would be nice so that we don't need to refresh the page if we want to play again
LDJam user 206001
04. Oct 2023 · 05:26 UTC
I also agreed with (@mapleleaf) that we need more chaotic games. I liked the whole crazy thing. The jump is really crazy and insanely disproportionate lol, I practically kept quiet in the corner for a long time, following (@stefan-b)'s advice, but then I got tired and ventured into the middle and died, of course. The sound would have been great here. Really cool first jam. I love seeing different ideas. It really is within the theme, very tight and limited, and it would be even more so if the jump was much smaller. This jump is really crazy lol.
JamesW
04. Oct 2023 · 05:46 UTC
A nice and fun entry. Graphics is simple but it works and fit the mechanics. Yeah, I also think gravity will help improve the control and increase the fun. Overall a great game!
Zeit
05. Oct 2023 · 02:36 UTC
I love the tiny character and fun game!
bucharlardy
05. Oct 2023 · 06:38 UTC
有趣，但我无法深入泥土
Mocadium
05. Oct 2023 · 06:42 UTC
I like the concept! Personally I found it a little easy, but I liked the feeling of finding a bunch of bugs at one spot and eating them, well done!
LDJam user 372525
05. Oct 2023 · 09:21 UTC
I definitely like this idea. It would be interesting to play with music, I hope it will be added in the future. Good job!
nardandas
05. Oct 2023 · 09:39 UTC
Cute little game. I really liked the simulation-type vibe of the progression of things, it was cool!
Hawkin
08. Oct 2023 · 03:12 UTC
Cute! I enjoyed that the environment seemed to have some underlying rules, like moss spreading to dirt and bugs "naturally" dying. That would be an interesting ecosystem to expand on! It is pretty unique for a jam game :)

Now that you have a mechanic (moving around and eating bugs, while avoiding getting eaten yourself), there should be an overall objective. "Eat as much as you can" isn't really a clear objective, because it only lasts as long as the player's interest. Instead, maybe building a nest or getting to the bottom of the terrarium. Just a few quick ideas on an "objective"!

![Screenshot 2023-10-07 224936.png](///raw/319/53/z/5ffe6.png)
jandourek
15. Oct 2023 · 13:52 UTC
Pretty unique game! It's more like a weird little ecosystem than a game, but it works! I wish you could bury into the ground a bit more. The purple bugs were not that much of a threat but they did end up killing me in the end. Maybe if the purple bugs multiplied more it would have been a bit more interesting. Still I think this is really fun! Could maybe work like a little multiplayer party game of some kind!
🎤 TheMixedMaster
25. Oct 2023 · 01:06 UTC
I've released an updated version of the game on itch.io! It fixes some of the control issues, adds a replay button, high scores, and 2 new bugs.