Pianobots by fonserbc

[raw]
made by fonserbc for LD 42 (JAM)

cover<em>ld.png Pianobots_ is a game about bots performing a concert on a one-octave piano together. Their timing is perfect, but they are not in tune.

Can you make these bots perform in harmony without them clashing onto each other? Will the audience approve?

Play with your mouse. Turn on your sound.

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Composition and Level design by YenTing Lo

Development and 2d Art by Ferran Bertomeu

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Ratings

Overall 253th 3.717⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Fun 541th 3.283⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 3th 4.433⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Theme 552th 3.55⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 480th 3.583⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Audio 34th 4.117⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Humor 306th 3.152⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 307th 3.455⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Given 29🗳️ 7🗨️

Feedback

phantomopenboxing
13. Aug 2018 · 20:06 UTC
Very unique game! I really enjoy the different approach you took to the theme!
akemala
13. Aug 2018 · 20:17 UTC
Oh boy, I am so not into music :) Couldn't create a single bearable sound at all. However very nicely done. Also check out and rate my game /42/theguardianoftengrimountain
Donitz
13. Aug 2018 · 20:21 UTC
Nice! It can be a bit hard to know which part of the song you're trying to play (if you're familiar with them), but the piano bots are still a cool mechanic.
🎤 fonserbc
14. Aug 2018 · 10:15 UTC
We really couldn't test the levels with outsiders, but even for us the levels take a certain time.
The pieces just feel awkward when they are out of tune, but once you find the right combination everything sounds good :)
That is why we didn't force players to beat each level, but rather leave it open to try any of them.
Ithildin
14. Aug 2018 · 14:18 UTC
This is really original! It takes a while to try all combinations (probably someone with a better ear can pick up the required key changes faster) and find one that sounds well, and I got hooked.

As expected, the rest of the sound design overall is really solid, with the audience reactions, and graphics are well done and functional. Congrats!
Necromic
15. Aug 2018 · 13:11 UTC
Ey, very unique idea for a game. Pretty fun to play and experiment with different the bots when you know shit about music. Also, lovely sound effects for missing.
chaitae
15. Aug 2018 · 18:24 UTC
Whispering stereo is a nice effect. Sent chills down my spine. I think i'd add more queues for the user to tell they are going the right direction.
sqrrel
16. Aug 2018 · 16:43 UTC
Cool! I've been racking my brain trying to finish this game
Jupiter_Hadley
17. Aug 2018 · 14:11 UTC
Very cute game! I included it in my compilation video series of the Ludum Dare 42 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/argzN59wywI
velvetlobster
18. Aug 2018 · 02:15 UTC
I kinda suck in this game, but I see the idea
SuperEndeg
18. Aug 2018 · 07:51 UTC
The idea is really interesting. And audience reactions made process relly fun. On second playthrough I discovered that audience also do idle whispering.

Hovewer figuring out combination can be pretty frustrating: didn't manage to solve last piece.

Really nice game overall!
smbe19
22. Aug 2018 · 18:26 UTC
Interesting idea but a bit hard to understand.
wolar
23. Aug 2018 · 18:11 UTC
To be honest I didn't really understood how to play the game. But even though I finished only first level by chance I still enjoyed listening to those nice piano tunes.
dikkop
23. Aug 2018 · 18:22 UTC
Cool Concept! Also works really well, it could use a bit more feedback in how close you are to the real thing (maybe through the audience?)
Diaxcor
23. Aug 2018 · 18:29 UTC
so i didn't quiet understand it please make it a little bit clearer and just keep in mind that not all the people know how to tune well and good job x)
Roman Petrov
23. Aug 2018 · 21:31 UTC
As a musician myself, I had fun playing this game. I think you came up with a unique mechanic. I also loved the audience audio.
lekkel124
23. Aug 2018 · 23:13 UTC
I completely got hooked up.

You managed to make such a game that can suit both players who have don't know anything about music, and players who do, as you can either try to randomly find the right solution (which still is fun) or try to find it as quickly as possible.

The graphics are very lovely, and the concept fits in a clever way the theme.
And hearing the spectators applaude, react, hum and cough makes the whole experience very dynamic and "alive".

The only complaint I have is that it can be quite tedious to turn on the robots when the music failed. I think the noise of the robot arms colliding with an animation would have done the job.

Good job ^^
axoona
25. Aug 2018 · 18:32 UTC
very interesting game. has lot's of potential :)

I think it would be easier if the sequence always started on the same note even after after failure so synchronizing synchronizing of the robots would be much eased.
King Kujito
27. Aug 2018 · 22:54 UTC
My favorite LD42 entry so far
SheldonZS
31. Aug 2018 · 16:39 UTC
Interesting idea. Unlike most of the other games where running out of space is a hindrance, I found it to actually be helpful, i.e. when you have a collision, it helps rule out a combination quickly and far more obviously than trying to figure out which ones are correct musically, especially since having a discordant note or two doesn't make it wrong.

Maybe you should put in a "hint" on what the key signature means for people who are less educated musically, I had to double check what the diatonic notes were for the dorian mode!
atmospherium
31. Aug 2018 · 17:50 UTC
Really cool take on the theme. One of the more unique music-driven LD entries I've seen and very well executed. I think you found a good balance in difficulty by making it possible to solve with a bit trial and error but also allowing people who are familiar with basic music theory to have a bit of a leg up. The music felt like it was the right level of complexity to allow clashing notes to be common in the wrong circumstance, but not so complex that the player just gets lost in the cacophony. It must have been an interesting challenge to write the pieces with that in mind. Well done.
aemiliu5
31. Aug 2018 · 18:04 UTC
Great entry! I'm not really familiar with some music terminology so it made playing the game a bit tricky but it was an enjoyable experience overall :D
danielblanco3d
31. Aug 2018 · 18:16 UTC
Amazing idea for this ludumdare theme! Difficulty is really hard for me, maybe because I don´t know anything about dorian armony...Congrats! So cute little robots...
jordantanner
31. Aug 2018 · 19:56 UTC
Definitely an innovative approach to the theme! Nice work on the compositions-- that had to be a challenge making it the right difficulty and level of complexity.