Ludum Dare #49compo
Number Fission
A game about slowly incrementing a ring of numbers, while making sure they don't enter a long cycle or infinite loop.
It's called Number Fission because even numbers split :)
Tools used:
- Unity 2020.3
- Visual Studio 2019
- Microsoft Paint
- sfxr
Trailer:
Also let me know if you want, say, a mobile port or something :) For now though, the WebGL version has mobile support so you could try that I guess.
Note: in WebGL there is a bug where sometimes the number would return to the wrong spot after you release the mouse. Restarting the game should fix it.
Rating period update: Decompressed and removed filtering on sprites, adjusted text for non-16:9 resolutions, modified tutorial text slightly
It's called Number Fission because even numbers split :)
Tools used:
- Unity 2020.3
- Visual Studio 2019
- Microsoft Paint
- sfxr
Trailer:
Also let me know if you want, say, a mobile port or something :) For now though, the WebGL version has mobile support so you could try that I guess.
Note: in WebGL there is a bug where sometimes the number would return to the wrong spot after you release the mouse. Restarting the game should fix it.
Rating period update: Decompressed and removed filtering on sprites, adjusted text for non-16:9 resolutions, modified tutorial text slightly
Comments34
Do you think I should release an Android version of the game in its current form as well for the jam? Since porting can happen after the initial 48 hours. (Although features like a local highscore will have to wait until after the jam because of LD rules)
I really like how you integrated the explanation text in a non-intrusive but helpful way.
I had fun!
@blind-archer @freeworld Glad you guys liked it!
@beasrabbit I tried an Android build, but it needed some substantial fixes such that I think it is better to just create it post-jam, which I will most likely do. This is the first jam which I managed to create a game with real post-jam potential.
It could be a nice mobile game. Maybe add more effects when there many reaction in row to reward the player.
My highscore is 21.
Nice game !
Good game!
@enya454 I will certainly consider that for a future mobile port. Thanks!
Also, I am impressed by the polish of this game. The tutorial is well done in a non-obtrusive done, and the simple sound and graphics design is nice. Well done!
@mango-malarkey Thanks! While I was playtesting my game I realised that for certain configurations of numbers, if you keep adding to the same circle, the configuration will always return to itself, except for one large number which accumululates all the numbers you added. So theoretically you could get an infinite score, because you could keep playing without ever entering an infinite loop. Hence the rule where you cannot add to the same circle twice in a row.
Iirc the configuration I got was Y - 0 - 1 - 3 - X(0) - 3 - 1 - 0. If you add +1 twice or +2 to circle X, after splitting the +2 will end up in Y, while the other 7 circles return to what they were initially, so you could keep adding to X while Y accumulates everything you added, making you able to reach a super high score with Y. If I could guess, there are most likely other configurations like this that I don't know about.
Anyway with the current rules implemented, one strategy you could try could be to alternate between diametrically opposite circles. I tried it, and while it is not foolproof - I still managed to enter an infinite loop with it - it could probably get you pretty far.
Inspiration-wise, I think my original idea was about fusing protons and neutrons to get stable nuclides, but somehow I didn't really like the idea (I think because that meant hard-coding a bunch of numbers into the game, and players keep having to look up a list to see what their possible options are.). So I explored other ideas that made use of fusion and fission, until eventually I ended up with this game (I think my guide was to create a system of fusion and fission such that there is a simple mathematical formula to tell whether something is stable or not, so players can tell at one glance instead of having to look up a list.). I wrote a simple C++ program to see how it was and liked it, so I went with it. As far as I know no other game has implemented this idea, although for all I know there could be an obscure mobile game out there that already has this idea implemented.
I think there is an algorithm. I stopped playing because of a mistake I did. The concept is interesting, but it's a bit repetitive after a while x) As 2048 is repetitive you understand. The only thing is that it's not as satisfying as 2048 because the numbers don't grow exponentially.
But don't get me wrong, I played some time to the game, so I liked it ahah x)
Anyway, great work! :clap: :clap:
As others have said, I'd also like a local high score mechanism in place. Other than that, I have no complaints whatsoever.
I'm also a bit certain that this game is mathematically solvable, but my brain is too smooth and I am to lazy to go in that deep.
It's games like these that show time and time again, simple is best. Great work!
@kukurammus Thanks! I realised only after the submission period that I forgot to decompress the sprites and set filter to point, so the sprites may look a bit pixelated. As for sound design, I definitely will improve that in a post-jam version.
I feel this game is lackluster, but I'm not sure what else you can do with this concept, sorry. But you did manage to complete and submit an entry, so good job!