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Farmer Karma's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Innovation | #45 | 3.981 | 3.981 |
| Graphics | #65 | 4.160 | 4.160 |
| Overall | #117 | 3.653 | 3.653 |
| Game Design | #152 | 3.670 | 3.670 |
| Theme | #228 | 3.642 | 3.642 |
| Fun | #359 | 3.349 | 3.349 |
| Audio | #458 | 3.113 | 3.113 |
Ranked from 106 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
In what way does your game fit the theme?
I'd say it's pretty chaotic
Did you write all the code yourself and made all the assets from scratch?
Yes except the music
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Comments
It's amazing how much can be shown with so few pixels and some clever animations. This was a really cool feeling game, but waaaay too slow. It would be a lot of fun to really focus in on that 'devouring swarm' feel and make something with the same snowballing feel as Katamari Damacy.
The look of this game is incredible. And those chickens are devastating. I thought I was doing pretty well and one chicken took out 2/3rds of my swarm because I couldn't get away quickly at all.
Great submission and well made game. Good job!
Thank you so much for playing! I’m so glad to hear that you found the look to be incredible! Your kind words mean a lot to me.
I agree entirely that the pace is way too slow. This has been the strongest feedback overall and my biggest regret that I nerfed it last second because it was too easy to make a huge swarm. I should have just left it!
I definitely will focus in on the devouring swarm feel in a future update, and make the game focus on maintaining it rather than fighting to keep just a few alive.
I agree that the chickens are way too devastatingly OP. It was all a last minute effort to make it harder and it came at the cost of fun!
Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks again for such detailed feedback!
Well, in general, I try to find the thing that makes a game fun, and really focus on that for the jam. For example, in my game, through playtesting, I tried to make sure that the player could buy at least one upgrade after every run. I don't think I quite hit the mark, but I tried to highlight what I thought would be the most fun 'moment' in the game and give it to the player as quickly and as frequently as possible.
To that note: in your game, having a giant swarm devour stuff is just fun to watch. In that respect, it shares a lot with a demonstration as well as a game. So, could you pull any ideas from watching spectacles? What if there were a handful of bigger trees and when you devoured them, they fell over? Or once your swarm is big enough, certain objects change to yellow to be devourable.
All that being said - don't feel obligated to put more work into your jam game. They're a blast to make and perfect for experimenting and learning. If you got what you need out of this game, then it's a huge success. :)
You are so right about the fun! It’s true that the second I’m bored when playing a jam game I move right onto the next one, so it’s very important to keep the audience captive!
When you say it’s fun to watch, do you mean it’s only fun to watch and not fun to play?
Falling trees is a fantastic idea, not quite sure how I’d animate the shadows but perhaps it’s just a matter of stretching them down as it fell!
Your point about making a spectacle is very interesting, I wonder how much adding more detail like leaves flying away or branches falling would enhance the experience.
I also love the idea of things becoming edible once the swarm is big enough, like the farm buildings too.
Thank you so much for such in-depth feedback! It really helps me. Is there anything else?
No! No, not at all. I mean that what's happening on screen is as interesting to spectate as it is to participate in. For example, the reason I picked your game was because the gif you had selected of the swarm attacking the field. That just looked cool and I had to try it.
Thinking about it more, this is closest to a simulation game. The player gives inputs to a system, then the system does the thing and the player gets to watch that unfold. The player just guides the swarm as opposed to having direct control or having a button assigned to 'eat'. Does that make sense? So if you wanted to develop this further, you could look to other simulation games for inspiration. Could you introduce random events like SimCity? Upgrades to move, consume speed, or max swarm size like an incremental/idle game? Stuff like that. As a game dev, nothing should be truly off-limits. Everything has been done, so always be thinking of how you can borrow and modify existing stuff that works well!
I think this is the right line of thinking, but you also need to be wary of adding small effects like leaves. Any small debris added to your game is going to muddy with the swarm of locusts. You could perhaps do yellow flecks that the swarm then eats, but anything else that comes close to being "little bits moving on screen" will only draw attention away from the swarm.
That’s really useful feedback to know that the gif is working! It’s also good to know it is both fun to watch and play, that makes for good video content and virality!
I agree completely that the controls should be kept as simple as possible, so you can just mindlessly play without needing to micromanage.
There was a suggestion to be able to split the swarm which is treading the micromanaging line but I think if careful, it could work quite well. What do you think?
Upgrades are a fantastic idea, it never even crossed my mind! I never even considered a maximum swarm size either, I was stuck for ideas on how I could stop the game getting too laggy when you have more and more locusts.
I will look into idle games to see if they have anything that could be useful mechanically in here too, that’s a great shout.
I agree completely that care must be taken to prevent creating a mush. It would be tempting to put a brown stalk on each leaf to add contrast but now that you mention it, amongst the swarm of brown locusts I think you’re right, it would be too much.
Also, would you be interested in testing future versions / projects?
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to write such detailed feedback, it’s given me a lot to think about!
I am in LOVE with the art style and the world design:D And the theme is so powerful! Good job! 10/10:D
Thank you so much for playing, I’m very happy to hear you are in love with the art style and world design!
Do you have any suggestions?
The only suggestion I have is a request more like. Please make a Windows build when you can so that we can experience the game without the poor Google Chrome boundaries:D
Absolutely! A windows build is definitely high on the priority list, but for the jam, accessibility is very important, that’s why I made only the HTML5 version.
Would you be interested in testing future versions / projects?
Bit slow, but great animations for the locusts. Also couldn't hear the music, but thats probably just an issue on my end. Keep up the good work!
Hi, thank you so much for playing! I’m so glad you liked the locus animation!
I agree completely that the pace is too slow, I nerfed it last minute because it was too easy but I should have just left it.
But I have to ask, if you couldn’t hear the music, how did you know there was any? 🤔
Did you have any other suggestions? (Other than to fix the missing music issue! Btw what browser and OS are you using?)
I saw another comment mentioning the music so I assumed there was some, but I just couldnt hear it. Im on safari MacOS, so like I said, its probably my problem
Fair enough. I’m sure you’re not the only one to experience this, perhaps just the only one to notice. Thanks for providing your specs!
Would you be interested in testing future versions / projects?
Sure, why not
Beautiful visuals the game is very polished it is satisfying to see the locust destroying every foods. an option to raise game speed or somepowerup that could increase speed would be great !
Thank you so much for playing! I’m so glad you found the game satisfying! That was my end goal.
I completely agree that it should be faster, the reason it’s so slow is because it was too easy to make a swarm so I nerfed it last second, but I deeply regret that decision now.
Do you have any other suggestions?
Very fun little game, I cant believe how much life the two pixels of the locusts have from the animation, really good job :)
Hi! Thanks so much for playing, I’m so glad to hear you liked the locust animation! I’m very happy with how it turned out aesthetically.
Do you have any suggestions?
Honestly the only critique i had was i didnt realise the ducks were eating the locusts so something to signal that was happening would have helped, other than that it was a really neat and well polished game
Ohh that’s a new one! What sort of feedback should there be? Perhaps some sort of red outline that flashes around the screen?
Thank you for telling me this by the way, this is really helpful!
Yea that or making the duck flash to show its them specifically, possibly some screenshake to just for fun :)
Oh very true! I always forget about screen shake. I’ll see what I can do!
By the way, would you be interested in testing future versions / projects?
Amazing game! the crickets are a bit too slow in my opinion but else to that everything is perfect! good job!
Thank you so much for playing! I’m so glad to hear you found it to be amazing! I agree that the game starts too slow, it was a last minute effort to make it harder and it came at the cost of fun. I should have just left it!
Did you have any other suggestions?
I don't have another suggestion I can think of.
Ok then well thank you very much for the feedback!
I am blown away
https://adarshvergis.itch.io/slippery-world
Thanks for playing! Did you have any suggestions?
Not really lol.
this game is perfect
Haha thanks! Best of luck then
Nice idea and implementation for a simple game like that
Thanks for playing! I’m glad you liked the idea! Do you have any suggestions?
I think the only thing to do here is make it bigger and maybe a little bit faster. But overall i'd say it's pretty finished and you should move on to a next idea
Could you elaborate on what you want made bigger? Do you mean the level?
I agree completely that the pace needs speeding up. It was really fast originally but I slowed it down last minute because it was too easy to create a massive swarm.
And I’m glad to hear it seems nearly finished, that’s always a good sign!
a massive swarm.
ohhhh! Yes I’ll make sure you can create huge swarms!
Great concept. I loved the art style. Controls were a bit not responsive in my opinion.
Thanks for playing! I’m glad you liked the art style!
Could you elaborate on what you mean by the controls not being as responsive as you’d have liked?
My locusts went on a great pilgrimage to the south and many died along the way. Turns out there's nothing there so they all died in vain
I love the visuals btw
lol I’m sad to hear about the failed expedition. Do you have any suggestions? Other than perhaps a southern farm
I'm always keen for mystery and "environmental storytelling" but I guess it can't be too crazy since the game is somewhat rooted in reality :D I guess you could have a trail of destroyed farms and a barren wasteland. Or maybe the swarm finds something and develops into a hivemind and becomes a sentient ball of locusts. That sounds horrific
Oh I see so you’re suggesting the game is in need of some background lore, that is explained through a visual narrative? That’s an interesting idea.
I mean, the game isn’t entirely rooted in reality? How often does it snow around crop harvest time?
You mean a trail of already destroyed farms? What would the clues be of the back story?
And yes, a sentient locust ball is not something I’d like to see during my life! That would be very horrific.
Concept is great, but there isn't really a whole lot to do gameplay wise, so overall I say this game is decent
Thanks for playing! I’m glad you liked the concept. I agree there should be more content but I’m not entirely sure what to add other than more things to eat and more enemies.
Do you have any suggestions?
Fun and interesting, just wish there was more to do.
Thanks for playing! I’m glad you found it fun and interesting! I agree that there should be more to do but I’m a little stuck for ideas on what other things could be done. Do you have any suggestions?
Maybe like more farmland/a city to the right where there are more obstacles and the goal is to get across to cause a famine without losing your swarm.
Interesting, so you mean like cars? What kind of obstacles would be in the city?
Either that or like citizens trying to defend the city with torches or something. I'm imagining stuff where you can lose part of your swarm but not the whole thing instantly. And the resources in the city are more scarce so you have to use the farm area as like a preparing ground before you go in.
That’s fascinating, now I’m imagining a barren concrete jungle with the occasional home garden with veggies in for a little health top up. Is this what you had envisioned?
Would there be huge crowds with literal flaming torches setting fire to your swarm? That sounds very dangerous!
Something like that, go wild with it lol.
ok well then, will do!
Thank you so much for the suggestions, would you be interested in testing future versions/projects?
Sure, add me on discord Riley Circles#2968
If you want some sound for your game I can help with that as well
Funny little game even if I keep dying because the chickens are too fast for me c:
Thanks for playing! I’m glad you found it fun. I agree the chickens are way too fast, but I needed to do something to make it harder otherwise it was way too easy to completely destroy everything once there was a huge swarm.
I agree it needs fixing, but I’m not sure how.
Do you have any other suggestions?
Maybe make a option to adjust screen size ? Otherwise anything else is very good c:
Ok well I’ll definitely look into that! Thank you for telling me.
Would you be interested in testing future versions/projects?
Fun game! awesome concept!
Thanks for playing! I’m glad you found it fun! Do you have any suggestions?
Very cool game! Definitely very original. Nice job :)
Thanks for playing! I’m so happy to hear you found it original, that means a lot.
Do you have any suggestions?
Not a lot actually, making the swarm a tiny bit faster, in the beginning, is the only thing I can think of ^^
I completely agree that the beginning needs to be faster! It originally was but it was too easy so I nerfed it. I definitely should have left it how it was.
Thank you so much for the feedback. Would you be interested in testing future versions/projects?
No worries at all :) I'd be more than happy to!
Sorry completely missed this reply! I would love for you to join!
My decimation got decimated lol. Great job.
Thanks for playing! How much food did you eat before you got decimated?
Also do you have any suggestions?
I got through most of the first wheat crop, and a few trees. I would suggest making it a bit easier to get away from the chickens. They were really fast chickens.
Sorry, completely missed this reply!
I agree entirely that the chickens were way too OP, they’re super fast and very very hungry. This will be fixed in the next version.
Would you be interested in testing it?
Thank you so much for your feedback, it is very helpful to me!
Hey,
That'd be good. Just send me the link on this topic, and I will play it. I typically get back in a few hours.
Anytime. :)
oh ok sure, will do! Thanks!
If you follow me on itch you will be notified when I post updates too.
Cool, I'll do that then. :)
Wow! How did you do that so quick?
Thanks for playing! I’ve had a lot of experience with game maker so I’m pretty fast now! That said, I wish I’d been able to spend more time on it but I’ve had so much to do this week.
Do you have any suggestions?
simple, interesting, pretty
Thanks for playing! I’m glad to hear you found it simple, pretty and interesting!
Did you have any suggestions?
Art is great, love the attention to detail on the objects being eaten, did feel a bit slow though, maybe locusts should spawn faster and chickens should be stronger to counter?
Thank you so much for playing! I’m really glad you enjoyed the attention to detail!
I completely agree that it starts way too slow. Making the chickens more OP is a really good suggestion, I’d love to find a way to make the swarm grow bigger without making it too easy once it’s large (which is the reason I made it start slower).
How would you make the chickens harder to counter? At the moment, they eat pretty quickly but once in a swarm, the locusts are quicker. Or should we just embrace machine gun speed chicken eating lol
The chickens should breed too! Lay eggs near your swarm and just hatch into blazing fast chicks lol
Thats such a good idea haha! It also adds a time constraint because you want to get all the food eaten before all the blazingly fast baby chicks hatch!
Do you have any other amazing suggestions? lol
Nope I'm all out on this one haha
Good luck though this game looks awesome and I genuinely believe if you spent a few months on this you could release it on steam or any store for a fair price. Well done
Ok fair enough then!
Thank you so much for the kind words! What would you say a fair price would be?
Also would you be interested in testing future versions / projects?
Hell yeah i'd be interested. Hard to say what a fair price would be so early on,
Although the concept is unrelated, it reminds me of a game called hidden folks, not sure why. That game has loads of levels with hundreds of things on screen and stuff, I think i paid about £10 for that, its now $13 on steam not sure which currency you use, so i'd say if you had enough "levels" or mechanics etc it could go for around 7 - 15 dollars / pounds / euros etc, but if you want to move to other projects you could just add more features and upload it somewhere for free with ads, or even to itch with donations enabled. Not sure!
I haven't released a game myself so I shouldn't be giving you advice :)
I’ve had a quick look at Hidden Folks! I really like the art style, but what in particular reminds you of this? Maybe I can incorporate that aspect into it too.
And thanks, that’s really useful information to know! Doesn’t matter if you haven’t released a game, because neither have I!
Hidden folks just has that "stuff all over your screen in a nice way" feeling, all the characters remind me of all the locusts and how the game is incredibly hand made, like its hand drawn and the noises are clearly people using just their mouth to make the sound. It feels professional but also unique, and it's often played very zoomed out.
Your game is zoomed out quite a lot and everything is really small which makes the buildings etc quite cute, I can picture a level with some old Egyptian Town and you just swarm over it destroying trees crops and all kinds of things.
I see what you mean! I will definitely lean into the hand made style and clutter, perhaps that will make it more satisfying to destroy it all.
I love the idea of an Egyptian town, google is coming up with some very blocky and Sandy imagery which should be easy to create in this style! So thanks for that tip.
Is there anything else?
Love the simple clean art style and the gameplay really interesting for something made in only 10 hours : D
Great Job!
Hi! Thank you so much for playing, I’m really glad to hear you found the gameplay interesting!
I wish I’d been able to spend more time on this because there’s so much more you can do with the concept, but there you go!
Do you have any suggestions?
Oo well I loved being able to control a bunch of insects/animals so I think expanding on ways that can play out would be really interesting to see. Trying this mechanic out with fish or another animal could also be really cool. One suggestion could be to really focus on interactions between the locuses (loci?) since the game can get repetitive quickly
Btw all your games look really unique wondering if you use a game engine and which?
Thank you for clarifying! What sort of interactions would occur between the locusts? (Or loci?).
I agree that swarm mechanics are really fun! Fish would be an interesting concept to explore as well, I wonder what they’d be swarming? Smaller fish? Kinda like an agar.io but with a swarm! But for the moment I’d like to focus on improving the loci as that’s a whole other game!
And thank you! I try to make my games as unique as possible, so it means to hear you say that. I use game maker studio as my engine.