Rail Gun by jharler

Rail Gun
Use the mouse to aim and the left mouse button to shoot. You can toggle the music off with "M" and restart the current level with "R"
The goal is to get all the objects into the spinning target in as little time and as few shots as possible. This is made difficult by the fact that your gun is stuck on a looping rail that never stops. My best time and shot count is 6:52 in 171 shots. Can you beat me?
Please rate and comment with your thoughts and I will reciprocate. Constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks in advance!

Software Used
Unity, Blender, FL Studio, Audacity, Garageband, Photoshop.
| Youtube | https://jharler.itch.io/rail-gun |
| Youtube | https://jharler.itch.io/rail-gun |
| Youtube | https://jharler.itch.io/rail-gun |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/rail-gun |
Ratings
| Overall | 56th | 3.943⭐ | 37🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 72th | 3.886⭐ | 37🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 95th | 3.829⭐ | 37🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 70th | 4.153⭐ | 38🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 42th | 4.208⭐ | 38🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 114th | 3.625⭐ | 38🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 308th | 2.5⭐ | 30🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 75th | 3.788⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 26🗳️ | 36🗨️ |
I appreciate the variety of targets and loops. The game was fun until the end.

@lucy Thanks for the feedback and for early play testing. Your feedback was invaluable!
@bobparis75 Thanks!
@gurrg Thanks for your feedback. I was worried the music would be annoying, which is why I added the ability to turn it off. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@mechord-and-mechoh Thanks! I hope it wasn't too hard for you.
@juegoman Thanks for the kind words.
@vivien-fargette Thanks! After over a dozen game jams, I've learned the importance of teaching in-game. :)
@lamasaurus I always like making games my kids can play, and I'm glad someone else appreciate the non-violent shooter aspect as well. Congrats on completing the game! I didn't try to test the min/max speed of the rail, so that's funny.
@quinn-patrick Thanks for the feedback. I feel music/audio is my weakest area when it comes to gamedev, so I'm trying to improve, but I understand your feelings about the loop. I don't spend as much time on the music as I probably should. I will note that I had the player moving much slower at first (thinking the game would be too hard if it were faster), but early play testing showed I should speed it up, so I doubled the default speed on most levels.
@pincushion Thanks for your feedback!
@neonjeff Fun fact, I began the design with the idea that you would move the gun manually with left/right, but that seemed too easy. I felt having the gun move automatically suited the theme better as well.
@wiredsound Thanks!
@gamepopper I really like this aesthetic as well, and as a bonus, it's easy to do! For someone like myself that lacks in art skills, it's a good option. Thanks for your input!
@peeweek Congrats on completing the game! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@tomh Thanks!
@garys You're right that you can just send the objects on their way moving and most of the time they'll find their way into the target. My 6 year old was able to complete the game because of that. However, you won't get a very good time or a good low shot count if you do that. If you play with the intention of minimizing shots and getting a good time, it becomes a much different experience.
@3mpty I'm glad you like the look and that I was able to surprise you with the mechanics. Thanks for playing!
@jrevel Thanks for your kind words.
@nonozuchu Thanks!
`9:51 in 384 shots.`
@kpedatte I'm glad you liked it, thanks!
@humphreysmedia I noticed that issue with the bullet origin too but couldn't afford to spend too much time on it. The math was right and at slower speeds seemed to be placed appropriately, so I don't know. I didn't think it detracted too much from the experience.
@hoolop Haha, next up, ludicrous speed!
@drsnowdude Thanks!
@gamesplusjames Always nice to get your feedback James. I'm glad you enjoyed!
@gwinnell I love me some good bloom. It seems to be an easy win for programmer art. Hopefully next time you'll be able to get it to work. I personally know the struggles that come with jamming with your own engine. I had considered adding hazards, but ultimately didn't want to add too much complexity and decided just to polish the mechanics I had. I'm considering fleshing this out into a full game. There's a lot of potential with the base mechanic here.
@arkinrev Nice job! I'm glad you found my game enjoyable. Thanks for playing.
Nice game! At first I felt like it was chaotic and random, sometimes even the barriers would just push a ball or two in. But as I got better, I was able to make plans and then execute on them better, and I started feeling the groove more. I had fun!
Looked nice, and felt good to play! Music was a nice touch if perhaps slightly repetitive after a while... but a good fit with the graphical look.
Nice entry - contrats.