Going to try for something smaller this time and take it easy

Engine: Unity

Language: C#

Graphics: Blender or paint.net

Sound: We’ll see for this one

There’s a slightly updated version of TANKED up now. Just some slight clarity and convenience fixes, old build still available for windows.

Fixed a few things that were confusing for players:

• Added HP to damage text because a lot player thought they were losing points instead of doing damage
• Added a slight checkerboard pattern to the ground for a reference that you are moving
• Added a simple flag where the goal of the level is so you can know when it’s done.

Also just added some convenience things:

• Added how to play instructions to the options menu
• Added a button to increase your speed so you can choose to go faster if you’d like, the goal is still points though, not speed
• Added a few more enemies in a very slow part of level three
• Increased explosive barrel damage range so all of the intended chain reactions occur.

For Ludum Dare 32 my take on the them was a little… unconventional. I made a rail shooter (TANKED) where you start with a conventional gun and as the levels progress and you add modifications, it becomes less and less conventional. I had a ton of fun working on this game and and planning on exploring some ideas I had that would not fit within the scope of a jam. Now on to the good parts:

What Went Right:

I got to make the weapon system and use physics mostly to the effect that I wanted to, with enemies reacting in exaggerated manners when hit by your weapons. The shooting feels nice, and the variety of weapons (400 combinations!) were really what I think made the high points of my game.

What Went Wrong:

I should have gotten an early version out to my friends so they could have helped me with a few feedback issues. A lot of people think the enemy damage text is you losing points, and the radar is not as clear as I’d like it to be. Probably the biggest problem plaguing this version of the game is the lack of balance with some combinations being crazy overpowered, with a few being next to useless. I didn’t give myself a lot of time to design the levels, so there’s a lot of room for improvement to make them tighter and let different weapons shine.

Wrapping Up:

I’m very happy with how this jam went and I’m going to keep iterating on this game over the next short period of time to see what all I can do it and if it’s worth pursuing further. For that, feedback is greatly appreciated, so try TANKED and let me know how you feel about it, and let me know what your favorite weapon combos are!

Alright, back to work and rating some games.