LudumData

Penrose Process by cogcomp

[raw]
made by cogcomp for Ludum Dare 52 (COMPO)

Due to life getting in the way (as it does for most of us at some point during a 48h period) I couldn't spend more than around 16 hours on my game. As usual it didn't meet my expectations but it's fun for about 30 seconds at least.

penroseprocess.png

STORY

The Penrose process is a way to harvest energy from a rotating black hole by diving into the ergosphere which slightly above the event horizon from which nothing can return. The "corporation" is in desperate need of vast amounts of energy and has decided that you seem to be the right person for the job.

Gameplay

Every 10 seconds on of the three ballast objects connected to your ship will be released from the ergosphere into the event horizon. Once all three objects have been released, ascend to the top of the screen to complete th level. The longer you keep your ballast (max 10s each) and the lower you are when you release it the higher the score.

Warning

The game intentionally speeds up the closer to the event horizon you are and the gravity from the black hole will affect your ship significantly more!

Controls

UP/DOWN controls your ships thrust. SPACE allows you to release the ballast before the maximum 10s are up.

Tools used

The game was written using C++ and the SDL framework compiled into webassembly using emscripten.

Graphics were made using aseprite and gimp.

Sound effects were made using bfxr and music was made using ableton live lite 11 and audacity.

Link https://www.cogitarecomputing.com/penroseprocess/ld52sourcepenrose.7z
Web not embedded https://www.cogitarecomputing.com/penroseprocess
Music Ogg file https://www.cogitarecomputing.com/penroseprocess/ld52.ogg
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/penrose-process

Ratings

Overall 232th 3.24⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Fun 255th 3⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 138th 3.44⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Theme 270th 3.1⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 197th 3.4⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Audio 39th 3.92⭐ 27🧑‍⚖️
Humor 163th 2.717⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 141th 3.396⭐ 26🧑‍⚖️
Given 32🗳️ 27🗨️

Feedback

clyde
09. Jan 2023 · 06:41 UTC
I really love the music!
I had a little trouble reading the text on the title screen.
The game is very responsive and runs well.
The art does a good job of communicating gameplay meaning.
Not too sure what the ballast does but it looks cool.
I really really love the music! (I had to say it a second time because I just sat and listened to it so long)
GoMango99
09. Jan 2023 · 19:22 UTC
The music is really good, and i like the art and how its style reminds me of a really old arcade machine. I think you did a really good job on this one :grin:
feor
09. Jan 2023 · 20:53 UTC
Took me a bit to understand how to play the game, but even when I did, damn it's tough! Lesson learned, the down arrow is *dangerous*. Pretty engaging though, and mad respect for making a game in SDL in 48 hours, and getting it to work on a web page too!
procrasteroid
10. Jan 2023 · 15:23 UTC
The art style is wonderful and the music too, like others I couldn't figure out what the ballast does (or what the main goal was) but I enjoyed collecting the energy and avoiding getting hit!
Hélicule
10. Jan 2023 · 21:06 UTC
Simple yet very efficient game! Maybe you could divide the story screen into two or three more screens to make it easier to read, but otherwise it's pretty great!
LDJam user 258850
11. Jan 2023 · 20:49 UTC
Fun game! ^^ very hard. my score was something around 7k but I couldn't find if there was a way to see it afterwards?
BoxedMeatRevolution
11. Jan 2023 · 21:21 UTC
I defied death many times and saved the corporation trillions! The music, black-and-white graphics, and movement all worked together really well. Playing felt almost trance-like. It was fun trying to dodge asteroids, collecting energy, and dipping down to the event horizon to drop ballast. Great work for the short time spent working on it!
Lex
11. Jan 2023 · 21:42 UTC
That was a good idea for a risk vs reward mechanic. I liked how coherent all the aesthetics of the game were, graphics audio, texts and stuff. Congrats!
Rolly
11. Jan 2023 · 21:54 UTC
Cool game! I loved the idea of increasing or decreasing the speed based on the position of the ship. It would have been fun if the music speed was changing accordingly. :D


The art is pretty good, in it minimalistic style. This together with the music and sounds effects gives a good arcade-y vibe.

Nice entry!
LDJam user 287424
12. Jan 2023 · 04:19 UTC
Cool idea. And super impressive to create that in C++ in 16 hours! As others have mentioned, the text screens could use some tweaking to make them a little more readable. They tended to be on the over crowded side (both the story and the end message). The gameplay was basic, but fun, and the speed dynamics gave it an interesting twist. The graphics and audio were great and very suited to the game. Well done!!!
imyellowfish
12. Jan 2023 · 04:53 UTC
The retro graphics and audio is simple but effective, creating a great retro atomosphere.

The nearer distance to bottom, the faster speed: something consistent with Physics law, as well as creating a new mechanics. Interesting!

I found that press space 3 times and move to top will quickly beat the game with score 0, which is a bit weired. It might be better to set a minimum score threshold?
DzejPi
12. Jan 2023 · 06:35 UTC
I think that this is actually pretty great! The graphics reminded me of old vector graphics games, the music is excellent and the dynamic gameplay where the speed changes depending on your position was very fun! What was a little bit disruptive was the music cutting off and then starting again very often.
You have a great music here, so I think it would be better to just have it play in the main menu and then keep playing it without any disruptions. Eventually cut it on the game over screen, but even that is unnecessary, I think.
Anyway, great game here, especially considering the fact that you only spent 16 hours on it!
tanis
12. Jan 2023 · 21:06 UTC
It took me a while to understand how to play. Then I didn't exactly get what the different objects you can crash into are doing. The flash is energy, the other rock-like are earning you points.. the other objects, I have no idea still.
Lesson learned: pressing the down arrow is unforgiving! :smile:
Well done given the small amount of time and the custom C++ engine. I know the feeling :wink:
Porcus_Pie
13. Jan 2023 · 01:02 UTC
This was pretty neat! I love the whole risk reward mechanic you have, and tying it into the theme of a black hole and space time distortion. It did take me a second to figure out what was going on and what all the power-ups did, but once I got the hang of it it was a nice distraction. I can almost see this like a phone game, with simple one touch controls. The graphics were simple but easy to read, and the audio really fitted the game, didn't get in the way at all. I did find that when starting some levels I Would be immediately hit with asteroids that spawned on me, which felt a little unfair if I'm being honest. Overall though it was fun, if a little unfair in later stages, a nice little time-waster!
demogorgon
13. Jan 2023 · 02:44 UTC
The speed scaling with height mechanic is very simple yet very interesting. Not sure if I've ever seen anything do anything like that before, so it is refreshing to see such an interesting but simple mechanic!
shahinm
13. Jan 2023 · 19:29 UTC
Cool game, Well done! :)
The music stood out for me in particular :)
Szieberth Adam
14. Jan 2023 · 21:50 UTC
Best game music I heard so far. Also, an entertaining gameplay. Was fun, thanks!

I downloaded the source for that music, but its not there! :cry:
🎤 cogcomp
15. Jan 2023 · 19:03 UTC
@szieberth-adam Thanks for playing! I've added a link to the music.
Szieberth Adam
15. Jan 2023 · 20:52 UTC
Thank you a lot! Goes straight to my collection. :smile: