Balls Balls Balls by matthias_zarzecki

[raw]
made by matthias_zarzecki for LD26 (COMPO)
Play with your balls in this beautiful and minimalistic physics-puzzler.

Features!
- 30 unique and brain-bending level
- Beautifully minimalistic artstyle
- Minimalistic yet deep gameplay, exploring all permutations of the present rules
- Automatic Saving, so you can return at any time to continue
- Organ-based soundtrack. Fuck yeah Organs.
- Highscore-Tracking, so you can see who is absurdly better than you
- Balls.
- Seriously, What more could you want

You control the game with the mouse.
M - Mute sound
R - Restart level
U - Restart Game (will erase your progress)

Also available, for your convenience: A timelapse-video, a standalone, and Mac- & Linux-Builds (I hope they work)

Have Fun! :D

-Matthias

(@IcarusTyler)

//Music!
I uploaded the soundtrack, for all your music-related needs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3TNCuj547w&feature=youtu.be

//Reviews!

IndieStatik:
http://indiestatik.com/2013/04/29/ludum-dare-26/

50 awesome LD-Games over at GameNacho:
http://gamenacho.com/48-awesome-games-made-in-48-hours/

FactorNews:
http://www.factornews.com/news-37457-Ludum_Dare_26_-_morceaux_choisis.html#.UZY9sMqom_d

Codexus' Ld48-Compilation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhulEBLNynw&feature=player_embedded

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall 3.64 167
Audio 3.32 191
Fun 3.57 133
Graphics 3.22 427
Humor 2.04 702
Innovation 3.45 296
Mood 3.19 309
Theme 3.75 354

Feedback

KhaoTom
29. Apr 2013 · 03:24 UTC
562 clicks.
Zed
29. Apr 2013 · 03:27 UTC
You and your balls, Icarus. You and your balls... Always with the balls.

As ever, simple, pretty, atmospheric, really fun, makes me feel like an idiot. In a good way.
thristhart
29. Apr 2013 · 04:06 UTC
Awesome soundtrack! Extremely appropriate and pleasant. For your enjoyment, here are the notes I jotted down while playing:
14 seemed too easy, like I missed the trick that made it difficult
then I realized the trick on 15
I realized that you were tracking clicks on 17, after 300 clicks... whoops
took me forever to beat 21 then I beat 22 in FOUR CLICKS YEAH
27 felt really good, like the successful application of skills learned
537 clicks!
tnovelli
29. Apr 2013 · 04:19 UTC
Unity != Web ...change your description please! (I'm not getting my hopes up about the Linux download)
lulzfish_4
29. Apr 2013 · 04:21 UTC
Graphics are okay, wish it didn't use Unity though. I got stuck on some level, maybe 8 or 9. The white balls make it difficult, and I didn't see any obvious solution, so I just clicked a bunch until I gave up.
CagedRat
29. Apr 2013 · 04:24 UTC
Balls. :)
CherryNukaCola
29. Apr 2013 · 04:24 UTC
You had me at BALLS! ...but seriously, good job, nice use of theme for minimal but super engaging game play. Thanks!
netgrind
29. Apr 2013 · 05:06 UTC
I really enjoyed the trails, especially when there were tonnes of balls on screen. The amount of pull the goals had on the balls felt very nice as well.
cahman
29. Apr 2013 · 05:12 UTC
Very Nicely Done!
AlgidPlasma
29. Apr 2013 · 05:55 UTC
I..loved..the song..
Loren
29. Apr 2013 · 07:00 UTC
those balls be bouncin! Very fun, liked the music and gameplay!
lpcustom
29. Apr 2013 · 07:49 UTC
Great game. This may make a great mobile game as well. Simple interface and very fun.
ilo
29. Apr 2013 · 08:16 UTC
Slick presentation! It seems perfectly suited for phones or tablets too. I didn't find the highscore tracking especially compelling though, but that might just be me.
JimmyLord
29. Apr 2013 · 11:48 UTC
367 clicks! Really enjoyed it. I had a bit of trouble with the colors, but trial and error at times wasn't too bad. Thought you had circles that required mixing colors for a while, glad that wasn't the case.
CMaster
29. Apr 2013 · 16:27 UTC
That's a pretty good puzzler.

Of course, a little annoying that your click count goes up when you go to click the "continue" button and it vanishes a moment later.
MTO
29. Apr 2013 · 16:42 UTC
good music.. hold on I can't stop clicking these balls
Rialgar
29. Apr 2013 · 17:15 UTC
Awesome game, I prettymuch agree whith what was allready said. Minor improvements are possible however:

It took me a while to recognize the particles as a success indicator, maybe make them a little more dense

I missed the Continue button severall times, once I bounced one ball out of it's circle with that click, maybe give it a border

My mind kept imagining a "pling" for each click, I would like that

As said, only minor improvement ideas. Awesome game, really worth playing.
CharlesBoury
29. Apr 2013 · 17:16 UTC
Coool. a very good Level design.
And, surpisingly, I found myself appreciate the esthetic.
mrexcessive
29. Apr 2013 · 18:09 UTC
Very excellent. Probably just because I hadn't played with your balls before fnarrr... or something.. Nice to play
LZAntal
29. Apr 2013 · 18:30 UTC
Fun game. I liked how some of the levels the balls were arranged nicely so one good click I could send all of them in. Good job:)
enzo
29. Apr 2013 · 18:34 UTC
This is a good game, i am a sucker for motion trails

once I clicked near a speed zone and one of the balls went so fast it went out of the screen, that was funny
Nekith
29. Apr 2013 · 19:29 UTC
BALLS OF ST... light ?

A lot of content, the song is great, really a good game.

498 or 533 clicks, I don't really know, the ending screen and the bottom left counter aren't agree :(
runonthespot
29. Apr 2013 · 19:49 UTC
Pretty killer little game. Strikes me as the perfect way to implement a golf game too.
Lizzip
29. Apr 2013 · 20:03 UTC
Damn balls
tonic
29. Apr 2013 · 20:39 UTC
Quite nice puzzle concept.
recursor
29. Apr 2013 · 21:05 UTC
Well done. Very minimal and nice concept. This would lend itself very well to a touch screen.
McFunkypants
29. Apr 2013 · 21:41 UTC
Really awesome. Like a minimalistic mini-golf or pool game. Fresh, cool and pretty darn fun!
QXD-me
29. Apr 2013 · 22:09 UTC
It's like a more visually appealing version of snooker/golf!

It was fun although the controls were a little annoying at times. I liked the music but, call me greedy, I would have like some sounds effects for the click and the balls rolling.

The ending of the levels (and the entire game to some extend) reminds me of Auditorium... in a good way.

I encountered a bug where one of the balls that was moving really fast disappeared off the screen :(
tnovelli
29. Apr 2013 · 23:06 UTC
In this small sans serif font, click == dick. Had to say it.
Prelucid
30. Apr 2013 · 06:23 UTC
Hahah, when I realized it was keeping count, I started to take it a little more seriously. Sweat on my brow. Great work!
recursive frog
30. Apr 2013 · 06:57 UTC
I don't know if it was a technical error on my end but I couldn't pass stage 5 or 6. Both balls ended up in their holes but the continue button did not appear. Not sure if I was just not getting it or if there was an error of some sort.

Otherwise this game had a fairly relaxing vibe which was really welcome after a long day.
ilovepixel
30. Apr 2013 · 08:15 UTC
so simple to play but so complex at the same time.
EdoMiyamoto
30. Apr 2013 · 08:29 UTC
Very good gameplay
saggiosoft
30. Apr 2013 · 08:58 UTC
One of my favourites!
SaintHeiser
30. Apr 2013 · 10:20 UTC
Beat it! Good game, dude =)
I like puzzles with action!
ataxkt
30. Apr 2013 · 10:23 UTC
Really simple, really fun. A reset button and an incentive to complete under x moves would be nice too!
Magnus
30. Apr 2013 · 11:43 UTC
This game is ballin'.
nilstastic
30. Apr 2013 · 12:20 UTC
Fun game! Liked the music a lot! Could have played it all night long. Good Job!
Griffablanc
30. Apr 2013 · 13:01 UTC
snooker game with a blower .... <3
Pierrec
30. Apr 2013 · 13:43 UTC
I really enjoyed it! Unfortunately I eventually lost a ball and got stuck! I'll have to play it all over again :( http://postimg.org/image/djcj14q1v/
lightnarcissus
30. Apr 2013 · 14:12 UTC
Some great music there and quality content which is impressive considering you came up with this within 48hrs!
fullmontis
30. Apr 2013 · 15:00 UTC
I really enjoyed this one. Nice take on golf games.
nintendoeats
30. Apr 2013 · 15:29 UTC
(666 clicks!)

I am red/green colourblind. Until it occurred to me that
those balls might not be the same colour, I assumed that level 5 was bugged and not completable. The game makes more sense now, but that was really confusing.

It felt really good to find "the solution" to a level, but in general minimizing my clicks didn't feel like an achievable goal. This is a really nice mechanic though, and could definitely be taken further.
Sylvain.p
30. Apr 2013 · 16:12 UTC
Good job.
Dark Acre Jack
30. Apr 2013 · 16:28 UTC
Balls.
🎤 matthias_zarzecki
30. Apr 2013 · 16:30 UTC
Oh my god I totally forgot about colorblindess. I am so sorry :(

Also, I lol'ed :D
How could I fix this....this might actually take some time. Give me a day or so to come up with something
mushbuh
30. Apr 2013 · 17:15 UTC
this game is BALLIN'
Daniel H
30. Apr 2013 · 17:25 UTC
It was so fun I bookmarked it. will play again
Xgor
30. Apr 2013 · 18:03 UTC
Ahh the ball went outside the screen at level 12 :( Those arrows pushed it outside the screen.
lasergans
30. Apr 2013 · 18:05 UTC
Cool game. Good usage of the theme. Like the music, too.
I always love it, if the game teaches you without a tutorial, like yours does. :)
henrykun
30. Apr 2013 · 18:08 UTC
Beautiful game!, well thought and looks polished.
goerp
30. Apr 2013 · 19:30 UTC
Very pretty.
It played very much like the 'real'push-the-ball-in-the-hole game. Unfortunately I dont like those games and this won had exactly the seem feeling. But I guess that means well done.
Jorjon
30. Apr 2013 · 19:34 UTC
Game is really fun. Sometimes you can go through walls. Happened to me in first level and I had no idea what to do next.
juaxix
30. Apr 2013 · 20:11 UTC
I enjoyed this game so much, and it have gave me some ideas for mine too, to improve the controls :)
Got a bug in level 21, ball goes down the border limit and dissapears.
Nice points for you ;)
Stiju
30. Apr 2013 · 21:03 UTC
Great game, but at level 12 my ball vaporized into thin air while trying to cross the line.
Cosine
30. Apr 2013 · 21:39 UTC
Like the game a lot, loved playing it on the touchscreen (:D)
jhrrsn
30. Apr 2013 · 21:57 UTC
Really fun game, I wish the music was longer
KevinWorkman
30. Apr 2013 · 22:02 UTC
This is a nice execution of a simple mechanic. I could definitely see it expanded, but even as-is the length is very impressive. I was a little confused at first, thinking that the game was broken before I realized what to do. And I did manage to shoot the balls off the edges of the screen a few times- not sure if that's a bug or a feature though! But as always, awesome work showing what can be done in 48 hours.
howieV (binarygirl)
30. Apr 2013 · 22:52 UTC
good job man.. nice and smooth :)
ddionisio
01. May 2013 · 01:10 UTC
Pretty cool and relaxing, the fact that it's relaxing puts it in the theme really well!
iamorim
01. May 2013 · 01:54 UTC
Amazing game. I spent a long time playing it :)
Galvesmash
01. May 2013 · 02:04 UTC
Great game man! Love it! (TOO... MANY... CLICKS...)
Komradus
01. May 2013 · 02:46 UTC
I rather enjoyed the graphics. Solid work here.
DaanVanYperen
01. May 2013 · 03:10 UTC
This game makes me feel like a ball magician!
Guardian_Bob
01. May 2013 · 03:44 UTC
I lost a blue ball through the wall. :(
Travis Irby
01. May 2013 · 06:49 UTC
Sweeet graphics and a fun concept!
ncgames
01. May 2013 · 09:10 UTC
fantastic. probably spent more time with this than any other entry
Aceria
01. May 2013 · 09:37 UTC
Lovely, one of my favourites so far.

However, I did manage to accelerate the ball so much that it fell out of the screen. Maybe you should add a check to make sure that doesn't happen rather than relying purely on collision detection?

Still, bloody good game.
Winterblood
01. May 2013 · 11:59 UTC
Very elegant, great job. Loved the music :)
Dohan
01. May 2013 · 12:25 UTC
Fun game! A minor issue: the end screen says that I've completed the game on 0 clicks (and I'm not so good).
Zener
01. May 2013 · 14:03 UTC
I love the concept! Probably the best game I tried so far, thanks for doing this!
Jimjam
01. May 2013 · 14:45 UTC
Really fantastic game! You've managed to take the core mechanic and allowed it to expand in a number of very cool ways (eg. bouncing a ball off a wall to break through the opposite force arrows). Makes the game feel very tactile and sporty. Well done!
MinionStudios
01. May 2013 · 15:00 UTC
Nice one! Gets pretty challenging!
Mesene
01. May 2013 · 15:04 UTC
Nice entry!
maybe condition to win could be achieved only once instead of cheking on each step. I enjoyed it :)
PTSnoop
01. May 2013 · 19:14 UTC
There's a *lot* of content here.

Just one glitch - I somehow managed to get a ball rolling so fast that it clipped outside the screen at one point. But apart from that, great game!
AaronYip
01. May 2013 · 19:24 UTC
Motion trails should definitely have a mention in the features! The game felt very polished, and I had a couple of "wow, sweet!" moments watching a ball sweep in via the magic of the pushers. My only addition would be to perhaps buffer the edges (so I could always click past the balls), or an option to reset the balls to their original positions--but maybe that really me just being bad at the game and always getting stuck on corners, haha. Great job!
PaulSB
01. May 2013 · 19:58 UTC
Really like the mechanic and presentation! I played with your balls and it was good. Music is very pleasant.
PabloAlexandre31
01. May 2013 · 22:48 UTC
Good Work! Nice Gameplay and Soundtrack.
messiano
01. May 2013 · 23:21 UTC
Great job, nice gameplay and good sound. Would like to see it on a touch surface :).
zkenshin
02. May 2013 · 02:06 UTC
673 Clicks.
whilefun
02. May 2013 · 03:37 UTC
Very great mechanic and introduction of it on the title screen. The music was great, and the minimal visuals and one button controls were well done. Good work! :)
GeorgeBroussard
02. May 2013 · 06:12 UTC
Slick game and good mechanics. Could see this being an iPad game. Continue to develop it!
Neonlare
02. May 2013 · 10:56 UTC
What a damn chill game. And a very inventive one too, I enjoyed the whole gravity/billiards mechanic running through this :D.
BumpkinRich
02. May 2013 · 12:27 UTC
Nice idea. Really satisfying to play. Thanks.
KevinZuhn
02. May 2013 · 14:46 UTC
Very slick and stylish. I took me a minute to figure out that the white balls needed to be ejected from the circles, but otherwise it had a very smooth curve.
pereubu
02. May 2013 · 19:04 UTC
how relaxing D:
Great job, there's a really good flow, especially at the beginning.
Rafael Sales
02. May 2013 · 19:46 UTC
Awesome game. The mechanic is very intelligent. Congratz!
dick_claus
03. May 2013 · 04:52 UTC
Nice graphics and effects!
peaveyj
03. May 2013 · 07:02 UTC
Really simple mechanic that's fun to play and master. Awesome job!
NuSan
03. May 2013 · 07:05 UTC
THis is a great game, addictiv and beauty, yet simple. But i cant manage to find a good way to finish most of the levels, i dont know if there is a good serie of click that is logical to beat each level.
DustyStylus
03. May 2013 · 10:25 UTC
Very nice. I like the way it has that golfing element where the ball swirls around the hole and you're like "is it... is it... is it going to... yes!"
patrickward
03. May 2013 · 11:45 UTC
Beautiful, slick game. The game play was easy to grasp and the levels increased in difficulty appropriately. I thought the whole package, including the music, was very well done. I particularly liked the use of gravitational pulls and how a circular wave could affect distant balls with diminishing force. Nice!
PsenFilip
03. May 2013 · 16:21 UTC
Pretty minimal game mechanics. Smart design on there.
The interface is pretty concise and easy.
Also, good choice on gravitation/attraction field on the hole. That eases possible frustration.
Missed sound effects on interactions.
JawbonedHero
03. May 2013 · 20:36 UTC
Very cool game - about as minimalist as you can get, but keeps it interesting with each level.
wademcgillis
03. May 2013 · 21:18 UTC
"Organ-based soundtrack." Sounds like it belongs on a soundtrack with Game Maker's old Street Race-whatever game.
zanzindorf
03. May 2013 · 21:53 UTC
On a level with boosters, I got my ball moving so fast it went right through a wall, so I couldn't finish the level. Other than that, it was pretty fun. Thanks for sharing!
Xaychru04
03. May 2013 · 23:00 UTC
Great game, I like the concept :)
Boiúna
04. May 2013 · 00:35 UTC
Awesome! Very innovative gameplay. And the music and graphics are very good too.
Benjamin
04. May 2013 · 05:52 UTC
I was unsure about the white ball gameplay. Sometime their presence lock a hole and sometime not. The game itself is fun but I would rather have a par score to beat on each level. Or if you want a total score just display the difference between the score and the total par (your score on each level for example ), so the player can know if he's doing good or bad seeing his score above or below 0.
Polar
04. May 2013 · 11:07 UTC
Pretty good, although those white balls will be the end of me :)
SmilingCat
04. May 2013 · 12:07 UTC
Pretty cool, Those arrows are tough to deal with. Liked the graphics and the effects behind the balls. I felt like I was playing some sort of intergalactic polo.

I lost a ball to overacceleration on level 17. Perhaps an out-of-bounds check on the balls, triggering the ball or level to reset?
🎤 matthias_zarzecki
04. May 2013 · 13:42 UTC
@Benjamin
Yes! The Par-Idea sounds perfect. I with I would have thought of that :P
reverso13
04. May 2013 · 13:56 UTC
I think is a fun game with a very nice mechanic. Well done!!
Orni
04. May 2013 · 19:11 UTC
awesome, as expected from you

I really like this game - one of my favourites for sure

very well done :D
mortl8324
04. May 2013 · 22:21 UTC
Great game. Kept me playing for quite awhile.
GaTechGrad
05. May 2013 · 01:00 UTC
Nice little game. Reminds me of a cross between mini-gold and billiards.
omaromeir
05. May 2013 · 06:25 UTC
Simple but clever. Nice game :).
euwaku
05. May 2013 · 07:35 UTC
Starting with a basic concept, you added a lot of nice mechanics that are making the game pretty awesome in the end. Very good job!
amodo
05. May 2013 · 08:41 UTC
multiminigolf! very nice! and so mean to switch the colors in that early level. good job!
caranha
05. May 2013 · 14:26 UTC
The idea is pretty neat, and the physics are cool too. I got up to level 22 before I decided to put the game down.

The only thing that bothered me is that the music gets repetitive real quick, but other than that it was an interesting game!
daniel2357
05. May 2013 · 15:44 UTC
Fun game . at first a just click a lot of time- but than I realize what I need to do :P. Nice game :D
GranaDa
05. May 2013 · 19:21 UTC
Nice audio and mood. Would be good to keep the balls in place or keep the "continue" on screen even if the balls get out of the spot (just an opinion). Good job!
Floko
06. May 2013 · 01:27 UTC
Nice!!
Pretty straightfoward and easy to learn, yet not so easy. Very entertaining =D
Tiago Ling Alexandre
06. May 2013 · 20:47 UTC
Very cool, innovative and also very complete game! Congratulations!

Please, take a minute to play and rate my game, thanks!
robcozzens
07. May 2013 · 21:30 UTC
Pretty cool.
LionelJitro
07. May 2013 · 22:33 UTC
That was really, really addictive.

GODDAMN LEVEL 17!

Awesome job for a game that really kept me playing.
KEFIR
07. May 2013 · 23:41 UTC
Nice, fun and simple! Very complete and solid entry.
little_polygon
08. May 2013 · 06:15 UTC
soooo manyyyy balllsss
Cake&amp;Code
08. May 2013 · 07:03 UTC
Great game! I had a lot of fun playing it, and the puzzles and obstacles you added in were great. I think I broke one of the levels with the arrows pointing to the right. I had it bouncing up and down so fast, it spiraled off the canvas and never came back hahaha. I won't count it towards the rating, but I thought it was pretty funny. Great work!
xdegtyarev
08. May 2013 · 10:42 UTC
Perfect gameplay
Syawra
08. May 2013 · 11:13 UTC
Loved the soundtrack !
GameNacho
08. May 2013 · 19:31 UTC
Great job, this is a fun game with a neat mechanic!
Alex Shestakov
09. May 2013 · 05:49 UTC
Perfect take on the theme, really minimalistic.
FREEZX
09. May 2013 · 09:38 UTC
Very interesting game, liked the graphics and the concept overall.
thatwhichis
10. May 2013 · 13:20 UTC
422 clicks, woo! Niiice and safe here in the middle of the pack (367, good lord!).

Fun! Title absolutely not misleading.
Dans17
11. May 2013 · 20:27 UTC
I think if you had to complete each level in a certain amount of clicks instead of counting clicks throughout the whole game it would be more fun. Also, there is a glitch (web version) where if you refresh the page, it saves what level you were on but it resets your clicks.
CosmicAdventureSquad
12. May 2013 · 05:52 UTC
Cool game! Gives me a glow in the dark mini-golf vibe. I like the puzzle mechanics and use of the title screen as a sort of soft tutorial.
- Strega

(this is a team account)
Almax27
12. May 2013 · 11:30 UTC
Simple original idea, and well executed. I did encounter a bug where a ball was able to leave the screen and I was unable to progress... but otherwise a solid experience.
Jesse111
13. May 2013 · 07:40 UTC
I love the music and the mini-golf feel!
Very impressive work!
allinlabs
13. May 2013 · 14:50 UTC
Would be perfect on smartphone !
Jhelle
15. May 2013 · 16:07 UTC
Simple and enjoyable. Good job!
theomnis
15. May 2013 · 22:35 UTC
Organs and balls, hell yeah.
dremelofdeath
16. May 2013 · 08:44 UTC
It says I did it in 0 clicks! Haha, the bottom left corner tells me 467, though. Very simple game, very easy to understand and VERY fun. This is a great entry, fantastic work!
sP0CkEr2
18. May 2013 · 02:39 UTC
nice game -- really interesting idea -- great job
AdventureIslands
19. May 2013 · 19:21 UTC
Pretty cool. Very simple but that goes along the theme pretty well. Thought the music was pretty annoying, but hey, there is a mute button.
Erunaamo
19. May 2013 · 21:31 UTC
Since my game also involves capturing particles in mild attraction zones, I'd better say I like this one! Gameplay feels like miniature golf...the "hill" vector fields seem very strong; pushing things up steep hills isn't totally fun.
voxel
20. May 2013 · 09:35 UTC
Just a quick thankyou for including a mute music button :), so easy to forgo in an LD entry