Quantum Swarm

Overall★★★★★★★★★★4.07

Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.96

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★4.45

Theme★★★★★★★★★★3.69

Humor★★★★★★★★★★3.62

Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.74

ITCH HTML5: https://damienblack.itch.io/quantum-swarm

Welcome to a bleak world. You're in an overprotective facility and haven't seen another human in years. Fortunately, right before the madness steps in, Bob gives you a chance to do something useful. Design nanobots to help save humanity from the evil robot ai running amuck.

This is my first game jam, and I wish I had more time to make more levels! There is a lot of functionality that didn't get to become part of the story.

Use the circuit board editor to program how your nano bot will behave. In sandbox mode there are dozens of command blocks you can put together. Fire lasers, craft missile, mine matter, seek enemies and communicate with pheromones.

After designing your nanoboard, you can run a simulation. Every component takes a different amount of time, energy and matter to run.

Work your way through 6 "levels" where "Bob" will guide you through the basics.

There are a lot of nodes that didn't make it into the story, they are only in the sandbox. I've documented what they all do below.

You do not need to read any of this to complete the game. Just jump right in!

Oh, and one more thing:

If I was to take this game farther, the final goal would have bots that can build other bots, "armies" with many different types of bots and asynchronous PvP. The best fighting force would require coordination, efficiency and might!

Genres: puzzle

Tools: Godot

Comments50

Gametrodon7 Oct 2024, 23:32

This is really cool! I do wish there was a cheat sheet/reminder in the corner or something I could pull up. It's hard to actually remember what color does what when I'm building out a board.

BastelBasti7 Oct 2024, 23:34

uff that is genius! Really like the concept of how you draw the lines

ratly7 Oct 2024, 23:37

Cool concept and great job executing! I'd love to play through more levels of this. I enjoyed the fun narrative too

ComicSans7 Oct 2024, 23:38

This game is soooo cool! However, having to rebuild my circuit to make a minor change when I click "Back" is frustrating enough that I quit on the laser level. Let me know if you fix that and I'll give it another go! :thumbsup:

ferelily7 Oct 2024, 23:39

Fantastic entry! Would love to see many more levels of this!

stormburpee7 Oct 2024, 23:42

This was cool! Definitely agree with the previous comments that a cheat sheet or a reminder for how to play would be good - did find myself forgetting what the colors did.

The line drawing felt very smooth!

MrAntoineSt7 Oct 2024, 23:45

Cool concept. I like it !

Julester7 Oct 2024, 23:46

Very cool game. it has alot of potential. sad that you didn't have more time to make more levels.

timhugh7 Oct 2024, 23:46

So cool! That circuit designer is really clever and well executed, although rotating components would be nice

Tavox7 Oct 2024, 23:48

Just Wow. I can't believe you did that alone.Its really well made and I love games like this. There are way to few out there. I hope you stick to the Project and make a large game out of it. It has so much potential.

Glaikunt7 Oct 2024, 23:50

Awesome game! Loved the mechanics, it's amazing how much you've added in. The tutorial was so well done and walked me through everything. Wish there was more levels to play through :smile: Great Job!

evindor7 Oct 2024, 23:51

Amazing you managed to make so much in such a short time! Love this kind of automation games. Great work!

The Floating Brain7 Oct 2024, 23:59

Super cool bookmarking the itch page!

Dywanix8 Oct 2024, 00:00

Cool idea!

Cisco8 Oct 2024, 01:22

Very cool game. Loved the little creature when speeded up haha

AllenW8 Oct 2024, 02:11

Very cool geeky game! I can see this becoming a very big complex game like Shapez. I felt like the complex graphics discouraged me from learning the game at first because they make the screen look a bit busy.

Dustin Zhang8 Oct 2024, 02:29

This is super impressive! I like the narration.

WaffleFish8 Oct 2024, 03:53

This is a great game, especially since it's your first game jam. I'm surprised with how many levels you were able to do while also implementing the tools of the game all under 72 hours. What I would've really liked from the game is if the board doesn't clear automatically after you press done. In any case, great game!

OldDog8 Oct 2024, 04:13

really game design is really cool!!! I think this work is really beyond a game,it helps me to underestund many things,you make a really great work in three days

MapleTwig8 Oct 2024, 06:16

I really liked this one! The dialogue and tutorial section was witty and I'm impressed by how you could make something like this so quickly. I think a system like this could work really well for a civilization making game.

Pigeonic8 Oct 2024, 11:05

This was so cool and for you first entry too, just wow! Who knew human experimentation can be so fun! Looking forward to some sound effects if you're continuing this project! :)

Tenai8 Oct 2024, 12:31

Very nice!

Sviborg8 Oct 2024, 13:50

A very impressive game for a first jam! 😲 Great balance between complex mechanics and an engaging narrative. I especially liked the process of creating nanobots and the ability to control them through chains. 🦾 I wish there were more levels, because the game is really addictive! I also agree with the previous comments - a hint by colors would help make the game even more convenient. 👏 Keep up the good work, the potential is huge!

Kirass8 Oct 2024, 17:36

I really liked this game! It's awesome!

JDeeDubs8 Oct 2024, 18:44

Wow this is a really cool concept!

I liked how sassy Bob was, and was impressed by the amount of worldbuilding you established in a couple of speech bubbles. Entering my username, then having it dismissed as unimportant was very funny.
Gameplay-wise, designing the logic for the bots was very satisfying, particularly dragging the wires around. Setting up dominoes and watching them fall is always a good core for gameplay, especially when you can accidentally make your dominoes walk into walls over and over.

Very fun concept. Cool entry!

Bumble8 Oct 2024, 19:47

Except for the lack of levels this feels almost finished and very polished! Especially the sandbox environment is crazy and makes clear what else might be added and how difficult the later levels could be. Combined with the teased story and the other untapped opportunities here it is really impressive. I really like this jam entry it is crazy how much one person can achieve in so little time.

Nick-len8 Oct 2024, 20:04

I love that this game feels like a more genuine version of those old games that would teach you about coding. Whether or not its intentional i love it

Itskdog9 Oct 2024, 00:31

Great mechanics and a great brain burner. The more levels would be nicer, but the sandbox mode is fun. I was really surprised with the numbers of machines. For me, the dragging the wires didn't work well. It would stop about half way through. Also, after placing a machine I couldn't move it.

Ryuu9 Oct 2024, 02:03

Such a complex game! I think it was great, loved playing it!

Damien Blackauthor9 Oct 2024, 06:12

It's hard to reply to people individually, but thank you so much for the response! I've added documentation to this page for everything. Both the stuff in the regular game, and things that are only in the sandbox.

I've pickup some great ideas from you guys! Of course I wanted it to save your board when you go back! I'm literally only 8 lines of code away from having it working. I just ran out of time.

Having a legend is a ... well ... legendary idea. Being able to pick the nodes back up and move them is just smart.

Playing all these other great games has made me realize that I missed out big time by not putting in some sounds and music. It was planned, but I just ran out of time. In hindsight, some good music and sound effect are worth way more than... pheromones...

If I had 24 more hours I feel like I really could have knocked it out of the park. I haven't done a jam myself before, and now I'm even more amazed at what you guys can accomplish in the time. Cheers to everyone who has taken time to play my game and cheers to all of the great games I've gotten to rate!

L-sien9 Oct 2024, 06:57

Creating a system game like this is really impressive for a game jam. Good job!

rsheepdv9 Oct 2024, 08:53

You made me do EE for fun... you clever something or other. Take my likes and get outta here : P
In all seriousness though its insane that you made this all work in 72 hours! Having all the systems work is amazing! Of course there are quality of live features you could add but having everything work is something you should be proud of! Great job :>

frozenfire929 Oct 2024, 12:47

What a phenomenal entry! I really enjoyed this and would love to see you continue with this idea, there is a ton of potential! My only complaint is you didn't have enough time for more levels :joy: keep on making games!

LDJam user 18426410 Oct 2024, 00:09

Amazing work for a game jam, especially for your first jam. I have definitely made the mistake before of neglecting sound for more content, and this time around I was surprised by just how much of a difference a couple sounds made for my game. I am definitely coming back to play with the sandbox mode. In playing through the campaign the only things I would suggest are adding sounds, and its a little thing but maybe slap some custom colors/theming on the itch.io page. Overall the pixel art for the circuits looks great, and I want to explore what all you can do in sandbox mode. I might have some more quality of life suggestions once I mess with the sandbox more, but for now as a lover of this type of puzzle game, this is so far one of the most satisfying games I've played from the jam.

Wendy22210 Oct 2024, 21:01

this is a really cool concept and a well-done execution to finish it in 3 days! I like the combination of the circuit and the ball movement. This has a lot of potential! Like the previous comment, a small review of the level could help finish the circuit connection. But overall it's a really good jam game! Looking forward to the future version!

IRoRoI10 Oct 2024, 22:55

WOOOOW! The gameplay from this jam is what I'll remember most about this game! It's been a long time since I've been so hooked.

Hilary Fischer11 Oct 2024, 00:07

This is such a cool & creative idea! Also, it is amazing how many functions you made for the bots! Looking forward to what puzzles you come up with if you decide to develop it further!

Martingonn11 Oct 2024, 04:57

Very fun and time-consuming! Well done!

Nikolas van Rus11 Oct 2024, 09:49

Well, now I’m thinking about the meaning of life, but I just wanted to make games... Great job! No seriously, it was interesting.

Just a dev11 Oct 2024, 11:55

Incredible for a game made in 72h! I think you could have made (way) less modules to have more time to make more levels. In my opinion a ten or less modules with more levels would have made the game more interesting to play and just as impressive. I also miss rotating nodes. But that's still very impressive for your first game jam.

llikdowk11 Oct 2024, 17:42

impressive system to be done in only 72h, and works quite well too

HexStart11 Oct 2024, 18:48

That's a stylish and clever game. I particularly liked the pheromone mechanics and how they can be used to coordinate groups of bots. An expanded version would need some improvements in terms of "board editor", so that you could move terminals or whole sections of the board without redoing it. But for a jam game that's not an issue imo.

Damien Blackauthor11 Oct 2024, 18:51

@hexstart I hadn't yet thought of moving whole sections. That is a good idea.

Shiiro 10psi11 Oct 2024, 23:24

This is really cool. You should definitely keep working on this.

pres230012 Oct 2024, 04:22

It's really impressive that you were able to make something like this in such a short amount of time! As some others have pointed out, I wish the circuit didn't completely reset if I had to go back. Otherwise, this game has a lot of potential and I'd love to see you take it farther. Nice work!

TobaccoLeopard15 Oct 2024, 13:50

I really enjoyed your game, bravo! More levels make you want to play. In the sandbox, there are a few bugs: the space key does both clear and sub-layer wiring. Unconnected blocks affect movement (for example, an unconnected “north” box makes all the drones go north). Or just changing the cable positions, without changing the connections, changes the effects too (for example, I had an “east” and then a “south” box that followed each other, which worked at first, but after redesigning the cables, only the “south” was taken into account). Despite this, bravo, I had fun!

JCoMcL16 Oct 2024, 11:39

Holy crap this is awesome! Obviously it it would be lovely if it had sound, even jsut some beeps and boops but it's very impressive as it is. I love the writing too, got some chuckles out of me.

shared16 Oct 2024, 23:22

Awesome project!! I really love building block logic games, and this one had a lot of content! The visuals are pretty nice too. I hope that you will consider making some extra levels to showcase all the extra functions in a later update!

Also, I found your game after seeing a very constructive comment from you on someone's first game, guiding them in ways that will help them improve a lot I'm sure. Thank you for taking part in the community.

DahliaInosensu20 Oct 2024, 15:26

Love it! I like the humor, the idea is great, it really solid entry, well done!

NBumgardner25 Oct 2024, 02:35

Nice system! Given more time I like the draggable idea, and also being able to rotate with 'R' would help for choosing which direction to build, as long as the directional symbols always face north. Also great job staying organized to get so much coded, and designing distinct borders for different electronics.