RedditLudum Dare 21
August 19th-22nd 2011 :: Theme: Escape
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Help! I'm trapped in a compact 2D Riemannian manifold! - mikolalysenko - Jam Entry
Source | Linux | Windows | YouTube (Spoilers)
Written from scratch over the last 72 hours. The story:
"A wizard has trapped you in a piece of non-Euclidean geometry! Use the mouse to roll past dangerous hazards to escape the confines of your warped prison!"
Controls: Arrow keys navigate menus, mouse moves the ball around
Tools used: Linux, g++, GNU Make, OpenGL, GLFW, Eigen, SDLAudio and a bunch of calculus
Authors: Mikola Lysenko, Matt Watkins
Thanks to Wallacoloo for help with the windows port!
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Ratings
| #4 | Innovation(Jam) | 3.90 |
| #29 | Overall(Jam) | 2.95 |
| #30 | Humor(Jam) | 2.33 |
| #31 | Graphics(Jam) | 3.30 |
| #32 | Fun(Jam) | 2.55 |
| #45 | Audio(Jam) | 2.12 |
| #60 | Coolness | 8% |
| #63 | Theme(Jam) | 2.40 |
| #104 | Community | 3.13 |
Comments
This has great level-design. Every area is quite different to the last.
Cool, very interesting stuff! I liked how it only used the mouse to control but I have to admit I struggled a bit with the controls.
KilledByAPixel: Thanks! Glad you liked it! As a protip, try using shorter gestures to move the ball around instead of clicking and holding (kind of like rolling a trackball). Also, on the donut level the frosting is very slippery, so you can try rolling on the cake part of the donut to keep the ball under better control.
Very nice looking levels for being procedurally generated. Sorry but I could not get a hang of the controls. :( I'd also suggest making the collision on the ESCAPE a bit more generous - I would get really close then roll right through, and reversing is near impossible.
Very interesting but quite disorienting. Often the ball seemed to move in the opposite direction of the mouse. Very different and original.
Visually interesting, and I always love abstract stuff like this. The controls were surprisingly tight for something done in such a short time.
I ragequit in the second level. Visually it's nice, I like and use fractals, name for the game is excellent, but the controls killed it for me, and I mean like totally. Although I understood how it's supposed to work (I think), I had incredibly hard times with controlling it whatever I've tried from small clicks to dragging the mouse - it wouldn't have been that hard if the camera wasn't switching so wildly, but I struggled just to get where I wanted, without being hunted.
@Shigor It has nothing to do with fractals. Read the description - it's just that, non-Euclidean geometry. :)
This is like the most innovative game I've seen in years. I truly admire you guys for the execution of this idea - I mean, a good idea is one thing, but trying to make a playable game out of this - crazy, bold and awesome. The controls aren't that bad, but more control over the ball could make this a much better experience. This is especially true in levels with holes, where camera movement can confuse the hell out of anyone. Also, the camera tends to sometimes rotate 180 degrees, which can be frustrating.
I also feel that player should have a better orientation in space - maybe another view with reduced dimensions would help (like a 2D cut)? Or, maybe even better, an Euclidean distance from "escape"?
_Totally_ awesome!
Liked the idea, liked the implementation, did not like the camera and controls that much. But very interesting and refreshing. Good job!
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Haha, I can tell what theme you voted for! ;-) I really liked the originality of this game. It was fun to play mostly because it was just so different from most other games on the 'net. I think some subtle background music could help set a good mood for this.