Foon → Ludum Dare Explorer → LD60 → Punch Corp
By jiri-hysek
| Percentile | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Rank | Score | Count | LD60 | Ever | |
| Overall | 32 | |||||
| Fun | 32 | |||||
| Innovation | 32 | |||||
| Theme | 32 | |||||
| Graphics | 32 | |||||
| Audio | 32 | |||||
| Humor | 29 | |||||
| Mood | 31 | |||||
This game is BEAUTIFUL. It's crazy to think that this was made in 48 hours because it is so clean and polished! The controls are very intuitive, puzzles are engaging, and everything looks cohesive. Really wonderful entry 👏
HRM
@wormkingboo Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
@asalidonat HRM indeed, but more like a prequel :)
realy nice game BTW
Really cool entry! I played through it and had a great time. Here is a quick breakdown of my thoughts: • Gameplay & Design: The core mechanics feel solid and intuitive right from the start. The gameplay loop is engaging, and the controls feel responsive and fair. • Visuals & Art Style: The visual direction fits the overall mood really well. Everything looks cohesive, and the presentation makes it very clean to follow what's happening on screen. • Audio: The sound effects and audio design add a lot of punch to the experience and help build the atmosphere. • Theme Interpretation: You did a fantastic job incorporating the jam's theme into the core loop in a creative and clever way! Constructive Polish Idea: If you decide to update or expand this after the jam, adding a few extra feedback cues (like juice/particles or subtle screen shake) or expanding on a few mechanics could make it feel even more polished! Overall, awesome job for a jam project! Left you a high score/rating. Keep up the great work! 🚀
@anastasia-pitomets Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it! And I'm glad you liked it and didn't run into any bugs (I wouldn't be surprised it was quite a crunch at the end :)
I'm not gonna lie, it was difficult to understand the rules of the game!) But once I did, it was still pretty difficult to play the game haha. Maybe it's just my cooked brain after 48 hours of jamming.. It feels so unique and interesting tho, artstyle is nice and I like the song that plays everytime computer is working. I like the idea that in the game world computer is a new tech. Good job!
@beareye I feel you! I though it would be too hard for a jam game :) It was difficult to come up with levels that are not repetitive, interesting and not super hard. Btw. there is Shift+N shortcut to go to the next level, if you want to see the rest. Also, I added a walkthrough video, if you are interested in solutions (but there are more ways how you can solve each level). If I had more time, I'd do better introduction of instructions, step by step... but even without that it was a crunch ;) At least it's more faithful machine-level coding experience!
What can I say? Amazing graphics, a great idea, and fantastic execution. I was entertained and spent way too much time making holes in paper.
My original idea was to make a game about punch cards. I’m so glad I decided not to pursue it, because it would’ve looked pretty bad next to this! The vibe and style really remind me of 7 Billion Humans. This is my favorite game from the jam so far. Absolutely fantastic!
@incd021 @sanechekz thanks for nice words! For this feedbacks it worth the effort, lack of sleep and unhealthy levels of caffeine and sugar :)
Yeah, I love 7 billion humans too, the inspiration is too obvious. But my game uses punch card (or punch tape), so I'd like to think about it as a fanfictional prequel to it :)
Very interesting idea, i like these types of games! One thing that couldn't figure out how COPY MEM works :( It always writes zero to any memory cell.
@imod copy is not needed for any level so I haven't test it that much. Now I checked it and you're right! It really stores 0 to given memory address. There should be update_memory(argument, memory[0], line) instead. I could fix it but since it's not a game breaking bug (copy is not needed), I'm not sure.. but it's not adding new feature, so maybe to avoid frustration, I should do it (EDIT: fixed)
I really love the overall feel of the game! Creating commands on the punch crop is a really cool mechanic.I enjoyed the story, graphics, and sound design. Since I’m not really an IT person (I’m more of a “let me make the graphics” kind of person), some parts were a bit challenging for me. Still, I really enjoyed the game!!!!
Was stuck for way too long on day 3, before i realized i can just write to different memories by adding the mem number as argument... i feel so dumb x.x
The game was really nice, felt a bit like creating your first codes in a new coding language.
Was a bit confused at the start because i wasn't able to just punch holes into the card where i wanted with the mouse - it wasn't clear that i can only put holes in the current row. Switched to keyboard, felt much better :D
Puzzles were well made and interesting, tho after i finally got throu day 3 the rest were one taps x)
@thoastbot Congrats and thank you for your feedback!
In the hindsight, I regret adding mouse control for writing code at all. Intended way is to use the keyboard, because it feels much better. Allowing to edit at lest current line could lead to confusion. I wrote to use keyboard in the first printout and on description but it's easy to miss.
@magi-chan Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway :)
Really cool entry! I loved the concept and the overall mood you’ve created here. The controls felt smooth and the gameplay was super engaging for a jam project. Solid work! Left full ratings. If you have a few minutes, we’d love for you to check out and rate our game about a cat assembling an atom bomb: Meow Bomb! 🐱💣 Cheers!
@nursultan thanks for nice words! I'm glad you liked it. I'll play and rate games after work. I can definitely take a look at your Meow Bomb too :)
the punched tape programming angle is such a good fit for the theme, and turning actual 4 bit instructions into puzzles is a neat way to make old tech feel hands on. the presentation is ridiculously clean for a jam game, the terminal look sells it completely. how did you decide which of the 15 instructions to build the puzzles around? really solid work.
@perrarancino thanks, I'm happy you liked it! Basically, I started from easy tutorial levels where I started introducing instuctions step by step. So I was building "easy" levels around it (walking, reading/writing, adding static value, cycles, ...). The plan was to add more complex things later. But then it turned out that easy levels are not that easy for a jam game. And I also didn't have much time left to harder stuff (which would be unplayable for jam purposes anyway). So that's why there are lot of instructions unnecessary. I implemented those instructions anyway, because you have 4 bits for instruction and I wanted the interpreter to be "fully featured" :D
Gives nice 7 Billion Human vibes! I once wished the instructions where one abstraction level higher, but then realized that I missed the call and return note 😄 I stumbled on some small things like e.g. call being labeled via `CALL MEM` instead of `CALL ADR` and thought I have to write the adress into memory, but overall the game makes a good job at explaining the instructions (especially given you have to convay a lot of information). Was pretty happy to see that the last level was on the easier side. Generally quite polished concerning the art and music, especially since no AI was involved!
The atmosphere you created with the terminals and punching tapes was absolutely immersive. It really felt like stepping back into a hyper-specific, nostalgic computing era. Great work on capturing the demanding, authentic feel of being a corporate programmer.
@oadt Yeah, it could works as a prequel of 7 Billion Humans :) Thanks for your feedback! The instruction manual is unfortunately last thing I was working on so I didn't have time to do it in more polished way. So it's a bit (a lot) rough around the edges :) Music is just a short track, I didn't have time for in game during editing. So yeah, there are still things I haven't managed to get in time. But it's always like that :)
@eugenik Thanks, I'm glad you like it. No one mentioned the atmosphere yet. I'm really happy that this turned out. It's a pitty I didn't have time to make some music (apart for that track playing during program run), it could add to the atmosphere too. But I'm not good at making music anyway :)
Very interesting idea, i like these types of games!
Great puzzle game, it was lovely to think in terms of binary addition, haven't done that in ages.
I liked the idea and how it’s done. Everything feels really responsive and nice. A bit more tutorial would help, though
Seriously, how do you manage to do THIS in two days haha! It's amazing, it feels like a fully fledged game. It reminds me of those "7 billion humans" kind of games, which I assume is the main inspiration. Your game is really spotless, I didn't find any bug or anything, it's clear, even for someone like me who is absolute shit at programming. I gave you almost perfect scores, because this is brilliant!
This is a really well done game! It's clean and polished, the interface is nice, and it's a really cool idea!
The game was really nice! I think a tutorial would be nice but it was easy to figure out more once I understood the punching mechanic more. One thing, I found the text pretty hard to see, I was squinting at my monitor the whole time lol.
I really loved this, one of my favourites this jam! I'm so surprised that this was made in just 48 hours O_O. This reminds me so much of Reeborg's World! A little bit of shameless self promo here, but I'd love your opinion on my game. No hard feelings if you don't do it or if you have any criticisms with the game.
@ao-85 I hope you'll enjoy this one too :)
@adam-gould Thanks! Glad you liked it. Add binary code anywhere and you got instantly feeling of an old tech :)
@fassenberg @thanatosisanoob I agree, unfortunately there wont be much time for it, instruction manual is a bit rough, if I had more time, explaining instruction one by one would be the thing I would want to do the most.
@iluvatar Thanks for nice words! Yeah, 7 billion humans definitely influenced me. I'm glad you didn't see the issues, there are things that can be better if I had more time.. but it's better not to point at them and let you think it's perfect :D
@jeffrey-meyers Thanks! I'm happy you liked it.
@fassenberg thanks for your feedback on text - do you mean it's small or font is hard to read?
@brimstone Thanks, I'm glad you liked it so much! It's my 21st compo in a row, that experience has to show somewhere :) I also felt that for every part of the game I already did something similar in the past. And still I didn't have time for things like music (apart for that short track that plays when you run the code) or better tutorial / introducing instructions. I didn't know Reeborg's World, I'm gonna check it, thanks. I'd like to play all games of people who comment on my game, slowly working on it... :)
Hey! This is kinda like my game, only better and more true to the actual tech😄. Really impressive stuff!
idk how to pass 3rd level T-TScreenshot 2026-10-22 092309.png
@ii-p Hey! Thanks for trying to solve it and not giving up! The main issue with this level is usually an ADD instruction.
Argument of ADD instruction is not a value. It's an address where it should read the value. ADD reads memory of given address and adds value stored in this memory to value stored in memory 0. And result will be saved in memory 0. This "computer" has 8 memory cells so address of memory is 0 - 7.
Example: ``` READ 0001 ; this reads value from computer and store it to memory 1 SET 0101 ; this sets value in argument (10) of memory 0 ADD 0001 ; this adds value of memory 1 to value of memory 0 and stores result to memory 0 ```
You'll need to understand ADD in next levels. What it does is "Read memory from address in argument and add its value to value in address 0").
I hope it helps.
If you are stuck, I can help you explain the solution, or there is also a vide walkthrough in the description of the page (but it's always better to figure it alone or with hints than see the solution right away:)
@ii-p aah, I didn't check your code properly, in 02 it's not ADD, it's SET. Ok, let me see what your code does:
``` READ 0000 ; reads 11 (from computer) and stores it to memory 0 COPY 0000 ; copies value from memory 0 to memory 0 (target addr is argument of the copy, you have 0 there) SET 0101 ; sets value of memory 0 to 10 - so it rewrites original memory 0 ... turning and walking ... ```
So you are almost there. 2 updates needed: - COPY should copy the memory to different address, let's say 1 - after SET, add missing ADD instruction that adds value of address 1 to value 0.
@ii-p you're almost there, on line 01 you need to copy the value (in address 0) to address 1, then on line 3 you must set the argument 1, it should work :)
@jiri-hysek @yourykiki ahhh, thx for help. I didnt really notice that the is add instruction to be honest ajhaahhaa. I think the feedback of mem current value is really lacking in the game (or i dunno where to check it)
@yourykiki she is also missing ADD instruction to put somewhere between 02 and 03, if I'm not overlooking something. There is more ways to solve it but there's no other ways to add two numbers than using ADD. Btw. just check what game did you make - looks cool! I love machine/system building games, I'll definitely check it!
@silkworm-sweatshop Cool! I'm gonna check your game after work :)
@ii-p what do you mean by feedback of mem current value? Something more than displaying values of all memories that is in the panel with the start/stop buttons? UI could be always better, I agree. But at least there is a way how to see content of the memory at glance.
@jiri-hysek yes you're right a ADD is missing
Cool stuff, in the vibe of human ressource machine !
It make our brain work 😄 ! I’ve never used punch cards, even if I knew them, it is a fun introduction to it !
Clear interface, matching mood, cool mechanical sounds, good learning curve.
Great work !
Spiritually Zachtronics' game. makes you really appreciate modern IDEs. But some QOL features would be really welcome: button to clear whole track and ability to punch a card clicking with mouse on any row.
@ne-aquilon Thanks for your feedback! Punching by keyboard felt so much better to me so I intentionally made it for keyboard control. And I kind of regret I added mouse punching at lest to that one row - it may be confusing. The idea was always moving up and down by one hand using keyboard. Because you control punching head that can write only to one row at a time. It's an old tech after all :) But I saw that people intuitively try to use a mouse so maybe I should add that option too..
I've never played Human Resource Machine and only know about it due to that famous "Tomorrow Corporation Tech Demo" video which featured it heavily. This game felt pretty easy to me as somebody who's already comfortable with assembly programming, although I can imagine somebody new to programming concepts maybe struggling a bit. Some notes:
- I think there should probably be fewer instructions. Many were not needed and mostly served as distractions. - In the instruction documentation "MEM" is used to refer to both an instruction address and one of the 8 registers, which is a bit confusing. I think it would have been better to have a separate "INST" mnemonic for instructions like CALL. - REPEAT and JUMP both take arguments but are not documented to do so in the summary on the left.
@henk thanks for your feedback! I agree with all you said, you pointed to part of the game, I didn’t have time to finish - better manual (add new instructions during the game progression) and slow introduction of instructions step by step without confusing player by unusable ones. So I just created that full manual instead. Unused instructions are because I did level design after implementing instruction set :) There are 4 bits for encoding instruction so I wanted to have 15 instructions. If I had time to finish manual that can show only useful instructions, players wouldn’t see them.
I’m glad that it was easy for you because it means my limited in-game assembly wasn’t that different from how it could work. I struggled a bit with instruction set because I had space for 1 argument only. So it had to be “simplified” which could turn out confusing for people who actually understand asm.
I put my playthrough of your game on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/DueOig8db0E
This jam entry is really well made, so much attention to detail and polish. Unfortunately, it's of the type of game where you have to program instructions into something, and I just find those kinds of games really tedious. I spent a bit of time trying to work out the repeating function thing but it was too much for me, so didn't finish. Still very impressive game, I just didn't enjoy my time with it.
[Thanks for submitting your game to stream!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2909614359?t=02h35m00s)
Sorry the artists were struggling to understand it, but I quite enjoyed my little bit of binary coding 😄
Very original interpretation of the theme and extremely cool puzzle game! The second-to-last level had me a little stumped but the humor was very fitting! As always I enjoyed the sleek visuals and fitting sounds. Only, I would have liked to hit ENTER to start running the tape and wished for a punchier punching sound.
For your records, here's the VOD of my playthrough with chapter marks: https://youtu.be/uMzPz0VnkU0
Fantastic little puzzle game! Loved the dot-matrix and punch-card effects, the retro graphics/art style, and the gameplay that appealed to the programmer in me. Excellent work -- very well done!
@joeshanahan @coleslaughter @philstrahl Thanks for playing it on stream! It's always the best feedback when I can actually see people playing it.
@digital-bacon Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.
Thanks for submitting the game to the stream! Here's the VOD: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2910887961
Incredible polish considering it was made in 48 hours! Great work, it was fun to play ^^
