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Anniversary Tail's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Controls | #5 | 3.760 | 3.760 |
| Overall | #11 | 3.680 | 3.680 |
| Graphics | #12 | 4.040 | 4.040 |
| Audio | #13 | 3.600 | 3.600 |
| Fun | #17 | 3.360 | 3.360 |
| Theme | #20 | 3.920 | 3.920 |
| Originality | #31 | 3.400 | 3.400 |
Ranked from 25 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Godot Version
3.2.2
Source
DM me on Discord
Game Description
Short story about a Game Jam, or no... Short story about a couples anniversary camping trip. I don't know you figure it out!
Discord Username
Minic#0480
Participation Level (GWJ only)
2nd entry for GWJ
Participation Level across all Jams
3rd
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Comments
I had no idea what to do at the beginning but thanks to that good doggo I was able to finish it
Not gonna lie, I was a bit scared inside the cave because I had no idea what to expect lol, but again, petting the doggo made me feel a bit better
The graphics were really nice and very consistent with the low poly style
Also, destroying that green wall felt really good
Overall, I enjoyed it a lot, nice job!
Haha yes, it was my first time making a "dogtorial" of sorts. I'm happy to hear the dog worked out well for you, and behavied as she was intended.
Glad you hear you enjoyed it as well. I think the low poly style worked out pretty good, plus it's realistically all I'm able to pull off in 9 days. Unless I only need a handful of assets I could spend more time on.
About the cave, it was most certainly my intention to play with your expectations. I wanted the player to feel a bit lost and unsure of what's to come. However next time I don't think I'll use a darkness mechanic, I don't think it was too well recieved... At the same time it functioned as intended and served it's purpose though.
This was such a relaxing and wholesome experience, and I like how you made this about our wholesome GWJ community. Nice to make the dog such a part of your gameplay, instead of just being pettable ^^. Having the different interactables like a rope, a weapon and a light also made the gameplay more varied/interesting.
The part in the cave was pretty long, and I toggled my flashlight off and on after which it didn't feel as bright anymore. I'm not sure if that's on me though.
Thank you for the kind words! Yeah I really wanted to do something different this time around, and I wanted to incorporate the anniversary as well. Had a crazy idea to make a short meta-story of sorts that payed homage to the jam, as well as worked with the in-game setting.
Regarding the dog, I wanted to incorporate more mechanics with it but, just wasn't enough time. The dog was... Well I took the time to model it, so I was going to use it for something other than just a wildcard haha.
I think the dog worked out pretty well... My biggest concern was that the dog would somehow break, and leave the player stranded... It has a somewhat complex (and rushed) state machine, combined with navigation... You often see how bad AI can be in video games, I DID NOT want the dog to do that lol. However she turned out to be a pretty good doggo :)
About the cave, there are triggers that actually adjust the lighting of the scene in real time. The flashlight's energy remains untouched. Most likely you turned it off then hit a trigger which made it get darker, and turned it back on, only to discover it didn't seem as bright. I don't think it's the best mechanic but I really wanted to toy with the players expectations a bit, and create a very dynamic ending.
Lovely game. I don't know much about 3d, but the work is impressive for a solo developer. The art and the journey were amazing. I kind of feel that the music didn't fit the game (it's just an opinion).
Taking the GWJ anniversary as the way to the theme was an interesting idea. The ending was good, but the cave part was a bit not in place.
Overall the game was good. Nice work!
Thank you for the kind words! Yeah, the music is horrible (it's literally only 8 bars on repeat LOL), it's intentionally pretty quiet for a reason. I just needed something and didnt want to distract from the ambient sounds. All the audio was rushed in the last bit of time I had to work on it.
Regarding 3D, it's actually a lot easier than most people think... Going from 2D to 3D is really a natural transition once you have a good grasp of how games work and some simple math. The largest difference is the workflow, completely different tools used in content creation, etc...
The cave yeah... I do agree it seems out of place, but I wanted a very dynamic feeling for the ending. I wanted to portray how quickly things can change, and then change again, and to toy with the players expectations a bit. One moment its sunny and happy, next you're in a pitch black cave with a hatchet and no idea what's coming next...
That's wonderful, Thanks for clearing some points for me.
Very interesting use of the theme and the "pet the dog" wildcard! Doing this in only nine days is pretty solid too! The graphics and audio are well put!
Only drawback I can think of: the flashlight lights barely nothing at the end of the cave, I struggled a bit.
Impressive job!
P.S. : That's a detail, but maybe you could put the arrow as inputs for non-QWERTY keyboard users?
Thank you! I'm happy to hear you found the meta use of the theme to be of interest! Regarding the time frame, the graphics and implementing all the mechanics took the most time. The audio was completely rushed on the Saturday before the end of the jam, but I tried to do the best I could in the time I had.
About the cave and the light. I intended for there to be a bit of a struggle, but not for it to be reliant on player skill, or to be frustrating. The game hand holds the entire way up until that point. I wanted the player to have to do some work on their own, and to convey a feeling of going from easy to "oh crap", and finally back to the happy ending again. However I'm thinking the use of a darkness mechanic isn't the best way to accomplish that.
Regarding the input, yeah... Arrow keys would of taken two seconds to add. Completely spaced on it, rushed adding the key binds. My fault.
One of the best games of this jam. So cute and solid. Low poly graphics looking perfect. And you even implemented cutting. Very good game with positive mood. I enjoyed.
P.S. The cave was really dark. I had to be going along the wall in order to find the exit.
Wow I'm really glad you think its one of the best... I personally didn't like it much for various reasons. It's just not my type of game. That's what's great about game jams though, they force us to create things we otherwise wouldn't.
About the cave, yeah... Following a wall is indeed one valid strategy, another is to use the dog. It stays behind you, so if you got turned around you would see the dog and know that likely isn't the correct way. I wanted the player to feel lost... or question their heading, but not for a prolonged period. Just enough to get the point of the mechanic across.
That dog's the best ! gotta say it right off the bat, i like how you never get stuck thanks to him and i like how in a sense you made it quite believable where he barked to get your attention then ran to the area of interest.
I'd say overall i like how much of a feel good game this is, and the low poly aestetic with just the right amount of detail is really cool too !
If i had to nitpick a bit i'd say the cave is a bit too dark even with the flashlight, cause when you're not close to a wall you can't see and can get confused as to where you are, but really small potatoes of an issue compared to how polished the game is.
Really enjoyed it, you did great, cheers :)
Thank you for the kind words, really appreciate it!
Yes about the cave, it being very dark was intentional, there is just zero challenge to it otherwise. I wanted people to have that split second moment of "crap, am I going the right way?"
However I'm beginning to think it just isn't a very good mechanic, if you brighten it up you lose that feeling of being lost... Combined with color reproduction on monitors/laptops screens/brightness settings being so varied, it's hard to do right without a brightness calibration at the start.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it otherwise, thank you!
I Enjoyed this game! The Doggo is adorable, the mechanic with the doggo helping was intuitive for me. The cave was indeed very dark and I was expecting a jump scare. But I felt this was intentional since the end subverted those expectations by being bright, colouful and joyful.
A very fun and immersive experience!
Thank you for the kind words! Happy you enjoyed it!
I would NOT DARE to pull a jump scare in a game like this... That would just be rude, haha XD
It being very dark was intentional. The intent from a design perspective was to deliver a dynamic feeling meta-ending (referencing the jam) using a simple mechanic. Going from the deep dark, to the cheerful bright. Like a roller coaster of sorts. Very observant of you to notice!
Great looking game! unfortunately it was quite laggy for me but I was still able to enjoy it. Nice little doggo. Like everyone else, i also kept jumping across the bridge :D Well done!
Thank you! Sorry you found it to be laggy, if you were playing the HTML5 version perhaps the native one won't lag as bad? I found Intel integrated video to be a bit too slow to handle 3D Godot games of any complexity. Is that what you have? They're very common...
It's a difficult problem to address in the context of a game jam. I want to push the limit's of what I can accomplish in the given time frame... However at the same time I can't exactly slap "minimum system requirements" on it either.
I can only assume that if we're all aspiring game developers, the majority of us will have decent gaming rigs. However that assumption is not a fair one to make... I wish there was a simple solution to the problem.
Regardless that you for playing!
Good idea and yes, I definitely need a better rig! :D Congrats on the submission!
Hey, I played it again on a different laptop - it was smooth :) Got lost in the cave at first but I made it out! Nice experience with a pleasant ending! :)
Happy to hear you were able to give it a try without being laggy! The cave darkness was intended, I wanted the player to feel a little lost...
Sort of goes with the whole meta of the game referencing the game jam concept... Towards the end of the jam things can get pretty dark, with no end in sight. However we always manage to pull through and deliver something, even if its not exactly what we anticipated at the start. XD
That being said though the darkness mechanic hasn't been too well received I think? It's different for sure, and not used in many games. Perhaps there is a reason for that. Oh well...
Glad you found the ending to be pleasant, I wanted to celebrate the jams anniversary!
haha yes, meta and very true! I actually didn't mind getting lost in the cave because it made finding my way out that much better :D
I loved the dog. So well trained :)
The cave was maybe, a little too long / dark... even with the light, there was a moment at the end where I couldn't see anything and the only reason I didn't get lost was because I figured the dog would be behind :D
Glad you liked the dog! Yes about the cave, the dog being behind you was exactly the type of emergent behavior I was intending, the dog indirectly helping you find the way out!
I was a little worried it might be too dark, there are too many monitors/laptops/brightness settings to account for. In the future if I am worried about a mechanic like that I will try to err more on the side of caution. Really appreciate the feedback!
This was a nice little game. The dog was really cute and chopping the plant thingies was really satisfying. Maybe the cave could be lit better or made narrower because I lost my orientation and ended up back at the entrance a few times.
Thank you, happy to hear you enjoyed the dog and chopping the vines!
Yes the cave was intentionally very dark by design. You got the flashlight right? As you're about to enter the cave the dog runs off and barks continuously to alert the player of another item. Which is a flashlight, it makes the cave portion quite trivial to complete if you just hug a wall. Multiple play testers said the lighting with the flashlight was adequate, and I personally tested it on 3 different monitors, as I know some will appear brighter than others. However I was still worried it may be too dark even with the flashlight.
If you didn't get the flashlight well... From a game design perspective, the dog slowly introduces these mechanics and the game hard blocks you from progression. By the time you reach the cave I felt these mechanics we're communicated well enough to allow the player to attempt to progress without the dogs help if they felt daring enough. Worst case I assumed they would get turned around, and hear the dog barking, then end up retrieving the flashlight.
However all that said, somewhere along the line I failed to deliver the experience I intended. Next time if I'm worried about a mechanic I will err on the side of caution. That would be a more wise approach. Greatly appreciate the feedback!
Yeah I did get the flashlight before entering the cave. I made it through by just facing the walls. Felt like it was taking away from the experience a lil bit since you're not really looking where you're going when doing this but if it's by design then it's all good and fine!
Very nice job. The dog is so cute. The music / sfx fits it perfectly and I love that you incorporated the Jam into your game. I've never been able to figure out 3D map textures in Godot so I would love to look at the source code!
Thank you! Appreciate the kind words! The idea was extremely meta. I didn't just want to make a game for the jam (as in participation), but rather make a game for the jam (given to, as a gift). Hope that makes sense lol, it's very meta. XD
I'd be happy to send you the source as well along with all the raw assets.
Just in case anyone else is curious, the map started in Blender as a large hi-poly subdivided plane (roughly a million verts or so) that I sculpted to get the overall organic shape I wanted (much like working with height map based terrain). Then it was decimated down to about 30k verts or so (giving it that low poly look), and much was cleaned up manually. Then I applied materials to each face in bulk, and dropped it into Godot. Pretty simple process, just have to make sure your scaling is good or it will be way too large or way too small.
Very fun game! At first I didn't know that I need the dog to help me so I keep jumping to the bridge :P The game keep lagging and I don't know if it's because the game is too large or because of my potato computer
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you found it fun! I made the dog bark quite often when it requires your attention.
About the lag, were you playing the HTML5 version? You could try a native version... I had it tested on quite a few machines and it played fine on most. Only one struggled and couldn't maintain 60fps... It was an older machine (Sandy Bridge era) with only Intel integrated video, which just aren't really designed for gaming. However that person was still able to complete it just fine.
Very charming and enjoyable game! :) And actually quite scary going through those caves with an axe and weakening flash light!
Such a simple art style but it works well, sounds and music fit perfectly too.
Short but very sweet. Congrats!
Thank you! I agree the art style is very simple but has a nice aesthetic. It works well for game jams as it doesn't take a whole lot of time to model.
Regarding the length, I tried to keep it short to not waste peoples time, and also to be sure I could complete it. Bit shorter than I wanted, but it's a difficult balancing act there, time vs content trade off with a strict deadline. Having to account for unknown issues that may arise. Glad you enjoyed it though!
I loved how the dog helped you at each stage. I ended up going into the dark cave with out checking on the dog first and ended up lost in the pitch dark. I stuck to one wall and eventually found my way out hahaha. Great to see more 3D games in game jams! Great job all around.
Thank you for the kind words! I was afraid someone might do that, it's why the dog was so vocal... However I figured worst case you would find your way back out the enterance and see what the dog wanted... That last item was a flashlight, and it makes it a lot easier. Glad you made it through regardless though!
Also I agree, seeing more 3D games would be interesting, a little over a week does allow enough time for a multi-talented individual to do it alone. Even more-so if you bring teams into the mix... However 3D does have a much higher barrier to entry and learning curve. I think we all started with 2D at some point right? It's an understandable situation, and I don't let it sway the way I rate games either way.
very nice game. managed to end up back at the entrance of the cave the first time but that made reaching the end eventually even more fun. Only small remark I have, I'm left handed, and on an azerty keyboard, so WASD is not natural for me. but other than that, a great small thing you made.
*edit* managed to post this 3 times, so if you see more posts made than you actually can see, I deleted 2 copies of this post :).
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! Regarding the keyboard layout... Yeah, ideally I would of added configurable controls. However that's difficult to pull off in the allotted time. I'm considering writing a Godot addon for quick and easy control customization. It's something every game should have!
I really liked it! I must admit that I tried way too many times to jump the broken bridge before attending to the dog's calls...
Hey thanks! That bridge actually took a bit more time than I'd like to admit. Turns out Godot doesn't support dynamic objects for its navigation yet (I think 4.0 will?). Had to do some dirty tricks to make the dog path find across it. Anyway glad you liked it!
What a neat game. I liked the art style a lot. I made sure to pet the pup after every time he helped me!
Thank you! Appreciate the kind words. To be honest given the time restrictions, this low poly look seems to work to work out well... Quick to model with a half decent aesthetic. Gets the job done!