"Vykolejen" is one of the few 3D entries of the jam, and one of the two PvP projects featured. It leaves the "wrong-going" on the wrong-doing of one of the players, and it offers a lot of things which could go wrong. :)
The game is built for players, starting with the first menu screen, followed by a (loading?) screen with the control hints and simple summary of objectives for both players. Everything is clear throughout the game, and the variety of actions is serviced by the contextual hints in a textbook example of player guidance.
What strikes immediately is the degree of polish of the 3D art with distinct and well applied low-poly art direction. Accompanied with the sounds and consistent GUI, the overall presentation is the one of a polished indie game at launch. During my tests at the jam, some effects were temporary, but the final version shows the informative character effects.
The environment is well thought out, allowing parallel passages, with even distribution of devices to break and mend (see balancing note below). Also, I have noticed the camera covering both avatars well regardless of the distance, good job!
Resulting experience is very impressive, the game plays well and feels balanced (under normal circumstances, further balancing would probably occur based on huge volume of tests). It is easy to grasp and get the objectives, find the interaction points and even in the turmoil of the brawl, I mostly felt informed and in control.
Sometimes I got stuck when trying to pass from one carriage to another - character is less visible there, and it takes some effort to center it towards the passage. Minor issue, resulting rather in increased tension rather than frustration. :)
While characters are mostly well visible beyond the central obstacles, sometimes I found it hard to figure out if I could reach a particular object (highlights mostly do the trick though).
Balance-wise, it is possible for e.g. Saboteur to block an inter-carriage passage as the characters collide. It seems that in order to stop a train, Saboteur needs to break 3 devices, and it might be possible to block Conductor and prevent them from fixing stuff. Is this accounted for?
Thank you for your amazing contribution and congratulations to the silver position and the RB prize, both are well deserved.
Your bet on a two-player game ultimately paid off, earning you not only second place overall, but also the RB award. The gameplay and theme are in line with the assignment “What could possibly go wrong,” and you managed to include enough varied activities that influence the outcome of the game, such as QTEs and special items. As a result, even though it might seem that the saboteur would have the upper hand, that is not the case. I think you lost a few points because the game does not include any truly original core element, but instead feels “only” like a well-crafted product.
There is not much to criticize in terms of execution. Your game looks great, with a consistent visual style and even details such as unique particle effects for damaged objects, a passing landscape that visibly does not repeat, and so on. I also did not notice anything that failed to work or prevented the game from being playable.
Your presentation was excellent. It contained everything it was supposed to, and on top of that, it had a nice visual style consistent with the game. In this case, the jury’s evaluation clearly reflects that you were able to present and sell your game well, which certainly cannot be said of all teams.
As a team, you worked well, although at the beginning, before you agreed on the concept, things were a bit shaky. Your safe bet ultimately paid off, but I would like to see some of your other ideas developed someday as well. During development, and especially during game jams, make sure to keep an eye on proper task prioritization so that, ideally, everyone can work in parallel and no one has to wait too long for someone else.
this game both felt and looked really polished. i was absolutely blown away by the quality. my only major critique was WASD based skill checks but it’s more of a personal preference. i think it’d be nice if there would be a setting menu where you can choose to show arrows instead so it won’t be confusing (unfortunately i’m an iPad kid and i checked where are the corresponding keys all the time).
again, i want to stress that the visual part was really good. the art direction is solid and the game is artistically in a good spot where it’s not too simple but it’s complicated enough to not look “cheap”. you can read the surrounding really well at all time which is a major +.
it’s a fun little project. unfortunately, friends don’t download with the game so i can’t play it again after jam. thank you for the game >:3
Comments
"Vykolejen" is one of the few 3D entries of the jam, and one of the two PvP projects featured. It leaves the "wrong-going" on the wrong-doing of one of the players, and it offers a lot of things which could go wrong. :)
The game is built for players, starting with the first menu screen, followed by a (loading?) screen with the control hints and simple summary of objectives for both players. Everything is clear throughout the game, and the variety of actions is serviced by the contextual hints in a textbook example of player guidance.
What strikes immediately is the degree of polish of the 3D art with distinct and well applied low-poly art direction. Accompanied with the sounds and consistent GUI, the overall presentation is the one of a polished indie game at launch. During my tests at the jam, some effects were temporary, but the final version shows the informative character effects.
The environment is well thought out, allowing parallel passages, with even distribution of devices to break and mend (see balancing note below). Also, I have noticed the camera covering both avatars well regardless of the distance, good job!
Resulting experience is very impressive, the game plays well and feels balanced (under normal circumstances, further balancing would probably occur based on huge volume of tests). It is easy to grasp and get the objectives, find the interaction points and even in the turmoil of the brawl, I mostly felt informed and in control.
Thank you for your amazing contribution and congratulations to the silver position and the RB prize, both are well deserved.
Your bet on a two-player game ultimately paid off, earning you not only second place overall, but also the RB award. The gameplay and theme are in line with the assignment “What could possibly go wrong,” and you managed to include enough varied activities that influence the outcome of the game, such as QTEs and special items. As a result, even though it might seem that the saboteur would have the upper hand, that is not the case. I think you lost a few points because the game does not include any truly original core element, but instead feels “only” like a well-crafted product.
There is not much to criticize in terms of execution. Your game looks great, with a consistent visual style and even details such as unique particle effects for damaged objects, a passing landscape that visibly does not repeat, and so on. I also did not notice anything that failed to work or prevented the game from being playable.
Your presentation was excellent. It contained everything it was supposed to, and on top of that, it had a nice visual style consistent with the game. In this case, the jury’s evaluation clearly reflects that you were able to present and sell your game well, which certainly cannot be said of all teams.
As a team, you worked well, although at the beginning, before you agreed on the concept, things were a bit shaky. Your safe bet ultimately paid off, but I would like to see some of your other ideas developed someday as well. During development, and especially during game jams, make sure to keep an eye on proper task prioritization so that, ideally, everyone can work in parallel and no one has to wait too long for someone else.
this game both felt and looked really polished. i was absolutely blown away by the quality. my only major critique was WASD based skill checks but it’s more of a personal preference. i think it’d be nice if there would be a setting menu where you can choose to show arrows instead so it won’t be confusing (unfortunately i’m an iPad kid and i checked where are the corresponding keys all the time).
again, i want to stress that the visual part was really good. the art direction is solid and the game is artistically in a good spot where it’s not too simple but it’s complicated enough to not look “cheap”. you can read the surrounding really well at all time which is a major +.
it’s a fun little project. unfortunately, friends don’t download with the game so i can’t play it again after jam. thank you for the game >:3