Turn-Based Invaders from Space! by HacksawUnit

Arcade Shmup + Turn-Based Battling.
Controls: Use the mouse. During gameplay, use the little control panel that sits at the bottom of the screen to control your ship.
Edit: Just so you know, I think it isn't possible to beat this game. Too many aliens! Do try your best, though. Please let me know if you are able to get past the first screen of invaders!
Edit 2: Oh, and if you lose unexpectedly, it's probably because an alien got to the bottom of the screen, which ends the game. Would have made a little animation for that, but ran out of time. :)
Changelog: 4/22/2018 11:45| - Fixed high score display - Fixed enemies not defeating the player when they reach the bottom of the screen.
| HTML5 (web) | https://hacksawunit.itch.io/turn-based-invaders-from-space |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/turn-based-invaders-from-space |
Ratings
| Overall | 42th | 4.005⭐ | 108🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 83th | 3.827⭐ | 109🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 100th | 3.84⭐ | 108🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 73th | 4.159⭐ | 109🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 46th | 4.145⭐ | 109🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 35th | 3.92⭐ | 108🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 299th | 2.754⭐ | 71🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 73th | 3.663⭐ | 97🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 11🗳️ | 9🗨️ |
Hiscore seems bugged though?
I did run in to a bug where the aliens never took their turn after replaying a few times. Also, it'd be cool to see some more variety with this sort of thing.
I do feel a bit cheated though since it looks like it's impossible to win. The entire swarm alternates between moving horizontally and downwards right? There's 11 moves before they reach the bottom row and there's 13 enemies so it doesn't look like it's possible to win :(
I almost made it past the first screen, but aliens got stuck here, don't make their turn :(
I don't think I would've made it though as the green guy makes new ship every turn.
Loved the game!

It's a real shame that it doesn't seem win-able though. The green guys pumping out new enemies every turn seems kind of overpowered.
The polish is great, add a small upgrade/bonus system and it would make for a super game.
Different weapon that shoots twice, or in a different fashion would improve the content a ton.
I tried different strategies without success, would you be willing to share one ;) ?
Graphics are excellent and game is very easy to read which is always a plus.
I hope you take some time post-jam to build on it, I am sure it can be excellent with one week worth of efforts.
Well done.
Good job!
Compare to this one, my game has no tactical design.:D
The only issue I have, is playing the game for a longer period of time; the turn transitions and enemy movements take a lot of time, this becomes a bit tedious after a while.
Overall, really great compo entry :)
The level of polish on this is great, really love the art, sound and gameplay. Still don't quite understand exactly when and why they move downward though.
Had a lot of fun with it and it was well made!
EDIT: To see my live thoughts, check out this recording of the livestream [here](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/253875862).
Also, same as @faze - almost had it, but not quite

Seems like an AI loop? Also, Construct threw a js error at around that point

Good game though. :D
I also made something turned based if you want to check it out
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/brains-of-racing
Powerups would make a great addition.
Very nicely done all around, loved the graphics and sound.
fun/interesting take!
if youd care to see mine https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/spacescape
Music and graphics are cool, but gameplay is not so much - impossible to win. I got to lvl 7 with one green alien. I hope you don't abandon the game and release it as a full game with proper combat system and leveling. It's such a cool idea. And please try my game if you have time.
Once you get the basic strategy down it does perhaps feel a bit random/hopeless to beat the aliens - I couldn't really say "where I went wrong" when I died in the end. Super cute graphics and chiptunes.
Feedback:
+ Everything feels very polished & coherent.
+ Visual cues are intuitive, but some subtleties escape notice due to placement/layout (i.e. action gauge below buttons gets obscured by cursor, etc.).
+ Gaining levels doesn't seem to lead to anything. It would be nice if there was some kind of payoff or at least slightly more palpable feedback cues to it.
+ The buttons panel sliding animation (to the other side) has a nice feel in terms of giving a sense of tactility but could probably move over a little faster.
+ The starting level of difficulty is rather high. It could probably benefit quite a lot from a smaller platoon at the start to give players room to experiment.
+ Gameplay mechanics are rock solid, but they don't seem to evolve or reveal added depth with progression. Minor mid-level growth/change would be nice.
+ The loop of gaining better comprehension of the game creating a desire to "try again" after losing is quite strong, though each run takes a bit long.
Other than those, there is the stalemate state that others have posted about already.
In all, this is a very tight game and a well-realized exploration of the genre mix chosen. Great stuff!
I think if you eased up on initial difficulty, added some other kinds of enemy units, and designed some specific puzzles in the form of alien wave compositions, you could have a really nice, full puzzle game.
Your attention to detail, like the little sounds that happen when you hover over a button, and the little stopwatch animation when it's not your turn, are really incredible and inspiring. The amount of polish here is excellent! And shooting through bullets? Super satisfying.
My only gripe is that it seems like the game is a little forgiving with the aliens changing direction. It is my personal opinion that the aliens should have to start their turn with a unit against the wall in order to move down. I believe that thet currently will move down if they ended their last turn with a unit against the wall.
Great job! Definitely one of my favorite entries!
I left my rating of your game, if you can leave your feedback in our game, Witch's Escape.
I hope you continue with the project.
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/witchs-escape