10 Second Paths by laserbeam

made by laserbeam for LD27 (COMPO)

EDIT: The game was moved on my website to a proper page, the old link will still be available for the duration of voting, but will be then removed. The game was also ported for Windows, OSX and Linux. Next up: Android and iOS ports (apparently I have to create an icon for the game... I didn't know this was required, but it seems that I must if I need to build the 2 ports).

Get the bombs to the correct side before they explode in 10 seconds!

Instructions are ingame (please read them :) ).

For those interested in details, there's a longer post on my blog about why I made this and what's the idea behind the game. http://thescrambledbit.com/2013/08/ludum-dare-27-10-seconds/

Tools used:

Engine: Construct 2 (full version, you need at least the free version to view the source code, however you can't change the code without the paid version due to some restricted features I used, their rules not mine)

Graphics: Construct 2 and GIMP

Web (and Desktop download links)	http://thescrambledbit.com/works/ludum-dare-10-seconds/
Source	http://thescrambledbit.com/10SecondPaths/10SecPaths.capx
Original URL	https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-27/?action=preview&uid=25081

Ratings

Coolness	56%	3
Overall	3.16	449

Fun	3.10	404
Graphics	2.97	498
Innovation	3.41	250
Mood	2.46	772
Theme	3.48	260

Feedback

SmudgedCat

25. Aug 2013 · 20:48 UTC

Interesting idea! I really like the shimmer animation on the pieces.

I found I didn't have that much time to direct the bombs around though. I either got lucky and they ended up going the right way or I floundered a bit and had them explode. If they travelled faster there would be more scope to plan their route. The warning about where they were coming from might need to be longer in that case to give you a chance to plan. Just a thought though!

🎤 laserbeam

26. Aug 2013 · 05:01 UTC

Thanks :) I spent ages balancing this, and yeah, considered a lot of what you said but for the speed, if I made them move much faster the "10 second" part would be completely lost.

madk

26. Aug 2013 · 05:55 UTC

I always got so flooded with X's that I never had the pieces I needed to get things working. Also, the pieces appearing spontaneously on the grid was hella annoying.

🎤 laserbeam

26. Aug 2013 · 06:06 UTC

Thanks madk, during testing the X was basically the best piece you can get. I actually had to decrease the number of Xes you get as it caused dominant strategies in earlier versions. Everything's random though, I'm not controlling anything other than the probability of a certain tile showing up. You're also screwed if you don't get enough X tiles. The way it is now you may run into a game with too many or too few pieces, but most of the time it's quite ok :).

jay griffin

26. Aug 2013 · 06:30 UTC

Really interesting design in this one, definitely a little different from the norm. Visuals are clear and kinda stylish too. Definitely one I'd like to see you follow up on sometime down the line.

Endurion

26. Aug 2013 · 06:35 UTC

Neat idea!
And as I read you also carefully balanced the new tiles. With lots of red X you'd simply keep the playfield empty.

The rotators are hard to distinguish on a short glance, you should make the arrow head more prominent.

And sound! :)

daOyster

26. Aug 2013 · 06:37 UTC

Neat concept. Gets a little heck tic at times.

sol_hsa

26. Aug 2013 · 06:44 UTC

Item placement mechanic isn't very clear.. a more standard drag'n'drop might be more intuitive?

🎤 laserbeam

26. Aug 2013 · 06:46 UTC

Yeah, Endurion, I can see they aren't too obvious. Rotating in games like this is always a bit confusing and I could have done better there. Can't really change it now for the purpose of the contest though :(.

🎤 laserbeam

26. Aug 2013 · 06:48 UTC

hmm... sol_hsa, actually If I change the code so that selecting happens on click and placing on release, both 2 clicks and drag'n'drop should work, is it against the rules to change this?

graytest

26. Aug 2013 · 10:38 UTC

This is a fun game. I can see myself replaying this a few times. Feels like I'm getting better at it every time.

ThirteenWB

26. Aug 2013 · 14:18 UTC

Fun game, it's a shame it's constrained to 10 seconds really... either that or I'm just terrible xD.
Good job nonetheless :)

TheJackiMonster

26. Aug 2013 · 14:59 UTC

Pretty nice game.. It's fun!

🎤 laserbeam

26. Aug 2013 · 15:03 UTC

ThirteenWB, I might actually release a version with no time limit after the contest. The 10 second rule made this game much simpler than it was in my mind originally (had ideas with armies and tower defence games with such mechanics), but might have made it too hard. Getting the right bomb in the right place is a proper challenge in itself ;)

elementz123

26. Aug 2013 · 15:08 UTC

This is a pretty good idea. It was kind of confusing at first. The help page could have been more descriptive.

rincewind_cz

26. Aug 2013 · 15:16 UTC

I like the concept, it would be fun on tablet ;) Maybe the self spawning pieces on playground are little bit annoying.. there should be some visual warning before they appear on the spot imho. But overall it's really good! :)

nandor

26. Aug 2013 · 15:22 UTC

Great job!

Gaspard_

28. Aug 2013 · 16:28 UTC

I like the idea, but somehow, I'm either incredibly lucky or incredibly unlucky... maybe make you never get twice the same bomb comming from the same side?Also would be cool if you started with more pieces, because the first bombs are mostly luck.
Great neverless!

namrog84

29. Aug 2013 · 06:53 UTC

Was interesting and different.
Audio?

Was a little bit lost/confused at first.

Jupiter_Hadley

02. Sep 2013 · 22:28 UTC

Interesting game, its hard and I failed at it epically but, I featured it in my LD27 compilation video series, if you'd like to check it out :), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1OMEshCeQ0

Ciaran54

02. Sep 2013 · 23:17 UTC

Fun, and exciting puzzle, but I also thought the learning curve was a bit tough ;)

🎤 laserbeam

05. Sep 2013 · 18:02 UTC

:)) Thanks for the feature Jupiter :)) video is awesome! Yes, watching looks way harder than I've seen people play this game, but I do have some cool ideas for a future version.

manuq

08. Sep 2013 · 18:31 UTC

This is very fun! I like the concept a lot, and the palette of colors is very well selected.

jprogman

10. Sep 2013 · 00:47 UTC

Pretty cool game!
This game is a little difficult to get the bombs to their right side in time, making it easy to lose a life. Getting the bombs at the wrong side is ideal to lose a life. Losing a life when the bomb explodes after 10 seconds should be a little more forgiving somehow. Maybe if the right colored bomb exploding near the correct edge of the board, no life is lost? Just one suggestion, but I'm sure you'll think of some great ideas!

Lizzip

14. Sep 2013 · 21:15 UTC

Really like this. I find the pace quite quick, but I think thats something that I would get used to the more I played