Hopper by TechnoNugget
Hey guys, this is my submission for LD38.
Once again, I learned a bunch and had an absolute blast doing the jam!
The Game:
It's basically an orbital-platform-shooter type arcade style game thing.
Yeah, I know, kinda weird. But whatever, it's fun and I'm happy with it. The goal is to destroy as many enemies as you can before they get you. Each different type of enemy is worth a different amount of points, and you are rewarded with a score multiplier by doing crazy planetary slingshot trick shots and stuff. Your high score is persistent and stored in your browser's local storage, so if you get a sweet score, it'll stay there even after you shut down your computer.

Links:
Here's what I used:
Development platform - Javascript / HTML5
IDE - SublimeText3 and Notepad++
Content:
All vector graphics are hand coded
Music: made by Macro from OpenGameArt.org
Sound effects: made by SubspaceAudio from OpenGameArt.org
Originally I was aiming to make it into the compo, but unfortunately I had two 8 hour work shifts during that time, so a lot of it was compromised, so I couldn't quite finish it in time. I was, however, able to use this extra day to find awesome music and sounds. So I did that.
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/hopper-1 |
Ratings
| Overall | 76th | 3.962⭐ | 28🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 14th | 4.192⭐ | 28🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 229th | 3.44⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 384th | 3.44⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 384th | 3.52⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 381th | 2.864⭐ | 24🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 376th | 3.25⭐ | 26🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 12🗳️ | 30🗨️ |
Obviously the sound and music aren't judged here but they do complement the game well, and suit the game. More music variation would be nice.
Art style is minimalist and excellent. The vector graphics are impressive, as are all the animations and effects. Also I know I'm not really supposed to look at this but OMG your source code is so neat! Puts mine to shame anyway. I didn't spot any bugs and had a lot of fun. Physics seemed on point, though I kept annoying myself by dying due to friendly fire. Wish I could turn that off. Other than that the difficulty was ok overall.
The C/X system for firing / jumping was a little confusing even after reading the instructions. C and X don't logically relate to those ideas in my mind. It felt restrictive to have to fire vertically and I wonder if mouse input might have been an acceptable alternative. Given the arcade-like vibe of the game though this wasn't a major concern.
Overall I have few complaints with this game. If anything it could be more innovative, or link more closely with the thenem but it's a very impressive showing given the time period it was made in, and I have every confidence it should do well in the scoring. Had lots of fun with it!
The mechanic is awesome, it would be great to see it on mobile. I can see myself playing it on the go :P
Good work!
Also just so you know, the code you were looking at was actually transpiled code generated by BabelJS. The code that I wrote was written in javascript ES6, which isn't compatible with a lot of browsers(but also a lot more understandable to read and write), so I transpiled it to ES5.
I just uploaded the source code though, it is on the itch.io page available for download if your curious about what my source actually looks like.
The only thing I'd be tempted to suggest would be a few sprites here and there, or perhaps more colours? Otherwise, it's a great way to kill time on a computer.
Overall a brilliant game! Well done (:
This would barely need any more polish, it's a game that's ready to publish after some playtesting (to check if there are any bugged situations in unlikely scenarios, and if the input is comfortable enough for most players). Really, really good job.
I'm leaving a rating, and I'm very jealous :D
I had a lot of fun curving long jumps.
I love the minimalism. Would play it on mobile!
I really love the gravity and how it lets you to jump between planets and even launch yourself between over 3 planets!
The trails work as great rewards for hitting your shots and make the hits feel so much sweeter.
I enjoyed this game, it was fun to move and I enjoyed the strategic element of lining up the perfect shot before letting it loose and destroying the enemy. The graphics were simplistic, but really worked in favour of the game, and I liked how when you jumped or shot, there was a trail, that gave the game some extra character. I did find that, whilst the game did keep adding more and more enemies, it just kind of gets monotonous. The music also doesn't loop awfully well, and it was jarring any time that it replayed. Other than that however great game, well done.
I got to around 1,450 I think.
Your idea is really clever and produces a very simple and efficient gameplay. I could easily imagine myself playing it quite often on a mobile device. I liked it very much.
Congratulations !
It certainly is a lot of fun. I ended up always charging my shots and jumping full power and then just going straight since that is easier which is kinda sad since that ignores the gravity part a lot. I think it would be much more interesting if you have to make shots where you have to take the gravity in account and jumping in arks. More space between the planets and the projectiles with big explosions might be a way to go for that. Is is very cool in any case though, jumping around, dodging enemies, shooting at them. Great mechanics! I also like how it displays all the trails but maybe it is bit too much helping.
If you like to check out my game which also plays with planets, gravity and shooting it is called Dots In Space... https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/dots-in-space