BreakAround

by xanjos

Overall★★★★★★★★★★2.95

Fun★★★★★★★★★★2.78

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.44

Theme★★★★★★★★★★3.83

Graphics★★★★★★★★★★2.12

Audio★★★★★★★★★★2.18

Humor★★★★★★★★★★1.75

Mood★★★★★★★★★★2.33

Coolness★★★★★★★★★★76%

Full Screen Recommended

Post-Jam Updates:

WebGL version now have some alternative keyboard controls added (Press Space to alternate between mouse and keyboard modes). Performance issues still exists so I still recommend playing on the original standalone versions instead especially if you planning on rating this.

Android/Google Cardboard version is now available to download on itch.io (Try the game in VR!!)
________________________________________________________________________________

Break all the blocks with your ball and paddle just like Breakout but with an added 360 degree twist.

Notes:

This is pretty much a very prototypey sort of game so expect a lot of bugs.

WebGL version may have some performance issues so I recommend playing on the standalone versions instead.

Because of various UI tweaks to make it more playable in VR, the Android/Google Cardboard build is considered a post-jam version.

Also this game takes quite a while to complete (I haven't actually completed it myself) but I think it can done in under 50 balls.

Known Bugs:

Sometimes the ball will slow down for no reason (If this happens wait for it to hit something and it should pick up speed again otherwise just click to destroy the ball).

There will definitely be moments where the ball will bounce between two points that your paddle won't reach so feel free to destroy the current ball if nothing is happening.

WebGL: Some "drifting" issues may occur when controlling the camera/paddle via keyboard

Instructions:

Use the mouse/WASD or arrow keys in keyboard mode if playing on WebGL/Look around with your headset if playing on Android to navigate and move your paddle

Click to launch/destroy balls etc.

Tools Used:

Language: C#
IDE: Visual Studio
Library/Framework: Unity
Sounds: bfxr

Genres: action

Tools: Unity

Comments34

morrilet13 Dec 2016, 17:37

When it works, it works. The ball does get stuck moving between two points out of reach of the paddle quite often, but when it acts as it should, the game is very entertaining. Nice work.

Beardo Games14 Dec 2016, 02:32

Neat idea-- heading to the Vive? :D

Gamepopper15 Dec 2016, 13:33

Pretty good 3D version of break out, I could see this working well on VR. Would be nice if you were able to move around, not just stand still and move the mouse.

Xanjosauthor15 Dec 2016, 19:39

@Beardo Games: I wish it was but unfortunately my PC isn't powerful enough to run a Vive or an Oculus D:

@Gamepopper: I kinda designed it with the Google Cardboard (which I have) in mind so I could try porting it at some point (hence why there seems to be just mouse controls) but for some reason the latest Google VR SDK just won't play well with the latest version of Unity. Anyway I might add keyboard controls in a postjam build (launching/destroying balls would be via mouse click/pressing ctrl) especially for the web version.

Noah Ratcliff16 Dec 2016, 02:45

Interesting concept, although kind of difficult to play. Perhaps have the paddle separate to the first person view so it is slightly less jarring?

AcuadoyStudios17 Dec 2016, 20:30

Hey, I liked your game it was actually fun.
You can improve the audio and the graphics at some point but overall not bad!
And please go and try out my game!

madlee18 Dec 2016, 01:06

Nice idea! It seemed like sometimes the ball would 'snap' to a 90 degree angle and just bounce between the same two points infinitely. Interesting take on a classic!

PowerSpark20 Dec 2016, 02:01

Fun game idea, I would love to have the ability to shoot multiple balls. It seems more fun to me.

JesseyCool20 Dec 2016, 16:47

Cool idea! The ball got stuck a few times and I don't like the thing infront of my view. Neat game! Would be a nice game with VR.

maartene21 Dec 2016, 08:20

The idea of a 3D BreakOut is awesome and a nice twist on the theme. What I find difficult is trying to actually feel in control, i.e. use the paddle. I was only seeming to be able to launch a ball and destroy it. Not hitting one. So I think great idea that needs work on becoming a real game.

Xanjosauthor21 Dec 2016, 13:23

@maartene: Which version of the game did you play? Desktop or WebGL?

phoenix198722 Dec 2016, 02:32

it does have a breakout feel to it, which I use to love to play. More prominent ceiling/floor would be a nice addition as well as the ball sometimes gets stuck from snapping to a direction. But overall well done and keep up the great work

EthanBierlein22 Dec 2016, 20:04

Love the 3D twist on Breakout!

Minato4th25 Dec 2016, 10:32

This is very interesting Idea and very fun, but in my opinion it will be nice to give player ability to move around the room

Geckoo133725 Dec 2016, 22:32

Interesting project which could be improved - but I had fun playing it. Well done ++

yuigoto26 Dec 2016, 19:37

The concept of a 3D arkanoid/breakout style game feels pretty interesting, though this one kinda feels better for VR gameplay.

Graphically, it's well executed and it works like a charm, games like these doesn't need overly complex graphics, it gets the message right.

The game, though, feels way more suited to VR/Cardboard than mouse controls, and even more keyboard, as both feel quite strange to play with, specially since most of the time it feels like controlling a static turret. :P

Anyway, really challenging! :) If you can work on it and polish more stuff, I'm sure you'll make it pretty interesting and even more challenging! :D

mirta00027 Dec 2016, 03:48

well it works, sort of. The ball loves to get stuck bouncing between two walls, essentially playing the game for you :P

Yamzho27 Dec 2016, 22:14

I like the idea of 3D breakout. The ball often gets stuck between two wall (I mean, it is bouncing from one wall to the opposite one and I am not able to interact with it apart from getting a new ball). It would be amazing if we could move in the room as well as the ball. Good take on the theme though, good job !

CMLSC28 Dec 2016, 02:58

It was a cool idea, but it was very buggy. Although it probably would've been better if I could do it in VR. xD

SamuelSousa28 Dec 2016, 16:46

VEry interesting concept! Made around 1400 points

Played on a Laptop to I don't see that much pontential but applied on VR with a Tron kind of looks you could onto something. Mostly because there is not input on mouse aside from moving.

Found the ball to fall many time out of reach and will definetly happen if you keep the project going so there would be need for somekind of mechanics to pull back the ball.

Would had some tiles on the ceilling... could be nice :)

Overall it is real prototipey but fits like a glove on the theme and it shines in innovation!
Good work!

Jan Marcano28 Dec 2016, 21:08

The ball going between two points happens waaaaay too often. Maybe you could solve it by adding a bit of randomness to the bounce? Like 5-10% randomness at most, that way if it does happen, it'll eventually get unstuck on it's own while not affecting normal bounces.

The idea is good tho! And it does seems like it could work as a VR game. Keep working on it :)

Intelli-Gents29 Dec 2016, 02:15

Nice take on the whole breakout formula. Super satisfying when we managed to get the ball between the wall and the bricks and just watch and listen to it bouncing back and forrth

emmelineprufrock29 Dec 2016, 02:18

I really like the way you went with this concept. It's oddly soothing, and while I'm pretty sure that the Google Cardboard version would make me vomit like a fountain (I am very susceptible to motion sickness) but it seems like a fun thing to do.

TheMonsterFromTheDeep30 Dec 2016, 22:40

Good idea, but the ball gets stuck much too often. Being able to move around (like you can in the original breakout...) would solve this problem. Music would also be good.

pmarincak31 Dec 2016, 15:41

This seems like it would be a very fun VR game. As everyone else mentioned, the ball does get stuck bouncing out of reach often. Being able to move the player and also having a little bit of randomness for the ball would be great.

As a side note, I also enjoyed the keyboard controls over the mouse controls.

Great job!

AnaGF31 Dec 2016, 15:52

It is a bit buggy but it is interesting as a new form of breakout game. I think it has a lot of potential (maybe enabling movement, or multiplayer?), if I could vote I would rate the innovation pretty high.

fabsy2 Jan 2017, 03:39

Cool idea. I didn't try it in VR but I think I was able to experience the game correctly (I played the standalone version). Besides the problems already mentioned, I felt it was a bit hard at times to perceive when the ball was close enough to the player to bounce, and the level may be a bit too large to be able to finish it in one sitting.

A lot of potential for improvement, though. Good job!

PixlWalkr2 Jan 2017, 14:16

Fun concept and neat idea, would be interesting if I have access and can try it on VR though.

PaidGEEK2 Jan 2017, 14:36

Like the others already said, cool idea by making Breakout in 3D :) I think it would be better, if balls moved slightly faster and you could shoot multiple of them. But overall, great execution.

Obvious_San2 Jan 2017, 17:04

The bounce angle of the ball seems a bit unrealistic to me, and that seems to be what causes it to become stuck bouncing between two points out of reach of the paddle. A corridor might have been a better type of room to use for this game!

- randomhuman

Cerno_b2 Jan 2017, 22:52

Oh and thanks a lot for streaming my game!

Cerno_b2 Jan 2017, 22:52

Great idea, a Breakout clone in 3D. It was a bit hard to really control the ball and I had to reset the balls a lot.

Music and sound would have added a nice touch, maybe some visual effects.

Overall it was a really interesting experiment.

Jupiter_Hadley3 Jan 2017, 00:31

Really neat break out game! I included it in my compilation video series of the Ludum Dare 37 games, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/Dn1tVKlJpL8

eddynardo3 Jan 2017, 00:41

This is neat , it's difficult to take a traditional 2D game and make it a fun VR experience. The only thing missing here was some good textures for the bricks, and some kind of dynamic lighting for the ball. Great entry. I look forward seeing your results