Your Planet: Too Big by Scriptorum

made by Scriptorum for LD 38 (COMPO)

The alien council has determined your planet is too big!

Nothing against you or your fellow humans, you know, the aliens pretty much think all planets are too big. Lucky for you, they see your potential! They take you with them before pummeling Earth into a (reasonably small) lump of asteroid. You've been promoted to intern space junker, so you can help them in their insane quest for smaller worlds across the galaxy! ... yay!

Details

This is a twist on the game of Collapse, with central gravity. Click on any part of the planet to demolish it and any connected matching terrain. You must reduce the planet to four parts or fewer to pass the level. There are ten regular levels, and then random levels thereafter. Some of the random levels can be super hard. It's random. :)

Spacebar: Continue to next level or restart current level.
Right square bracket: Skip level, you little cheat.

Late Bug Fixes

Ding volume is supposed to be lower, instead of irritatingly loud
Tracker bar highlights get messed up if you start next level before pointer completes movement
Replaying a random mission (level 10+) should reset the original level, not re-randomize
Bombs get misaligned when switching to fullscreen

Tags for Feedback Friends: Unity Web

Original URL

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/your-planet-too-big

Ratings

Overall	135^th	3.667⭐	35🧑‍⚖️
Fun	65^th	3.794⭐	36🧑‍⚖️
Innovation	125^th	3.576⭐	35🧑‍⚖️
Theme	25^th	4.235⭐	36🧑‍⚖️
Graphics	315^th	3.086⭐	37🧑‍⚖️
Audio	255^th	2.939⭐	35🧑‍⚖️
Humor	115^th	3.219⭐	34🧑‍⚖️
Mood	373^th	2.818⭐	35🧑‍⚖️
Given		41🗳️	53🗨️

Feedback

w1n5t0n

24. Apr 2017 · 02:21 UTC

You game is really interesting and fun to play! One thing that was confusing was that I did not know that matching connected terrain can be destroyed with one bomb. Later I saw that you said this in the description, but I think that it would help if you included it in the tutorial. Good luck!

🎤 Scriptorum

24. Apr 2017 · 07:18 UTC

@w1n5t0n Yeah, I hacked up that tute text in the last few hours. Turns out, one liners in stilted alienspeak aren't the best way to communicate a rule set. :smirk:

slimabob

01. May 2017 · 05:26 UTC

Nice work! Very interesting puzzle game. I love the humor, and the patchwork artstyle is very charming! :)

(Also thanks for adding a skip button :p)

elZach

01. May 2017 · 09:08 UTC

Neat physics puzzler. The orcish "dialogue" really sold your idea of being something very simple, which almost feels like a little mockery to the player as the puzzler. I like it.

However why is there only music on the title-screen? Imo the game would've greatly benefited from music during the gameplay elements.

cheers~

_for_science

01. May 2017 · 15:19 UTC

Nice little puzzle game. I like your view on the ludum dare theme and the text mocking me when I loose the level :thumbsup: Good job!

Is it intended that the disappearing planets behave differently when I replay the level with the same clicks?

🎤 Scriptorum

01. May 2017 · 15:59 UTC

@elzach I just ran out of time. I threw the title song together in less than 30 minutes, and it's not very good. :smirk:

@for-science Identical moves and **timing** should have identical results. The physics engine is constantly trying to compress the world, which means that you can get different results by waiting a while or even rushing your next click. Usually, if you wait for the world to "settle," the outcome will be repeatable.

Spaceman

01. May 2017 · 19:42 UTC

This was fun! I actually found it pretty challenging, which was good! Sometimes it was a bit difficult to figure out how my change was going to effect the shape of the planet overall, however. I'm not sure how you could solve this, but I think it would make losing a level a bit more fair.

Zelos

01. May 2017 · 21:30 UTC

What a fun game. I actually love this type of game, and your spin on it is really creative.

I wish there was some kind of atmospheric music playing in the background. The gameplay is very good and I enjoyed playing this a lot. The puzzles themselves have a nice difficulty curve and I never felt like it was unfair. Sometimes the circles wouldn't quite fall like I expected, but I think that was mainly my fault.

Really nice game!

🎤 Scriptorum

01. May 2017 · 21:38 UTC

@spaceman Yeah, it's a result of using continuous physics; I didn't like any of the deterministic options I explored. The game definitely requires you to frequently restart and try small changes. It's mean! :angry:

@zelos Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked it!

RealityCheck

01. May 2017 · 22:54 UTC

Fun little game. However, I could not get past the third puzzle, because the three yellow tiles would not connect properly after destroying the brown and the green. No matter the order or anything. I may be missing something here, but I believe I tried every possible combination of clicking orders, and still could not get the three yellows together (missed about a quarter of an inch).

Anyway - it was a nice little idea, and I would have enjoyed playing further.

KunoNoOni

01. May 2017 · 22:56 UTC

You've hit on something special with this one! I have to say it was quite fun, I found myself hitting quickly just to get back to trying to figure out the puzzle. Good Job!

ruthiepee

01. May 2017 · 23:00 UTC

Wow, I'm terrible at this game! Don't worry, I still love it. :D The dialogue along was funny enough to make me want to keep playing. I got the hang of it right away and got a liiiittle better over time like when I realized you can click on the tiles when they're moving. Reminds me of the old days when puzzle games were actually challenging! The concept of the puzzle itself is really unique and the textures make it all the more charming. Unique application of the theme too, making a world smaller, haha. Nice job.

TomBishopSPG

01. May 2017 · 23:06 UTC

Got stuck on level 3 and then I checked the comments and saw that you wrote that "Turns out, one liners in stilted alienspeak isn’t the best way to communicate a rule set" and then I realized that those one liners were actually hints. When I re-read it I actually did get the subtle hint I needed to click fast which made the physics smash the correct circles together instead of a millimeter apart. I actual prefer comedy and subtle hints and thought it was awesome, I just wish I had know that's what it was. Great game, great idea.

🎤 Scriptorum

02. May 2017 · 02:12 UTC

@realitycheck You've got to remove the green and brown areas in quick succession, before they get a chance to settle. The clue, as @tombishopspg stated, is in the level text. I probably should have made the clue more explicit. You can also hit ] to skip the level.

ArcticMattekar

02. May 2017 · 10:10 UTC

Interesting game mechanics. The tiles reminded me Settlers of Catan. I love your take on the theme. :)

Devastus

02. May 2017 · 12:52 UTC

It's certainly a fun puzzle game. The not-deterministic physics do make the game a little bit harder since a slight change in timing can screw you over big time, but I didn't mind that much. I got a super difficult random level right after I finished the regular ones :P

It's a solid entry. Nice work!

🎤 Scriptorum

02. May 2017 · 18:56 UTC

@devastus Yeah, for some reason world 11 tends to be super hard! It often seems unsolvable, but with persistence I can usually find a solution. It's probably because the random missions have *5 x level* terrain parts, but 1 bomb for every 4 parts. The consequence of rounding down means mission 11 is shorted three-quarters of a bomb. I probably should drive terrain size from the number of bombs, instead of vice versa. :smirk: Mission 15 is hard too, but as the worlds get bigger the loss of a bomb has less impact.

Flaterectomy

02. May 2017 · 21:34 UTC

This is a pretty cool puzzle game, but I noticed that sometimes the results could be a little inconsistent, making it hard to really plan a strategy. The graphics are simple, but not in a bad way. The sounds are pretty good! With a little polish this could easily turn into a full game.

Omiya Games

03. May 2017 · 00:26 UTC

Not bad. There's something satisfying about the camera zooming in as the planet shrinks. I also found the physics to be pretty cool, especially levels that require timing the bombs so the panels touch each other properly. I do think the game gets a bit too difficult at the end. This isn't helped by the fact that the tile movements are not always predictable, making is easy to miscalculate a move.

Baby Dino Herd

03. May 2017 · 00:31 UTC

Just a really fun, thoughtful game. I really like its take on the theme. Spent way longer playing the random levels than I expected!

Smiling Cat Entertainment

03. May 2017 · 00:52 UTC

This is a really fun and addictive little game! I loved the puzzle mechanics and the alien dialogue. Great job.

ryte2byte

03. May 2017 · 21:11 UTC

I like this concept a lot and the backstory is fun fluff. There's some really sticking spots for it being a puzzle game, though. Relying on physics feels like a huge mistake. I've when I perform the same move, I really expect to see the same results. This doesn't always happen. Also, I felt that some of the earlier puzzles (especially that second one) were more difficult than those in the middle.

All that said, I think this is a great prototype and worth exploring further. Good job!

Zorg

04. May 2017 · 06:06 UTC

I really like the mechanics of this game (and i got the hint to click fast). The two layer hexagonal grid is a very clever choice, imho. (In german it's called "Hexagonal dichteste Packung". :D) I think the game would be very fitting for mobile. The colors of the planet are a tad dull. I could imagine a more comical look for the game, alien portrais while chatting, for example. And more detailed landscapes with structures like houses (landmarks), boats, tractors, animals. I would suggest to use a "fantasy" weapon like a big laser instead of bombs in this case.

jin47

04. May 2017 · 08:49 UTC

Really good puzzle game! I found myself retrying so many time to get to the next level that I can say it was fun and I enjoyed playing it. The audio effect and ambient is totally matching the game. Really good job!

Willbl3pic

04. May 2017 · 20:03 UTC

I loved playing this! The aliens' speech was very funny.

🎤 Scriptorum

04. May 2017 · 22:33 UTC

@ryte2byte I think the mistake isn't so much using physics as it is making it a turn-based puzzle. As an action puzzler, under a timer and perhaps with waves of planet tiles coming at you, I think this mechanic would work better. A lack of precision would be expected under those conditions. I didn't spend much effort on a deterministic solution because my physics prototype felt so satisfying when everything smushed together. :grin:

@zorg I concur with all your suggestions! I wanted to add creatures and animate the terrain, but higher priorities intervened. :smirk:

FailedStarfish

05. May 2017 · 20:18 UTC

Interesting twist on the theme and very addictive. A really fun game.

CyberStarLight

07. May 2017 · 20:58 UTC

Really nice game, requires some thinking. I didn't manage to do all the levels :(
The idea reminded me of the book "hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" XD

good work!

AGEE1981

10. May 2017 · 22:46 UTC

I have to say this was an incredibly simple yet fun idea, I just lost almost an hour on this lol, good job :) Would love to see this developed further.

David Cookie

11. May 2017 · 00:31 UTC

Really good game, and one of the best use of the theme I've seen so far! It's just quite some fun to see these chain reactions and to reduce this big world, has a bit of Puyo Puyo vibes into it. It's sometimes hard to predict what will happen with the gravity though, and it's also difficult to make diverse levels with that concept, get quite repetitive.
Maybe an infinite mode like 2080 would be a nice addition. Planets pieces could keep popping as we destroy others, and the goal would be to always have a pair of the same color (or plus) to destroy. It would then be over when all pieces are alone.

Anyway.. it's already a great entry especially for the compo! Graphics are simple but have a unique style, sounds are really good (too bad there's no music ingame) and it's just really satisfying to control and watch. Well done :)

Le Slo

11. May 2017 · 21:26 UTC

Great use of the theme! Fun sounds and achievements, some levels have the perfect difficulty where you can't stop playing until you beat it. There are some problems on the last levels after popping big groups, but nothing serious and I don't know if there is and end screen or if the game "crashed" with the display of the last achievment. Bravo!

BlackRose

11. May 2017 · 23:51 UTC

Its so adictive game! the graphics and the sounds are good. The game its dificult and fun. Love it ^^

🎤 Scriptorum

12. May 2017 · 03:04 UTC

@le-slo There is no end; after ten levels, and the final achievement, if you hit SPACE it should then go onto random missions where the worlds get progressively larger. Did it freeze on you?

tddawson

15. May 2017 · 03:02 UTC

Awesome! I like puzzle games a lot and enjoyed your take on the genre. I do like that the timing matters. It passed the test of "I'm stuck on a level, but I'm not giving up until I get it," so that's a good sign!
Random idea: it might be cool if each of the different tile types made a different sound when destroyed. With a little more polish it could be quite a fun little mobile game, too. Something to consider.

CreamyBacon2

15. May 2017 · 03:09 UTC

Fantastic job!!! I played it for far to long.

fangzhangmnm

15. May 2017 · 08:31 UTC

It's very fun and relaxing

Aggrathon

15. May 2017 · 22:54 UTC

When playing LD games it is always those puzzle games that keeps me playing longer than I had planned, great job!

dunin

16. May 2017 · 16:58 UTC

The twist is a good idea but in the version, something disturbs me: the gravity don't react allways in the same way. I seems that the timing change the order, and in my opinion, it's hard for a puzzle game. When you loose, you want to restart fast, and if you go too fast, things are different, so you try again, etc.
In my opinion it's a bit unfair for a puzzle game, but maybe I am wrong...

but graphics have a nice old fashion touch and I love this little loose sound (TUDUdu...)

Papaver

17. May 2017 · 15:07 UTC

Nice game! I enjoyed playing it. The random levels can indeed be hard. ^^
Congrats!