Depth of your Thoughts by mauzart

[raw]
made by mauzart for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

Screenshot 2025-04-06 172752.png

So here it is : a game that seems to be quiet and calm. But in reality is much louder than it sounds.

My idea was simple : I didn't want to create an ocean game, and I didn't want a super fun gameplay neither. "Depths" reminds me the deep thinking I can have every night, like many other people.

There is not much stuff to do, really. I'm more like a "contemplative" and "story" game fan person. And also it's my first 3D prototype, I started gamedev 1 month ago! So it's my first gamejam too and even if I struggled a lot, I loved it !

Can't wait to play yours, they all seem super cool !


Update on april the 9th: I've uploaded a new version of the game with english translation.


PS: reminder for me - Worked on ot from Saturday 10am to Sunday 6PM - Total work time: 20h30

Ratings

Overall 708th 3.136⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Fun 848th 2.432⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 668th 2.886⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Theme 297th 3.909⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Humor 658th 2.1⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 225th 3.909⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Given 16🗳️ 36🗨️

Feedback

ImmortalFox
07. Apr 2025 · 12:30 UTC
Totally not a bad game for a first one. Well done. Have the best luck on your path into that interesting game dev world
🎤 mauzart
07. Apr 2025 · 12:39 UTC
@immortalfox thank you so much for taking the time to try it and leaving this feedback! It means a lot to me
ImmortalFox
07. Apr 2025 · 12:41 UTC
@mauzart It is always nice to try out new games, especially when developers struggle to make them better.
ImmortalFox
07. Apr 2025 · 12:42 UTC
And you may call a game dev yourself now :) You have done a job which 70% of developers would never do - finish a project, and did what 99% of 8 billion humans will never do - make a game :)
Sharky3188
07. Apr 2025 · 13:07 UTC
Great work on your first 3D entry. I noticed a bug where you can spam jump and enable yourself to fly :D.
Otherwise the atmosphere was good, I wish I could understand the text as it felt like I was missing out on a lot of engaging parts of the game (maybe add translations in the future?). Music fit in well, and the theme felt decent.
ssiannas
07. Apr 2025 · 13:26 UTC
Nice job, it's a very good start, you should keep going.

I really liked the mood you created. Music and ambience made it feel nice.

At first I thought I missed an option for an english translation haha. I'd love it if you added english text so we could get the full experience :D
🎤 mauzart
07. Apr 2025 · 16:29 UTC
@sharky3188 oh nooo you're right I wrote this one and totally forgot to debug it! Unfortunately I had to stop the gamejam saturday at 6pm for personal reason, but will totally correct it once I have my PC back! (don't know if I could change it there after the jam end, but it will be corrected on my itch.io for sure)
Thanks for your feedbacks and for testing the game :)
🎤 mauzart
07. Apr 2025 · 16:30 UTC
@ssiannas thanks for trying out the game and for your feedback, it warms my heart :)
I would definitely add the english text later on when I have my PC back!
ugly_robot
07. Apr 2025 · 20:03 UTC
Very cool! I love the vibe you were able to capture here - reminds me of 'Talos Principle', one of my favorite games. Well done!
Colisan
07. Apr 2025 · 20:16 UTC
Gotta love the "camera panning into the character's butt" start :joy:

Very nice, especially for a first jam! I really had chills in my spine during the first jump, and some of the text lines too. Loved it!

Can't wait for your next 20 jam projects :champagne_glass:
🎤 mauzart
07. Apr 2025 · 20:45 UTC
@colisan hahaha it makes me laugh everytime too, when it shouldn't! Those damned cameras gave me a lot of hard times
Thank you so much for testing the game, and looking forward to all of your next game as all of yours are just big bangers
munmungames
07. Apr 2025 · 20:50 UTC
I'm french so I had the chance to enjoy the full story :smile:
I'm really surprised by this "pure narrative" entry, it is obvious that you don't have a lot of development skills yet, still you managed to focus on your strengths and produce a very enjoyable experience. Congrats!!
🎤 mauzart
07. Apr 2025 · 20:57 UTC
@munmungames thank you so much! I'm indeed not very happy with what I've done, mostly because it's only narrative... but I was pretty sure that if I started something else, I would've never finished the "game" if I could call that. Thank you again for taking the time to test it, and give your feedback ! :)
Sariiger
07. Apr 2025 · 22:07 UTC
It's quite good for a first 3D prototype if you only started developing a month ago. The atmosphere and the vibe were really on point, and despite me not understanding French, I still felt that what was being said must've been some... Well, deep thoughts. Would love to go through the experience if you do the English translation.

It's also great that for your first jam you've already estimate the scope in a way that you could finish it in time. I definitely had big issues with that back when I first participated in a jam, and it ended in an incomplete rushed mess.

Great job!
Jormundly
08. Apr 2025 · 01:21 UTC
Very striking visuals!
LDJam user 410492
08. Apr 2025 · 02:03 UTC
Like the vibe, wish there was an english version
Broco
08. Apr 2025 · 03:48 UTC
It would've been nice to get it translated to English, even with google translate. I think I really like this kind of comtemplative games, but I didn't understand what it said 😅
So I was there, falling, unable to move, unable to read, for a couple of minutes until the game ended.

I loved the atmosphere tho! I just really would've loved to understand what it said!

Other that that, it felt great while there were particles in the air, but after a while they disappeared. Maybe slowly darkening the background would've been a great touch.

It was very good for a first 3D game! 💪😁
🎤 mauzart
08. Apr 2025 · 12:09 UTC
@broco yes I'm sorry I run out of time because I had to leave and totally forgot to translate.. I'll do it asap!
Great idea for the slowly darkening, and for the particles, it felt like they just stop once the music started. I really didn't understand why. If you've had encountered those kind of issue or know where it could come from, I'd love to know !

Anyway, thanks a lot for testing the game and tout feedback 🙏
🎤 mauzart
08. Apr 2025 · 12:12 UTC
@sariiger thanks a lot, I'll try to add translation as soon as I've got my PC back !
As I knew I didn't have any skills, I really didn't want to mess the scope so at least I managed to do that 😄
Thank you very much for testing the game and your feedback, I'm looking forward to change those texts in English so more people could understand, sorry again for that!
Fupi
08. Apr 2025 · 12:43 UTC
I love pure narrative/art games, but yeah not being able to understand any of the text is a huge bummer ;w;

I tried my hardest and I assume it's about contemplating the menial boredom and repetition of life, while also about the struggles to keep up with your own goals? Maybe if the text didn't disappear automatically or when I paused the game, I'd at least be able to translate

On a purely technical sense, it makes sense to start with something small, especially for your first 3D game! I just have two notes: the mouse sensitivity felt too high so it'd be nice to be able to change it, and since the game starts in fullscreen, you should have a quit button in the pause menu so we don't need to Alt+F4
PieRo_PBeS_studio
08. Apr 2025 · 19:41 UTC
i'm sorry i can't test your game cause i've got no windows PC, can't you put an html version? sorry for that
Tenzz
09. Apr 2025 · 12:26 UTC
I would really love to play another game that explores inner thoughts, but sadly, I don’t understand French :(

Here are my thoughts anyway:

The music / ambient sounds were fantastic. Even though I didn’t understand the dialogue, the sound design alone kept me engaged in the game

One area for improvement: the illusion of “falling”, right now, the only elements selling that effect are the wind sound and the depth meter. I did notice some particles, but they were barely visible. It fells more like standing in a lake rather than falling. I’d suggest either adding a lot more particles, or, slowing down the fall so that the particles linger longer. This would create more of a 'floating downward' feeling, rather than falling from an airplane

Another thing I want to mention is the font choice. Personally, I don’t think the pixelated font fits the tone of the game. I’d suggest using something simpler and more elegant. Or, if you’re going for a more personal vibe, a handwritten font like Amatic SC (what i personally use in my game, tell me ur opinion) or Parisienne might work really well (And yes, in case you were wondering, you can import custom fonts into Unity if you'd like)
Volkolak
09. Apr 2025 · 12:47 UTC
Good start, congratulations on finishing! I liked the design, as noted, it would be nice to add effects on the screen to better convey the feeling of falling.
🎤 mauzart
09. Apr 2025 · 16:59 UTC
@sariiger @katastudios @fupi @tenzz here it is !! I've uploaed a new ZIP with the texts all translated in english :)

Also @fupi thanks for all your feedback, I totally agree with the QUIT button. I struggled a lot with them, don't know why, but on the pause menu they weren't working. Next time I'll at least add a QUIt input. Thanks for taking the time to test the game and gave me feedbacks!

@tenzz thanks a lot for all your feedbacks that encourage me to continue further in the gamedev adventure! Totally agree too with the font choice. At the beginning I wanted it to feel like we all are "robots" following what society tell us to do / which path to follow but you may be right... And totally agree with the particles. But as I explained in another comment, I've had issue with it: they just stop once the music start and i can't understand why. Thanks again for all those important feedbacks!
🎤 mauzart
09. Apr 2025 · 17:04 UTC
@piero-pbes-studio no worries, thanks for trying it! But I can't manage to have a HTML build, I'm not skilled enough yet to understand why it doesn't work in Unity :'(
Sariiger
09. Apr 2025 · 20:07 UTC
@mauzart I replayed it with the translation now and wow. I absolutely love the thought provoking inner dialogue. It's relatable on so many levels, and it indeed got me to just sit still and let it sink in during a hasty day.
I loved it!
Trevor Lentz
10. Apr 2025 · 05:35 UTC
I almost never say this, but the lack of music actually makes this a more engaging experience. I was hoping for even more text before the end, but I understand how the time flies during the jam. Very well done. I hope you post something for the next jam too. :)
Nobongo
10. Apr 2025 · 06:16 UTC
Pretty good bait and switch with the little set piece at the beginning to make the player think they're gonna be doin a lot of walking, but then it gives way to a more introspective mellow experience. Great work for your first step into 3D dev, it can be really tricky at first and it's awesome that you got this submitted for the jam!
SurWeaver
10. Apr 2025 · 14:36 UTC
Interesting execution of the theme!
ibandurist
10. Apr 2025 · 18:23 UTC
Wow! Great start! Congrats on beginning your journey into the world of gamedev! It’s also my first game jam as a developer, and it’s super exciting! So I’m really happy for you and wishing you all the best as you dive into the depths of this fascinating craft!
Samuel Hollywood-Summers
11. Apr 2025 · 19:43 UTC
Massive congratulations for your first jam game after a month of game dev experience. This is original, expressive and bold. In future jams, I would consider trying to have a little more interactivity and a goal for the player, but you should be proud of your first jam game. Well done.
Velis69
12. Apr 2025 · 19:33 UTC
Congrats on your first game and participation! It's my second game - check it out too, comrade!