Help! I'm trapped in a compact 2D Riemannian manifold!

Overall★★★★★★★★★★2.95
Fun★★★★★★★★★★2.55
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.90
Theme★★★★★★★★★★2.40
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.30
Audio★★★★★★★★★★2.12
Humor★★★★★★★★★★2.33
Community★★★★★★★★★★3.13
Coolness★★★★★★★★★★8%
Written from scratch over the last 72 hours. The story:

"A wizard has trapped you in a piece of non-Euclidean geometry! Use the mouse to roll past dangerous hazards to escape the confines of your warped prison!"

Controls: Arrow keys navigate menus, mouse moves the ball around

Tools used: Linux, g++, GNU Make, OpenGL, GLFW, Eigen, SDLAudio and a bunch of calculus

Authors: Mikola Lysenko, Matt Watkins

Thanks to Wallacoloo for help with the windows port!

Comments12

wallacoloo
wallacoloo23 Aug 2011, 05:17
Haha, I can tell what theme you voted for! ;-) I really liked the originality of this game. It was fun to play mostly because it was just so different from most other games on the 'net. I think some subtle background music could help set a good mood for this.
matthias_zarzecki23 Aug 2011, 15:57
This has great level-design. Every area is quite different to the last.
KilledByAPixel
KilledByAPixel24 Aug 2011, 01:50
Cool, very interesting stuff! I liked how it only used the mouse to control but I have to admit I struggled a bit with the controls.
mikolalysenko
mikolalysenkoauthor24 Aug 2011, 04:41
KilledByAPixel: Thanks! Glad you liked it! As a protip, try using shorter gestures to move the ball around instead of clicking and holding (kind of like rolling a trackball). Also, on the donut level the frosting is very slippery, so you can try rolling on the cake part of the donut to keep the ball under better control.
ToxicLogic
ToxicLogic24 Aug 2011, 07:31
Very nice looking levels for being procedurally generated. Sorry but I could not get a hang of the controls. :( I'd also suggest making the collision on the ESCAPE a bit more generous - I would get really close then roll right through, and reversing is near impossible.
Danik
Danik24 Aug 2011, 16:54
Very interesting but quite disorienting. Often the ball seemed to move in the opposite direction of the mouse. Very different and original.
tgijsola24 Aug 2011, 21:18
Really impressive use of the maths! :)
Dark Acre Jack24 Aug 2011, 22:34
Visually interesting, and I always love abstract stuff like this. The controls were surprisingly tight for something done in such a short time.
Chinchilla28 Aug 2011, 14:53
Really, really cool. Tricky as hell to control though!
Shigor
Shigor29 Aug 2011, 23:21
I ragequit in the second level. Visually it's nice, I like and use fractals, name for the game is excellent, but the controls killed it for me, and I mean like totally. Although I understood how it's supposed to work (I think), I had incredibly hard times with controlling it whatever I've tried from small clicks to dragging the mouse - it wouldn't have been that hard if the camera wasn't switching so wildly, but I struggled just to get where I wanted, without being hunted.
marudziik
marudziik4 Sep 2011, 18:51
@Shigor It has nothing to do with fractals. Read the description - it's just that, non-Euclidean geometry. :)

This is like the most innovative game I've seen in years. I truly admire you guys for the execution of this idea - I mean, a good idea is one thing, but trying to make a playable game out of this - crazy, bold and awesome. The controls aren't that bad, but more control over the ball could make this a much better experience. This is especially true in levels with holes, where camera movement can confuse the hell out of anyone. Also, the camera tends to sometimes rotate 180 degrees, which can be frustrating.
I also feel that player should have a better orientation in space - maybe another view with reduced dimensions would help (like a 2D cut)? Or, maybe even better, an Euclidean distance from "escape"?

_Totally_ awesome!
MacTuitui5 Sep 2011, 06:15
Liked the idea, liked the implementation, did not like the camera and controls that much. But very interesting and refreshing. Good job!

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