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A jam submission

Pet GameView game page

Pet Management Sim
Submitted by SoftDev โ€” 1 day, 15 hours before the deadline
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Pet Game's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Gameplay/Fun#23.8953.895
Overall#43.6423.642
Audio/Sound Design#53.4213.421
Theme#53.7373.737
Innovation#53.5793.579
Devlog#6n/an/a
Art Style/Visuals#113.5793.579

Ranked from 19 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Game Engine / Tools
Construct 3

How does your game fit the theme?
They are the consequences and responsabilities of having a pet

Devlog link
https://softdev.itch.io/pet-game/devlog/665483/my-learnings-with-pet-game

Self-made stuff

Graphics / Art (e.g. models or textures)
Audio (e.g. music or sound effects)

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Comments

Host(+1)

A well-executed little pet simulator game ๐Ÿฑ๐ŸŽฎ.

GAMEPLAY
This was really an ambitious project for a 10-day game jam, but this pet simulator stands out with its gameplay and enjoyable mechanics. I encountered no bugs like some other in the comments. The eventual passing of my pet adds a poignant touch. The controls and instructions are clear and simply, making the game accessible and easy to engage with. The inclusion of mini-games offers a fun diversion & variety during playtime. Enjoyed the time looking after my cat.

ART STYLE / VISUALS
The game boasts a unique and cohesive art style that is both simple and effective. The visual changes that reflect the cat's declining health are a nice detail. 

AUDIO / SOUND DESIGN
The sound design excellently conveys the game's atmosphere and the cat's varying moods and health status, contributing significantly to the immersive experience. 

INNOVATION
While pet simulators are not new, this game introduces fresh elements within the context of our game jam, making it a unique entry.

THEME
The theme of consequences is well integrated into the gameplay, with each decision affecting the cat's health and happiness. 

This pet simulator game is a polished fun entry within the game jam. Keep up the great work in your next game! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ•น๏ธ

Submitted (1 edit)

I tried playing the game four times (even with Chrome) as I saw it had some kind of plot-twist, but in all of them the game crashed in advanced parts of the story. Based on what I've played, the artstyle is good, it works for what it is made. The music is minimalistic but with enough tones to generate the emotions that the game requires. Menus and systems are clear and well designed. Maybe the game felt too slow as it was made for browsers. It doesn't matter what kind of game you're making, it's important to make it the most accesible possible and respect the player's time. It might imply searching for new platforms or alternatives in case there's no solution for the game's problems, eventually you'll be able to create better experiences for you and everyone that plays. 

Out of that, this game is a charismatic experience and seems to reach what it is made for. Good job!

This game make me feel alive with having a pet but meanwhile this game make play it like if i was there.

Submitted

Tamagotchi vibes, i like :D

Submitted

Nice game!

Unfortunately, the game crashed three times on me. The first one was when putting away the cat's dish during the tutorial. The second one was when putting away the cat's dish after feeding it for the first time. And the third time was when trying to give the cat medicine (bottle) the morning after the screen shows a static effect (trying not to spoil anything). I am playing on Firefox if that helps.

What I did manage to play was pretty cool. It's a very ambitious project for a 10 day jam. Nice job!

Developer

have you tried playing jt on google chrome? Html is better optimised there, sorry for the inconvinence

Submitted

No problem, it's understandable. I tried it on chrome today. I was able to play from start to finish, so the problem seems to be at least with Firefox in case you want to solve it.

Once again, nice job on the game!

Submitted

You created a nice and compelling game.  The artstyle has a very Paint-like look to it. But does not get in the way.

Submitted (1 edit)

You can pet the cat. Simple visually but very complete.

Submitted(+1)

I wasn't expecting such a game with so many options and things to do, I liked it, congrats!

Submitted(+1)

A reasonably solid experience. Features are well-implemented and clearly defined. Played through it twice to see if there was a second ending, but alas, I suppose there is not. I'd say it's a nice enough game that I bothered to play through it a second time.
but also...
quick summary of my thoughts:
(INCLUDES SPOILERS)

gameplay:

+ cool minigames, I like the ambition

+ you can PET THE PET

+ tooltips are very good and i like them

  • mouse sensitivity low due to decision to (i assume) tween in-game cursor to input, causes a perceived slow-down in gameplay because it's not as responsive (although this may be because I'm used to max mouse sensitivity)
  • cashier minigame inherently unfair as a result of randomized number of spawned items
  • in paper sorting minigame, note that the words "darker" and "lighter" are relative, so it would be better to provide actual images of said darker and said lighter papers. only a minor issue though because you figure it out soon enough
  • minor issues with hitboxes, i selected a lighter paper behind a darker paper somehow in the paper sorting minigame, probably because of how they're spawned in. not sure if it's a quirk of the game engine, but I understand why you'd spawn multiple in, in case the player loses one somehow. might want to look into some way to keep track of z order and overlapping hitboxes where you disable hitbox if the overlapping one is of a greater z order.
  • missing feedback for syringe usage, could've added checklist at side or something to keep track as well, because at some point I just kept the syringes on the ground partially because I didn't know if they were used and partially because I didn't know whether I used one that day

Note: used drawing tablet and pen as well as not full screen so window minigame was ez 40 bucks. I think it's inherently exploitable with high mouse sensitivity... which I also happen to have at max.

artstyle:

+ I like the cat/puppy/pet thing. it stares at me and i find it deeply disturbing. what secrets does it hold behind its eyes. what does it wish to tell me.

  • missed opportunity to use non-monochrome colors for anything pet-related to emphasize severity (it's only used for feedback in cashier minigame)
  • leash does not look like leash

Note: I'm like pretty sure static shaders bloat video filesizes due to how video compression works- each frame changes based on the previous frame so static shaders, which change every frame to be dissimilar to the previous, would destroy any optimization from this (i'm totally not a youtuber i just thought you should know) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_compression#Video for more information) 

story:

+ fairly relevant in today's society where they charge you an arm and a leg for pet healthcare and you generally just have to hope your pet does not get sick

  • in my opinion, a generally ineffective one-liner downer ending as a result of zero  emotional attachment and the storytelling decision to shift blame onto player. your mileage may vary depending on if you get emotionally attached to things easily or if you have actually experienced medical-related or pet-related losses. I am in neither of those categories. In the latter case, it's not because the story is touching. it's because it reminds the player of their own loss. so the ability to induce emotion in those who have experienced loss is not good writing, it's just the topic matter. We can all relate to the idea of loss, because nobody goes through life without some loss, but you cannot induce the feeling of loss in someone if they don't see it as a loss. Make me care.
  • I generally dislike game stories that go "it's clearly your fault" when the game was structured in a way to force such an outcome, so the illusion of choice takes away from the impact
  • confused why vet says good evening if you visit in morning (probably a bug, also, on my second run, I accidentally clicked go to bed the night that vet got unlocked and it displayed the first vet dialogue the next day, but the third vet dialogue on the correct day)
  • could've subtly introduced darker elements within the game instead of just hitting people with the big twist, like the room gradually getting dirtier or the creature moving slower over time. more of a preference thing though. some people like it sudden.

audio:

+ i like piano so i'm biased

  • music loop could use extension to match playtime, gets boring after a while. an easy way to pad time for game music is to go with an ABAC format, each letter representing a section of music and the second A section is slightly different by moving it an octave up or an octave below or changing the chord progression slightly. sections of music can also be made up of smaller sections following an "a a b c" format where - ok i think I'm rambling now uhhh good luck on your further musical journeys i believe in you!!!!!!!
  • lack of sound effects (or at least I didn't notice them so if you did have them, you might want to make them pop out a bit more. really make them stand out so I know the game is responsive)

I did read your devlog and I hope you're doing well after getting sick. I'm impressed you powered through it and completed a game. Good job. Hopefully the feedback helps.

Developer

Thank you really much for the extensive feedback, is really helpfull to see the game under another prospective, some things that you listed are actually wanted features, but i understand that they are not perfectly implemented. Thank you again for the time spent, also there are more endings, you were unlucky and got the same one twice :)

Submitted(+1)

It is a great game overall! I disagree with your theme explanation, as it is a great example of what are the consequences and responsibilities of having a pet. Music was very good also. In summary, a little well polished heart touching game.

Developer

thank you really much, i didn't think about it that way, but it made so much sense that i actually changed the theme explanation to reflect that. Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Extremely well polished and thought out. Very fun, would play again

Submitted

Cute little game with a cool artstyle and nice music, alittle buggy but it was good, would be cool if the cat started small and grew with each day that passes ๐Ÿ‘

Developer

Have you finished the game?