My Submission for epic mega jam 2023.
Feel free to give it a play 
Download and play: Rate Into Earth by ScRuFFnuF for 2023 Epic MegaJam! - itch.io
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Really cool!
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Hi there @ScRuFFnuF,
Hope you’re well and having a spectacular week so far
First, I have to say how much I adore the art style. It’s incredibly charming. Secondly, the gameplay seems fairly intuitive. What is the “goal” of our robot friend here?
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Thank you for the kind words.
I tried a few line rendering techniques, but I felt a bit lost near the end and I could no longer tell what looked good and what not. So it’s very nice to see that you took a liking to it
The concept started as a commissioned mining robot that is in charge of a mining rig keeping the furnaces fed with coal to ensure steam pressure for the engines, and using the copper mined to fix any damages occurred. The damages can occur by steering into oncoming “Hard Rocks”, which can be avoided with the sonar screen and steering controls.
All of the chaos is then met with a shift report (kind of inspired by the old-time sheets used by miners in the past) listing copper and coal consumption as expenses and distance mined and riches found as income. The totals are then calculated and presented.
Keeping a profit would continue the loop with more spawning of rocks (and goodies like gems and ores), which would help with the profits as your skill increases in the management of the mining rig. However, if your ship runs out of fuel (due to damage or neglect) your shift will immediately end and losses will be calculated. Should you ever go into debt you will be… Decommissioned… and that is the Game Over.
So in summary, you are a little robot working for profits, the chase never ends…
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Hey there @ScRuFFnuF !
I won’t deny, I was lost playing this for almost a solid hour before I had to unfortunately go make some dinner. Playing through this small yet repetitive game really helps my ADHD personally as I love the tasks given and the controls with how easy they are to understand.
I will certainly be playing this more in the future as by far it’s one of my favorites I’ve seen for this year’s Mega Jam. Keep up the awesome work!
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Hello @The_M0ss_Man,
Thank you so much, this is extremely high praise for my little game. I am honestly delighted and honored to have some one like it as much as you do.
Thank you again for taking the time playing my game
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@InfiniteSkyGames , Thank you
“Decommissioned” practically had a “Bum ba BUMMMM” sound with it as I read it. 
I’m obsessed with the premise of your project here and I’m so glad you’ve shared it with us. Good luck in the Mega Jam!
@PresumptivePanda I was trying to add some climax there.
Thank you, I really do appreciate the kindness.
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