LudumData

Smash ball by Sivael

[raw]
made by Sivael for LD 39 (COMPO)

Your power is running out.

Smash into blocks to break them.

Pick up blocks that fall out when they turn blue.

Grow big.

Reach as high score as possible.

Right click to gather energy.

Made in Unity.

Windows app: http://sivael.gensys.pl/Windows1.1.zip

Mac app: http://sivael.gensys.pl/Mac1.1.app.zip

Linux app: http://sivael.gensys.pl/Linux1.1.zip

Web app: http://sivael.gensys.pl/Web1.1/

Please note that this game is physics heavy; if you dont run crazy it should work ok. For full experience please use native builds :)

Source: http://sivael.gensys.pl/Assets.7z

Controls:

Just press left mouse button.

The further you go from the ball, the faster you go but it uses more energy too.

Scroll up and down to get the camera close/far to the ball.

POST COMPO CHANGES:

  • BUGFIX: I've fixed a bug that made the ball grow wayyyy too large (was linear, was supposed to be sqrt-based)
  • BUGFIX: Walls being two sided and ocasionally obscuring view
  • BUGFIX: You could scroll below the bottom of the game with the mouse wheel
  • BUGFIX: Performance problems (introduced lower sound effect thresholds, added sound and game object pools to reduce the GC pressure)
Source code Http://sivael.gensys.pl/Assets.7z
HTML5 (web) Http://sivael.gensys.pl/Web1.1/
Windows Http://sivael.gensys.pl/Windows1.1.zip
macOS Http://sivael.gensys.pl/Mac1.1.app.zip
Linux Http://sivael.gensys.pl/Linux1.1.zip
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/smash-ball

Ratings

Overall 510th 2.983⭐ 62🧑‍⚖️
Fun 177th 3.467⭐ 62🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 420th 2.9⭐ 62🧑‍⚖️
Theme 586th 2.833⭐ 62🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 489th 2.783⭐ 62🧑‍⚖️
Audio 490th 2.035⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Humor 413th 1.981⭐ 55🧑‍⚖️
Mood 571th 2.228⭐ 59🧑‍⚖️
Given 58🗳️ 42🗨️

Feedback

Virtual Turtle Studio
31. Jul 2017 · 11:12 UTC
I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL!!

Seriously though, smashing through cubes like crazy is really fun! I think there is some good potential for a game here. For now (I think because of time restraints) there is an end-goal missing, but I like the mechanics.
LogFlames
31. Jul 2017 · 12:34 UTC
Nice game. My only complaint is that I got HUGE lag spikes. Other then that is was fun!
quixatocs
31. Jul 2017 · 12:43 UTC
Super fun smashing stuff! Got some lag with the web version, but still real fun.
RootPew
31. Jul 2017 · 12:46 UTC
Smashing through those cubes is hella fun, but some big lag spikes. Try switching off rigidbodies on objects which aren't within the player's view - especially on those big structures. It'll help a lot with that :)
🎤 Sivael
31. Jul 2017 · 13:09 UTC
Yup, I'm planning on optimizing endgame with slower ball size and higher ball mass increases so that you can crush stuff with your weight later.

Thanks for the feedback!
jharler
31. Jul 2017 · 14:44 UTC
Very cool. I really liked the visuals and it was great fun getting the ball up to speed to knock over entire towers of blocks. Nice work.
ryzy27
31. Jul 2017 · 15:41 UTC
Nice idea, but my PC started glowing from temperature :) Perfect camera movement and controls. Reminded me of Carmageddom for some reason. Also I think you forgot to put 2 walls in or maybe change materials.
uzyfeo
31. Jul 2017 · 16:07 UTC
It could surely be optimized better but overall, pretty fun!
xonic
31. Jul 2017 · 17:14 UTC
The camera and physics are amazing! I think this game has a lot of potential, smashing into those blocks is very satisfying. Great job!.
Thorneto
31. Jul 2017 · 17:28 UTC
Frame rate was bad but the game was actually fun!
Game_Coder28
31. Jul 2017 · 18:04 UTC
Great work, although the controlls were a bit weird and i didnt get the right-click to get energy thing
hhsaez
31. Jul 2017 · 18:46 UTC
It's always fun to smash things!
Frame rate was great on my computer.
Nice work!
Hephyrius
31. Jul 2017 · 18:56 UTC
Frame rate was really bad when the ball is moving fast. I think the concept is pretty unique given the theme.
filippy
31. Jul 2017 · 19:21 UTC
The web version ran at like 1fps for me, I downloaded the windows version and it ran just fine. really neat game, very satisfying to just crash into things and watch them explode into pieces. there's some things happening when you manage to "jump" by using fallen cubes as ramps
loyance
31. Jul 2017 · 19:28 UTC
Felt oddly satisfying to crash into stuff

Some more possibilities (like upgrades maybe?) would be nice
🎤 Sivael
31. Jul 2017 · 19:46 UTC
I do have a lot of new ideas there but as I've finished the compo I'd like to hold off with changes until the results come in.
g-o
31. Jul 2017 · 19:58 UTC
Oddly satisfying indeed, and sorta no-brainer as well..
It's like a weird rage therapy or something XD

For some reason the frame rate dropped after a certain point to downright unplayable.
My guess is the amount of entities. Now my computer is kinda old but I don't think it's THAT old, it still runs Crysis 2 for example just fine.
Except for that graphics were actually quite nice.
🎤 Sivael
31. Jul 2017 · 20:21 UTC
I think that when there's a lot of non-sleeping entities it starts lagging. but if you gather the energy it should not lag as much anymore.
Badly Drawn Rod
31. Jul 2017 · 20:32 UTC
Smashing into things was fun, and I like the minimalist graphics. The camera went underneath the world at one point, which made things a bit confusing.
🎤 Sivael
31. Jul 2017 · 20:40 UTC
I discovered that at one point if you scroll too much it will do that. will be issuing a fix.
GanbareGamesKyle
31. Jul 2017 · 20:53 UTC
It's a fun experience. Unfortunately, Unity is not the tool to use for physics simulations. The game ended up getting to an unplayable framerate on desktop.
notime4games
31. Jul 2017 · 20:56 UTC
Crashing stuff was fun, but it was way too laggy for me when playing web version
Starlight Glimmer is best poney
31. Jul 2017 · 21:43 UTC
I like physics-based Unity games, and this one is no exception. It fits the theme just right and it belongs to r/oddlysatisfying. My only concern is that after ~300k points I was sent flying and things started getting ridiculous:![screenshot.png](///raw/f90/1/z/6efe.png)
🎤 Sivael
31. Jul 2017 · 21:46 UTC
It indeed needs some polish and endgame scaling :)
Cristi Mihai
31. Jul 2017 · 21:56 UTC
How come you didn't name it Wrecking Ball? :)
🎤 Sivael
31. Jul 2017 · 22:06 UTC
Didnt think of it xD
Shaolin Dave
31. Jul 2017 · 22:43 UTC
Tried the web version and it was very laggy. Probably physics causing it but it could have been all those dynamic lights also. Doesn't really fit the "losing power" theme, more about "losing mass"
Triastase
31. Jul 2017 · 22:46 UTC
Unsurprisingly, smashing things is really fun! The game fits the theme and is just a good game.

There are just two main things you could improve, if you wanted to take this further: Performance (as others have already stated), and a higher probability of losing the game. I basically could do anything without running out of power (which was good for having more fun at the beginning, but it makes it less challenging and interesting).
Johnnyc1423
31. Jul 2017 · 23:24 UTC
Surprisingly satisfying, nice job!
dalbinblue
01. Aug 2017 · 01:35 UTC
Final score 660602. Entire screen was ball, entire life is ball. BALL.

As a serious note, this feels like a physic engine test more than a game, but that's not a bad thing. This is the kinda thing you get a few people together and just laugh and go nuts as the game get gets more ridiculous. You've also gotten a good base for a collection of games, with minimal extra work you can make a ton of great games that can be strung together in one cohesive unit based on smashing things with a ball. Two player combat, time trials, single shot high score runs, attack and defend specific buildings. Small variations can make a great party game. I did have a lot of fun until of course the entire screen was filled by ball.
g-o
01. Aug 2017 · 04:43 UTC
@sivael
Yeah I guessed as much
I did try but it wasn't easy to get all the little ones.. and the map didnt feel small after collecting so much haha
It was really a task.. I felt like garbage collector :p

I think making this a little more efficient could go a long way. Maybe calculating physics of those nearby only and compensating for the others later?
Definitely something creative has to be done if you want to keep the pieces moving even after they turn blue.
🎤 Sivael
01. Aug 2017 · 09:42 UTC
@g-o made a few bugfixes, including performance optimization.
THanks for the testing and thanks to all for the valuable feedback !
Kthulhu1947
01. Aug 2017 · 16:50 UTC
Nice game. Kind of bothered by the script just in front of the ball but it's ok.
Keep moving Forward
g-o
01. Aug 2017 · 18:10 UTC
@sivael
Awesome job! Now I can keep on smashing stuff ^^
Srry took so long I really wish the tagging system actually did something..
Rushar
01. Aug 2017 · 22:53 UTC
Satisfying to play. I had a bit of lag on web and couldn't extract the files from the .zip windows download. The lag wasn't bad enough to take away from the fun though. Really creative game and it looks great too. Thanks for the entertainment!
kevinworkman
02. Aug 2017 · 02:23 UTC
This was a neat toy, maybe not a game though- and that's completely okay! I could see this being polished into a more full game, maybe with the cubes being rendered as buildings? The ball might be a runaway wrecking ball, and you smash up a city for points? That actually sounds pretty fun!
Terribly Awesome Games
02. Aug 2017 · 04:39 UTC
What I liked:

I think the concept is inherently fun. Destruction is always gratifying.

I like the Jenga-esque physics of the towers

What I think can improve:

You might consider using some non-orthogonal bounding geometry (not a box) such as bowl or half pipe so that you can gain speed and take curves better.

The textures on the towers could vary in color and material so that different one are easier and harder to knock down.

Overall an interesting thing!
oab
02. Aug 2017 · 07:40 UTC
Nice game. I am not sure ball stuck or game getting slow. It stuck behind the blocks and ball hidden from camera.
AJ Weeks
02. Aug 2017 · 09:50 UTC
Fun, physics-based mechanic! Not sure how it fits into the theme really, power management never really became something I had to consider. One thing I would recommend is naming your zip file with the name of your game, that way when downloading a bunch of games at a time I can still tell which is which. Good work overall! :slight_smile:
Johngun
02. Aug 2017 · 10:44 UTC
It's always fun to smash stuff and make a mess. It's simple but a lot of fun and a nice take on the theme. My highscore is 8035482 and my final size is 49.79.

Good job
🎤 Sivael
02. Aug 2017 · 13:49 UTC
@aj-weeks Will change the uplload names, that will be better. thanks for the suggestion.
gonutz
03. Aug 2017 · 22:48 UTC
This is very basic, graphics sound and gamplay. It seems to me like you have just used a generic physics engine to make a generic physics simulation. It almost looks like it could be a tutorial from the engine but I don't know unity and this is not an accusation, it is just that this has nothing really personal. It is giving me really nothing. I rather like games where people put in their own touch and personality, that can be in sound, graphics or gameplay in many ways.

Still I know you worked hard in your 48 like we all have so please do not let my honest review get to you, making a game in 48 hours is very hard and you have completed one so be proud of yourself. It is just that maybe next time you could do something crazy, something of your own, that only you would come up with :-)
BobbyTables
04. Aug 2017 · 03:36 UTC
Great game! I had a blast just rolling around smashing everything in sight. Definitely not in the scope of the Ludum Dare, but it would be cool to have an entire town to smash! :) Thanks for making this.
Aterlamia
04. Aug 2017 · 16:50 UTC
Fun to play for a few minutes but a bit basic. It was a bit to heavy for the web version. I guess to many blocks that needed to be rendererd.
🎤 Sivael
05. Aug 2017 · 07:36 UTC
@aterlamia - it's not the rendering that's slow, it's the physics.
I tried smaller spaces to roll in and lower amount of blocks but it wasnt as fun then.
I'll be trying to package this and make it into a real game (with coop and possibly enemies and bosses you need to smash into) that's aimed at sitting on the couch with a few buddies and smashing stuff on screen :D I think it could use a few particle effects, more lighting and better physics optimization.

@gonuts - My idea was to roll around and smash things while using up and gathering energy. I can't do 3D modelling at speeds required for compo so I simply generated a few hundred textures and selected a few to put onto the objects. While admittedly not perfect, it was the idea I had. You might not have enjoyed it, but I playtested it heavily to make the smashing fun and satisfying; many of the user reviews appreciated that.

@bobbytales - Happy You enjoyed that :D