itch.io

Ah, this takes me down memory lane. I'm so happy this demo exists. Looking forward to the full version, whenever that may be coming out!

Hello everyone! Are you still looking for team members to join your team, or are you lone wolves like me who would like to pack up? Here's my proposal. I will tell you about myself, so you know who you're interacting with, a little about the type of project I was planning on making for this game jam, and you can decide if you prefer to walk away or team up.

About me: I've been enthusiastic about everything gaming since... forever. Whether they be video games, boardgames, tabletops, escape rooms, you name it. What keeps me engaged in a game is first the story and second the mechanics and aesthetics. After all, at my core, I'm a fiction writer (writing novels is my biggest hobby and obsession). Although I'm not a programmer myself, most of my friends are, so I can roleplay the rubber duck any day if you need to do some rubberduck debugging 😉 As for the languages I speak, I am fluent in Romanian (mother tongue), English and French, and currently learning Italian (B1 level).  Sorry for the German speakers, my skills there are limited to greetings, saying thank you and apologising 😅 So, entschuldigung!

About my planned project: in terms of game development, I am already familiar with the RPG Maker engine (MV and MZ) so this is what I was planning to use. For those who haven't heard of it, this is a less powerful engine than Unity or Unreal, but far more accessible to non-programmers like me. The style is that of jrpgs, and the core aesthetics is pixel art (tiles of 48x48). If that's not your jam, I'm always happy to switch tracks and focus on the storytelling aspect of a game (not necessarily video games!) and maybe collaborate somewhat on the design (I love drawing, but my skills are questionable).

Well, this was me. I hope to hear from you now.

P.S. I unsuspiciously promise that I'm not a vampire and I shall not feast on your blood when you sleep :))

Thanks! I'm really happy to see that what little I made got so appreciated.

Congratulations on ranking first in fun and music! You guys really deserved it for the work you put into creating this awesome game! :D

Wow you brought a whole new dimension to the match-3 genre, this is super fun to play. Though a little frustrating on level 3, got to admit. I couldn't get more than 2 bones on that one :/ But all in all, amazing game! And love how you incorporated the theme!

This was such a fun little thing to play, I love the puzzle-like feel to it, and the fact that if you screw up, it's game over. Good job!

Man, I'm bad at platformers. And you're not making it particularly easy either, heh. Sorry I couldn't experience the whole game, but I can appreciate the art style and story (or what I got of it anyway). It's super impressive that you drew all the assets yourself, big cheers to that!

I'm really happy to hear. Enjoy your time in RPG Maker, if you do get back to it :)

Thank you so much! If you're interested in learning the engine, I'd recommend checking the tutorials from Lvl Up Design on Youtube. That's how I learned to use RPG Maker, I binged a good deal of tutorials before getting the free trial, so I got started already knowing the basics. When I had trouble, I knew exactly the tutorial to look for to find the answer. :))

I actually did notice sometimes I regained life randomly, but I couldn't find a pattern so I thought it was all just in my head.

The sheep eating the lifelines is hilarious btw.

I do intend to continue this over the summer, but first I should get myself the engine for real (I was using the free trial during the jam). I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

That puzzle was actually pretty ingenious. And the jumping animation, I loved that!

This was so nice and chill. The graphics are adorable, and the voice acting is a really nice touch. I'm still trying to understand how it relates to the theme of the jam, but in any case it was fun to play.

Also, I cannot get over the fact that sheep and lifelines killed me. Like, I expected that from flaming wrecking balls, spikes and spiders, but sheep and lifelines? That was the biggest plot twist I've experienced in a while :))

I love stealth games, and yours doesn't disappoint! I'm saving this one to replay in the future. It looks absolutely stunning, you picked your assets well, and the bush stealth mechanic is genius. Also, I love that you implemented difficulty levels and graphic qualities. I actually lagged a lot on high quality, so it was nice to have to option to lower it down to something I could work with.

I had one issue alone. The camera was waaaay too sensitive, to the point I didn't even know I twitched my mouse, that I found myself facing backwards, and towards the ground/sky, confused as to why I was getting no closer to my destination. It was funny in a way, until it became a little irritating.

Anyway, all in all, it's still an awesome game!

The game looks really nice, and the concept is fun. I wish there was some background music, though.

An issue I was having was getting camera control. It seemed to either move too fast, or not follow at all the direction I wanted it to. Also, I noticed the dog's mesh clips with objects it walks into, so you might want to have a look at the sprite boxing.

Cute little game, and it's awesome that you did all the assets yourselves, DURING the jam, huge applause for that!

The movement is smooth, and the shooting sound effect is good, but I do want to comment on some aspects that can be improved, if you plan on continuing developing this game :)

The jumping is a little funky, so I guess playing with some parameters might be worth trying. The things shooting at me were extremely difficult to avoid and not get insta-killed from. Perhaps adding a life meter would fix the issue. On, say, five hits you respawn, instead of one. Also, a little visual improvement I think would fit really nicely is some splotches of color. The bullets look like paint balls, so I think it would be super cool to see them land and splatter on the wall for a few seconds before they disappear. Not only it would look really cool, but it would also be a visual marker of where the hit landed, so you can fix the aim. 

Another issue I had is not related to gameplay, but rather the theme and story. I'm not saying a shooter can't qualify for the jam's theme, though it's probably more difficult to achieve, but it needs a context, a story to explain where you are and what you're doing there. Beyond helping to relate to the theme, it will also make your game feel more than just a pocket dimension with nothing beyond it. It will keep the player invested, because they know who they are playing as, and that they have a purpose.

I hope some of this, at least, is helpful if you do come back to develop this. Or even for future projects.

I'm new to itch too, so I won't be of much help with your problem. but I do want to ask something about viewing the ratings. I actually checked in my case, and the submission page says I have 3 ratings, but when I actually go to analytics, it says 0. Any idea why that might be? Are the analytics looking at ratings outside the game jam, perhaps?

The map is really nice to explore, if rather large and abandoned. It was fun to climb atop the mountains and see how far out I can go, then look back down at the world from above. I think I also caught a comet in the sky which was super cool, and the subtle pitter patter of the rain on the camera. It's obvious you were careful with the ambiental effects, it made the experience really enjoyable, despite the lack of mechanics.

I would have liked the camera to be set a little higher though, unless this is supposed to be a child's perspective, in which case, it's perfect, but should be explained. Speaking of explaining, a little introduction at the beginning would have been helpful, rather than being thrown into a pocket dimension with no notion of who I am, where I am, and what I'm meant to do (and I know you mentioned details around these lines on the game's page, but I feel having it in-game is a simple way to add a lot more value to your game). I'm only insisting on this because I feel that the storytelling aspect is an important one to get players involved with your world. I cannot argue about it not being pretty (I love the esthetics), but it would be so much better if it was meaningful, too.

All in all, congratulations for making it. If you do plan to develop it further, do enjoy the process :)

This is such a great idea for a thread, thanks for creating it. Looking forward and seeing what other people make, and getting feedback of my own.

Here's a link to my game: https://itch.io/jam/gamedevtv-jam-2022/rate/154179

How do I say this... You're a genius, and this game is a masterpiece.

I absolutely love how you incorporated the theme of the jam. Death has some really cool dialogue lines, and the means of death are so creative! I got all 20, plus the true ending, but I got to say it took some trial and error, but in the end that's what made it so fun. (I was especially stuck and, I guess you could say flabbergasted, when I tried shooting death with the power-up gun that I was soooo proud of getting, and Death just laughed in my face! I was pissed and impressed, because it fit so well)

While I played this, I had my boyfriend in the background, laughing himself breathless with me at some of the silly things I did (and which worked!!!), like trying to eat everything in sight, or dying of boredom. We both agree this game was amazing.

There's no high enough rating for what I believe this game deserves, so I guess a full 5-star rating will have to do. Keep up the great work!

I absolutely loved that you had that little intro scene that rolled frame by frame! The esthetics are absolutely gorgeous, and the maps seem very nicely designed. The combat is a little funky, but cute, and the music fit very nicely. On the flip side, if you plan of continue to develop this (which you totally should), it might be worth considering to have someone proofread the text for errors. It sounds like a little thing, but it's something that can make or break your game, which would be a shame, since it's really fun to play :)

I feel you so hard, you have no idea. I found the gun quite a while before I got chased, so I was constantly on edge the whole time while I was stocking up on bullets, especially since I saw in the corner of my vision something move as soon as I got the gun. I swear I jumpscared myself when I got into a building because I heard the sound of footsteps and thought I was being followed. Turns out it was me all along.

Then I leave the building and out of nowhere, two faceless silhouettes crawl up to me and almost kill me. I'm actually sorry to say I quit the game then and there. Not because it's not quality (the esthetics are amazing, same for the sound effects and puzzle-like feel of the environment), but because I just don't have a heart for horror games, and this one was definitely doing its job well!

Slartibartflast wants this made into a real game. I agree. It's super fun, and I especially laughed at the dialogue with the vampire. Breaking the 4th in a cool way is difficult to do, but you absolutely owned it! 5 stars to you my friend!

Ahh, there's nothing like watching a bunch of bully cats gets blown to smithereens. Kind of gives me the same fuzzy feeling as Exploding Kittens (a card game I love).  I know someone else who would appreciate this too, because he's been stuck with like 8 cats in his house and absolutely hates them, so I'm totally gonna recommend this to him.

On a different note, I love the sound and explosion effects, very neat! Something I had issue with was that a lot of my projectiles seemed to be going under the cat minions? Through? Not sure, but was missing them in any case, despite the direction being correct. There might be an explanation for it, but I couldn't figure it out.

Anyway, great game!

Thanks for the feedback! And yeah, the alcohol potion is a silly thing, I'm glad you had fun with it.

Yeah that's fair. For the sake of the jam, the goal is reaching a working minimum after all, not the fluff, so you did an excellent job as it stands.

I'm super happy to hear this! It was a lot of fun doing the NPC movement routes, and I hoped it would be fun for the player as well. Glad to know it worked as intended :))

I am fascinated about how well a cat and its nine lives fits the theme, so simple, yet unexpected. Also, the design is gorgeous, both in terms of asset design, and animations! I'm not much for platformers, so I didn't get too far into the game because of it (sorry!).

The event in itself was particularly memorable, it being my first real experience with a game jam and with game development in general.

What I definitely won't forget was the rush of the first 5 days, because I was at the end of my free trial for RPG Maker MV, so my time was literally chopped in half. Still, I'm super proud of what I was able to make, and I'd love to continue working on this project in the future!

If anyone's keen on some story-driven game, here's a quick link to it: https://nim-lorekeeper.itch.io/to-love-an-underworld

This is such a cool puzzle game! I also love that there's actual VOICED story to prelude that. I think it would be even more interesting if we'd get a little more story updates every few levels or so, to let us know we're actually doing progress, or when new mechanics get introduced.

The level design is brilliant too. I haven't managed to finish all of them, but it's a game worth going back to. Some levels require a fair bit of finesse and patience from the player, and I can only imagine the brain power needed to construct them.

Kudos to everyone who contributed to this game. You have a full 5-star rating from me <3

Cute game. The 8-bit background music fits perfectly with the design, though I'm not sure why the player is blue...

In any case, I found the stairs to be a bit wonky, but on the other hand I loved the temporary powerups, and the fact that they reappear just like the platforms. Particularly handy for ppl who fall off ledges like I seem to do :))

Now, if it's alright, I just wanna show how proud I am of my little graveyard. It's in a pretty forestry area (pretend there's more trees surrounding the place pls). Looking back at it, I wish I'd saved the space right in the middle for the church... guess I'll just have to get back and play it again!

This was really fun and fast paced, kinda makes me wish getting to the church at the end were a little bit more challenging.

Also, one thing I'd recommend is adding a delete/sell option. Design freaks like me tend to change their minds on what they want their place to look like, or alternatively occupying an adjacent space by accident and being unable to undo it risks becoming frustrating.

Another thing I'd like to mention is that the music was cute, but it didn't seem to fit the vibe of a graveyard. Just something to consider for the future.

Anyway, loved it, would totally play a more elaborate version of this game, if you do end up working on it some more.

You can do the vertex trick from these options right here:

And for the reference img, you have these options right here:

Hope this is useful to you :)

Ooo looking good. You can easily mess around with some vertices to give him a little more dimension. There's an option in Blender to drag one vertex and have those in the vicinity follow proportionally. I found it does wonders for polishing a rough mesh. Also, in case you haven't done so already, using a reference image in the background is super useful for getting the proportions right with minimal effort.

If it helps, this is the post and the answers I received for my version of the question.

https://itch.io/jam/gamedevtv-jam-2022/topic/2125976/can-someone-clarify-this#po...

The game can be anything you like, so long as it fits the theme (I'd personally love to play a battleship-like game). As for whether it's allowed, it being a paid software and all, I had the same confusion since I'm using RPG Maker which is paid too, but everyone who answered told me it should be fine, because it's not like anyone can have access to the software itself from your source code. I'd think yours is a similar case to mine, so I think you should be all good too :)

It's the end of day 4 and I submitted my project. I don't think I'll make any updates to it for lack of availability, so if anyone wants to try it out, please enjoy. You won't be losing any of the experience for trying it out earlier than when the jam ends.

For context, it's an RPG Maker story-based game where the main cast finds itself in a life-after-death scenario, and are hoping to somehow return to the living (some pictures for reference in the posts above). I would estimate about half an hour of casual gameplay, if this holds any importance to you.

In any case, good continuation on your projects and make the most of the experience. Nim out.

You might have figured it out by now, but in case you haven't, I just discovered (by finding myself in the same scenario) how to edit the submission.

You go to the project from your profile, and in the top right there should be a pop-up-like box mentioning that said project is submitted for the game jam. Click on it. It will take you to a page where you should see somewhere on the right (above your submission details) a button for editing the submission.

In any case, this would be for updating the submission details, like assets used and source, but if you edit the project from your profile directly, it should update independently of the game jam submission. At least, that's the logic I found. I haven't tested it.

Hope this helps :)