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Mere Desh's itch.io pageGame Title
Mere Desh
Developer Name
Happy Hoopoe Studios
Short Promo Blurb
Revitalise the land by attracting animals back to your farm. Plant trees and wild plants while also balancing your finances in this small holder farm simulator.
Full Description
As mentioned previously this game is all about restoration, I took a big inspiration from Viva Pinata which is a game which revolves around attracting animals to your plot. I wanted to set in Punjab because that's an area of extreme environmental degradation and I wanted to educate people about that issue.
The story was intended to be a bit more built out, the idea being that by attracting more wildlife the memory of the granny would become stronger and it would form this intergenerational link with the grandson but I kinda ran out of time...
Promo Image(s)
N/A
Promo Video
I'm so sorry its like 12 midnight right now I can't do this right now
Artistic Statement / Use of Theme(s)
As mentioned previously, this game is inspired by stories about the environmental degradation of Punjab and India at large which I have heard much about from my family (though I haven't experienced first hand being diaspora). Really at the core of the game is the concept of 'Reviresco' - to grow again even to flourish.
Development Summary
God the development of this was a nightmare. I had a residential on one of the weeks of the jam so I really only had 3 weeks to work with when making this, partly during exam season. It was a bit hectic I will not lie but I'm very proud with how I managed it.
I'm surprised how much of the original brief I managed to preserve. Almost everything bar seasons and (most) sound was able to be kept. I was originally planning on all the animals to have animations but there is only one of me and I have other stuff going on so that wasn't happening unfortunately.
I'm surprised how quickly I was able to get the core concepts set in. Saving, inventory, shopping, TILE INTERACTION. All of these I though would take weeks upon weeks but I was able to get it done in virtually two weeks.
I am intensely glad I participated in this jam because it has taught me SO much about Godot and helped me to create practical programs that I can adapt for future projects in the future. (Particularly I want to make an animal crossing like game which I think a lot of the code I made for this can be used for)
Release Plan
I'm not sure I will continue on this because I don't think it would be a very enjoyable game outside of a jam setting. As in its supposed to be experimental.
Were I to though I would certainly bolster the story elements, add more animals, add the more complex farming aspects I was originally planning etc but I don't think that 2D is the best format for this kind of game. I likely would return to this concept because I really like it.
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Comments
This is a solid release for a lone beginner dev, I'm in agreement that the narrative here is strong and has great potential. I also like the diversity of the different animals available. Great work!
I think the you did a good job designing the game, especially as a solo dev in Godot. The mechanics of building up farmland to attract animals are unique and pretty engaging. However, on the Windows build, the inventory controls stopped working when I left the house. I could still move around, but couldn't interact with the ground with the tools.
Yeah I basically had no time to play test😭😭😭 I think I'm going to make a more polished version afterwards. Thank you very much though!
This game has well done narrative, I found somethings to be a little hard to follow but overall it seems like a decent game .
Good work on the jam! I like the concept of a Punjabi father being motivated by his own nostalgia for the now-lost animals he grew up hearing to turn his farm into an oasis, and the bit I was able to play set this up very well. The book of species is a nice touch to guide the player's farm while linking it to real life information and practices. Unfortunately, I couldn't progress past the introduction as I couldn't get any of the farming mechanics working, but I would be interested in seeing more and I think you may be wrong about it only being enjoyable in the setting of the jam—farming sims like Stardew Valley are incredibly popular, and you've chosen a more unique setting than most.
Sorry to hear the development was a bit of a nightmare and came at an inopportune time for you personally; I do think you should be proud of what you've managed to submit despite that. Hopefully despite the stress you found it creatively fulfilling!
Thank you so much that's really really kind of you to say. I think I'll look into building it out more thank you.
Hey congrats on your release. I really loved to read a story inspired by what's going on in Punjab and India. I think it's super cool that you're inspired by your family stories and all. It was also nice to learn more about the animals and their habitats via the book. I was sadly not able to use the inventory items as well and got stuck in the level accidentally (in an awkward corner near the house). As a fellow solo dev who was also using Godot, I feel you -- and you've done quite a lot on your own, the UI works well. While you don't seem to enjoy the 2D approach I kinda liked it -- it gave me some Harvest Moon vibes or games like To The Moon. Hope you get to work on this concept more, the idea about the inter-generational link is also super interesting. And we need to see more stories like this overall.
Thank you so much! I swear the Collisions were working perfectly RIGHT up until I web exported it. Shaded Array Buffer is my new enemy. I'll have to give your game a review when I get the chance!
I like the research done on the different animals and the narrative about the different animals in India .I couldn;t figure how to use the inventory items to plant the trees for the animal habitat
The game isn't really finished. For example you can walk outside the room into thin air. Still, a nice beginning of something great!