Drudge Depth

Heyho,
I can't play the Linux version. Did I do something wrong?
I can't find the executable.

Try changing "nw" to "nw.exe". I don't use linux, So I haven't test it or Mac.

The "Windows" link leads to the Linux version, please fix!

Links updated

This is a pretty good game idea, unfortunately the end result lacks balancing so it gets annoying after a while. Once you find a water spot it's quite easy to never lose, by going back often to the water pool. I'm not sure what would have been the best fix to make the gameplay exciting, but making the pool disappear once you have used it would probably help. I also imagine the game could have a faster pace, with the digger being only able to go downwards in a randomly generated level.

To me the best part of the game is the art: I enjoyed the overall looks of the game, and watching the rocks getting destroyed is pretty satisfying (I don't remember having seen that kind of black lines animation before, good idea). The dirt trail left by the machine is cool too!

The problem with the Linux export seems to be that it's a 32-bit build. Almost nobody uses a 32-bit operating system anymore, so the compatibility libraries are often not installed. Does Construct2 let you make a 64-bits build?

By the way, no need to rename nw to nw.exe; that's not how it works on Linux (or Mac). Instead, filesystem permissions are used to indicate when a file is executable. These permissions aren't always carried over correctly in a ZIP file, but Linux users are usually savvy enough to do something like chmod a+x nw to fix it up.

Maybe this is your first jam project ever, certainly the first for Alakajam, and maybe you ran out of time, I don't know the truth of the matter, so I should go easy on it, but I'm not known for that. Criticism is the key and the project has no feelings. The gloves are coming off!

Where is the challenge? Going for a high score is pointless if it is merely an exercise in endurance. In this case it is not even that. I could tape down the down key and the drill would keep mining diamonds while going through the water section indefinitely. Infinite diamonds! Infinite boredom…

There are loads of possibilities for underground high jinks, you should know based on your avatar. For instance, Motherload (free) or Super Motherload (not so free) are worth a play to get some ideas. In this case, managing fuel, hull strength and oxygen could all be added on top of heat to complicate the mining process. The terrain also needs more features, such as different minerals (with varying characteristics), lava pools, impenetrable rock, wet sand, etc, in order to force the player to plan their route carefully and take risks.

I like the 3D renders of the machine and the rocks. The diamonds and the terrain are 2D, though, which creates a needless inconsistency. The worst offender here is the terrain texture, which is not pretty and strangely it acts as an overlay partially hiding the other assets below it turning the overall image into a mush. The water segment avoids this fate and looks neat!

The 5 seconds long music loop doesn't add anything. On the contrary I would prefer silence due to the repetition. An ambient underground soundscape, or creaks and croaks of machinery would fit well given the theme.

I'm not putting the gloves back on. The scores are next; the project can take it.

Overall: Bad (3.0)
Graphics: Below Average (4.0)
Audio: Terrible (2.0)
Gameplay: Non-existent (1.0)
Originality: Bad (3.0)
Theme: Below Average (4.0)

The game can be a lot better with just a simple difficulty progression system.
If you dont have time, just take the cheapest, easiest idea you can get to achieve this result :

• Time counter who reset when you change map ( and is getting shorter and shorter )
• basic ennemy following you : a slow one on first level then increase their speed / numbers.
• black blocks that break your drill on impact ( +1 block per levels )
  etc.

Good Idea, effects when you break a rock are cool, it could be more challenging, maybe with like I see in the comment a quantity of water per pool, but I like the effort, and I really like the dirt background
Great Job =D

This game has potential. The art is nice and I liked the ambient music. The game also has good controls. However, the game is a little too easy. Try making the diamonds harder to find or make the heat and cool down system more punishing by, for example, making the cooling pools less common. Don't be discouraged if your game doesn't do well. Our first few game jam games hardly got any ratings or comments. Keep making games and eventually you'll be a huge sucess.

Not a bad entry. The overall movement and mechanic feels alright, but it'd definitely need a bit of depth (no pun intended) added. As another commenter said, once you've found a lake, it's very hard to lose as you can keep going there to stop overheating. One way to combat this would be to have the lake shrinking over time as you use them, or you could go for a Snake idea where you can't touch anywhere you've already dug before.

I also noticed that the rocks kept respawning when you went over the border to one area, and then came back again. So that was another way you couldn't lose but just keep increasing your score (which gets a little boring after a while).

So good job anyways, and hopefully this feedback was helpful!