Running Out of SubSpace
This game is from ldjam.com, which is currently unavailable.
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You can try viewing the original page on Web Archive (may not load correctly).
You're an up and coming company in the new, exciting field of [FTL SPACE DELIVERY]. Get your cargo and head off to your destination but be quick, most interstellar cargo is perishable!
There's a catch: FTL tech is new and Subspace is fragile. The faster you go and the more ships that travel on a subspace lane, the faster it deteriorates. If you're not careful you can cut systems off completely and risk irreparable damage to the FTL network. Please be careful.
This was the idea for the game. It seemed simple enough as a concept but I just couldn't work out what kind of game to make it:
Simple puzzle levels, getting larger and more complex as they go;
Real-time space sim;
Turn based puzzle sim;
Step based puzzle sim
Timed turns with the ship defaulting to the shortest route seems like a good way to go. Would give the player time to think things through but not indefinitely.
I also had trouble generating a look for the game even at a programmer art level.
Overall I just didn't have much time this weekend. It really wasn't helped by the fact that I remembered LD was happening about an hour before the theme was due to be announced, thinking it was next weekend. As such I really wasn't in the correct mindset for a game jam. I still gave it a go as the idea came to me so early into the compo/jam. Usually I don't get an idea until a few hours in, after a good night's sleep.
I don't consider it a waste as I learned some cool new algorithms and maths concepts. I think if I were to continue working on the project it could turn into an interesting challenge for both myself and the players. That said for now I'm going to abandon it as I've got other things on the go that I think are more promising.
There's not much to see and no gameplay but I hope if you check it out you can see the skeleton of the game for what I wanted it to be.
There's a catch: FTL tech is new and Subspace is fragile. The faster you go and the more ships that travel on a subspace lane, the faster it deteriorates. If you're not careful you can cut systems off completely and risk irreparable damage to the FTL network. Please be careful.
This was the idea for the game. It seemed simple enough as a concept but I just couldn't work out what kind of game to make it:
Simple puzzle levels, getting larger and more complex as they go;
Real-time space sim;
Turn based puzzle sim;
Step based puzzle sim
Timed turns with the ship defaulting to the shortest route seems like a good way to go. Would give the player time to think things through but not indefinitely.
I also had trouble generating a look for the game even at a programmer art level.
Overall I just didn't have much time this weekend. It really wasn't helped by the fact that I remembered LD was happening about an hour before the theme was due to be announced, thinking it was next weekend. As such I really wasn't in the correct mindset for a game jam. I still gave it a go as the idea came to me so early into the compo/jam. Usually I don't get an idea until a few hours in, after a good night's sleep.
I don't consider it a waste as I learned some cool new algorithms and maths concepts. I think if I were to continue working on the project it could turn into an interesting challenge for both myself and the players. That said for now I'm going to abandon it as I've got other things on the go that I think are more promising.
There's not much to see and no gameplay but I hope if you check it out you can see the skeleton of the game for what I wanted it to be.