Ludum Dare #42compo

Countdown

by elnu

Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.25

Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.24

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.53

Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.15

Graphics★★★★★★★★★★2.94

Audio★★★★★★★★★★2.75

Humor★★★★★★★★★★2.03

Mood★★★★★★★★★★2.82

What is Countdown?

Countdown is my first entry for the Ludum Dare 42 Compo. There are Windows, WebGL and Linux builds currently available.

How do I play?

You are running out of space! The game grid is composed of hundreds of hexagons, each of which has an attached timer that starts at a random value. When the timer goes to zero, a dangerous block falls on the square, killing the player instantly. Avoid getting trapped in enclosed chambers of blocks, and your time will increase substantially!

Is it customizable?

Yes, it is! In the "Change Colours" menu, you can not only set your colour scheme to one of nine colour presets, but you can mix your own colours with the interactive colour pickers! In addition, in the "Settings" menu, you can change countdown speed and maximum starting number. Avoid putting this too high, otherwise, the game might take years to finish. Press "Reset" in either menu if you wish to put the game back to factory settings.

What game engine was used?

Unity 2018.2.2f1 Personal.

Tools: Unity

Comments47

Mertiosauthor13 Aug 2018, 00:59

My apologies! There was a glitch in the first build which prevented the game from playing properly on Windows, it is now being updated on Itch.io. (No other changes were made.)

coldfire8313 Aug 2018, 02:57

This game is gorgeous, and fits the theme nicely. The controls feel a bit strange, though. For example, sometimes the ball seems like it just wants to fly. Then it hits the sides of some of the hexes, and feels like it gets stuck. Not sure if this is intentional, but feels really strange. Overall, had a lot of fun playing.

squirmonkey13 Aug 2018, 02:59

This is a pretty cool idea, and I think it fits the theme very well, even amidst other games with similar concepts. I made it 95 seconds! The visuals of the countdown happening all around you are very engaging and make it easy to eyeball where you want to be and where not to be.

The jumping is a little glitchy, the ball sometimes sticks to the sides of the hexagons. I like the music, but I don't like the sound effect for jumping, I tried using the buttons to turn it off, but couldn't figure out how they work.

Thanks for making it!

smilewood13 Aug 2018, 03:01

Neat little concept game, I thought that it fit the theme very well. I liked how the hexes that the player character was on counted down faster, it felt like it was incentivizing me to run around as much as possible and not stay in one place. The only thing that I had trouble with was the movement controls, I couldn’t always tell where I was going to end up as sometimes when I pressed the key I barely moved and sometimes I shot around at hyper speeds. The jump was also difficult to figure out for the same reason.
I love the simple art style of the shifting colored hexes, and that you had an option to set up your own. Having the countdowns on the hexes instead of just the colors was cool, it really increased the pressure of being near a tile. The music was fine, but the sound effects were all fantastic. I thought that this was a good, fun game to play.

SoyerTek13 Aug 2018, 03:04

Great concept, well done! The controls are a bit tricky to get, but it's a really enjoyable gameplay

Madar Games13 Aug 2018, 03:07

I really like the sound design when you die and also the way the camera zooms out. I would make the zoom out shorter or add a way to skip it. When I first played I was confused at first because I assumed the blocks that turned black and disappeared became voids. I didn't realize until my second play through that they created solid blocks that you could stand on. I also really like the idea that the player standing in a spot speed up the counter. That's a great way to make the wait a lot less boring and it adds a nice element of strategy.

Jamie Reed13 Aug 2018, 03:16

Innovative and fits the theme well. I'd like to give you props for the menu too because it was pretty cool, but I couldn't find a quit button.

Guilhermoni13 Aug 2018, 03:18

Great game, pretty solid, well done!

REBDC13 Aug 2018, 10:58

I feel like the controls are a bit weird as you can just touch a block from the side and stick to it, i kind it kind of put me in some bad situations sometimes. The theme usage was great tho, and it was pretty fun to play and try to not get crushed. Well done.

thegreatpl13 Aug 2018, 19:54

Found the control a bit clunky, but was fun and I can see you getting better with time.

Melmo13 Aug 2018, 19:58

Good idea; fits the theme perfectly. Mechanics are pretty nifty and can see the potential for some great gameplay to emerge from manipulating the various countdowns on tiles. Unfortunately, the controls are pretty awkward. Would probably play better with WASD movement. Hard to take advantage of the game mechanics without more freedom to move around the board.

Mertiosauthor13 Aug 2018, 20:05

@melmo Thanks for the heads up about the WASD movement! I only programmed in jumping as up arrow and space, so the "W" key currently doesn't work for jumping. I'll add WASD jumping in a future fix. May I ask what platform you were using? Itch.io doesn't give any analytics to my knowledge of browser builds. Thanks for playing and rating!

Melmo13 Aug 2018, 20:09

Hey @mertios. Windows 10, Chrome 68.0.3440.106.

Mertiosauthor13 Aug 2018, 20:11

@melmo Thanks! Am I assuming you played it in the browser, correct?

gamebuilder13 Aug 2018, 20:16

A fun game. I set myself a goal of lasting at least 100 seconds, and that was no easy task. At first I thought that the key is to perch the ball on top of a hex that is surrounded by high numbers — until I discovered that remaining motionless only makes the numbers go faster. I learned that by constantly moving I can survive longer.

In any case the end is inevitable, and in my mind the game symbolizes the creeping forces of time and mortality as they encroach upon the lone individual.

Mertiosauthor13 Aug 2018, 20:50

@gamebuilder That is amazing! You beat my high score (95-ish seconds)!

> In any case the end is inevitable, and in my mind the game symbolizes the creeping forces of time and mortality as they encroach upon the lone individual.

That really wraps up the game quite nicely. I didn't think about the game so philosophically when I made it, but it is quite true.:slight_smile:

Mertiosauthor13 Aug 2018, 23:48

@melmo I am adding the W key as a jump key in fix 1.0.4, it should be up on the website quite soon. (The downloads have their respective fixes labeled)

joemag14 Aug 2018, 01:09

Interesting, it isn't clear that surviving as long as you can is the goal. I kept trying to move up and wasn't sure what I was doing. The controls were also a bit looser than I like, getting stuck on the side of hexes felt weird. But overall a unique take on the theme, good work!

Mertiosauthor14 Aug 2018, 01:13

Thank you for playing my game @joemag! Movement is pretty high on my priority list for things to change in the future, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I think it involves the angled sides of the hexes acting as launchpads, throwing the player all across the map. Good luck on your own game!

tg139714 Aug 2018, 01:24

I could see this being a really nice mobile game - not sure about the controls, but the aesthetics feel like it would be perfect for something to pull out of my pocket and do for about 5 minutes on a commute. I agree with the other commenters that the movement felt jagged and awkward.

Kevin Prehn14 Aug 2018, 01:26

simple and interesting idea! I had fun playing

deathray14 Aug 2018, 01:39

Interesting concept, but the controls were more frustrating than fun. Also I died but it didn't seem to register my death.

Mertiosauthor14 Aug 2018, 01:42

@deathray There is a glitch where the player "slips out" of the tile where they died before the game can register their death. I thought I fixed it, but I suppose it is still there. Thanks for the heads up!

Ente14 Aug 2018, 01:49

I kind of tried the same things as @gamebuilder and I couldn't get past 85. 87 in the end. But yeah, I think it is a nice game, because even though the mechanic is really simple, it made me stay a lot longer on trying it out, than I wanted to first. ;)

shockeye14 Aug 2018, 01:54

Concept is a good take on the theme. The controls are a bit fiddly. I think it would be better without gravity, so it would be more tactical as you could move across the screen trying to find the best hex region. As it is you are just frantically jumping around, and top of screen gets little use.

Bernhard14 Aug 2018, 02:08

Spamming the news feed to promote the game ain't really a cool thing...

WrenPirate14 Aug 2018, 02:10

Wow. This feels exceptionally polished. It's the best embodiment of the theme I've played so far (only four games, but I don't see how anyone could top this.). High marks for innovation because I had to think hard about a similar game. I guess it's like those "avoid the snake" games. The hexes and the countdown make this game stand out, though. My quibble is that it wouldn't hold my interest for very much longer than I could survive. I agree with other commenters that the movement control seems a little sticky, but I thought that was my own incompetence. I'll say "polished" again because that was the most impressive quality for me.

Joker_v14 Aug 2018, 02:21

really good idea ,and if have a mini map or something else to tell me how to get the best ,maybe the level can be designed like this.

the number below is low, and the number up is high, so the player need to get higher to reach the best and the level can be a n endless mode ,that will be really Interesting

good job

Predominant14 Aug 2018, 02:24

Stop spamming the news feed with your game. No need to do that.

Coda Highland14 Aug 2018, 02:51

It's an okay concept and I can definitely see potential, but the physics are unintuitive. I'm sure I could probably get used to it.

hexkritor14 Aug 2018, 04:21

Fun game, but sometimes the player physics got weird with sudden accelarations

saoi-games14 Aug 2018, 06:23

Thank you for sharing your game with me for my stream at https://www.twitch.tv/saoigames

You can re-watch for my comments in the archive at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/297054468

sdrrv14 Aug 2018, 11:10

Hello my fellow teen! I loved the game! Really well done! I hope to see you here in the next ld! :)

Mertiosauthor14 Aug 2018, 20:59

Thank you so much @saoi-games for playing and critiquing my game! I've featured your stream on the devlog at Itch.io, where I will also add some clarification about the Settings menu soon.

roberth33214 Aug 2018, 22:46

Great concept and goes with the theme well. Pretty fun to play. I think the player physics specifically jumping could use some work it feels kinda odd and unpredictable.

Simon Rahnasto15 Aug 2018, 17:49

Finally had a chance to test out the final product, and I must say that I am very impressed. You really managed to take your concept to the next level. Graphics are simple, but coherent and the game just plays very well. I like the particle effects and the ending "cut-scene" is awesome! I could see this being a great game for the mobile market. Good job :)

Mertiosauthor15 Aug 2018, 18:02

Thanks so much, @simon-rahnasto for playing my game! I really appreciate it!! It turned out better than I thought it would. :slight_smile:

Wevel16 Aug 2018, 00:36

I like the idea, fits the theme well and has some cool systems However, it seemed a bit difficult to control, either you get stuck to things or get bounced off in some random direction.

Furtive Pygmy16 Aug 2018, 23:21

I am a sucker for hexagons, nice work and good luck.

Steffo16 Aug 2018, 23:40

Interesting and fun game!
I got to 80 seconds ^^
Just... please change that jump sound. It felt horrible :/

Mertiosauthor17 Aug 2018, 02:52

@furtive-pygmy So am I! :laughing:

Mertiosauthor17 Aug 2018, 02:53

@steffo Some people like it, some people hate it. Perhaps I should add an option to change it? Thanks for playing! 80 seconds is pretty good!

Jupiter_Hadley17 Aug 2018, 14:12

Cool idea! I included it in my compilation video series of the Ludum Dare 42 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/argzN59wywI

cppchriscpp18 Aug 2018, 00:47

Very cool; I really liked this! I managed to survive around 75 seconds. I liked that I was able to explore more of the playing field as time ticked down. (Since I could go up further)

My only nitpick is it took a moment to figure out the controls; I actually wasn't sure if there was a jump at first! It might not be a bad idea to put that in the description in the future.

Still, this was a simple concept executed really well, and turned out really fun!

Thanks for a couple fun playthroughs!