Tiny Creatures by kernon

[raw]
made by kernon for Ludum Dare 56 (JAM)

This is a very small game prototype. I'm a solo dev focused on learning to scope what I can design and build within a limited time frame.

The game is focused on a single core mechanic, placing signs to direct the tiny creatures away from harm and guiding them to their destination. I was able to implement all the core mechanics I defined up front as well as a few that I discovered were essential along the way. It is otherwise deliberately simplistic in visual style and makes no effort to provide any notion of replay value. One simple level to mess around in to validate the core concepts of the gameplay, that's it. I do find it pretty entertaining to whistle at the creatures though.

Some ideas of where this could go include:

  • Limited number of signs available to complete a level
  • Different coloured creatures that only respond to different coloured signs
  • More types of signs, for example one that makes the creatures jump over obstacles, or one that causes the creatures to stop and wait for another whistle before proceeding
  • Additional hazard types and other obstacles, such as rocks that must be jumped over or navigated around
  • Unique characteristics for different coloured creatures, for example some might move at different speeds
  • Additional interactions for the player while the creatures are moving, such as needing to interact with a button that can raise/lower a lift to help the creatures proceed

Now the question becomes, is the game idea any fun? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Ratings

Overall 1057th 2.606⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1038th 2.485⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 741th 3.045⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Theme 862th 3.188⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 965th 1.844⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Humor 878th 2.283⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1047th 2.188⭐ 34🧑‍⚖️
Given 37🗳️ 51🗨️

Feedback

Leonardo213
06. Oct 2024 · 21:45 UTC
its ok
BroMakesGames
06. Oct 2024 · 22:35 UTC
I think it could be a fun game idea, but at this stage it is a very small prototype, as you mentioned.
I'd make a preview of the sign being placed and maybe ability to snap to grid as it was a bit hard to control it precisely.
richjbaron
06. Oct 2024 · 22:37 UTC
I like the idea! but agreed with it being hard to control the signs. I think the player's non-instantaneous rotation contributed for me. probably best to have their angle snap to the camera angle for precision.
🎤 kernon
06. Oct 2024 · 22:53 UTC
@bromakesgames I actually hadn't even considered a build preview. But that makes so much sense! Thanks for the feedback!

@richjbaron I do have one small fix that I didn't get around to which was to actually have the creatures move towards the centre of the sign after hitting the area of influence before changing to face the direction the sign is pointing. I think this would help a lot with the precision problem. But then I'm wondering if this as a 3rd person puzzle game actually even makes sense or if it makes more sense for it to be isometric or even just straight up 2D? This is why prototypes are so much fun to play around with and learn from!
Turaku
06. Oct 2024 · 22:56 UTC
Kind of reminds me of pikmin. I think if placing the signs was easier, like press F to make a half-transparent sign then rotate with mousewheel and then press F again to confirm, it would feel a lot better.
DropMania
06. Oct 2024 · 23:03 UTC
Pretty cool idea! I think with some more intuitive controls and some graphical enhancements this could be something :D
BrotherBrody
07. Oct 2024 · 00:26 UTC
Interesting idea, but needs some more development time!
William Corrin
07. Oct 2024 · 01:00 UTC
Idea = great. Execution needs some work. The signs are kind of bugged in multiple ways, and i think instead of the player's forward direction being the means to place signs, it should be the camera's forward direction with no y component.

Needs more time in the oven. Great entry for a jam though!
Custodi
07. Oct 2024 · 02:03 UTC
Understand your concept, idea is working. Here some advice
- Need add a fuction to remove only one flag
- Add more tables types (teleport/tramploline/accelerator and etc)
- Need to thing about table placement, be more intuitive and easier
- And add more obstacle content.
Foursay
07. Oct 2024 · 03:53 UTC
I’m really enjoying the herding mechanic—it's fun to watch the tiny creatures follow your signals! I do have a couple of suggestions:
- It would be great if the signs could be placed based on the camera view rather than the character’s perspective.
- A 'forward' sign at the start would be helpful, since I'm not the best at calculating rotations, haha.

Overall, great entry! Well done!"
RefraX295
07. Oct 2024 · 09:09 UTC
Cool concept. The controls are a bit finicky though and it would be great if you could remove just your last placed sign instead of all of them. Would be cool to see this idea expanded upon.
Derly
07. Oct 2024 · 11:12 UTC
really enjoy for prototype. but the game needs a lot of tweaks to be truly cooler
Zz1p
07. Oct 2024 · 13:50 UTC
It's a good idea, but you can feel the dampness of the game, modify it a little and add graphics and it will be mega cool!
badbons
07. Oct 2024 · 15:21 UTC
Amogus! I liked the idea. Perhaps future ideas could also be to add different kinds of creatures that each need different care and precautions etc
Sviborg
07. Oct 2024 · 17:55 UTC
interesting concept! 🤩 The mechanics are simple but fun and have huge potential for expansion. Great job on the prototype! 👍
RascarCapackDev
07. Oct 2024 · 18:10 UTC
I like the simple concept. A bit of work on the game feel could bring a lot!
Emelme
07. Oct 2024 · 19:09 UTC
not bad
dooskington
07. Oct 2024 · 21:33 UTC
Interesting game mechanic / prototype!
Jesse Martin
08. Oct 2024 · 00:29 UTC
Pretty Good, needed a reset key just for QOL
Kirass
08. Oct 2024 · 17:35 UTC
Cool idea! Super!
Chuckiee
09. Oct 2024 · 06:37 UTC
Nice idea, I think 1 sign would be enough since you can rotate your camera and that sign could point to where you're looking. Got the creatures to end but didn't get any win screen :(
Guerrier32
10. Oct 2024 · 17:12 UTC
very cool game concept. We want a sequel ;)
brainles etertainment
13. Oct 2024 · 08:10 UTC
Fine starting point. Whistle is too loud, made me shit my pants :'(
Mardood
18. Oct 2024 · 19:41 UTC
Decent starting point. Whistle is very loud, made me piss my shorts :( AMONGUS
Jcourt
23. Oct 2024 · 07:56 UTC
I like the concept here! I've actually wondered before if a sort of "herding tower defense" game like this could work (almost did one for this jam actually, but decided to go with something simpler instead), and this prototype was fun to mess around with.

I like a lot of the future ideas you listed as well. If I was going to make a game like this, my assumption was that it would work best as a top down thing, without any real player character, but I think your last idea above, about manually interacting with buttons and things, is very interesting and worth exploring.

Other people have mentioned controls and things, and I agree, but if you keep working on this at all, I'd be interested in seeing how it turns out!