Beams! by DiegoMustache

[raw]
made by DiegoMustache for LD31 (JAM)
Lasers and mirrors puzzle game built in Unreal Engine 4! Move with WASD, and press F or Space to rotate mirrors and lasers. Also works with a game pad.

This was a solo 48 hour project I wanted to submit for compo, but the website was not working for me.

Update: Fixed issue with Avast flagging the file.

Note: There is a bug with the arrow keys. Please use WASD instead. Thanks to HunterX for pointing this out!

You may need to install the following runtime: http://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/download/details.aspx?id=40784

Ratings

Coolness 50% 3
Overall(Jam) 3.25 458
Fun(Jam) 3.25 356
Graphics(Jam) 3.46 411
Innovation(Jam) 2.75 693
Theme(Jam) 3.56 497

Feedback

Hunter X
08. Dec 2014 路 17:42 UTC
I'm interested in trying this game, but Avast is throwing a warning about Win64:Evo-gen when I try to extract it (though scanning the .zip itself gives no errors). Can anyone cross-reference this on their machine and confirm whether or not this is a false-positive?
馃帳 DiegoMustache
08. Dec 2014 路 23:52 UTC
That's weird and unfortunate. It's just Unreal Engine 4 packaged up straight from the editor. It is a development build though. The release build would crash on start for some reason. I wonder what I can do about that.
馃帳 DiegoMustache
09. Dec 2014 路 04:09 UTC
I fixed the issue with the release builds (turns out 64bit is required). This seems to have solved the problem with Avast.
Manderxan
09. Dec 2014 路 11:51 UTC
Very good! Would have been nice with more levels, I finished it pretty fast. And it was a bit easy.
Some sound and music would have been great.
Were the controls supposed to be diagonal? That was a bit weird, but doesn't really affect my rating.
馃帳 DiegoMustache
09. Dec 2014 路 15:00 UTC
Thanks! I ran out of time which is why it is so short. I intended to have the levels keep wrapping around the visible area.

As for the controls, I'm really not sure what causes the diagonal controls. I have not been able to consistently reproduce that issue.
rzfmzn
09. Dec 2014 路 15:51 UTC
unable to run :(
32/64bits issue i guess. tried the 64b exe inside the folders, same problem. :/
kingpirux
09. Dec 2014 路 16:01 UTC
i couldn't play because it ask me for C++ 2013 libraries :I
DDRKirby(ISQ)
09. Dec 2014 路 16:01 UTC
Couldn't run, sorry! I'm on windows server 2012, the game hangs after initial bootup and only shows some stuff in the bottom-right corner.
deyteris_team
09. Dec 2014 路 16:02 UTC
Really good little puzzle with nice graphics. Like for using Unreal Engine
Erhune
09. Dec 2014 路 16:09 UTC
I also has some problem with the arrows, but WASD worked fine for me. Very nicely done and easy to understand. Nice progression too. Of course a bit too short for my taste, but who *did* have enough time to make their games, right? ^^
TeamClubMate
09. Dec 2014 路 16:12 UTC
makes fun!
Hunter X
09. Dec 2014 路 21:11 UTC
I can confirm that my copy of Avast is no longer giving errors after this update (Windows does notify me that it's an unknown publisher, but that's no issue), so I can now proceed with playing the game!

While it's not the first laser/mirrors puzzle game I've played, it's nonetheless very well executed. The graphics are very nice - I especially enjoyed the animation for the new levels being revealed. It did feel a bit short but that's understandable given the time constraints, and I'm interested to see how this framework could be taken further given additional time.

Also, I can contribute somewhat towards diagnosing the control issue; from my end it seems that WASD and the up/down arrow keys are fine, but the left and right arrow keys seem to be rotating the player rather than moving it - if you tap either key and then try to move around the player moves relative to that rotation, resulting in the diagonal movement. Hope this helps!
馃帳 DiegoMustache
09. Dec 2014 路 21:20 UTC
That totally sounds like it could be the issue. Thanks! Hopefully I can sort that out now.
ijwu
10. Dec 2014 路 05:58 UTC
I love the level transitions. It fits the theme very nicely. The graphics and animations were not what I expected. I usually see this genre as 2D pixel art. I really like how you used the existing laser emitters in newer levels. I think it would be awesome to have a level which forces you to point the laser into a past level in order to pass.

Awesome job!
馃帳 DiegoMustache
10. Dec 2014 路 17:57 UTC
Thanks! And I do like that idea. I was considering doing that, and if there are future versions, I likely will!
GoudaGames
10. Dec 2014 路 18:39 UTC
The levels were quite easy, but I like how you go back and use mirrors from the first level. The laser beams look great as well.
paperweight
10. Dec 2014 路 19:28 UTC
Fun game only issue was controls are wonky even with WASD!
johnbrynte
10. Dec 2014 路 19:58 UTC
Visually gorgeous while still keeping it simple and clean, really nice! The last rooms where actually quite challenging, though I would have liked it if there where more elements to the mechanics. I had the same control problems as some others which of course made the gameplay quite tedious.
Technomancer Game Studio
10. Dec 2014 路 20:58 UTC
Nice game! Couldn't figure out the last puzzle, though.
I also had trouble moving about. It seems that the arrow keys spin the player, so the WASD keys stop working as they should.
馃帳 DiegoMustache
10. Dec 2014 路 22:52 UTC
Yes, unfortunately they do. I switched the player controller out at the last minute and overlooked that issue.
goodbadokay
14. Dec 2014 路 14:16 UTC
I like this kind of games and this one is very good implementation of concept
Visuals are great!
rnlf
14. Dec 2014 路 14:31 UTC
Cool game. A bit easy to beat and sound would have been a big plus. I really liked how the level unfolded section after section. Good work!