Upward! by tmpxyz

[raw]
made by tmpxyz for Ludum Dare 45 (JAM)

It's an experimental game combining deck-building with +-×÷

When you put a num-card in a cell, it will be activated and use the operator between adjacent cells to update the number in each cells.

Generating number matching the lock to unlock new floor, put matching number in cell with gold-sign to earn extra gold.

==========================

Introduction 0. Win condtion: reach the 20th floor; Lose condtion: drop out of play OR run out of gold and hand-cards; 1. The cards at the bottom are your hand-cards (5 cards max), you can place hand-cards in play; 2. The cards at the top are shop-cards, it will remove the 2 cards at left each time you play a hand-card; 3. The symbol on cards could override the symbol in the play; 4. The green "refresh" button will refresh both hand-card and shop-cards; (Price:1 gold) 5. The red "X" button would let you destroy a hand-card (Price: 3 gold) 6. The location button will let you move your position to any place (Price: 5 gold) 7. The map will automatically move upward by one row after several refreshs, so don't stay in the bottom row for too long; 8. You can unlock the new floor by generating required number in ANY cell 9. Some cells have gold, you need to generate required number in THAT cell to get that;

Strategy guide:

  1. Collect gold in early floors; Place card in gold cell early then put other cards around that cell to pile up the number;
  2. Remove most of the early cards from your deck;
  3. Buy big cards, it's best to have multiply sign;
  4. Plan your path, don't waste gold on jumping to far cells;

pic3.jpg pic1.jpg pic2.jpg

Ratings

Overall 978th 2.929⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Fun 965th 2.738⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 402th 3.405⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1026th 2.5⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1023th 2.214⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1038th 2.35⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 25🗳️ 16🗨️

Feedback

huskitch
08. Oct 2019 · 00:06 UTC
Too much going on
FlashViper
08. Oct 2019 · 01:34 UTC
This is a really nice concept. I didn't really understand how each number gets to what, but I had a fun time playing it. This could turn into a really neat city management game!
Chaosicx
08. Oct 2019 · 03:39 UTC
Cool concept for sure. I figured out a good strategy early on, but I still only made it a few levels up the first try! Well done.
lanz611
08. Oct 2019 · 03:56 UTC
It seems to be well executed, but it feels like quite a learning curve if you aren't already familiar with the general concepts.
iozsaygi
08. Oct 2019 · 06:58 UTC
It was hard for me to catch up at the start but concept is cool.
walaber
08. Oct 2019 · 14:30 UTC
definitely an interesting idea... some more feedback on how the numbers are calculated would really help, I struggled to understand how the calculations were working, despite reading your explanation.
TaqoShaq
09. Oct 2019 · 03:28 UTC
After a bit of time, I think I got it! This is a pretty novel idea. I think a lot of the comments will have to do with dealing with visual clutter, but you did a really nice job with the layout of information considering this is a jam!

As far as feedback goes, I couldn't figure out how far along I was. A number for the total number of floors would be helpful! Additionally, I think the x5 card was WAY under-priced. It alone got me very far by itself!
fiaful
09. Oct 2019 · 09:46 UTC
sounds interesting but I admit I didn't understand much!
kuviman
11. Oct 2019 · 12:52 UTC
Very hard to understand, and even when I did, still too difficult. Math is hard :)
Evepto
15. Oct 2019 · 13:39 UTC
I like it, plz play and rate my game too https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/45/the-slime-slayer
reheated
16. Oct 2019 · 14:07 UTC
Overall: A really interesting puzzle/strategy sort of thing. I think the difficulty is just nice. Unfortunately, the ambiguous rules for operation order takes the sheen off.

Fun: On my first attempt, I had no idea what I was doing (the rules you posted here do explain it - but obtusely...!) After playing around until I thought I understood it, I restarted the game, and made a serious attempt... and made it to level 20. It was an excellent challenge. Now, here is the problem: the rules are ambiguous. I'm talking about the rule determining the order for applying arithmetical operators. At first I thought it was BIMDAS. Then I thought it that the vertical operations apply first, followed by the horizontal. Then I thought it was based on the order of my move. Now, I still don't know, but I managed to beat the game, basically by playing it safe whenever it mattered (i.e., making numbers by using only multiplies, or only additions - not mixing them). To feel truly fair and fun, this game would have to get rid of that ambiguity. That means making sure that whatever the rule is, it is simple, doesn't feel arbitrary, and is clearly explained early on. Also, I wish the rules for the game were explained in-game in an interactive tutorial.

Innovation: Yes, highly innovative!

Theme: Maybe - because you start with all blank cells? The theme isn't front-and-centre, but that's not a big deal.

Graphics: They do the job!

Mood: Relaxing, thanks to the ambient sounds.