It’s neither well coded nor robust, but circle versus circle and circle versus line collision response are now working well enough to continue prototyping. I’m going to put a bit more time into getting the physics working, then I should be ready to begin testing a few puzzle ideas.

Well, I doubt I’ll have anything like a game done within the allotted 48 hours, but here’s a playable test:

http://vacuumflowers.com/temp/miniLD16

And here’s a screen shot:

I don’t have a lot of time free this weekend, so I’m doing a split Saturday + Monday 48 hour block.

I’m thinking of prototyping a game I’ve wanted to develop for a while. The basic idea is that there are a number of attractive / repulsive balls in an environment. Each surface in the environment, as well as each ball, has a polarity (somewhat like gravity, or electrostatic charge). Like states repell, opposite states attract. A ball’s polarity can be flipped by pressing a corresponding key. We can’t move the balls directly, but by altering their polarity we can push or pull them using nearby objects.

Here’s my initial screen shot

My internet connection was down, so I’m off to a late start. Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement- I’m going to make an entry after all.

Play here

I’ve tinkered around with my Ludum Dare entry a bit more, and am ready to make another release (there may be one or two more after this, but nothing major.) For a while now I’ve been wanting to play with these mechanics, and Ludum Dare was a great opportunity.

New this version:

• sound (or something vaguely resembling it)
• vacuum affects enemy projectiles
• vacuum can be used to destroy enemies with their own projectiles
• 8 levels

There are other things I’m interested in trying, but I will probably not experiment with them in this prototype. These include:

• an alternate weapon mode that adds to walls instead of destroying them
• incorporating indestructible surfaces
• a charge shot with variable blast radius
• ammunition containers that double as shootable explosives
• better ways to handle lava
• stones (Dig Dug!) which are embedded in walls and can be freed to crush enemies, saving ammunition
• ways to limit recoil jumping, so it can be used to hover, but not reach unlimited heights

So the competition is over, but I was interested in exploring my entry further. My hope is to turn it into something more enjoyable. Here’s a ‘day after’ version with a few less crippling bugs (don’t worry, it’s still possible to tunnel out of the world and fall forever).

Features include:

• 6 levels
• tuning
• more accurate particle effects
• rewritten player movement
• two creature types
• limited ammunition
• debris vacuum for refilling ammunition

<w, a, s, d> or <arrows> to move

<mouse> to aim and fire

<space> to vacuum up debris and refill ammunition

http://www.x2d.org/misc/misc3/wallsFixed.html

There’s a movable player character, level loading, and the rudiments of player projectiles. There’s no collision detection though, and the terrain isn’t modifiable yet. Things are progressing, but I don’t have much time to participate this time around. I think I’ll at least get something done by the deadline.

I plan to enter Ludum Dare 15. I’m not yet sure if I will be using ActionScript or Java, but I will definitely be using one of the two.

Should I use ActionScript, I plan to use a very simple support class for input

http://pastebin.com/m120a889c

and a gutted version of this for sound:

http://pastebin.com/m32c62888

Best wishes to everyone else participating. I’ll see you on IRC!

This update addresses places some limits on density and unit counts, to address problems with the density getting out of hand in longer games. Two of the levels in the campaign have also been altered- one to make it more varied and reduce travel times, and another to keep the difficulty level more consistent.

Play Here

Update: Newer Build

Okay, I’m calling the game done. The biggest addition is a campaign of semi-random levels which introduce the game a bit more gradually. I’ve also added in some special case rules that help regulate the game a bit and keep it from breaking quite as frequently. This build also includes a few small graphical changes. After playing through the campaign, the game creates an endless string of more random arena levels. Here are some directions:

Purple creature- this is us!

Red creatures are enemies.

Green creatures are our allies. They produce two types of helpful offspring:

Purple followers can be collected for additional firepower.

Green eggs can be gathered and planted to make new allies.

<arrow keys> – move

<space> – plant eggs

Our character fires and heals itself automatically.

Play the game

Edit: Updated Version (fixed a sound glitch)

Edit again: A New Version (fixed a couple bugs that affected creature reproduction)

These are two examples of the new levels:

This is a more recent build of my Ludum Dare 14 entry. It includes several bug fixes, a significant improvement in the AI, and a new enemy type. The visual effects have also been toned down to the point where it should be almost possible to tell what’s going on.

I think at this point the most significant issues with the game are the unreliable level generation, lack of optimization, and the steep learning curve.

Play the game

Hurrah, at last I am done!

Directions

• We control the purple creature. Use the arrow keys to move.
• The large yellowish green creatures are your allies.
• Collect followers (other purple creatures) for more firepower.
• Collect blue eggs. Plant an egg with space to create a new ally!
• Take over the board to win.

Play the game

This morning I started playing with the visuals, and got sucked into a vicious cycle of tweaking graphics, then playing the game to see them. After a couple of hours of this I realized I wasn’t getting anywhere and decided to move on to the sound. It looked like this- I liked it, but it was quite unplayable:

After working on more essential bits for a while , I returned and toned the effects down to this level:

So the design of the game is fairly established now. It looks like the core mechanic is a food chain. There are different varieties of little creatures which occupy various niches. All would be well in the world, were it not for the sudden arrival of DOOM in the form of an explosively reproducing foreign species…

I was trying to get the first projectiles into the game, and ended up with a rather unexpected snowstorm instead:

http://i39.tinypic.com/1628ohy.png

Currently there are invaders (red-green) and one form of sessile predator (orangey) in the game. All life forms heal over time, and the invaders use this to their advantage by withdrawing outside their target’s firing range briefly if their health dips too low. There’s no player character yet.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2elfh52.png

The next thing to do is get some sort of plankton- or barnacle-esque life form into the system- something low level that doesn’t eat anything, and simply provides food for other organisms.

I’ll be using ActionScript 3. I’m uncertain of what I’m making yet, but here is a very desolate first screen shot:

http://i43.tinypic.com/30mpt3p.png