9 Turns to Launch by mlkvr

[raw]
made by mlkvr for Ludum Dare 50 (JAM)

Welcome!

In my chess inspired game you need to blow up nuclear warhead before it launches, which will happen in 9 Turns intro.gif Chess equivalents of in-game pieces; Tank - Queen / Bazooka - Knight / Infantry - Pawn / Rocket - King

Ratings

Overall 1185th 3.086⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Fun 964th 3.138⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 762th 3.241⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1327th 2.724⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1169th 2.804⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1024th 2.32⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 38🗨️

Feedback

Manny Mallea
05. Apr 2022 · 03:06 UTC
Oh wow this is a super fun puzzle game, and definitely done in a way I havent seen before. Super fun and challenging (got to 5th puzzle before I ran out of ideas). I would say one thing to improve is the visibility of your/their pieces and where they are placed, but otherwise fantastic!
Zeekza
05. Apr 2022 · 03:23 UTC
I found this game quite enjoyable! The concept is pretty cool, and altho the puzzles weren't too hard for me (tho I do play a lot of chess...) I still had a lot of fun playing! I think it would help to maybe have the countdown be partially transparent if possible however, as it does partially obscure the board
Viktor Dedek
05. Apr 2022 · 14:17 UTC
Hey, I like the graphic style a lot. Such retro toy story-ish. Definitely potential here :)
gustavo
05. Apr 2022 · 14:21 UTC
It would be nice to see some non-standard chess movement patterns
goat
05. Apr 2022 · 14:24 UTC
Super fun puzzle game! I'd have liked to have some of the pieces be a bit more obvious. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes. Also, maybe if the enemy slide to the points instead of jumping or there was some audio feedback it would be great!
Janku
05. Apr 2022 · 14:31 UTC
Really fun game! :) I want more levels to beat! My only criticism is graphics - sometimes it was hard to distinguish between 'pawn' and 'horse' figures as they are both tiny soldiers, just one holding bazooka. Maybe some more expressive pose would make him more recognisable on the chess-battlefield?
mar3k
05. Apr 2022 · 14:50 UTC
As a chess player I really liked this, but would honestly like more this to be a chess-looking game, it's harder like this to figure out what's going on or alternatively have the pieces to other non-standard chess moves. But overall nice game. Good job!
Heho
05. Apr 2022 · 15:43 UTC
quite an interesting idea. I really enjoyed the graphic style
LDJam user 240168
05. Apr 2022 · 16:25 UTC
A really nice game! The AI isn't great, though, but one cannot be expected to implement a good chess AI in a game jam :) Some levels can be beaten in just a turn or two by tanks attacking diagonally. Anyways, enjoyed the game, good job!

![2022-04-05-192335_1920x1080_scrot.png](///raw/82a/a3/z/4cae2.png)
🎤 mlkvr
05. Apr 2022 · 17:40 UTC
@manny-mallea @goat Well visibility issue caused because I use tv as monitor, colors are a bit off on it which I totally forgot
@zeekza yeah you're right, I avoid putting pieces to A1-3 to make a quick fix and I made the levels on the last hour, just gave random coordinates played it if I can finish it within few tries I added and move to next level
@janku at first they were kinda like the same size as the rocket but then I thought scaling them down give it more realistic look
@mar3k @gustavo my initial idea was taking chess as the template merging it with rock-scissor-paper like units where infantry wins over bazooka loses to tank, bazooka wins over tank loses to infantry etc. this would've added more strategic depth but I couldn't implemented it on time maybe I'll add it in post-jam version
@lisyarus absolutely chess AI was my biggest fear, first day I made it play randomly but then thought like well it doesn't need to attack if it can't eat your piece that's the main philosophy of my Sun Tzu AI hahaha

Thanks everyone for kind words!
DrunkardWolf
05. Apr 2022 · 19:16 UTC
Love chess style games, so this is a perfect game for me. Cool take on the theme too. Had a lot of fun with this one, good job :)
Okamit
05. Apr 2022 · 20:07 UTC
Great game! I really liked the take on chess and the theme, the only complaint I have is that the foot soldiers are a bit hard to read, would be nice if they were larger and more readable. Otherwise great work!
![Screenshot 2022-04-05 at 22.02.43.png](///raw/5f8/93/z/4cdad.png)
DKMK100
05. Apr 2022 · 21:41 UTC
Very interesting game concept, though the puzzles felt incredibly easy. I also didn't notice any audio, though since you opted out I'll assume you just didn't add any. The art is really good, but it's weird how pieces will phase through each other. Maybe add a delay to ensure my move is done before the AI takes theirs?
Koolruz
05. Apr 2022 · 22:49 UTC
This was a very cool puzzle game, but I wish that there was a way to change the camera angle/hide the UI while playing. For example, during this puzzle, there was a tank hidden behind the turn counter, that I couldn't see until it killed my unit

![hidden-tank.PNG](///raw/dec/c2/z/4ce63.png)

I also had a harder time grokking each puzzle than I should have, because the bazooka and infantry units both looked so similar from a distance - I was never sure which one I or my enemies had :(

That said, I really loved the design of these puzzles, and had fun playing! Despite my difficulties with the camera, this was a really clever and fun game! Good job!
velvetlobster
06. Apr 2022 · 04:23 UTC
oh it took me a while to get this, the characters were way too small for my old eyes.

![Captura de Tela 2022-04-06 às 01.23.04.png](///raw/0e4/e/z/4cfcf.png)

got stuck in this part feeling very stupid
🎤 mlkvr
06. Apr 2022 · 11:00 UTC
@velvetlobster oh, it's my stupidity then :) normally I would care a lot in accessibility options but forgive me on this jam entry, I'll add character size adjustment right away
Flawed_Gamer
06. Apr 2022 · 19:40 UTC
I enjoyed playing. Took me some time to get used how they move but I eventually got it.
LDJam user 279546
06. Apr 2022 · 22:14 UTC
The pieces were hard to see, so I sometimes missed that I had some or couldn't tell them apart. Aside from that, it was a very cool idea! Good job and fun puzzles!
Diccuric_Sigeon
08. Apr 2022 · 07:27 UTC
good puzzle. but soldiers are too small
TeamMonumental
08. Apr 2022 · 23:20 UTC
I like the concept of a puzzle game using chess mechanics. Really made me think about my moves ahead of time. I had a good time with this one!
Itskdog
12. Apr 2022 · 21:58 UTC
Good job with this chess-like puzzle game. You did a good job programming the opponent.
Rbn
14. Apr 2022 · 12:08 UTC
Cool concept ! I find the game pretty hard but I'm not good at chess games, and it took me times to understand the moves. I really had to think about where I could put my pawns. I think the soldiers could be bigger. Well done!