
Ludum Dare #43compo
The Trolley Problem
A puzzle game in which you must change trolley tracks in a futile attempt to feed a trolley's insatiable bloodlust.
Comments19


JakobTheQuizGuy3 Dec 2018, 06:26
I really like this! Great idea for the theme, fits perfectly. Awesome music too. There are two things I felt could have been improved:
- The trolley moves really slowly, so on longer levels when you just wanna try out a path, it becomes tedious. Maybe a fast forward button could solve this?
- On bigger levels with lots of stuff going on, the simple "line-graphics" of the tracks blend together and makes them hard to make out. Making tracks on different layers have different colors might solve this.
Overall, nicely done!
- The trolley moves really slowly, so on longer levels when you just wanna try out a path, it becomes tedious. Maybe a fast forward button could solve this?
- On bigger levels with lots of stuff going on, the simple "line-graphics" of the tracks blend together and makes them hard to make out. Making tracks on different layers have different colors might solve this.
Overall, nicely done!

nusan3 Dec 2018, 10:05
I liked the puzzles and was surprised with how many mechanics you found with what seemed really simple at first. Nice Eureka moments at some points. A key to speed up the train would have been great in later levels, when you fail just at the end and have to restart. Also, funny last level! Nice game!

Valden3 Dec 2018, 12:28
Great concept, but it would be nice if the trolley was faster
Andrew Garcia3 Dec 2018, 19:58
Love the puzzles and the mechanic! If two different track pieces are on top of each other it's a bit hard to make out the layers of the tracks to determine where the train will actually end up, but awesome work nonetheless!

Balduvian Dead3 Dec 2018, 21:44
Great puzzle game that is actually challenging and fun to play!
Also nice ending.
Also nice ending.

FireBug4 Dec 2018, 03:16
The simple graphics are effective for this game, moreso because they remind of the meme. At times I wished the cart would hurry up, especially when testing out how the cart moves along the tracks. Other than that, it was fun puzzle-solving. Definitely fits well to the given theme!

deathray4 Dec 2018, 03:31
This fits the theme perfectly, and it definitely had a lot of thought put into the puzzles. Well done!
nkrim4 Dec 2018, 05:56
Great idea and I always love to see puzzle games in jams. Also maybe my favorite music I've heard this jam so far. Only just wished it was easier to tell what the carts would do at intersections, but I figured out the logic of it eventually. Great game, keep it up!
EvoGenGames4 Dec 2018, 09:11
I wanted to use this concept into my game but struggled to find any good game mechanics for it.
You did a great job though! really enjoyed the puzzles
You did a great job though! really enjoyed the puzzles

Shawn Moore4 Dec 2018, 09:18
I love the flip on the classical thought experiment named "the trolley problem". I also enjoy the nice touch that the trolley's blood splatter gets thicker and thicker as the level progresses… It's also a really compelling puzzle game!
It took me some time to realize how to play - the click to change tracks command is missing from the first level's control instructions - so I just ran the trolley pointlessly a few times before I tried clicking in the right place. I feel like the graphics are a bit too simple that they get in the way of seeing where the tracks go. Using different colors for rails versus the ties would help scannability a lot. As others have said, there's no reason for the trolley to go so slowly since the player is just waiting :)
One of my favorites of the compo so far!
It took me some time to realize how to play - the click to change tracks command is missing from the first level's control instructions - so I just ran the trolley pointlessly a few times before I tried clicking in the right place. I feel like the graphics are a bit too simple that they get in the way of seeing where the tracks go. Using different colors for rails versus the ties would help scannability a lot. As others have said, there's no reason for the trolley to go so slowly since the player is just waiting :)
One of my favorites of the compo so far!
boundtotheearth4 Dec 2018, 12:09
Really nice take on the theme. On top of what others have already mentioned, I think the sprite for the barrier/obstacles (the ones that stop your trolley immediately) are also a little bit unclear. But otherwise, great game!

Move1274 Dec 2018, 16:20
Well, that's one take on the trolley problem. Divert the train so that it hits both groups of people. I think consequentialists and deontologists can agree that that is the wrong answer, but this game makes taking the wrong answer to the problem fun.

Artur Hawkwing5 Dec 2018, 08:22
I love this take on the trolley problem, very funny! The game is nice and I love the music. Keep up the good work!

HuvaaKoodia5 Dec 2018, 15:49
This is certainly one way of solving the trolley problem.
A well thought-out puzzle with just the right amount of levels for a jam. The complexity never gets out of hand as there are only so many levers in each level to pull.
I haven't seen a puzzle with this exact setup before and while novel and funny, thematically a sacrifice should be a choice and a hard one at that. I made a puzzle too and failed in this exact same way, so...
The audio visual are the weakest link. The low-resolution sprites are mushy and the musical instruments irritatingly low quality. It is sometimes hard to figure where the trolleytracks go.
Good work! The negatives don't detract from the overall score as the mechanics are solid.
Overall: *Good (4.0)*
Fun: *Good (4.0)*
Innovation: *Good (4.0)*
Theme: *Average (3.0)*
Graphics: *Below average (2.5)*
Audio: *Below average (2.5)*
Humor: *Good (4.0)*
Mood: *Above average (3.5)*
A well thought-out puzzle with just the right amount of levels for a jam. The complexity never gets out of hand as there are only so many levers in each level to pull.
I haven't seen a puzzle with this exact setup before and while novel and funny, thematically a sacrifice should be a choice and a hard one at that. I made a puzzle too and failed in this exact same way, so...
The audio visual are the weakest link. The low-resolution sprites are mushy and the musical instruments irritatingly low quality. It is sometimes hard to figure where the trolleytracks go.
Good work! The negatives don't detract from the overall score as the mechanics are solid.
Overall: *Good (4.0)*
Fun: *Good (4.0)*
Innovation: *Good (4.0)*
Theme: *Average (3.0)*
Graphics: *Below average (2.5)*
Audio: *Below average (2.5)*
Humor: *Good (4.0)*
Mood: *Above average (3.5)*

Geckoo13375 Dec 2018, 16:33
Interesting concept which could be better with more time I guess. Funny. Thank you ++

BudgieM28 Dec 2018, 21:04
Took me some time to figure out which direction the tracks take the trolleys, but once I figured that out I had a great time squishing folks. And a very satisfying yet disturbing ending!

Jupiter_Hadley11 Dec 2018, 20:33
Funny game. I included it in my compilation video series of games from the Ludum Dare, if you’d like to take a look :) https://youtu.be/MmJYQ_UA09A
Arvejeitor12 Dec 2018, 19:44
Funny game, liked the concept



Certainly not a bad entry!