LoS: Linked by Theo Ratkin | LudumData

LoS: Linked by Theo Ratkin

made by Theo Ratkin for Ludum Dare 59 (COMPO)

(For the best experience, click here to play in full-screen.)

(The game continues to be updated on Itch. I've already released a 0.2.0 update that makes the controls and ship hitbox significantly easier, based on player feedback. Feel free to try it for a smoother experience, but please rate the game based on the version submitted to Ludum Dare 🙏)

You're stuck in the middle of a dense asteroid field with a station that can't reach the outside world. All you have is a ship you can only steer while it has a direct line of sight to the station. Collect scrap scattered through the field and build relays to connect with another station just beyond the asteroids.

The asteroid field is procedurally generated which means no run is the same. If you feel like you got an unlucky asteroid placement, feel free to restart the game to reroll the seed! Most seeds have an intermittent connection with the goal station which informs you of the direction you need to expand the network to!

Controls

Arrows/WASD - move
Spacebar/Enter/Z - buy relays at the station and place them anywhere

Gamepad is also supported.

Screenshots

If you beat the game, share a screenshot of your relay network in the comments, I would love to see it!

Credits/AI disclosure

Developed solo by Theo Ratkin (idea, code, art, music, sounds).

Gruvbox theme by Pavel Pertsev.

Some code was written with AI assistance.

Link	https://github.com/theoratkin/ld59-los-linked
Link	https://theoratkin.itch.io/los-linked
Link	https://theoratkin.itch.io/los-linked
Original URL	https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/los-linked

Ratings

Overall	111^th	3.592⭐	40🧑‍⚖️
Fun	146^th	3.316⭐	40🧑‍⚖️
Innovation	58^th	3.803⭐	40🧑‍⚖️
Theme	39^th	4.237⭐	40🧑‍⚖️
Graphics	105^th	3.671⭐	40🧑‍⚖️
Audio	88^th	3.566⭐	40🧑‍⚖️
Mood	54^th	3.855⭐	40🧑‍⚖️
Given		38🗳️	54🗨️

Feedback

Apr 20th · 04:53 UTC

The controls and collisions are frustrating.
I wouldn’t be writing this if I hadn’t played it and liked it.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it—I ran out of patience. Great game! It fits the jam theme 100%!
P.S. At first, I didn’t even realize which end of the machine was the front and which was the back, lol.

Apr 20th · 05:16 UTC

@sinemual I appreciate that you gave it your best shot despite the frustrating controls! I intentionally made them a bit hard to encourage placing more relays, but I can see how that can take away from the fun. I guess the L-shaped ship doesn't help much either :sweat_smile: Though I had quite a bit of fun doing different maneuvers with it.

Apr 20th · 05:38 UTC

@theoratkin Yeah, sometimes the maneuvers feel really cool—sliding sideways between asteroids on inertia! It's an awesome feeling! I've cursed at the wing more than once, hahaha!

Apr 20th · 21:37 UTC

Very solid! The entire building networks to travel faster is quite fun ^^ I just wish the ship was a little bit easier to control.

Apr 20th · 21:43 UTC

Thanks @mezaka! Glad you enjoyed the network building mechanics! Fair point about controls.

Apr 20th · 22:15 UTC

Very interesting idea, I liked it!
But controls are really very hard. I think making the ship symmetrical would make the controls feel much better, while not reducing the game's difficulty by much.

Apr 20th · 22:46 UTC

@zyertdox thank you! You are probably right about the ship form, it's a bit frustrating to cross small gaps between the asteroids because of it. I would've gone with a different profile for the ship now. I noticed though that the solar array wing often helped me with scooping scrap I wouldn't otherwise easily reach (without losing signal). :slight_smile:

Apr 20th · 23:11 UTC

Nice job on the visuals are art, I loved the game's atmosphere! As others pointed out already it's got a steep learning curve, but I had fun regardless! :smile:

Apr 21st · 00:07 UTC

Thank you @lectvs! I'm happy it was fun for you despite the controls.

Apr 21st · 01:53 UTC

Interesting visual effects! great atmosphere, but the controls are a bit tricky though.

Apr 21st · 02:10 UTC

Thanks, I'm glad you liked the visuals! @arada

Apr 21st · 03:17 UTC

Great concept, I think this could have been a really interesting one, but as others have said the controls were too unwieldy.

Aside from the control on the craft itself (why is it unnecessarily wide and asymmetrical?) I could not figure out how to place a single relay. I eventually managed to pick up a cube but I was pressing Space and Z and nothing happened. Near rocks, away from rocks. I couldn't figure it out.

Apr 21st · 03:43 UTC

Very neat concept, I think it's such a good idea to need a connection at all times. I love that the ship only has one wing, making maneuvering more interesting.

The main frustration I have is that it's so hard to control. It felt hard to have any fine control over the ship's movements.

Apr 21st · 04:02 UTC

A more unwieldy space physics game I have never spent an hour beating (I didn't realize I could pick up multiple satellites for longer than I want to admit, I got good at backtracking my path). I loved the concept, building up a network of LOS connections was a fantastic idea for this jam's theme! Once I got a bit of a hang of moving the ship around it was a lot of fun to think about where the next satellite could go to get the best connectivity. It is very satisfying once you get a network set up to have a lot of freedom to go wherever you can without needing to worry as much about the connection.

I don't know if it was intentional, but the outer station on my map had an intermittent connection all the way through the field to the center, and I found having that indication of a direction to go motivating. Fantastic, chill, a little challenging but learnable, overall one of my favorite game jam games ever. Well done!

Apr 21st · 04:11 UTC

@matt-giuca that's odd, you should be able to place a relay anywhere by pressing Space/Enter/Z after you bought it near the station (with the Space/Enter/Z as well). You know that you bought it because it starts following your ship until you place it.

Apr 21st · 04:17 UTC

@haln thanks for taking the time to learn how to maneuver with that awkward wing. It's not easy, but I found it fun once I got used to it! But the controls definitely need tweaking.

Apr 21st · 04:23 UTC

@smilewood wow, it's so cool that you actually beat it! You're the first person to do so as far as I'm aware. I'm happy that you enjoyed it so much despite the quirky controls! :heart:

The intermittent connection thing wasn't intentional at first, but I kept it for the exact reason you described. It doesn't happen on all seeds though :smile:

Apr 21st · 06:59 UTC

you know what, despite how awful the control is, it is a unique kinda game, the vibe, the exploration it offers, and that disconnection noise, simple yet gold, and I like it

if there is a fix button, allow you to automaticly stop momentum like how OuterWilds does, I might actually ended up enjoy the control even.

Apr 21st · 09:35 UTC

I liked the graphics and the concept but couldn't get the hang of the controls.

Apr 21st · 10:38 UTC

@theoratkin ah I did not realize you have to buy satellites at the base before you can place them. The instructions say "buy/place" which I took to mean "buying is the same thing as placing".

Apr 21st · 19:41 UTC

The controls are really hard, I kinda wish if it was leaning more into building the network rather than fighting the controls

Apr 21st · 19:46 UTC

I liked the chill atmosphere here and the controls are among my favorite type. The look of the game is excellent. Really impressed with the result from such a short timeframe. Good job on this :thumbsup_tone1:

Left you a rating :smile:

Apr 22nd · 00:32 UTC

Thanks @wo-ri-gou-le! I didn't want to add auto-stop in order to allow the ship to drift when it has no signal, but your idea of making it a button is great!

Apr 22nd · 00:33 UTC

@jed @23edsa sorry that the controls got in the way of enjoying the game, thanks for giving it a try anyway!

Apr 22nd · 00:34 UTC

@matt-giuca I see where the confusion came from! I updated the description to hopefully make it clearer.

Apr 22nd · 00:35 UTC

@purpledartfrog thanks so much, I'm glad the atmosphere and looks resonated with you! :heart:

Apr 23rd · 08:51 UTC

Love it. Love making this space that is initially quite dangerous more and more "mine". Ship controls are fine for my taste too^^

Apr 23rd · 16:10 UTC

Is too difficult for me

Apr 23rd · 18:09 UTC

I'm going to have to agree with most others. The controlscheme needs revisiting to make the game easier to play. The actual random level design and graphics are great and the music sets a nice mood.

Apr 23rd · 19:32 UTC

@xientra you worded it perfectly! The asteroid field becomes safer and more "yours" as you build up the relay network. Glad the controls didn't get in the way for you!

Apr 23rd · 19:32 UTC

@kremlebot @cogcomp thanks for giving it a try! I will be simplifying the controls in a post-jam version.

Apr 23rd · 23:13 UTC

:) This is fun! I love the terrible control! (🤣 Or maybe I'm just terrible at it!) It's _just_ doable enough to not be too frustrating. It took me a second to realize what I was supposed to do with the resources to build the links, but the game did make it clear enough to figure out, which is great! This Nice models, and the music fits well.

Apr 24th · 00:29 UTC

Thank you, glad the controls were bearable for you :sweat_smile:! @ukulelefury

commanderstitch

Apr 25th · 21:11 UTC

I was adrifffttting ggggg ootoutuuttt in spaaace. then i connected things.![2026-04-25 17_10_21-LoS_ Linked by theoratkin — Firefox Developer Edition.png](///raw/b24/z/72b8e.png)

Apr 25th · 21:29 UTC

@commanderstitch Awesomeee! Thanks for sharing the screenshot, you built a nice network there :wink:

Apr 26th · 15:30 UTC

I actually really liked the game! Am I the only one who liked the tank controls?

Apr 26th · 15:37 UTC

@smolbigby thank youuu! Glad you liked the tank controls, you are one of the few :sweat_smile: I think they fit the space fantasy better, but understandably get in the way of enjoyment for a lot of people. Based on overwhelming feedback here, I already changed the control scheme in a new version released on Itch.

Apr 26th · 16:42 UTC

I also really liked this concept and if you do continue working on this see a lot of potential: building more stuff, upgrades, bigger map and more to explore!

Apr 26th · 17:35 UTC

@zettelkasten I see lots of potential too! I think this might be the first jam game I'll turn into a full release, but we'll see. :slight_smile:

Apr 28th · 17:10 UTC

This is the first entry I’ve played for over half an hour. Very nice, but the steering is pure evil. :laughing:

Apr 28th · 17:27 UTC

@zbrogdom wow, thanks for taking the time to play despite the hard controls! Wish I'd had the chance to playtest a bit before submitting :sweat_smile: At least I made up for it in the post-jam version.

Apr 28th · 22:09 UTC

What a great little game! Pure thrust control with no "stop moving" key is a bold choice :laughing:. I played with gamepad (which was maybe a little sensitive, probably doing full thrust if I even just slightly moved in one axis), and it worked pretty well, thanks for saving my mousing hand! It got a _little_ repetitive going all the way back to my home base, I'd have liked some way around that. But, along the way, I got _pretty_ good at the "increase thrust, rotate 90 degrees, slide through that tiny hole sideways" maneuver that I probably should not have designed my network around, but, hey, and excuse to feel some mastery, it worked! Music was nice and didn't get repetitive.

Here's my map:
![ld59-los.png](///raw/dd3/z/72f13.png)

Apr 28th · 22:10 UTC

That's such a neat concept! I like the risk involved when there's a piece to grab just a liitle outside your range - should I go for it full speed or will it be the end of me?

Apr 28th · 22:56 UTC

@jimbly Yessssss the sideways slide maneuver! I'm so happy someone else mastered it :joy: The "stop moving" button is a great idea - another person proposed it too. I will add it in a post-jam update. And ensure the speed is gradual when moving with a thumbstick. Thanks for playing and sharing a screenshot of your network, it's really nice!

Apr 28th · 23:01 UTC

@zedgame Thank you, glad you liked the risk element, that was one of the main ideas for the game!

Apr 28th · 23:02 UTC

Honestly, I'm torn on a "stop moving"/zero inertia button - it's common in this kind of game, but it does make it quite a bit easier, and I think some of the fun here was the challenge =). It's definitely worth experimenting with though =).

Apr 29th · 11:21 UTC

Great theme interpretation, personally a bit too frustrating, I feel like there was too much friction with the asteroids and the bounce direction was a bit weird sometimes

Apr 29th · 15:15 UTC

Thanks @sbeif! Yes, the asteroid physics is a bit weird, I made it just "good enough" since I couldn't spend too much time on it.

May 01st · 02:26 UTC

The game concept is very interesting, building a satellite network feels very satisfying.
As other comments also mentioned, I was a bit frustrated by the controls. I guess the challenging movement is part of the design, which I like with in general, but I think it was just a bit too difficult. Starting with a smaller satellite (without the sail) would be already much better, this satellite could be for another level for example.
Also a way to purchase new satellites in between would be nice, to reduce backtracking.
But all in all a great game :)

May 01st · 04:07 UTC

@rucksack thank you! I intended the controls to be a bit difficult but it looks like I've overdone it haha. I already released a post-jam update on Itch.io simplifying the controls and the satellite form/hitbox. As for backtracing, the game allows buying and carrying multiple relays at once which should reduce it, but your idea about in-between shops is interesting!

May 01st · 14:23 UTC

The visuals and concept are great, but the controls are really frustrating.

May 01st · 15:50 UTC

Thanks for giving it a try @floonace, glad you liked the visuals and the concept! Yeah, I learned the lesson about controls and already simplified them in the [post-jam version](https://theoratkin.itch.io/los-linked).

May 01st · 16:47 UTC

@theoratkin I just tried it and it's definitely much more playable. Great game.

May 06th · 15:56 UTC

You need to get used to the controls, but the concept is good — I liked it. Music also great. Thank you for the game!

May 06th · 19:16 UTC

Thanks so much for playing @mathemagics! Appreciate that you liked the concept and the music. I couldn't spend as much time on music as I wanted to but I'm glad that people still seem to like it!

May 07th · 11:05 UTC

Wonderful game. I always like those games which allow players to explore and rebuild the world.With the Signal theme and universe background, this game makes me feel more romantic.
By the way, I wonder if the camera controls could be improved because when I drive too far the spaceship become too small...

May 07th · 15:11 UTC

Thanks for such a lovely comment @w2k, I'm happy the game resonated with you! :heart:

I agree about the camera. The tricky part is that I wanted the player to always understand the line of sight between the ship and the station, so zooming in too much can hide important context. But a minimap, split view, or smarter zoom behavior (such as keeping the closest relay in view) might help. I'll think about it!

May 08th · 08:38 UTC

Great game! This scene design is excellent. I think it will give me a refreshing feeling. The gameplay is also very interesting.

May 08th · 21:47 UTC

Thank you @zhangzhimu!