In Every Light Goes Out you take the role of a young miner who got lost in an ancient cave, your battery is almost empty and you're not alone. You better dose your light carefully if you want to ever come out of it.
In this game we tried to implement an innovative input method: to activate your in-game light, you have to use a light source in real life.
Aim a flashlight to your webcam or put a lighter close to it to enable your character light.
It works better in really dark environments. *(even so, if you wear a white shirt it might catch a glimpse of the reflection of your monitor backlighting as if it was a light source)*
We added a short calibration step but it still doesn't work well in bright environments.
CONTROLS: - Movement → WASD - Light → Point a flashlight towards the webcam - Flash → Spacebar (it only works while you use your flashlight)
We promise the game doesn't record anything, it uses the webcam just to understand the light level, you can check the code in the "WebcamController" class
Unfortunately we had to cut down a lot of features and we left a lot of uncut edges. We also wanted to make more than one level but, you know, time constraints.
Anyways, we hope you'll like our game, and if you wish, send us money and we'll make more :D
EDIT:
Since many of you couldn't play the game because of the webcam requirement this is a version that allows you to enable the light by pressing "P" (Other than that it's identical to the original version so if you have a webcam it will try to use it).
Very nice concept, unfortunately I don't have a webcam (I have one on my laptop but it's too weak to play games on it) so I couldn't play it. Maybe include a mode where you can use the mouse or some other kind of traditional input method, specifying that it's not the intended way to play.
@squaredev Thanks for your feedback, we tried the game also on a couple of weak laptops and it ran more or less smoothly, so unless it's very old or something like a netbook I think it might be able to run it.
We thought about adding an alternative input method but since the webcam mechanic is the main feature of the game we were afraid that it would deliver a lesser experience. But if it turns out that many people can't play the game because of this constraint we'll include it.
Ok, it's a really good game. The new input method is quite interesting. I found a problem, but I think its due to my laptop. There is a kind of glitch when I turn off the light and the respond of the screen. It takes one second to respond to turn black. As I said, I think its a problem of my laptop. Moreover I found the found a bit tricky to read, some letters are similar even if the should be different. However this game is well structured, good music, nice level design. Of course it needs more improvement, but it's still a good start.
Wow this is such a cool concept. Was pretty skeptical of letting it use my webcam but glad I did. I didn't manage to beat it, but great job on the visuals, novelty and the ambiance!
As other people already said in above comments, the idea is pretty great and innovative, and the graphics are awesome, but unfortunately i don't have a webcam so i couldn't play it. Even if the experience would be way less interesting, would be cool to have an alternate game mode without the need of using a webcam, so we could at least give it a try! :)
I think LD is a good place for experiments like these. It worked well enough in my dark room with my phone light acting as the light source, but holding a phone, navigating with WASD and seeing what's going on was a bit clunky. Would be good to make a quick post-compo version with more traditional means of a light switch, but I applaud cool experiments like these!
That was really great. The idea is really good but I had some doubts with the flashlight mecanic being too unstable when launching the game, but it worked perfectly, and after a few seconds I started feeling really stressed. The graphics as the audio are simple but totally in the right mood - I absolutely love it. I really think you could add a bit more content and sell it to a low price. I wouldn't spend hours playing a game like this, but it could be a really great small experience and have some success amongst casual players ! (and youtubers haha)
The concept of the game is really cool, but the problem is the limitation. If i don't have a web cam, i cannot play, and thats the case, i really want to play, but i can't, because of this limitation...
Wow, the idea is absolutely brilliant, almost couldn't believe you made it during jam. After 2 tries I figured out how to manage keyboard and flashlight. When turned off all lights, it worked almost flawlessly. About not having webcam, I believe there exist some software that will allow you to use your phone as camera. Nevertheless, the game without this kind of input is nothing extraordinary. Really enjoyed waving flashlight back and forth.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. We really appreciate your enthusiasm!
Since you asked for it I've added to the description a link to an alternative version that allows you to play without a webcam. I still hope that if you can you'll use the webcam input because that's how the game was meant to be played.
@zenmumbler Yeah I can see that. If you use a smartphone I suggest instead of turning the flashlight on and off, to aim it towards and away from the camera, so that you don't have to worry about pressing the right touch button (that might require you to look at the phone screen from time to time).
With a light that has a physical button it should be more comfortable.
Wow that is a great idea O.o. In my case i had to put my finger on my webcan becouse the room is too lighten. But i guess in a dark room it would work great :D I love this idea. Realy innovative. It makes the gamer feel part of the game! :D Also the animation and interface is great. Realy nice job.
One of the most genious ideas I have ever seen in the last 8 Ludum Dares I entered. I can't think of a more innovative game like this one. graphics were great and so was the audio. And I managed to survive!
The flashlight from the phone works well but nothing compares to using a real flashlight. Total immersion and a real role playing experience!
Cool concept. I don't have a flashlight at hand and more importantly, the computer doesn't have a webcam. So my suggestion is to allow for alternative game mode where you can trigger light by other means.
Execution was great. Not sure about idea of flashing to webcam. It's original, but not necessary for gameplay. It was easily replaced by button on keyboard. Still it works for the atmosphere. Good game!
At first i thought the game was too hard. But when I managed to finish the game I realized that the difficulty was just perfect. It is hard enough to force you to conserve the light but still enough to let you know where you're going. I really like innovative input methods, and this one is really unique. The game also looks and sound good. Great work!
I guess we have a winner in the "Innovation" category! Had to switch to laptop for this one - it has a webcam, so even with the latest hotkey option added, I went for the authentic experience with a lighter.
The labyryth itself was fun to navigate through, and even the graphics were nice (when I had a chance to see them, hah). Great job all around, this is my favorite LD39 project by far!
This game is very good, the idea is incredible and isn't an easy game, i love it, it is perfect but the only problem is you should to play in a dark room, because light create problem. Grande Saccoooooo
Very innovative, it's a really cool game, the graphics are quite good and the game has a nice atmosphere. I'm just not sure that I'll play it for hours with the webcam feature, I feel like maybe in the end it's gonna be exhausting for the player. Excellent work anyway!
Maybe include a mode where you can use the mouse or some other kind of traditional input method, specifying that it's not the intended way to play.