Not-So-Nicer-Dicer
==================CONTROLS==================
A/D - Moving
SPACE - JUMP
SHIFT - CONTROLL OTHER PRISONER
STRG / LMB - SPAWN NEW PRISONER
H - RELOAD LEVEL (4)
==================ABOUT==================
Hello everyone,
in this years ludum dare I bring you a "puzzle-platformer" Not-So-Nicer-Dicer (1)!
You play as prisoners, trying to escape a "saw"-like setting while being watched over by a mysterious figure...(2)
Whether you sacrefice your fellow prisoners to use them as platforms or to block deadly spikes is up to you, but always keep in mind that there might be other ways aswell...
I really hope you are going to enjoy this game, since i reeeaaally put a lot of effort into this. (I did almost everything myself. Even generated the white background noise in Audacity :3 If it wasn't for the time issues i had this would have been a compo entry ^^)
As always, i'd appretiate a lot of feedback :)
I even allow annonymous comments if you want to say something negative :P
==================IMPORTANT=====================
THE GAME ONLY ONLY RUNS IN 1024x768!!! (3)
DO !NOT! CHANGE THE RESOLUTION OR
TRY TO RUN THE GAME IN FULLSCREEN! PLEASE!
==================NOTES=====================
(1) That was my brothers idea and is a reference to the "Nicer Dicer" Kitchen utensil.
(2) That's why there is almost no sound...and totally not because i have no idea of sound design...kappa.
(3) A. I'm an idiot B. Using beta tools during a competition is extremly stupid ^^
(4) Only reload when you're stuck! Your deaths are still counted! (Also remember that there is a 10sec cooldown untill the next scene loads if there are still other prisoners alive)
Comments51
Codesity4 Dec 2018, 13:14
I'm very impressed! Good Work! I like the way, how you make Sacrifices
captainweeaboo4 Dec 2018, 18:51
Great job man, that's a lot of work, reminds me of super meat boy with all those traps
GoldenMelon4 Dec 2018, 19:15
Liked the game. Great implementation of sacrifices.
Although, level 7 was too hard for me. Sacrificed bodies blocked my way up.
No endings for me :(
Although, level 7 was too hard for me. Sacrificed bodies blocked my way up.
No endings for me :(
sadsmile4 Dec 2018, 19:22
@goldenmelon You can replay a level by pressing the "H"-Key on your keyboard if you get stuck :)
Glad you liked it!
Glad you liked it!
Zsolt4 Dec 2018, 19:42
Nice mechanic i loved it (:
Pietrek4 Dec 2018, 19:46
Great work and original use of theme! I really liked the graphics and audio.
Belonzik4 Dec 2018, 20:09
I liked this game alot. Although a more classic use of the theme it's still interesting. Would've been better if the audio was a little clearer but other than that, this a very solid entry.
Dorukh4 Dec 2018, 20:27
The game works amazing with the theme. All the characters look unique and amount of options is very impressive. The game feel is nice too, combined with the puzzle design its a well made game! :)
Daniel_Abeleira4 Dec 2018, 20:27
Cool game! I like the graphics
DigitalLimestone4 Dec 2018, 20:29
Cool game! I wasn't entirely sure when I'd won as sometimes the next scene loaded without me seeming to exit the room. The arrows-space-mouse combination also was a little awkward: UP as junp would've been really helpful.
I found the artwork really appealing and quite soothing. The audio was helpful but some music would have been really cool. I think this is a really strong entry and I hope you do well!
I found the artwork really appealing and quite soothing. The audio was helpful but some music would have been really cool. I think this is a really strong entry and I hope you do well!
ILD Games LLC4 Dec 2018, 20:31
I unfortunately couldn't understand the audio at all with the distortion applied to it, but the platforming and puzzles were fun! :)
I came here to say that I was stuck with no way to restart, but saw you post about the H key to reset - You might want to put that in the game description to help fools like me who get themselves stuck.
I ultimately had to quit on level 7, because I did not have the patience to build a bridge of corpses so that I could make the uppermost jump. I was having fun up until this point, but that became tedious very quickly. :(
Edit: I gave it one more try, and realized that the jump to the switch *is* actually possible without a corpse bridge. It was really unclear to me if I could make that jump or not, and I had originally settled on it being impossible, because of how tight it was.
I came here to say that I was stuck with no way to restart, but saw you post about the H key to reset - You might want to put that in the game description to help fools like me who get themselves stuck.
I ultimately had to quit on level 7, because I did not have the patience to build a bridge of corpses so that I could make the uppermost jump. I was having fun up until this point, but that became tedious very quickly. :(
Edit: I gave it one more try, and realized that the jump to the switch *is* actually possible without a corpse bridge. It was really unclear to me if I could make that jump or not, and I had originally settled on it being impossible, because of how tight it was.
sadzanenyama4 Dec 2018, 20:33
The warden/bad guy was a little hard to understand. I think either make his voice a little clearer or add subtitles. A solid entry with a good amount of polish
vilix644 Dec 2018, 20:36
Took me a while before I comprehended the controls, but then I had so much fun!
angelnm4 Dec 2018, 20:43
Very interesting puzzle game. Sometimes the bodies block your way but it made it more challenging.
sadsmile4 Dec 2018, 21:17
@dorukh , @daniel-abeleira , @angelnm , @vilix64
Thanks a lot!
_____________________________________________
@digitallimestone
That happens if there is another prisoner left alive at the end that didn't go through the door (If thats the case there's a 10sec delay). That's because of a mechanic that didn't make it into the game! (Do you think it would be cheating if i remove the delay now?)
And thanks for the kind words :P You know, you can always share it with your buddies :3
_____________________________________________
@ild-games-llc
Sorry to hear that! If you want i can add the transcript to the game description!
Which game description do you mean? In game?
Yeah, level 7 wasn't indicated to well! Thanks for the feedback :D
_____________________________________________
@sadzanenyama
I guess i'll add the transcript then!
_____________________________________________
Thanks a lot!
_____________________________________________
@digitallimestone
That happens if there is another prisoner left alive at the end that didn't go through the door (If thats the case there's a 10sec delay). That's because of a mechanic that didn't make it into the game! (Do you think it would be cheating if i remove the delay now?)
And thanks for the kind words :P You know, you can always share it with your buddies :3
_____________________________________________
@ild-games-llc
Sorry to hear that! If you want i can add the transcript to the game description!
Which game description do you mean? In game?
Yeah, level 7 wasn't indicated to well! Thanks for the feedback :D
_____________________________________________
@sadzanenyama
I guess i'll add the transcript then!
_____________________________________________
themadprogramer4 Dec 2018, 21:32
This game for me was "nostalgic". I remember back in the day where deadly precision platformers were all over the place. This really feels like something I could've played on Armor Games or Newgrounds.
It definitely shows that this was a Jam game as it seems a lot of time went into the visuals, perhaps it was worth _making the sacrifice of not submitting_ for one extra day :wink: . Although I think the instructions could've been a bit better I assume you were too exhausted at that point :laughing:
Throughout the game I noticed this sort of elliptical shape (the screen narrows towards the edges) I'm not sure what you did with Unity but it _kind of gave the perspective of a video camera_ . Intentional or not I noticed but couldn't help expecting occasional screen static glitches.
Let's talk mechanics:
It took me a while to see that I had 10 seconds to rescue all of the remaining prisoners in the field after completing a level. Something like a big arrow could have been useful :smirk:
Now your main concept of "sacrifice players" but also "control multiple players" is something I don't think I've seen before. For me sacrificing players though often felt unintentional. I _could have been more careful_ and then switched to the guy waiting in the back but often I never could react to imminent traps so more often than not it didn't feel like my fault that the prisoner died. I mean it _was_ my lack of attention, but I wasn't letting them die off to take an easier route.
@angelnm already mentioned this but another issue is that while more deaths make your platforming life easier sometimes they'll block the path and force you to restart. I think that having a way of "disposing of corpses" could have led to faster gameplay and I honestly can't decide if I'd rather have that or have the ability to control the other prisoners.
And finally I wish I knew if I had to "press" or "hold" a button. I could generally guess from the level layout but I "misplanned" some of my routes because I was expecting to "leave prisoners" to wait for the others.
Okay, okay I'm almost done complaining. Springs and jumping seem to be a bit awkward but it didn't matter except for maybe one or two levels so it's no big deal.
It's a new spin on a long forgotten idea, one which I admittedly wasn't that big of a fan of. Yet still didn't I play it until the end anyway? Good job!
Each level more or less required you to use a different strategy even if there were only 10 or so.
I really don't like it when in a game when someone just dies and vanishes into thin air so even if I just complained about *too many corpses* I give anyone who finds a way to *not* poof them off of the screen a plus.
But yeah, I see a lot of potential in this. It's not a completely original idea but it *has* a few completely original ideas within it. Like I kind of wished that there was a purpose for me to use shift to solve a puzzle rather than just leaving someone to wait on a button and then pressing it again at the end of the level to rush to the exit. Or maybe have the players jump on each other *without them having to die* in the ending corridor I thought I was supposed to do that and was kind of disappointed when I remembered they just fall through each other. You can now without a time limit take this even further, see what else you can add for yourself..
It's a real shame this hasn't gotten much attention yet, here I'm voting and hoping you'll get picked up soon enough. Good job buddy!
It definitely shows that this was a Jam game as it seems a lot of time went into the visuals, perhaps it was worth _making the sacrifice of not submitting_ for one extra day :wink: . Although I think the instructions could've been a bit better I assume you were too exhausted at that point :laughing:
Throughout the game I noticed this sort of elliptical shape (the screen narrows towards the edges) I'm not sure what you did with Unity but it _kind of gave the perspective of a video camera_ . Intentional or not I noticed but couldn't help expecting occasional screen static glitches.
Let's talk mechanics:
It took me a while to see that I had 10 seconds to rescue all of the remaining prisoners in the field after completing a level. Something like a big arrow could have been useful :smirk:
Now your main concept of "sacrifice players" but also "control multiple players" is something I don't think I've seen before. For me sacrificing players though often felt unintentional. I _could have been more careful_ and then switched to the guy waiting in the back but often I never could react to imminent traps so more often than not it didn't feel like my fault that the prisoner died. I mean it _was_ my lack of attention, but I wasn't letting them die off to take an easier route.
@angelnm already mentioned this but another issue is that while more deaths make your platforming life easier sometimes they'll block the path and force you to restart. I think that having a way of "disposing of corpses" could have led to faster gameplay and I honestly can't decide if I'd rather have that or have the ability to control the other prisoners.
And finally I wish I knew if I had to "press" or "hold" a button. I could generally guess from the level layout but I "misplanned" some of my routes because I was expecting to "leave prisoners" to wait for the others.
Okay, okay I'm almost done complaining. Springs and jumping seem to be a bit awkward but it didn't matter except for maybe one or two levels so it's no big deal.
It's a new spin on a long forgotten idea, one which I admittedly wasn't that big of a fan of. Yet still didn't I play it until the end anyway? Good job!
Each level more or less required you to use a different strategy even if there were only 10 or so.
I really don't like it when in a game when someone just dies and vanishes into thin air so even if I just complained about *too many corpses* I give anyone who finds a way to *not* poof them off of the screen a plus.
But yeah, I see a lot of potential in this. It's not a completely original idea but it *has* a few completely original ideas within it. Like I kind of wished that there was a purpose for me to use shift to solve a puzzle rather than just leaving someone to wait on a button and then pressing it again at the end of the level to rush to the exit. Or maybe have the players jump on each other *without them having to die* in the ending corridor I thought I was supposed to do that and was kind of disappointed when I remembered they just fall through each other. You can now without a time limit take this even further, see what else you can add for yourself..
It's a real shame this hasn't gotten much attention yet, here I'm voting and hoping you'll get picked up soon enough. Good job buddy!
ILD Games LLC4 Dec 2018, 21:35
@sadsmile I had skipped most of the description on the Ludam Dare page and jumped straight to the itch link (My bad!), so I had missed the controls on the page here. It might be a good idea to copy them over to itch as well, for foolish players like myself.
I did end up beating the game after I figured out level 7, and I got ending 2 - I killed most of them. Whoops! But sacrifices must be made! ;)
I did end up beating the game after I figured out level 7, and I got ending 2 - I killed most of them. Whoops! But sacrifices must be made! ;)
kaeveris4 Dec 2018, 21:41
Really cool idea, it reminds me of Meat Boy with all the deadly traps! It would be nice to have more music but overall the game is great and challenging! Great use of the theme!
Suliac4 Dec 2018, 21:49
Wow, The flow of your game is very good, I really enjoyed to play ! Great job :slight_smile:
konstantin_tru5 Dec 2018, 07:32
real cool!!
asfdfdfd5 Dec 2018, 14:59
Great idea :3
scottgoldsmith5 Dec 2018, 17:11
Great gameplay and pretty fun all around!
hav245 Dec 2018, 17:15
Well, this is a cool idea, and the voiceover is a really nice touch (reminds me the Saw's voice).
The game fit the theme 100% and it's fun to play (and listen). :D
One thing you should change is the "exit".
At the beginning I didn't see the door in the right corner, and after I pressed the button and the door disappeared I didn't see the exit path opened (too low contrast between walls and background). Maybe just put an arrow so you can see where you need to go. :)
By the way, nice entry, bravo!
The game fit the theme 100% and it's fun to play (and listen). :D
One thing you should change is the "exit".
At the beginning I didn't see the door in the right corner, and after I pressed the button and the door disappeared I didn't see the exit path opened (too low contrast between walls and background). Maybe just put an arrow so you can see where you need to go. :)
By the way, nice entry, bravo!
BoopsGames5 Dec 2018, 17:19
It's a really well-made game, but precision timing platformers are not my thing.
Myrrhe5 Dec 2018, 21:03
That was a cool game. Very fun to create a pile of dead bodies just to pass a gap !
The controls were a bit awkward though, with the space bar to jump, it would have been better to have the raditionnal WASD keys in my opinion.
That was really fun nonetheless !
The controls were a bit awkward though, with the space bar to jump, it would have been better to have the raditionnal WASD keys in my opinion.
That was really fun nonetheless !
Sapphiris5 Dec 2018, 21:50
I like the idea. Maybe you should make the audio clearer or at least adding subtitles (in fact, it would be perfect for deaf people).
Well done.
Well done.
Norb5 Dec 2018, 23:06
Really nice game idea. Impressive that you did in a weekend! I think puzzle and strategy games are the hardest with a limited amount of time. I really enjoyed the setting.
daruudaruu5 Dec 2018, 23:15
I didn't really know what to do with the numbers on screen. The voice wasn't clear. But I enjoyed the level design. Cool work :)
Raveroth5 Dec 2018, 23:27
Great!
sadsmile5 Dec 2018, 23:31
@themadprogramer
This is honestly the best feedback that i've ever gotten. Really means a lot to me. Thank you.
_______________________________________________________________________
@kaeveris , @suliac , @konstantin-tru , @asfdfdfd , @scottgoldsmith , @boopsgames , @norb
Thanks you
This is honestly the best feedback that i've ever gotten. Really means a lot to me. Thank you.
_______________________________________________________________________
@kaeveris , @suliac , @konstantin-tru , @asfdfdfd , @scottgoldsmith , @boopsgames , @norb
Thanks you
tacohej5 Dec 2018, 23:31
Horrible person and killed em all was my judgement. I feel weirdly proud. I think the puzzles were nice, but sometimes the mechanic of sacrificing was underused. Who needs a jumpblock when you can build a stair case of dead bodies. Horrible person - check!
Silvae5 Dec 2018, 23:37
Liked the voice, very saw-esque. Game was fun, platforming was crisp - nice entry!
arnau5 Dec 2018, 23:47
Not a big fun of waiting times between levels but I enjoyed solving them!
Eddie Li6 Dec 2018, 01:52
Very nice idea! The execution was wonderful and I love the pixel art. I don't have anything to complain about for this game. Well done!
blobo6 Dec 2018, 04:35
Haha! this was a lot of fun. the voice over could use a few less filters though, it made it hard to understand what he was saying.
wowa6 Dec 2018, 09:55
I think I sacrificed much more prisoners than needed :D Overall very well made game!
Lazertrax6 Dec 2018, 16:16
At first I was confused as to what I should do, but as soon as I got the hang of it. It became so fun. The graphics are really neat and the voices were scary ( which is a good thing :laughing: ) Maybe consider taking this to the next level after the jam? Great Job!
Wevel6 Dec 2018, 22:05
Fun game, nice graphics and audio. Took a bit of time to do some of the levels, killed a lot of people in the process, and so got ending 1.
Beardmage6 Dec 2018, 23:29
The gameplay feels very smooth most of the time ! I'd say maybe tune down some traps just a bit, like the treadmills, that often send prisoners flying into sawblades just by moving right. Had lots of fun anyway, good job !
Kirke7 Dec 2018, 16:12
I had ending 2 :c I suppose I was not so good prison-friend :D
Your game is so enjoyable! And this voice... it gives so good (and creepy) atmosphere! I had a lots of fun! Graphics are really neat, I am impressed how many different prisoners you made! Level design is also cool, everything is clear :D Great job!
Your game is so enjoyable! And this voice... it gives so good (and creepy) atmosphere! I had a lots of fun! Graphics are really neat, I am impressed how many different prisoners you made! Level design is also cool, everything is clear :D Great job!
publicidadeba7 Dec 2018, 17:23
one of the best level design so far. Awesome visual and solid mood. The voice acting was a great idea, but it was too muffled. Great entry guys.
sadsmile7 Dec 2018, 20:13
@kirke
Thank you :D Yeah, i thought there should be some kind of variety in the prisoners designs, so i decided to sacrefice animations for variety and i think it was worth it with the current artstyle.
_______________________________________________________________________________
@publicidadeba
Yeah, i went a bit overboard with the compressor ^^
BTW: This is a solo project :P
Thank you :D Yeah, i thought there should be some kind of variety in the prisoners designs, so i decided to sacrefice animations for variety and i think it was worth it with the current artstyle.
_______________________________________________________________________________
@publicidadeba
Yeah, i went a bit overboard with the compressor ^^
BTW: This is a solo project :P
arkinrev9 Dec 2018, 16:52
I thought that the gameplay was really strong, and the puzzles were designed well. The difficult areas for me were sometimes seeing where the exit should be and telling which way the conveyor belts were moving. Ending 2 for me. Good game!
SecretPocketCat9 Dec 2018, 21:26
Really nice entry - I'm getting an obvious Saw vibe from it. I think I even heard the narrator/captor mention Saw, but I, for the life of me, couldn't undestand most of he was saying unfortunately. (I actually skipped the humour rating because I assume the narration played into that).
The trampolines are a bit finicky, to much force I'd say and I got a 'raising corpses' bug wherein I tried to sacrifice as many of them I could (goin' for a possible ending) and suddenly the stacked corpses started to realign.
In any case, it's a great game and the length felt pretty nice. :thumbsup:
*SPOILERS*
> I got ending 2, so I replayed the game trying to sacrifise as few of them as possible (though I restarted and I assume there's a no kills path) and still got ending 2. Though I have no idea how to do lvl 4 properly. I just aligned the guys one after one till I created a morbid set of stairs...
> I did notice the upper path in the final room and I know about a key at the very start, so I assume that plays a part, but I got other games to play, so 2 playthroughs shall suffice :laughing:
*SPOILERS*
The trampolines are a bit finicky, to much force I'd say and I got a 'raising corpses' bug wherein I tried to sacrifice as many of them I could (goin' for a possible ending) and suddenly the stacked corpses started to realign.
In any case, it's a great game and the length felt pretty nice. :thumbsup:
*SPOILERS*
> I got ending 2, so I replayed the game trying to sacrifise as few of them as possible (though I restarted and I assume there's a no kills path) and still got ending 2. Though I have no idea how to do lvl 4 properly. I just aligned the guys one after one till I created a morbid set of stairs...
> I did notice the upper path in the final room and I know about a key at the very start, so I assume that plays a part, but I got other games to play, so 2 playthroughs shall suffice :laughing:
*SPOILERS*
Rodrigo Grego11 Dec 2018, 00:57
Jigsaw!
Amazing, i love it!
Amazing, i love it!
StratosKakalis11 Dec 2018, 19:38
Awesome game! I played it for so long lol, I got pretty confused when I fullscreened... but then I read the description :P. Great entry!
acaral24 Dec 2018, 17:54
Creepy-ass voices :bat: :bat: and a polished game. I really enjoyed playing at your entry.
(I wonder if there's anyone mad enough to find them all
(HINT: There are 4 in total))