Planet Scan-it by Flopster

[raw]
made by Flopster for LD29 (COMPO)
My first Ludum Dare entry!
It's only loosely based on 'Under the surface', but I was inspired to make a 2D auto-scaling orbital simulator, so I decided to roll with it.
Scientists have discovered a solar system, where the planets and moons contain a strange material beneath the surface. This material blocks communication, so any exploring must be done manually - this is where you come in.

Ratings

Coolness 47% 1409
Overall 2.84 891
Audio 2.03 892
Fun 2.47 1000
Graphics 2.97 676
Humor 1.60 1038
Innovation 3.81 117
Mood 2.90 639
Theme 2.53 1031

Feedback

GAFBlizzard
28. Apr 2014 · 03:08 UTC
I died while reading the rules, and couldn't find a key to restart without reloading the webpage. :P The rules seem pretty complex to not be able to pause and review them, which is a bit frustrating combined with no easy way to restart after you die.

The controls reminded me of Lunar Lander and were really tricky to maneuver precisely. I think I finally managed to put a drill down, and pick it up later with a green bar. It played a ding noise. I didn't see any science bar change however.

The orbital mechanics and how the drill and moon can go rotating past are really neat conceptually though!
Joe Williamson
28. Apr 2014 · 03:25 UTC
I had the same problem with dying while reading the rules. I like the attempt at simulating 3D with the sizes. Reminds me of an old lunar lander game. :D
shuanDang
28. Apr 2014 · 04:41 UTC
The orbital scaling is pretty cool! I wanted to explore more but the game would end too soon while I was still learning the game. It's nice to fly around but I couldn't find anything interesting.
renatopp
28. Apr 2014 · 04:41 UTC
man, I didn't understand at all how to play this.
deathray
28. Apr 2014 · 04:45 UTC
I really love the concept! But it's very difficult. I can't seem to make it anywhere. Maybe if it starts off on a non-deadly planet so the player can practice a landing first...
noom
28. Apr 2014 · 06:09 UTC
I told you already on IRC how jealous I am of this, you somehow telepathically stole a concept that I've been toying with over the last few months and executed it perfectly. The scaling of objects, the structure of the solar system, the orbital mechanics and the newtonian physics, this is my dream game. I absolutely love this entry and I think if you put a few months of effort into making it into a full blown game it'd take off (pun intended)
madhoe
28. Apr 2014 · 08:46 UTC
I tried like 10 times to play this game, each time refreshing. I don't understand how to land properly.
🎤 Flopster
28. Apr 2014 · 10:18 UTC
To those who are having trouble landing, that is one part I couldn't get right >.< It is realistic though, as anyone who's played Kerbal Space Program may know. From a distance it seems like you're falling at an ok speed, but once you approach land and the scale gets bigger the ground starts rushing up really fast. The trick is to descend at a pretty slow speed, so that you can very quickly slow to a stop if you need to.
Jack
28. Apr 2014 · 10:18 UTC
I wish you started with more fuel and didn't take damage from sitting on a planet.

Also, the rules should totally pause the game, it's infuriating otherwise.

By far the prettiest LD29 game I've played so far, but I wish it was more playable because it sounds really interesting from the tutorial.
philip_sinclair
28. Apr 2014 · 13:22 UTC
my ship kept dying from receiving too much damage. not sure aht i was doing wrong. i enjoyed whizzing around the planets though. a shadow would have helped gauge the ships distanmce from the planet i think.
johnhackworth
28. Apr 2014 · 13:25 UTC
Really hard to play, but WOAH, the way you manage zoom and orbital physics is amazing!
zillix
29. Apr 2014 · 05:20 UTC
absolutely brilliant, once you figure out how to play! the simplicity of the graphics is fantastic. the initial difficulty is a pretty large barrier to entry, though.
ehtd
29. Apr 2014 · 06:07 UTC
Tough to understand how to play, but interesting once you do. I ran out of fuel....
FREEZX
29. Apr 2014 · 08:35 UTC
Nice entry, but landing is impossible. Cool idea with the scaling tho.
madmaw
01. May 2014 · 00:49 UTC
This is actually pretty cool, could start off a bit easier though
drnick
01. May 2014 · 01:31 UTC
It's too hard (perhaps impossible?), but the concept is so interesting!
Dreii
01. May 2014 · 05:23 UTC
Wow that scaling effect is awesome! makes it seem like a 2d and 3d game combined! the controlls are very lunar lander quite difficult but fun!
gettothechapel
01. May 2014 · 09:09 UTC
very hard to figure out how to play it, pause the game in the beginning so you dont keep dying while trying to read the instructions part by part
matthias_zarzecki
07. May 2014 · 17:44 UTC
Love the little shadow on the planets!