My first Ludum Dare game is "Darkness" - the idea is simple. You are alone in a cave, with no idea of where you are. You have to get to the surface, using only the light from your mobile phone, which has low battery.
The game is coded in DarkBasic Pro, and all source code is included with the game.
The minimalistic theme is incorporated with minimal light and minimal time to get to the surface.
Any bugs, etc., can be reported to my twitter @LrdKzrth
The models and textures were created by myself, the code was produced by myself, but the sound effects were obtained legally through a sound effects library online (http://www.freesound.org/)
the box room and the repeated model killed the atmosphere, but it was cool for a while. also forgot to read the part about escaping before playing it, oops.
It was decently done. Though a simple height-map on the floor or some rocks would've broken things up a bit. I like the idea though; you should try to expand on it.
I agree with Kristian... quite immersive. I kinda wonder if the game is winnable in any way.
I've both wandered along the outside wall of the cave and took random stabs at the inside. It appears that the cave is shaped somewhat rectangularly and that the exit is not on the outer wall.
Not bad at all. Could be quite creepy actually if you added some gribbly creatures to eat you (although that might make the game less minimalist). You've done the lighting well.
Obviously it worked for me but I develop in DBP so I have everything set up for it. I'm on Windows 7 x64 and got the same blank screen at the start but a single left mouse click fixed that for me. For the people who can't get it to work, DBP is reliant on DirectX 9c so you'll need that to get it to run. LrdKzrth maybe you could include the DX9c installer in the download for the people who need it? And I didn't need admin permissions.
I noticed a couple of hitches (getting caught on rocks, white lines across the screen when the battery is about to die and the highlighted exit text displaying twice) but overall, a good showing. Well done.
Would you say the collision was a bit... rocky...? As for the white lines, they're meant to be there, to act as a warning that the battery is going to run out, like screen flicker. But the exit text, that's a whoops that I overlooked when I repositioned the menu text XC
Hi Rxi, I think I mis-understood the rules on the Special Competition Exceptions. It mentions instruments, fonts, samples, etc., can be used if you have permission to use them. With the website I obtained the sounds from, they are royalty free and can be used without limits, and therefore I have permission to use them. I, for some reason, assumed it included ambient samples (e.g. the background sound of the cave)... Ooops...
I didn't really understand what I had to do, I explored the whole place and didn't find an exit. Really nice ambient and mood, everything else seemed a bit lacking though.
Worked for me on Windows 7 x64. The player could probably use a bit of guidance to understand where to go and what the goal is. I spent a few minutes wandering around the cave not knowing what to do until I finally gave up.
That said, I like the atmosphere in the game, before I read the description it felt like I was in an underwater cave.
Hi Jesper. Thank you for your feedback. I thought about including some information at the start of the game, but I wanted to add mystery to it. Why are you in a cave? How did you get there? What is the objective? I wanted players to think for themselves rather than be told all of this information, as I see this in a lot of games, and it bugs me.
But I appreciate the feedback, and I'll take it on board...
Works on my Windows 7 64 bit. The atmosphere is nice, but the controls could use more work. Getting stuck on walls is a little too easy.
E
errorage29 Apr 2013, 19:59
Worked fine after I ran it in XP compatibility mode on win8 64b. The game made me turn down my speakers, because I was afraid it will try to scare me... I think that's a good enough indicator that it's immersive.
Nice atmosphere. I got a bit stuck in walls a couple of times. Did not manage to find the exit. Are there any hints I am missing or are you just meant to stumble upon it?
Seeing that battery low indicator flashing had me in a Slender-like panic! I agree with the guy a few comments above: using a mobile is a cool mechanic you should definitely use again. Couldn't find the exit but had fun looking. Well done! :) PS if it turns out to be a problem using the audio files then just change your entry to a jam entry ;)
An interesting idea, though the lack of anything really happening or any sort of concept of where the exit might be sort of drags the whole thing gown. Not a bad attempt, though.
very creepy but in the good way , i was tense the whole time, when i found finally the light on the roof , my battery end xD,btw +1 for Darkbasic i was a huge fan of it long time before
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I've both wandered along the outside wall of the cave and took random stabs at the inside. It appears that the cave is shaped somewhat rectangularly and that the exit is not on the outer wall.
Obviously it worked for me but I develop in DBP so I have everything set up for it. I'm on Windows 7 x64 and got the same blank screen at the start but a single left mouse click fixed that for me. For the people who can't get it to work, DBP is reliant on DirectX 9c so you'll need that to get it to run. LrdKzrth maybe you could include the DX9c installer in the download for the people who need it? And I didn't need admin permissions.
I noticed a couple of hitches (getting caught on rocks, white lines across the screen when the battery is about to die and the highlighted exit text displaying twice) but overall, a good showing. Well done.
Would you say the collision was a bit... rocky...?
As for the white lines, they're meant to be there, to act as a warning that the battery is going to run out, like screen flicker.
But the exit text, that's a whoops that I overlooked when I repositioned the menu text XC
But thank you for the feedback!
You may have some issue here, as this is unfortunately against the compo rules:
"All game code and content must be created within the 48 hours. [...] Content is your non-code assets like art, sound, maps or music."
Also I'm running win7 x64 and it works for me with no hassle. It might be something else that's causing problems?
Nice take on HUD.
Man, it's hard, can't get to the exit! .)
Josefnpat, I don't DarkBasic Pro likes Windows running on Virtual Machines...
Frib, of course it's low, it's supposed to be a dark cave ^_^ Ah right, how odd...
The player could probably use a bit of guidance to understand where to go and what the goal is. I spent a few minutes wandering around the cave not knowing what to do until I finally gave up.
That said, I like the atmosphere in the game, before I read the description it felt like I was in an underwater cave.
Thank you for your feedback. I thought about including some information at the start of the game, but I wanted to add mystery to it. Why are you in a cave? How did you get there? What is the objective? I wanted players to think for themselves rather than be told all of this information, as I see this in a lot of games, and it bugs me.
But I appreciate the feedback, and I'll take it on board...
I got a bit dizzy at first, but then got used to it.
The death scene is pretty cool :)
Did not manage to find the exit. Are there any hints I am missing or are you just meant to stumble upon it?
Thanks Nanolotl. No hints I'm afraid. Just a randomly generated maze to the goal. You'll know it if you see it.
PS if it turns out to be a problem using the audio files then just change your entry to a jam entry ;)