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Key Defence's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Innovation | #22 | 3.822 | 3.822 |
| Game Design | #34 | 3.792 | 3.792 |
| Overall | #144 | 3.271 | 3.271 |
| Fun | #149 | 3.317 | 3.317 |
| Graphics | #167 | 3.634 | 3.634 |
| Audio | #203 | 3.178 | 3.178 |
| Theme | #764 | 1.881 | 1.881 |
Ranked from 101 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
Awesome game! Keep it up. I had fun playing it.
Awesome idea and amazing execution! Pressing the keys to create the path was a unique experience that I very much enjoyed. Well done!
wow, really great game, loved the design! Could also please check out my game? Any feedback would be appreciated :)
Thanks! Sure, I'll give you some feedback in a minute.
I loved how Key Defence was different from most other games during the gamejam. thanks!
Very cool game idea and in general a nice twist to the otherwise exhausted tower defense genre. If I were to change anything I would make the keys belonging to the path more salient, as they can sometimes be difficult to differentiate. Overall very nice work!
Thank you for the feedback, but what do you mean with "more salient"?
Beautiful graphics, I especially dig the CRT effect (any Superhot fans around here? : ) )
My only gripe was with the colors: it wasn't immediately obvious what I needed to do (e.g. since two keys share the color green).
Good sound effects, and music, too!
Thanks for the feedback, I'll make the "start simulation" key a different colour from the "start of the path" key.
This was a fun mechanic! I'm glad you allowed mouse clicks as well as keyboard presses because my keyboard layout didn't match yours so some keys weren't pressable easily :) It looked cool, and the music was quite relaxing :D Nice work!
Thanks! Yeah I added the ability to toggle keys with the mouse to fix the problem of different keyboard layouts, but also so that you don't have to constantly look up and down between the screen and your keyboard.
Cool Game idea and nice Graphic and art! Good Job! My Game is: https://itch.io/jam/cgj/rate/476937, its called You thought! Rated and Played yours btw!
Thanks, I'm glad to hear you liked it! I'll play your game in a minute as well.
The game itself itself was not very exciting, but the concept is fantastic. The keyboard gimmick was really neat, but I'm glad that you also gave the option to use your mouse since the novelty wore off quickly. Being able to choose the path makes your options very limited as there's only one optimal path, but I understand that's what you were going for, and the challenge is to figure the one or possibly two paths that work.
The key counter at the top of the screen didn't convey the idea of how many keys I could use very well, partially because you don't know the limit until you've exceeded it, and partially because you can place as many keys as you want and the only indication is that the number changes color, which is likely to be missed entirely since nothing about the limit is explained in the help screen and the change from yellow to white is rather subtle.
I thought that I had hit the key limit once the number changed color, but I found it impossible to form a path within the limit in one level. However, I added another key past what I assumed was the limit and the simulation ran, which made me wonder if the color change was indicative of anything or if the only way to know you've hit the limit is to attempt to run the simulation and fail to start.
I feel the number should start at the maximum and count down to 0, and prevent you from placing any more keys then. The number becoming red would have been a better indication of being over the limit, since it stands out more and is generally associated with wrong things.
Yeah I quickly realised that it wasn't ideal if you had to look up and down between the screen and your keyboard, so I added the ability to use your mouse. Which also solves the issue of different keyboard layouts. Indeed most levels only have a limited amount of possibilities. However, this is also to make sure that the player has some guidance. I don't know if you've played level 9, but that level is quite difficult because there are too many options and there is no previous explanation of what to do when there are multiple starting keys. With each level I tried to teach the player a new trick that they could use in the level after it. Like level 5 shows you that towers are more effective if you circle the path around them, you then use that knowledge in level 8 and 9. Level 6 introduces the wall key and the radial tower, then level 7 expands on those lessons.
I agree that the implementation of the trophy system isn't great. It was meant to give players an incentive to replay levels and to create extra difficulty for those that wanted it. It would have been nice if players were told whether or not they got the trophy at the end of each level. Since players are now only made aware of it in the level select screen. Making it count down and turn red might just confuse the player. Perhaps creating a limit for the amount of keys that can be used is a good idea, something like the minimum + 5. Currently you can enable as many keys as you like, then the pathfinding system determines the shortest route using the keys you've enabled and the amount of keys it uses determines whether or not you meet the requirement. If you're interested, I made a devlog showing the solutions for every level and what I intended for the player to realise in each one.
Ohh the shortest route, I see. I was confused by the fact that it removed all the excess keys. Maybe you could keep the enemies taking the shortest route but leave all the keys on screen? Also I'm pretty sure at least one or two times I had a path that definitely connected to the end but it didn't allow me to run it.
The pathfinding system is a bit complex, but in essence it calculate the distance from the edge of one key to the edge of another key to determine if there is a valid connection between two keys. The margin is quite large so it should just work (- Todd Howard).
Do you remember what level it was and with which keys?
no sorry todd
Really loved this game, very pleasant and fun!
I'm glad you liked it. Your game was also lots of fun!
I like the concept and the visuals are great, but the connection to the theme is pretty far fetched.
I loved this game so much, That idea of you thinking is a keyboard but it is a game surprised me
I'm really happy with your game :) <3
Thanks Enzo, glad you liked it!
Nice way to use the keyboard, simple and elegant graphics :)
You might add an in-game tutorial, I wouldn't have figure out how to start without the reading description, I almost left before that.
It could make a nice mobile game too!
Thanks ;-). There is also a page with instruction accessible from the main menu, but I guess most people click start right away. I'll do some more playtesting with others, to see if there is an elegant way of adding a tutorial.
It's a cool concept turning your keyboard into a game :D
Feels like a board game too
Thanks, I'm glad you like it!
Really cool idea and I love the graphics!
A fast forward option to speed up the enemies could be a nice thing to add
Thanks! Someone else also suggested a fast forward option, so I'll add that in the post-jam version.
The turret is sometime bugging.
Could you be more specific as to when it is buggy? Does it only happen in a certain level and with which keys enabled?
This is very polished! I played through all the levels and then enjoyed trying to find the most effective solution to each one :) Graphics look great and the gameplay explains itself very well! The only thing I don't really get is the connection to the theme, but this theme was pretty difficult to wrap a game around i think. Really well done!
The game looks great, have interesting mechanics, and loved the music is really relaxing. But I feel that the games doesnt have a connection to the theme.
Yeah the connection to the theme isn't very strong. The lie was that the game was not really a strategy game (normal tower defence), instead it's a puzzle game. Glad you liked it!
Weeeeell if you get caught in a lie I suppose you would need a key defence ;)
Your game is very fun but I don't understand the connection to the theme. One suggestion (maybe i missed it) have a button to speed up the game. Sometimes it makes the game feel too slow watching the enemies make their way across the screen.
The connection to the theme was that the game is a puzzle game in disguise of a tower defense. I do admit that the connection isn't as strong as I would have liked. Though, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Also, thanks for the suggestion. You can reset all enabled keys to disabled with F2, but a button to speed up the game would be great addition.
Wow the game is very polished. I like the art style and the twist on typical tower defense games. Each level gets more challenging and it's really well made. Nice job! Although, I wish it fit the theme more, or maybe I missed the liar part.
Yeah I spent a lot of time polishing the game and improving the pathfinding, as I had quite some difficulty coming up with interesting puzzles. Maybe you noticed the towers returning to a perpendicular angle, if there were no targets. Or how they aim ahead of enemies to account for the movement of the enemies. ;-)
The connection to the theme is the twist on typical tower defence games (puzzle game instead of strategy game). I have to admit that the connection isn't as great as I would have liked. I'm glad to hear that the difficulty curve is on point.