LudumData

Critical Balance by tjxx

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made by tjxx for LD34 (COMPO)
Critical Balance is my final product for Ludum Dare 34. It was aimed towards the 2-button control theme and might even follow the "growing" theme a little bit.

Objective:
Score as many points as you can before the timer runs out. You score points by dropping balls with the paddles onto the target below.

Controls:
W/S - Move up/down in the UI.
- Tilt the paddles.
D - Select an option.

This game was built from scratch in 4.5 hours. It is currently only built for WebGL, but I hope to get at least a Windows download link up there soon. There also remain a couple bugs that I'm aware of and hope to fix soon but in the meantime, I really hope you enjoy my game. :)

Bugs:
- Points don't matter, sadly.
- Issue when navigating the options menu.
- Difficulty doesn't change. (Lack of time)
Web http://tjxx.itch.io/critical-balance
Source https://github.com/tjxx/Critical-Balance
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=39681

Feedback

Elenesski
14. Dec 2015 路 18:34 UTC
Little hard to get going, but did get it to go. Fun to play. Suggestion might be to use A and D work independently, where A tilts the left panel, D the right ... that way you can better control the direction of the balls.
DrFallos
16. Dec 2015 路 11:35 UTC
Good physics! Not so easy and it adds more interest!
MHaton
16. Dec 2015 路 18:13 UTC
Nice physics, could possibly do with a bit more gameplay to it, but it works and it's nicely challenging
Andy Gainey
16. Dec 2015 路 18:28 UTC
Intriguing concept. I actually tried sitting back further from my screen to see if I could defocus my eyes a bit and have each one stare at its half of the screen. Perhaps the distance the two platforms are from each other (affected by size of display device) could therefore affect difficulty?

There are probably all sorts of directions one could take this if extending the gameplay mechanics. Different shaped objects (or platforms). Different physics materials with adjusted bounce/friction or other attributes. Target receptacles with a variety of behavior. Plus any number of aesthetic themes one might layer on top. (Arcade basketball was the first to come to my mind.)
馃帳 tjxx
17. Dec 2015 路 18:28 UTC
Some of these suggestions are great! I'll keep them in memory until I meet a similar challenge. Thank you guys, I appreciate the feedback!
Skruffye
19. Dec 2015 路 06:30 UTC
Simple, but surprisingly challenging. Whilst I did have a quick chuckle at the playfully self aware ending message, I feel that all the game (simple as it was) needed, in my mind, to complete it was a goal, scoreboard or any form of assessing your skill at the end.
In summary though, a simple game, but simple is not automatically a dirty word. :)
MoreRPG Team
19. Dec 2015 路 13:16 UTC
Curious concept, I would like to see it grow into a finished game =)
Phil Strahl
03. Jan 2016 路 18:35 UTC
Interesting concept, albeit a bit lacking in player interactivity. Here are some suggestions for it (very subjective, as always)
* Have the balls not drop (haha!) at the platforms' center points, so it would be possible to play a bit of pinball with them
* Have the platforms on different levels and in different lengths so there's a bit more variety. Maybe even move them around a little bit?
* It took me a bit to realize that I should target the object on the bottom instead of avoid it. It could help to give it some kind of "shovel" or "basket" appearance to hit home that it collects the balls.
* Maybe even have other shapes (cubes, pyramids) and/or surfaces with varying friction to make the game less predictable?