Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
(2 edits) (+1)

(I ran into myself on my second playthrough--thought that was nice, and I'd share it with you. ;] )

A online multiplayer game for a weekend game jam--that is superbly ambitious, and I must congratulate you for actually completing it! :) I also love the poem joke with the controls at the beginning--that's hilarious!

The gameplay is . . . ok.  Moving on the ground is kind of fun.  But everything I did outside of that felt . . . off.  Double jumping feels stiff and awkward.  And trying to land those jumps was not fun.  I tried to reach the top of the screen, but I could never feel confident I was going to land on platforms that were only one square--and most of the platforms are that length.  I fell a lot, and eventually gave up.

Here's the weird thing: during my first playthrough, I somehow missed the fact that you could double-jump, and single-jumped the whole time.  One-jumps feel good to do, even if I didn't really get anywhere (most platforms were just out of my reach!).

Speaking of that, the controls and overall design of this game are both quite odd to me.  I check out the xkcd comic games are based on before I play, and I liked the fact that the game that inspired Skateboard can be controlled with just one hand (arrow keys) and that the level is structured like a 3d skating arena (because it's for a hoverboard).  The fact that you made it a skateboard is totally fine, I have no problem with that--but it's all designed like a platformer, with nothing to do with skating at all; take away the skateboard, and is the game really that different?  And the controls are a bit obtuse, though the ideas behind them are great: the ability to put down your own checkpoints, and the goal of exploring the area to maximize your distances & put down geocaches are all great ideas with odd controls to go with them.  Though I do have a question: what button do you have to press to return to your checkpoint flag?

Another thing I liked in the original xkcd game is that there's a goal: get the coins as fast as possible.  As it stands right now, Skateboard doesn't really have a goal--yet.  I can see in the description that if the game was fully finished, other players would be able to take your geocaches after you put them down.  I really like this idea; it's a shame it wasn't implemented.  Maybe after the jam is over?

I like the stats screen.  Though typing in "NorbezJonesv3" (the third time I opened the game) made me put down a balloon when I pressed "3".  Also please add the controls to either the stats screen or the description; they're easy to forget and strange enough that I really did forget them.

Overall, this is an ambitious project--I must restate how awesome it is that you made a online multiplayer game for a weekend game jam!  I want to see the post-jam version of this, because it could be really fun.  Nice job making this. :)

Wow, thanks a lot for the review and the encouragement!

I take note on the issues you mention. If I allocate more time to the project (which will probably depend on my morale after reviews, but your comment is quite encouraging!), I'll probably take all your suggestions into account. Some of the issues aren't by design, though, but because of time constraints. The most important is that, as you say, the game doesn't have a real goal other than toying with the exploration. While that enough generates some fun and satisfaction (like you encountering yourself!), I know that it's still missing most of it. Sadly, the time hit me hard, and, as you also said, the project was quite ambitious (as hours passed, I noticed that it was too ambitious!), so at one point I needed to sacrifice a lot so I could actually send something.

In order to climb more effectively, one should use the checkpoint a lot, with "p" (to put it) and "i" to return to it. It's written on the poem; I hope that in my desire to make it funny, I didn't make it unclear.

Thanks again for the feedback, and for playing the game!

Hi again! I've finished the post-jam version of the game! Now it actually plays like a real game! I had to reset the database, but I preserved the old characters of two people, including you, as a souvenir :P

Anyway, this is just a head-up in case you've got time to give it a try :) If you do, please don't hesitate to provide your honest feedback again.

Regards!

That's awesome!  & thanks for preserving me. ;) I'll definitely give it a look after I've commented on all the other jam games.