Starhook by sparksgently
What would be simpler than Pong? What if there was only one paddle?
And, what if the goal of the game was to minimize your paddle until it was gone?
You are a starhook operator on an intergalactic transport. Catch stars with your starhook to harness their energy. More energy means your spaceship will go faster, however, you will experience time more slowly. The faster you go the more energy you will consume. (when going very fast, you may experience timespace distortions, as if you actually had multiple starhooks.) Gather enough energy and you'll activate the starhook's hyperdrive -- then your job is done.
I recommend playing this with a mouse (web) or a gamepad (Windows only, afaik), if possible. Using the left/right keys is a bit unwieldy. I didn't quite finish tweaking this, however, it should be challenging yet beatable for many players. It usually takes me 1-2 minutes for a single playthrough; but then, I've been playing it all weekend.
Unfortunately, I didn't get around to adding the running commentary of your co-pilot, nor music. I'm still glad to have completed a game for my first LD48.
Please note: If the game runs at a normal speed when you start the game, FRAME RATE CHANGES ARE INTENTIONAL (most likely).
To those who want to look at the source: I apologize. It's a mess. Lots of last-minute hacks that were unencumbered by the thought process, especially where math is concerned.
And, what if the goal of the game was to minimize your paddle until it was gone?
You are a starhook operator on an intergalactic transport. Catch stars with your starhook to harness their energy. More energy means your spaceship will go faster, however, you will experience time more slowly. The faster you go the more energy you will consume. (when going very fast, you may experience timespace distortions, as if you actually had multiple starhooks.) Gather enough energy and you'll activate the starhook's hyperdrive -- then your job is done.
I recommend playing this with a mouse (web) or a gamepad (Windows only, afaik), if possible. Using the left/right keys is a bit unwieldy. I didn't quite finish tweaking this, however, it should be challenging yet beatable for many players. It usually takes me 1-2 minutes for a single playthrough; but then, I've been playing it all weekend.
Unfortunately, I didn't get around to adding the running commentary of your co-pilot, nor music. I'm still glad to have completed a game for my first LD48.
Please note: If the game runs at a normal speed when you start the game, FRAME RATE CHANGES ARE INTENTIONAL (most likely).
To those who want to look at the source: I apologize. It's a mess. Lots of last-minute hacks that were unencumbered by the thought process, especially where math is concerned.
Ratings
| Coolness | 32% | 1689 |
| Overall | 3.05 | 690 |
| Audio | 2.19 | 853 |
| Fun | 3.20 | 359 |
| Graphics | 3.05 | 540 |
| Innovation | 3.30 | 411 |
| Mood | 2.63 | 802 |
| Theme | 3.40 | 694 |
@sol_hsa: what are your specs? it should have sound. minimal sound, but satisfying bounce sounds nonetheless.
@swizzcheez: as your paddle gets smaller the game slows down intentionally. Was this what you experienced? I've had a report of it running slowly throughout in Opera.
Was fun to play, but I found myself not really caring about the other paddles after a while. After three there's too many to really focus on, and if you're using the mouse like I was the speed to move the paddle to where any other paddle would be was minimal anyway.
Liked the idea of gathering energy though and the graphics were cool, needed a potato :)
I also really, really wish that I had included the pitch-shifting for audio that I had intended, which I think would have helped people realize that the slowing down was intentional. I doubt that many people will experience *actual* performance issues with this game.