kiddy 2023-05-01 18:10
I love it, innovative concept, the level design is really cool. Well done !
Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD53 → ▲●■♚
By jimbly
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 18 | 4.19 | 43 | |
| Fun | 26 | 4.18 | 42 | |
| Innovation | 44 | 3.98 | 43 | |
| Theme | 96 | 4.14 | 43 | |
| Graphics | 114 | 3.87 | 43 | |
| Audio | 89 | 3.70 | 42 | |
| Humor | 319 | 2.14 | 34 | |
| Mood | 171 | 3.43 | 39 |
I love it, innovative concept, the level design is really cool. Well done !
Best game so far, I spent an ungodly amount moving shapes between circles xD
@kiddy Thanks for playing and glad you liked it! The "level design" is mostly random (with some perhaps clever constraints), though I did play a whole bunch of games to hand-pick the first two seeds so that the first two levels were less finicky than some. If you click the arrows to advance to levels 3+ things get a bit weirder / less great =).
@evogengames Glad you liked it and got hooked!
Really cool and unique game, reminds me a lot of Shapez. Well done!
The gameplay is really boring, but I have to say, I love the sounds that plays from the games, really relaxing. I decided to unlock all of the pods.
@the-hat-guy Glad you liked it! I haven't played Shapez, but it's in my backlog, seems like something I'd enjoy =).
@stingby12 Heheh, unlocking all the nodes is quite some commitment! Glad you found it relaxing ^_^. Since each one increases how long the next one takes to unlock, the "least boring" gameplay is probably if you *don't* unlock all the nodes (I *think* almost any level should be solvable in 16 links, so about 16 nodes, if you choose just the right ones). That being said, this game totally fails at steering users toward what I think would be the most fun, and they seem to just find a strategy they enjoy and stick to it =).
Absolutely outstanding take on this theme and absolutely outstanding game! I didn't manage to beat it but it's one of the most solid games I have seen out of this jam so far.
This one is right up my alley and really nails the theme in a unique way I haven't seen yet. I appreciate that you give room to experiment and not be punished for it, and played this for quite a bit.
@drazil100 Thanks for playing, and glad you liked it!
@kirbloid Glad you liked it so much! I definitely found (once it was all working ^_^), that I really enjoyed experimenting in the play space with this, so wanted to keep it pretty open for exploring. I'm "secretly" tracking how long you spend on each level for the high score list, but I decided it was best if you didn't actually see the number while playing, so you can just zone out and play. Glad it worked that way for you!
@jimbly I saw the leaderboard (that is totally not fake like in Voodoo games) too, and I see what you mean by that.
The minimal sounds did a lot more for me than I thought it would at first. I want to play this on a tablet while I'm ignoring something on TV
@cheesepencil Glad you enjoyed it! As for the sounds, I actually was planning on changing the rate at which pieces were emitted (to be 1 per time frame, instead of 1 per delivery route), but it seemed like it would ruin the emergent soundscape thing going on (which I guess probably sounds nice since the rate of each sound is some integral fraction, so they create interesting patterns or something... I dunno ^_^).
I've just pushed an update so that zooming works on mobile devices, so if you want to play it on a tablet, let me know how it goes =). You can play the latest version [here](http://www.dashingstrike.com/LudumDare/LD53/).
This was super relaxing and I really liked the abstract concept, which added to the relaxation. Something that wasn't obviously clear was how to remove a line from a node but I figured it out. Enjoyable overall.
Wow! Very fun and engaging despite (or, perhaps more accurately, because of) its simplicity. I love the leaderboard -- that's such a clever way to get people to keep playing. Sound effects are very satisfying and the gameplay is easily understandable, even though there are no words! The tip to create multiple paths between the same two circles was very helpful. Lots of polish.
@jimbly that build works great on tablet!
Oooh yeah baby, factorio in disguise with music produced from sfx :smile: 5x belts feels great hehehe! It took me a while to notice that I cannot put belt on belt, but otherwise pretty easy to understand without reading anything. Last comment is: name might be hard to remember. Very good entry!
This game got me hook; I played until I unlocked all the factory-tile-node-things! The audio and graphics were calm and relaxing and the intuitiveness of the game-play speaks for itself because there are no words. Alas, I wasn't able to figure out how to get the green crown unlocked, but I still enjoyed playing. Fantastic job!
@temp Thanks for playing, and glad you figured out how to remove routes! I figured that particular thing people would figure out out of necessity, as they'd get stuck and (hopefully) realize there must be a way =).
@real-human-1000 Real simplicity for real humans, I guess =). I'm really glad you found it easily understandable, I figured that was quite a risk by not including any words (except for that one, perhaps key, tip on the Ludum Dare page ;)
@chuckiee Heh, what do you mean, you're not going to remember `Triangle character, Circle character, Square character, Black Chess King character`?! I will certainly pick a different name if releasing it elsewhere, I actually had to use a bug on `ldjam.com` to even let me name it this way, while still having "shapes-delivery" in the URL ;).
@glove You turn a node green simply by supplying it with all of the inputs it needs (specifically, an ongoing supply - if you break the link a node turns back to orange, even if it keeps producing shapes for a while based on the built up supply). So, basically, turn nodes green (and "win" a level) by creating a layout in which it'll continue production crowns forever =).
Now that you say it like that, it's pretty memorable :smile:
Nice game! Really like the concept - and the game is very polished, even including a highscore list (some of the advantages of being a webdev I guess :D). The only thing I am missing in the simple gameplay loop is what something that Mini Metro has: the game starts simple, but gets crazier as it goes on, having to manually shift trains from one overloaded metro line to another to somehow keep a broken system running. Maybe you could introduce a similar mechanic when nodes reach max stock of one of their shape types? Overall really enjoyed it!
@richard-baltrusch Thanks for playing, and glad you like it! And, yeah, high score list is basically free with a good web engine ;). I definitely considered something with increasing frenzy like Mini Metro, but I was having enough fun just trying to "solve" the graph at a relaxed pace, I figured I'd go the zen route =). I do like the idea of having potential bad things happen if a node is at max capacity for too long or something, that'd add some frenzy while also encouraging you to build a more balanced supply chain, which seems cool.
Fun game! The no-crossing lines caught me off guard but it added an extra complexity to the game! I like the sfx and the game was smooth and polished. The graphics are good. The name of the game is innovative. :D Good job! Pretty good game!
Clever - and hard (by its simplicity). The main aesthetic is polished. I like abstract concepts - and you caught me with your game. Well done. Thank you for this entry. I wish you the best ++
This game is my absolute jam. I got first on funny internet number wooo. That level is much tougher than the first one. I definitely like that in the later levels it mixes up the types of inputs to get an output. I could see it getting really crazy if you had nodes that had multiple outputs, because you would have to manage using both types of resources evenly (or unevenly if say something produced ▲▲●). That might mean you would need to create a node that simply deletes its input.
Lots of fun play space. In an earlier comment you said you hadn't played shapez, and you really should if you like this sort of game.
10/10, best game of the jam for me.
@remus Thanks for playing! Hope the no-crossing lines was pretty easy to figure out. Without it, the game ends up _pretty_ trivial (topology would only effect speed, not possibilities), but I did have it working that way for a little while (before I put in the collision detection ;).
@geckoo1337 Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for playing!
@phlip45 I'm glad _someone_ managed to figure out there are more than 2 levels to play =). Or, maybe everyone figured it out, and they just got bored before then. Nice job, you'll probably hold that particular high score entry for a long time ;). About half-way through the jam, I actually had a bunch of different "sink" nodes, that just consumed shapes, and gave you currency, which I was planning on letting you spend to unlock the new nodes and buy extra links, but then I managed to pull way back on the planned complexity (didn't actually get to the point of adding spending that currency ^_^) and I think it ended up a better game. I did pull one sink node back in at the very last minute to add a win condition though. Having to consume shapes to stop bottlenecks is a cool idea, though! That'd probably work without any real additional complexity.
Really cool game ! A smart take on the theme, and the mood makes me want to play all night ! Good job :slight_smile:
Cool little game, didn't quite understand the win condition though orange crown was success but green crown not,maybe make the UI more clear.
@meta-link Glad you liked it! There's unlimited generated levels if you actually want to play all night ;)
@dikkop Thanks for playing! Every node turns green whenever you connect routes that supply what it needs, just doing that for a crown node is all the win condition is (basically set up a configuration so that it could keep producing crowns forever, as opposed to juggling links to make just a few crowns). It seems pretty common to not figure that out (though hopefully fun anyway!), so something different would be good, though I can't think of anything (besides using words to explain things ^_^) off-hand. Maybe needed to make the supplied/unsupplied state more clear than just borders while you're playing or something...
@jimbly Ah I see, so the border indicates the status of the node. Maybe add an icon to nodes which can produce indefinitely (like an internet connection icon or infinite sign) and then use the same icon in the win condition UI. Otherwise great game by the way, really intuitive and fun to play around, maybe release for mobile or tablet.
Super fun and engaging game! I wanted to link ALL crown output nodes in the introductory level, I started by unlocking all nodes in order, the blue locked ones, then green, then orange, red and finally pink, then I tried linking all the crown output nodes and work from there. It didn't quite work out, there were some crossings which made linking all crown output nodes actively at the same time impossible, but I greatly enjoyed figuring out different ways and strategies to connect nodes, the adventure was the prize. An incredibly immersive game that is very satisfying to play, it's super easy to get into that flow moment where you're totally in the game. Boosting connections by placing additional delivery connections and just seeing the packages zoom by is also super fun, I have to mention that, that was a great addition. Amazing game you made, great job!
@captaindreamcast Heheh, that sounds like a fun challenge, sorry it wasn't possible, but glad you enjoyed the journey =).
Such a brilliantly simplistic game, immediately clear what to do and how to do it! And damn I could play it entirely on my phone browser, with all these bulky game engines, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a game do that. Really fun, it’s neat how unlocking extra nodes was valuable beyond just the resources, as you got extra links to build. I enjoyed it as a casual experience where I built up as large of a network as possible, but it’s also neat that there’s additional challenges in the leaderboard. Such a brilliant game! :heart:
Really clever game, I especially liked the sounds!
This is really nice, the gameplay is simple but surprisingly engaging, and the sound effects are perfect. I really enjoyed this one.
Super comfy little game with simple yet interesting mechanics.
The leaderboard at the end makes me think about ways to optimize more, but the game itself is very low stress, which I appreciate. Being able to rewire nodes and just have fun is certainly a compelling experience that scratches the right itch for me.
The graphics are simple but effective; a nice coherent look with all the right info baked in. Would have been nice to have some ambient music playing to help bring the shape "beeps" to life a bit more, but that's a tall order for a compo game for sure.
Fantastic job!
Nice game! Decided to try it out even when I'm not on computer and I enjoyed it alot.
...I played with smartphone but I accidentally quit it two times by misclicking to address bar and third time when I had already almost finished the game, only the green crown and two locked nodes remaining... by misclicking the phone's back button 😢 ...I wish it would have saved the game in cookies or something.
...anyways, the gameplay felt good and intuitive. It was nice finding out yourself what you had to do and Inever felt the need for a tutorial. Graphics vere minimal, clean and simple... Placeholder level simple, but it didn't hurt the gameplay. Instead it was really easy to see what is what when all the symbols were different and had their own colors.
Sounds were also very minimal. Some tune might have livened up the mood.
Gameplay was the strong suit, I liked the puzzle alot. I found it easy to learn and innovative as I've never played this kind of game and the closest thing that comes to mind is Factorio or Mindustry.
Good work! This game has good gameplay loop and could be expanded in many directions!
A very fun and relaxing game! I especially liked how clear and intuitive the art and mechanics were - the only exception was the victory condition, that was a bit unclear at first (meanwhile, I found that it was possible to infer the "added speed for links").
The sounds for the various "machines" added to the relaxing mood as well.
Great puzzle game!
@justcamh Glad you liked it, and glad it worked well on your phone!
@ogelgames @cassowary Thanks for playing, sound _quality_ is mostly from [1BITDRAGON](https://1bitdragon.itch.io/1bitdragon/), I just (programmatically) arrange it (with the help of you, the player ;)
@fireslash You might have noticed the leaderboard has a timer as a metric, and I decided to not even show that during gameplay because I also had fun with the low stress playing around with it =). Usually _someone_ feels compelled to really compete when I've got a leaderboard, but it actually seems like no one is competing (at least on time) here, though a few of us tinker until we get the minimum number of links ^\_^. I'd hoped the musical notes from the nodes would have created enough ambient music, but yeah, maybe something very low intensity tying it together would have been good (and probably only needed to be a few notes ^\_^).
@tomssuli Aww, sorry that you accidentally quit. Saving and loading state didn't quite make the cut during the jam -\_-. I guess that's the one risk of mobile is how easy it is to tap the wrong spot in this kind of game... I was definitely trying to capture a bit of a Factorio/Mindustry feel with the gameplay, combined with the simplicity of Mini Metro (which is also minimalist and about connecting nodes ^\_^).
@somnium Are you saying you discovered the extra links to increase speed on your own? That's good to hear! I'd hoped some would, but after a couple testers didn't I decided to put that hint in the description page, and maybe I should have added a hint about the victory condition too, but if you eventually figured it out, that's better than most people =).
I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing but I really, really like the sound design! It's very satisfying to control the gameplay! It also is definitely on theme for the jam too. Also you made it in 2 days? Wow, this is so good!
@jimbly I played this again now on my computer. A fourth try. Found out that you can multiply the throughput so mind was blown once again when I got to balancing the inputs and outputs and routes with this new knowledge! This time nothing could stop me finishing the first level... only after I realized what the green circle around the factories actually meant :sweat_smile: ...again I understood it just by trying things in the game. No cheat sheets.
Fun times! :sunglasses:
The way the sounds all build together once you set up a bunch of routes through all the nodes is really cool, like a sort of weird generative music thing.
Read your comment above - I'm playing an awful lot of Factorio at the moment and this does do a great job of hitting a similar feel in a bit more of a simplified / abstract setting!
@tomssuli Sounds like you eventually figured everything out =). I wish it was more discoverable how to double up routes, as it's pretty important to the fun ^\_^. Don't have any great ideas on how one would do that though (especially on touch with no tooltips or anything...).
@jhax Thanks for playing, and glad you enjoyed it! And, yeah, I like the generative music feel to it. I originally had some more complex plans (start using the higher notes only when more than some number per second were being delivered or something, but I implemented the "simple" thing (each delivery simply plays a unique note based on shape), and it sounded pretty good. And I was almost out of time ;).
Great sound design and amazing gameplay loop! Enjoyed it for the whole duration and looks like behind simplicity there was a lot to discover after all! Great take on theme too and love that its so easy to understand what you have to do to progress (though I was searching for second crown 'exit' for some time before just connecting everything back again - lost some time for sure!)
Nice game! I like abstract games without words. :) I figured almost everything out, except for the green/orange crowns. I had to have a look in the comments for that. I finished the first level and got an orange crown on the second one.
I like the sound scape the game creates.
One small thing: I was confused by zooming in and out on my trackpad, since apparently you have to move two fingers up and down, and now pinch them. :smile:
Awesome entry! :clap:
@papaver Thanks for playing, glad you liked it! For the trackpad, it's probably sending mouse wheel events to the browser (dragging two fingers on a trackpad _usually_ sends a mousewheel event, as that often scrolls?) instead of multi-touch events. Not sure there's anything I can do to change that... does pinch-zooming work on sub-sections of other web pages (e.g. Google Maps)? Maybe there's some other API besides touches and mice to get trackpad gestures... ^_^