Geekmancer by Gonzo13

[raw]
made by Gonzo13 for Ludum Dare 55 (JAM)

Ratings

Overall 368th 3.766⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Fun 476th 3.563⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 408th 3.547⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Theme 264th 4.063⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 268th 4.172⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Audio 426th 3.484⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Humor 312th 3.519⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Mood 301th 3.875⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Given 73🗳️ 38🗨️

Feedback

RaimondoSenpai
16. Apr 2024 · 00:34 UTC
something
🎤 Gonzo13
16. Apr 2024 · 08:05 UTC
# :warning: Share your results here in comments! :warning:
🎤 Gonzo13
16. Apr 2024 · 08:06 UTC
@raimondosenpai thanks for your feedback! It's time to play the game. :smirk:
🎤 Gonzo13
16. Apr 2024 · 08:11 UTC
![photo_2024-04-16_03-50-32.jpg](///raw/119/72/z/6380a.jpg)
# 8450 bones! Can you beat this? @adui
Tomáš Selmeci
16. Apr 2024 · 19:02 UTC
I gave up after i spent 50 on green gas and i fckd up the aim on it :D Overall good entry, all the graphics felt fitting together well, audio a bit lacking, the placing mechanic took a bit time to get used to and also i had a bit harder start without knowing what means what
Dywanix
16. Apr 2024 · 19:04 UTC
Interesting game idea. I had fun while playing that and I really enjoy a music
Widerhold
16. Apr 2024 · 19:06 UTC
Great art and visuals! but i don't seem to lose in the web build. the attacking ghosts are continually hitting my statues and the game never ends. Also the right mouse click doesn't work in your webbuild. Netherless fun entry and once again great visuals and concept!
simonbw
16. Apr 2024 · 19:09 UTC
I have a really hard time understanding what's going on. The first time I played, it wasn't obvious which things on the screen were clickable, or even which side I was on. Eventually I figured out how to summon spells, but I don't really get what the difference between any of them is. The art and animations are really cool though.
🎤 Gonzo13
16. Apr 2024 · 19:19 UTC
@simonbw @widerhold @dywanix @tomas-selmeci thanks guys for your feedback! The onboarding is our weak point =)
@widerhold I will check right click ones again. Thanks!
Pe7e
16. Apr 2024 · 19:19 UTC
Perhaps the ui could be a bit more responsive, otherwise it was a good tower defense adaptation. Great job
Hystaf
16. Apr 2024 · 19:19 UTC
Nice !
Hard to learn at start but after that it's smooth
GDMage
16. Apr 2024 · 19:25 UTC
![Screenshot 2024-04-16 212211.png](///raw/269/e5/z/63d35.png)

Я не смог дождаться смерти. Мне стало скучно ...
Прикольная идея. Но не хватило развития и скорости трупов. Плюс или это баг или я не знаю, я так и не смог умереть. Хотя в определенный момент просто бросил ставить ловушки.
LDJam user 383763
16. Apr 2024 · 19:25 UTC
Interesting idea, summoning protective/damaging stuff. But I didn't see the point. Heads of the 3 protectors went down but I'm basically immortal (web version). I can't see anywhere what is actually the goal of this game.
LDJam user 387594
16. Apr 2024 · 19:38 UTC
I like it, the art and responsiveness is quite nice!
eonarheim
16. Apr 2024 · 19:48 UTC
WOW I'm constantly impressed by what you make! The graphics are so polished, I wish I had those art skills! I love the sound/music as well. I'm a fan of the tower defense mechanic, play cards to defend, collect bones, play more cards!
hvox
16. Apr 2024 · 19:58 UTC
The game is actually quite cool. It's fun, it has good pace, quite good art and okay sound. It is better than most things I played today and it defensively deserves much more attention than it currently gets.
P.S. I wish it was more challenging, since currently poor performance is the main enemy
🎤 Gonzo13
16. Apr 2024 · 20:16 UTC
@hvox @eonarheim @andrewbyte @wildcodeplay @hystaf @pe7e Thanks for your feedback! There was a very silly bug =( I just fixed it. Sorry for that.
🎤 Gonzo13
16. Apr 2024 · 20:17 UTC
@gdmage Спасибо за обзор) В игре действительно был баг, я его исправил.
Noona
16. Apr 2024 · 20:55 UTC
Music and art style are spot on, maybe a bit lacking a logical final? But overall very nice and meditative experience :)
PromZona
16. Apr 2024 · 21:08 UTC
Nice submission! Appreciate art style. Maybe a little bit of balancing for ability costs. Overall liked the game!

Have a nice Jam!
Blaise Ebuth
16. Apr 2024 · 21:16 UTC
Nice and original game, though I suck at it... ^^

The graphics are great.

For some reason it doesn't work in my Firefox, had to play it on Edge...

Also, when you click the replay button, your bones count is not reset to the initial 30. Don't know if it's on purpose, but that can be a huge handicap if you finish a game with only 1 or 2 bones.

Good job! :thumbsup:
MaggardJosh
16. Apr 2024 · 22:19 UTC
Cool entry! Feel like it needs some balancing, also the bones don't reset after you die which seems like a bug. Music and graphics are really good. Great work!
🎤 Gonzo13
17. Apr 2024 · 07:23 UTC
@maggardjosh @blaise-ebuth @promzona Thanks for your feedback! I'm hope you had fun =)
P.S. The bug was fixed! Thanks!
ditam
19. Apr 2024 · 14:28 UTC
A very nice game, but I was super confused by the UI in the beginning. I thought the cards in front were some sort of spells you can cast, while they are just an indicator for what spells you currently have active...

For anyone else struggling with the controls: the main control area is actually the row of spells on the right. The first click selects the spell, then a second click on the main play area selects the radius with which to deploy it. Once deployed, the spell will show up as a card in the middle - this area is mostly just an indicator of how much is left of the spell (color fades to gray when it's about to run out), but you can also right-click the cards to dismiss the spell and make room for a new one.

Ignoring the UX issues, the graphics are actually very nice and stylish. A straightforward idea with a lot of polish, well done!
🎤 Gonzo13
20. Apr 2024 · 09:25 UTC
@ditam Thanks a lot for your detailed feedback! We will keep in mind for the future your recommendations about UX.
Lamp_p
20. Apr 2024 · 16:58 UTC
Ok that was fun. I wasn't sure exactly what to do in the beginning but after click around and a few trys later I became immortal and had to let them kill me to see my score lol. I think the difficulty stops increasing after a certain point and for an endless game like this, maybe the difficulty should keep increasing. I had fun overall though getting to the immortal state. Nice art, sound and music very polished feeling.![Screenshot 2024-04-20 115726.jpg](///raw/74d/a5/z/648df.jpg)
stephenwhoskins
20. Apr 2024 · 23:49 UTC
Oh my god. The art / animations are so good in this... Very innovative and on target with the theme. Very jealous. Good job!
Zliebowitz
21. Apr 2024 · 00:18 UTC
This plays pretty well. I don't think I quite understand all the systems still, but it is defiantly something different.

As stated, onboarding definitely seems to be the main issue. In game is ideal, but text and/or pictures on the game/itch page is also always an option (and usually a lot faster to do).

I'm a bit curious how a fuller game based on this would look like. Probably combining some permanent structures or stat buffs with the temporary spells. Probably some variance in enemies to try to force different and adapting defenses.
🎤 Gonzo13
21. Apr 2024 · 08:26 UTC
@stephenwhoskins Thanks for your feedback! I hope you had fun!
🎤 Gonzo13
21. Apr 2024 · 08:29 UTC
@zliebowitz Thanks for yor feedback =) Yep, several enemies types. For now you will notice that some enemies a little bigger then others coz they have more health. Also @adui 's brain can draw a lot of freaky creatures =)
Spliddo
21. Apr 2024 · 18:12 UTC
Great game overall, amazing graphics and the tune is very nice

One issue, which is very easy to solve: the UI should deliver a better message to the user what they can and cannot build, maybe if you try to click on a summon while you have 3 active a message pops up

tl;dr instructions are lacking, but the rest is solid work
deformhead
22. Apr 2024 · 19:32 UTC
I can't make it work at the moment...

I click on your (awesome) art with the play button, then I'm stuck on a empty screen, then if I click on the empty screen, it shows me again the play button.
CallMeTy
22. Apr 2024 · 20:48 UTC
Oh this is a very nice one! From what I've played so far it's a pretty unique take on tower defense games with some decent polish! I was confused at first but quickly grasped it and enjoyed it a lot! The music set the mood perfectly and acted as a nice stressor. Very nice job guys!
🎤 Gonzo13
23. Apr 2024 · 10:16 UTC
@spliddo thanks for your feedback! I hope you had fun!
🎤 Gonzo13
23. Apr 2024 · 10:18 UTC
@deformhead sorry for that :sob: Tell me plz which browser do you use? It seems like webgl issue.
🎤 Gonzo13
23. Apr 2024 · 10:18 UTC
@callmety thanks for your feedback!
HermitGamesmiths
23. Apr 2024 · 23:08 UTC
I'm getting the same issue as @deformhead on Firefox. When I run it in Brave, I can start the game, but clicking the card to the right makes the whole screen go blank.
Okamit
24. Apr 2024 · 00:34 UTC
Hard game, but fun! I really enjoyed this take on tower defence and will come back to it later to try to push some scores! Graphics are really great as well, very polished!

Great work!
deformhead
24. Apr 2024 · 06:29 UTC
@gonzo13 I'm using Firefox like @hermitgamesmiths

I have a screen of Device Pixel Ratio 2, just in case (resolution of 3000x2000)
🎤 Gonzo13
24. Apr 2024 · 09:47 UTC
@deformhead @hermitgamesmiths Thanks for your feedback guys! I've fixed this bug. Let's try again please :smirk:
🎤 Gonzo13
24. Apr 2024 · 09:48 UTC
@okamit thanks a lot! =)
KrummSakura
25. Apr 2024 · 19:47 UTC
The game has one of the most distinctive art style/aesthetics I've encountered so far in LD55. Gameplay is surprisingly rich with the provided shapes and weapons which leave room for tons of experimentation in each run. The music fits the mood nicely. Not a major issue for a jam game but some sort of tutorial could be nice. Great job!
🎤 Gonzo13
25. Apr 2024 · 21:26 UTC
@krummsakura thanks a lot for your feedback!
Shrillwhip
25. Apr 2024 · 21:43 UTC
Graphics and overall presentation are great, and the gameplay is engaging. I just think the difficulty curve is a bit steep. If you adjust the difficulty a bit, I think this would be a really fun TD.
🎤 Gonzo13
25. Apr 2024 · 22:23 UTC
@shrillwhip thanks for your feedback! I hope you had fun =)