In every war there is big chance for civilians to get killed by misguided bomb. In this game you have chance to be one of that civilians who need to dodge bombs, collect humanitarian help, and repair parts of shelter.
Rules are pretty simple, collect help, dodge bombs. For repairing shelter you'll need 10 building materials. If you want you & your family to survive next day you will have to have 4 food untill midnight. Goal is to survive 7 days.
Controls: A, D - left & right movement; W, S - up & down when on ladders; Space - jump; E - Repair;
Credits:
Game Designer/Programmer/Graphic Designer: Nikola Vatazovic
Thanks for nice comments! @guldlock Inkscape decided to hate me these days, and deleted all my player animation sprites, so I couldnt polish it as well as I liked it
Again thanks everyone for positive comments, this is my first LD :)
@Headmade War ends after 7th day, and you get you survived screen. I have chosen to end war at as positive example that every bad thing will eventually end.
I was slightly confused by the building materials number, was I supposed to be able to repair the ground to save my family? If so I did not figure out how. I think that would be a great thing to have, as it would give the player "something to fight for" so to speak. But all in all the game was good, very good mood with the visuals and the audio together. The animation was nice.
@Ryan Kline Yes, you are suposed to repair ground (technically roof of the basement), and if you dont do that, and bomb destroys ground it will kill familly member.
Very nice mood. Seems hopeless, which fits very nicely into the games mechanics. I'd like to see a whole collection of mini games like this that all connect together and everything is kind of hopeless. Kind of turning the whole happy fun party games on their head.
I agree, this was too arcade-y to be deep enough to emotionally care about the characters. I also think that the crate despawn timer should be increased.
@cdwaddell Thanks for that idea, I will give my best to make it happen. I plan to add more stuff this game as soon as I catch my breath, and make it less arcady as you are suggesting.
The mood in this game is great and I did love the fact that you actually tried to tell a story through game.
The game makes you think about war and how in the end, the walls come crashing in. You see a lot of games just being games and seeing one that tries to bring across a point is refreshing.
Day six... I can't feel my arms anymore. I must keep building. Must repair.. Why do the bombs have to drop on the crates! Not sure how long I can last. Look to the heaves! My salvation comes! END.
Very nice mood! I would have liked to have more control over the character, it seemed a bit too much but yet not enough (likely the animation, but even without taking that in, a bit too strong of movements)
It was so hard, but I just kept thinking: "This must be so much harder in real life." You certainly succeeded in setting a dark tone. Thumbs up from me. =)
I like the way you are putting 2 different game mechanics into one, the typical dodge jump the projectiles mode and the scavenge and supply mode. This atmosphere is good. The Graphics have there charm. Good Job.!
Fine game, Mechanics could have been more meaningful, you mostly don't have the time to see the bombs coming so it makes you die dumbly, for that reason I couldnt beat the game;
going with family doesnt seem useful (except for being safe but you have to pick up the boxes so..), maybe there could be a thing like, you need to bring the food to the family
But it's cool anyway, I kinda like the concept and the theme, it need to be inproved but enjoyed it. :)
The game was kind of bleak and hopeless, so I'm not sure whether it's a good thing that it also feels unwinnable? Crates would get hit by bombs long before I could ever walk to them--I never felt like I was actually able slow my inevitable doom.
Still, the mood was really nice. Congrats on completing your first LD!
I liked the mood, reminded me a bit of Limbo, probably because of the graphics style. It seemed a bit too random with the crate drops. Some games I got a lot, and others not so many. All in all a Good job!
How depressing, I like it. As others have said, the animation could do with some polish to seem less "gamey" - would help with the sad atmosphere a bit. Great for just 3 days work though, well done!
I liked your game for its mood audiovisually. You captured a great atmosphere, which is your strong point here. Other than that, from a mechanical point of view, I'm not quite sure what jumping is good for...
You set a really good mood! Seeing your your shelter get destroyed when you're unable to repair it and the losing your family is quite unnerving.
The gameplay (dodging bombs and collecting boxes), on the other hand, gets tedious quickly. Even though you have a great atmosphere, this dissuaded me from replaying and trying to survive.
I like what you were going for, and i think in ways you got there. My main flaw here is the movement speed. You move way too slow for me. If a crate is at the other side of the screen, you have to just go and hope that a bomb doesn't fall on you. You don't have time to be careful. I think increased movement speed & a dash/roll to avoid the bombs (they fall very fast) would help this game massively.
Great music and atmosphere though, i did enjoy playing. :)
First off, I managed to win without doing anything, so I'd suggest you playtest things like that. I didn't love the physics, they were a bit floaty. Higher gravity and jump strength would be good.
Nice concept.. I didn't try the The War of Mine before, so this idea was new for me. The atmosphere is already good, the music is so, but with some graphical enhancement this game would be more awesome. It is a good starting point I think for a bigger, sadder in which you need to fight for your beloved ones. Do you plan to continue the development?
Thanks for all nice comments and suggestions, they are much appricieted! I had little problem with Inkscape, and because of that graphics arent polished as much as I would like. The game is supposed to have simple gameplay (as you say arcadish), but I wanted to tell a dark story through playing. This game is not just about wining, it is about being in almost hopless situation, where you sometimes need to sacrifice yourself to save others, or you can stay in shelter hoping the ceiling wont crush you and your familly. I would love to continiue to develop it, I have a bunch new ideas! Just to take a little break for everything and in a week or two I will start upgrading it :)
Great game! love the concept showing the more true side to war! maybe you could have made the people a bit smaller giving us more room on the map to play and collect stuff but Im only saying that cause I want to play the game more. haha.
One issue I have: if the left-most piece of ground gets destroyed there's no way of jumping across to repair the others, so you're pretty screwed. I think that's kind of the idea though.
Very grim, yet it works well as a game. 'Limbo' meets 'This War Of Mine' - bravo :)
Great atmosphere, decent visuals, and interesting gameplay that fits well with the setting. It's a little simple though, I wish there was a bit more depth.
I loved the audio and the mood! Overall, the game was really great. However, the graphics could have used some polishing, but I understand considering the fact that Inkscape deleted everything.
The gameplay was a bit lacking. The difficulty is kind of unfair, you need luck to get enough food/materials and sometimes the bombs just aren't in your favor... Still, the mood was really nicely done.
Excelente ambiente, me gusto el modo de juego y como va transcurriendo, una manera inteligente de hacer un juego, buen trabajo. Saludos desde Venezuela.
There is an interesting and original atmosphere we rarely see in game jams. I think I can see your idea behind it but you hadn't enough skills to complete it and push it as much as you wanted. This is a beginning, I'm sure you'll be able to do more next jam :)
I think the info in the upper left should be white to be more easily seen, and the music seemed a little too much for me. I think if there was no music and just the whistling sound of bombs/sound effects it would be more effective. Maybe have the music playing on a record player in the shelter that skips when bombs hit.
Good sound and atmosphere. Time passes slowly considering how suddenly you can lose the entire game -- maybe that's a sort of commentary on war, but it might not be fun to play.
I'm not certain what good the jump button is, since this war is apparently taking place in a low-gravity zone despite bombs falling quickly, and jumping just means you'll die earlier.
Protip: Hold the up direction after leaving the ladder. This will alow you to do a stylish victory dance after surviving 8 days.
I forgot to mention that the shelter damage is kind of hard to see, everything is so dark. I'm not sure I was aware what I should have been repairing until I had lost an entire roof section.
First time in my life that I'd like to trade food for build materials. Seriously, only every seventh crate has like build materials... Really awesome mood, the gameplay is simple, but greatly conveys that feeling of helplessness. Well done!
Wish there was a reason to go underground, and wish there was something to do during the downtime of no bombs or supplies dropping. Also, I kinda wish supplies killed you like bombs when they hit you in the head and aren't landed yet.
It is very interesting how limited the playable character is, even for being the hero, as he/she is the only one that is not crossing hands or crying, but yet there is hope for him as bombs are almost a sure death for him thanks that there is a tiny space window for him to dodge, hope.
I only make it to Day 2... But I gotta say this game is awesome! This game has a great atmosphere. It feels very desperate and screwed. The gameplay depends on luck quite a bit, but in a war life or death depends on luck quite a bit, too, which just makes this game more atmospheric! The audio and graphics are consistent with the game atmosphere, too. The audio is awesome. The graphics may be simple but fits the environment well with its black and grey color. Indeed, this is like a small version of "The War of Mine".
Great atmosphere! Interesting survival game. Had some crates blow up as they spawned because a bomb also spawned at the same location. Had some fun with some close dodges of falling bombs. Great job!
Idea is no original but atleast it executed differently then This War Of Mine. Graphics are decent but lacking good animations. Mood is good by again, not very original. Overall decent game
I love the idea and visuals of this game. I really wish there was a bit more to the gameplay. I played several times, and things seemed a bit too random. Every time I played, a missile killed me, and I don't see how I could have avoided dying. It would have been nice to get some more warning when a missile was about to come down.
As everyone has said, This War Of Mine is obviously the inspiration of this. I think you made it your own when fitting the concept into the theme though. Great job, very moody!
My family died :( I Included it in part 21 of my Ludum Dare 31 compilation video series, if you would like to check it out :) http://youtu.be/onSxxkN9CmE
I could never get the repairs to work. With such a short time to iterate in LD, I feel like you have to really pick either aesthetic or mechanics. I like that you went all in on aesthetic and mood and made that the focus of the game (the actual "gameplay" itself is very simple). Good start!
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@guldlock Inkscape decided to hate me these days, and deleted all my player animation sprites, so I couldnt polish it as well as I liked it
Does the war ever end? Or is the only possible outcome your death?
@Headmade War ends after 7th day, and you get you survived screen. I have chosen to end war at as positive example that every bad thing will eventually end.
Absolutely loved it.
I'd love to see a post compo version of this.
I plan to add more stuff this game as soon as I catch my breath, and make it less arcady as you are suggesting.
The game makes you think about war and how in the end, the walls come crashing in. You see a lot of games just being games and seeing one that tries to bring across a point is refreshing.
Good job!
http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=46736 check out our game
Give mine a try, http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=44154
I like that crates can get wedged in the hole, and that they have some general physics.
Took me a while to figure out what was even going on.
Mechanics could have been more meaningful, you mostly don't have the time to see the bombs coming so it makes you die dumbly, for that reason I couldnt beat the game;
going with family doesnt seem useful (except for being safe but you have to pick up the boxes so..), maybe there could be a thing like, you need to bring the food to the family
But it's cool anyway, I kinda like the concept and the theme, it need to be inproved but enjoyed it. :)
Still, the mood was really nice. Congrats on completing your first LD!
Other than that, from a mechanical point of view, I'm not quite sure what jumping is good for...
The gameplay (dodging bombs and collecting boxes), on the other hand, gets tedious quickly. Even though you have a great atmosphere, this dissuaded me from replaying and trying to survive.
Great music and atmosphere though, i did enjoy playing. :)
I had little problem with Inkscape, and because of that graphics arent polished as much as I would like.
The game is supposed to have simple gameplay (as you say arcadish), but I wanted to tell a dark story through playing.
This game is not just about wining, it is about being in almost hopless situation, where you sometimes need to sacrifice yourself to save others, or you can stay in shelter hoping the ceiling wont crush you and your familly.
I would love to continiue to develop it, I have a bunch new ideas! Just to take a little break for everything and in a week or two I will start upgrading it :)
One issue I have: if the left-most piece of ground gets destroyed there's no way of jumping across to repair the others, so you're pretty screwed. I think that's kind of the idea though.
Very grim, yet it works well as a game. 'Limbo' meets 'This War Of Mine' - bravo :)
Really like the music, it corresponds perfectly, nice job !
Great job.
Explosion audio could have a lot more impact(length & bass!!!). The screen is shaking but you only hear a dry thump.
Otherwise decent!
Well done!
I'm not certain what good the jump button is, since this war is apparently taking place in a low-gravity zone despite bombs falling quickly, and jumping just means you'll die earlier.
Protip: Hold the up direction after leaving the ladder. This will alow you to do a stylish victory dance after surviving 8 days.
Really awesome mood, the gameplay is simple, but greatly conveys that feeling of helplessness. Well done!
XD Great entry!
Wish there was a reason to go underground, and wish there was something to do during the downtime of no bombs or supplies dropping. Also, I kinda wish supplies killed you like bombs when they hit you in the head and aren't landed yet.
It is very interesting how limited the playable character is, even for being the hero, as he/she is the only one that is not crossing hands or crying, but yet there is hope for him as bombs are almost a sure death for him thanks that there is a tiny space window for him to dodge, hope.
Congratulations for the great mood guys.
This game has a great atmosphere. It feels very desperate and screwed. The gameplay depends on luck quite a bit, but in a war life or death depends on luck quite a bit, too, which just makes this game more atmospheric!
The audio and graphics are consistent with the game atmosphere, too. The audio is awesome. The graphics may be simple but fits the environment well with its black and grey color.
Indeed, this is like a small version of "The War of Mine".
I liked the theme, very hard... I survived 4 days :/
Good Entry, really important game.
I think you made it your own when fitting the concept into the theme though.
Great job, very moody!