Gate Ball by Zyllen
Hi there!
This is a game Inspired by a sport called 'Croquet'.
Hope you enjoy!

Description
Hit ball(s) through Gates. Within the time given, make all gates been passed.
Gate can only be passed by balls with the same color.
Clock will count down as soon as you hit the first ball. Make a strategy before you start to hit!

Control
- W.A.S.D to move your stick.
- Hold down Left Mouse to Aim.
- Release Mouse to hit the ball.
Screenshots



| Youtube | https://zyllen.itch.io/gate-ball |
| Youtube | https://github.com/ZyllenGames/Gate-Ball |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/gate-ball |
Ratings
| Overall | 1927th | 3.18⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 892th | 3.479⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 1033th | 3.38⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 2538th | 1.92⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 1242th | 3.62⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 1900th | 2.119⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 1303th | 3.354⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 24🗳️ | 19🗨️ |
Had a bug though where when i pulled back and released, i went straight through the ball.
But great work nonetheless!
The second thing in controls I struggled with was the pull-back. First time I played, I thought it was kind of like pool/billiards, where I would line up behind the ball, then pull back and shoot. But when I did that, I pulled *WAY* back, and sometimes I fell out of the level and broke the game, other times I lost view of the game because of a wall, but in the times where I did take a shot it seemed like I barely grazed the ball at all or even stopped completely short of it. Later I learned to pre-windup and only THEN approach the ball, but the issue with this method is the suuuuper-slow movement rate you have post-windup.
In the end I did learn to adjust, and I settled on a strategy of going way forward of the ball (but off to the side a bit), and then winding up so I was backed up near the ball, and then inching over to it and releasing. This worked okay and I got to level 4 where I very nearly won.
But I felt like it was a shame, because the game was so interesting, but instead of thinking about the strategy of the GAME, I was thinking about the strategy of the INPUT to the game. I feel like this is a great concept, and I would have really enjoyed it a lot if there was less friction in between my plan and my action.
Hope that's useful feedback! I only go into detail on an input critique like that when I feel like the game has a great idea, so I don't mean it to be too negative. You really hit the target on the look and feel, vibe, and also the game idea, so the fact that I critique the inputs doesn't mean I think it's bad or give a low rating. I just kind of want to play the version with streamlined inputs!
EDIT: Wow just checked and I see this is your first LD, too, nice work!
Oh, also, iI fell out of the map when tried to shoot a ball and I was too close to the corner :P
All in all, solid game! Keep up the good work!
In terms of the idea of the game, I think is something very fresh and new as a concept. Simple enough to pick up quickly, but strategic enough to not get boring. I could see it translating very well to a mobile game. Being able to flick the dinger with a touch screen and score a goal sounds like it could be quite enjoyable. I also think you did a great job with the atmosphere and feel of the game. The background and the effects and the choice of music all really fit pretty well together.
Good job! keep up the good work!
Also spare a minute and do check out my game(It is literally 1 minute long game):
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/savior