ZenTuree (pronounced a bit like _century_) is a game that combines quite literally _"zen"_, _"tree"_ and _"century"_. Everything you need to play this game is a lot of patience and a green thumb.
Gameplay
The rules are pretty simple: 1. make sure that your tree has enough water. 2. don't overwater your tree. 3. be patient. 4. keep it alive ;-)
*Tip: You can close the tab, your browser or even shutdown your computer - your tree will continue to grow (as long as it has enough water)*
You don't need an account. Details about your tree are stored locally (javascript local storage). If you reload the page, even if a long time has passed, the tree will show the correct state (as if it was "running" the entire time). Actually we just apply the missing time very quickly.
For Ludum Dare Testers
The normal game mode takes about two years for a full grown tree. To make things simpler there are two test game modes.
#### LD46 Mode This is the recommended game mode for LD46 testers. A full grown tree takes about 2h and should be watered about every 15 to 30 minutes. Of course you don't have to stare at the tree for two hours. Make sure it has enough water, close the tab and try other games. Make sure to check in later to water the tree. - https://wischi-chr.github.io/ZenTuree/LD46/
I had to play the fast version to get a better feel for the game. The slow version reminds me of when I would play cookie clicker and leave a tab open for days, occasionally going back to click a few buttons. Keeping the tree growing even with your browser closed is a nice touch! My first instinct when I swamped my poor sapling was to refresh but to no avail.
When I first read that the tree needs two years to grow, my first thought was that you did not really follow the tipp that the game should be beatable in about 5 Minutes :D Adding the LD-Modes was a very good idea ;) When the tree is fully grown, the framerate significantly dropped for me. All in all nice work.
@natethegreat swamping it doesn't kill it, only if you keep watering it. But I think I'll change the UI or something to make it more obvious because a lot of friends also instantly swamped their trees ^^ - Thank you for your feedback.
@fersyvanderzee - Thank you. I think a feature to share a tree between devices would be nice, but I don't want to force people to login on yet another unimportant page and haven't found an alternative that would be better than the local storage.
Sent here by an enthusiastic friend. This is a pretty excellent game. It may not be lauded for it's complicated mechanics, but it's very satisfying to watch your tree grow. Arbitrary wildlife would be a satisfying extension, but that might distract from the basic simplicity of the game. Thanks for sharing it!
Such an inspired idea! Your brain must be awesome! Please keep making this like this :D Obviously not a "fun" game but it had so much more than that! the persistence of the tree was awesome!
So cool to see someone has also made a tree game! Loved your simple approach and game idea! Pretty satisfying to see the tree growing (had to go with the Non-Zen-s Mode unfortunately)
I can see advertisements for this game already: "Just like a tree, minus the tree!" It's surprisingly satisfying to comeback once in a while and watch the tree grow because I watered it. It looks pretty good at the end too.
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When I first read that the tree needs two years to grow, my first thought was that you did not really follow the tipp that the game should be beatable in about 5 Minutes :D Adding the LD-Modes was a very good idea ;)
When the tree is fully grown, the framerate significantly dropped for me.
All in all nice work.
jk, played the 2hrs version a few times - love it; great during meetings at work
Loved your simple approach and game idea! Pretty satisfying to see the tree growing (had to go with the Non-Zen-s Mode unfortunately)
It's surprisingly satisfying to comeback once in a while and watch the tree grow because I watered it. It looks pretty good at the end too.