The setting of a spaceshipjunk falling apart is not new among jam games, but this one comes with many interesting traits. The game accords with the jam theme perfectly, answering the question of "What could possibly go wrong?" with blunt "Everything!" :)
I really like how run-and-fix mechanic has been blended with the need of sustenance (I need to drink coffee and eat to be able to carry on fixing). While some of the minigames are a bit too straighforward, more akin to placeholders than actual gameplay, the variety and abundance make up for it. Still, this is one of the many areas which could be easily expanded.
The tech and art part of things is amazing feat: Unreal-powered 3D 1PV games are not common sight in events like this, and you managed to delivered a functional interactive environment with distinct appearance, functionality and game mechanics and loops. This achievement alone makes your contribution notable!
Of course, there is more to the art: all the posters and easter eggs did not go unnoticed, and contribute to the narrative aspect of the experience. The rest of presentation (sound, interactions) is solid, does the job and allows player to get the game and immerse. There is definitely a lot of room of UI/UX polishing - perhaps it's the burden of a 3D game, instantly turning me to an "AAA Creative Lead" mode, seeking for opportunities to do better, harder, faster, nicer etc. :) We have discussed some of those, e.g. tweaking the flashlight effect, having some better emergency lights when ship goes dark, or better highlights of actions in the scene.
Some notes from playing:
The navigation through the environment is challenge at first, but with a map on the walls, I was able to figure out where to go rather quickly. Maybe some extra guidance would not hurt (you start here, "engine", food and coffee icons and similar references).
I have completely missed the bread dispenser on first playthroughs. This could be handled in several ways, from tutorial tasks (you woke up, now go and replenish resources before the shift) to more prominent art asset.
Randomly closing doors are nice touch - we have discussed that puzzle ending is slow, costs the precious time.
Some minigame interactions or coffee making employ mouse, but controls did not feel consistent; revision of controls, hints or allowing players to use several ways to interact can do the trick.
I can imagine a more solid art direction which could ensure players navigate the ship(s) easier, some interactions are better hinted, some better minigames emerge and the whole experience is pushed to the new level. This is beyond the scope of a jam game, but I have to admit I would enjoy expanding this aspect of the game myself. :) Just few ideas:
distinct style, even borrowing from a movie (Space Odyssey 2001, Alien, Event Horizon, Star Wars);
effects (with gameplay impact), e.g. smoke from burning wires, light sources (fires, indicators...);
tutorial ship, more levels with increasing difficulty, covering the spectrum of issues combined with spatial challenges;
I have mentioned a lot of items to possibly expand on, polish or improve. Please take this as a sign of affection for the game you produced - I sincerelly hope you will be both able and willing to return to it, possibly turning it to a gaming gem with game jam origins.
Bethesda finally made a well anticipated remake for Fallout 3. who would’ve known that they’d start with Mothership Zeta DLC though? ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ
jokes aside, even though my ship was overtaken by the triangles and broken doors, i really enjoyed this game. something about the need of familiarizing myself with the surroundings and trying to quickly decide what to do first while the spaceship is still spaceshipping just scratched my brain in the right way. RNG was against me but it’s ok………….
i really liked memory based checks patterns cause even though there was a bunch of symbols to input the pattern was clear so it didn’t feel frustrating or unfair. however there were a few moments where i felt like without the devs back sitting i wouldn’t really find what to do or i would and it won’t feel satisfying (like how to clean the toxic waste or put the power back on). some fun music would be good too.
the biggest surprise for me is that this game is made in Unreal and it works. i hope you guys are doing ok.
Comments
The setting of a space
shipjunk falling apart is not new among jam games, but this one comes with many interesting traits. The game accords with the jam theme perfectly, answering the question of "What could possibly go wrong?" with blunt "Everything!" :)I really like how run-and-fix mechanic has been blended with the need of sustenance (I need to drink coffee and eat to be able to carry on fixing). While some of the minigames are a bit too straighforward, more akin to placeholders than actual gameplay, the variety and abundance make up for it. Still, this is one of the many areas which could be easily expanded.
The tech and art part of things is amazing feat: Unreal-powered 3D 1PV games are not common sight in events like this, and you managed to delivered a functional interactive environment with distinct appearance, functionality and game mechanics and loops. This achievement alone makes your contribution notable!
Of course, there is more to the art: all the posters and easter eggs did not go unnoticed, and contribute to the narrative aspect of the experience. The rest of presentation (sound, interactions) is solid, does the job and allows player to get the game and immerse. There is definitely a lot of room of UI/UX polishing - perhaps it's the burden of a 3D game, instantly turning me to an "AAA Creative Lead" mode, seeking for opportunities to do better, harder, faster, nicer etc. :) We have discussed some of those, e.g. tweaking the flashlight effect, having some better emergency lights when ship goes dark, or better highlights of actions in the scene.
Some notes from playing:
I can imagine a more solid art direction which could ensure players navigate the ship(s) easier, some interactions are better hinted, some better minigames emerge and the whole experience is pushed to the new level. This is beyond the scope of a jam game, but I have to admit I would enjoy expanding this aspect of the game myself. :) Just few ideas:
I have mentioned a lot of items to possibly expand on, polish or improve. Please take this as a sign of affection for the game you produced - I sincerelly hope you will be both able and willing to return to it, possibly turning it to a gaming gem with game jam origins.
Thank you for the great game!
Bethesda finally made a well anticipated remake for Fallout 3. who would’ve known that they’d start with Mothership Zeta DLC though? ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ
jokes aside, even though my ship was overtaken by the triangles and broken doors, i really enjoyed this game. something about the need of familiarizing myself with the surroundings and trying to quickly decide what to do first while the spaceship is still spaceshipping just scratched my brain in the right way. RNG was against me but it’s ok………….
i really liked memory based checks patterns cause even though there was a bunch of symbols to input the pattern was clear so it didn’t feel frustrating or unfair. however there were a few moments where i felt like without the devs back sitting i wouldn’t really find what to do or i would and it won’t feel satisfying (like how to clean the toxic waste or put the power back on). some fun music would be good too.
the biggest surprise for me is that this game is made in Unreal and it works. i hope you guys are doing ok.
thanks a lot for the game!