LudumData

Connection by Trifectuh

[raw]
made by Trifectuh for Ludum Dare 46 (JAM)

received_1118294845218065.gif

AGENT [REDACTED],

As the last surviving member of [REDACTED] you are hereby tasked with the following mission:

The alien threat has destroyed or commandeered all but one remaining U.B.C.S. (Unmanned Battlecruiser Class Starship). We are confident that this ship can hold off the ongoing invasion, but our opponents are already working to defeat our connection to the cruiser and control it for themselves.

If the connection is lost, Earth is theirs.

Keep it alive.

Instructions (also available in-game)

  • Drag a connection card from your hand (bottom) to an empty slot to play it. Played cards will remove adjacent opposing cards in the direction(s) indicated. You must play 2 cards per turn. Your opponent will play 3.
  • Your opponent's connection cards will disable a slot until you next play a card in it. If all 4 slots in a lane are disabled, that connection will be lost (out of play) permanently. If 2 of the 5 lanes are lost, the game ends in defeat. If a full-board state is reached and you have more active connections than your opponent, you win.
  • Keep 4 of the 5 connections (vertical lanes) active until the turn limit is reached to win the game.

About

Connection is my first solo gamejam submission. All art/music/sounds/code are my own. As such I very much appreciate any and all feedback no matter how harsh or "constructive," so lemme have it.

Tools

  • Godot Engine
  • Paint.NET
  • Ableton Live

Note

  • If you use Brave Browser, you'll need to go 'shields down' on the itch page for the game to load. I'll upload native versions at the deadline.
  • Native exports will be uploaded shortly after submission.
Youtube https://www.github.com/justinwash/ludum-dare-46
Youtube https://justinwash.itch.io/connection
Youtube https://justinwash.itch.io/connection
Youtube https://justinwash.itch.io/connection
Youtube https://justinwash.itch.io/connection
Youtube https://soundcloud.com/trifectuh/connection-theme
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/connection

Ratings

Overall 703th 3.709⭐ 45🧑‍⚖️
Fun 302th 3.83⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 91th 4.068⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Theme 1907th 3.295⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 2035th 2.864⭐ 46🧑‍⚖️
Audio 950th 3.298⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Humor 1922th 2.081⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Mood 1180th 3.417⭐ 44🧑‍⚖️
Given 39🗳️ 52🗨️

Feedback

SarahFrisk
21. Apr 2020 · 03:42 UTC
This was a fun game! Played through a few times once I figured out how the rules worked, it was a great puzzle solving game. Great job!
bklolo
21. Apr 2020 · 03:46 UTC
Creative and fun. I played a few rounds!
ryan123rudder
21. Apr 2020 · 03:49 UTC
Very fun!
Aspect11
21. Apr 2020 · 03:49 UTC
Pretty cool idea ! also the AI is pretty good at playing the right stuff !
Ukumeme
21. Apr 2020 · 03:53 UTC
The game's really fun actually-- I would probably play this again if you expanded on it beyond the jam. My only two gripes are how if you drag a card out but don't actually put it on a slot, it just disappears and that the graphics could use a little desaturation. Other than that, pretty nice (especially the music)
Kosmo
21. Apr 2020 · 04:08 UTC
Managed to win on my first play -- but it had me thinking. Great audio, the background music had my head bobbing and the 'chunk' noise it played when slotting a card was satisfying. My only real complaint is that I didn't see a strong connection to the theme other than trying not to lose.

Overall, I enjoyed the game! Thanks!
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 04:09 UTC
@sarahfrisk thanks so much for playing! Especially multiple times. Wanted to have a better more gradual tutorial but game-jam time constraints and all...

Thanks again!
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 04:10 UTC
@bklolo Thanks for playing! The fact that you played more than one means so much :)
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 04:10 UTC
@ryan123rudder Thanks a ton!
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 04:12 UTC
@aspect11 I actually wanted the AI to be more reactive, but it would probably end up way too hard with the 2/3 turn format. I wanted games to be rather short with a 15 turn limit, but will most likely do something about the AI after the jam.

Anyways thanks so much for playing!
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 04:14 UTC
@ukumeme That disappearing card issue is interesting. I hadn't seen it while testing and would love more info. I do agree graphically. I'd planned to learn how shaders work so I could give the game a cool H A C K E R M A N CRT filter or something, but ran out of time to do so. I am also very happy with how the music turned out and I'm glad you liked it.

Thanks so much for playing!
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 04:18 UTC
@kosmo Glad to hear there was a bit of challenge. balancing difficulty vs play-time is tough in these jams so I'm happy you at least had to think a bit :D

Thanks for the kind words on the music and sfx too. Was fun to make.

Had a hard time coming up with a game under the theme early on and just went with the first thing I thought of, but I totally get that its not as *on-theme* as it could be.

Thanks again for playing!
Scharma
21. Apr 2020 · 04:25 UTC
Very moody, quite inteligent. Took me a minute to get the hang of it, but had a blast when I did. Nice job!
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 04:29 UTC
@scharma Thanks so much for playing! Glad you had a good/challenging experience :)
Ukumeme
21. Apr 2020 · 06:04 UTC
@trifectuh here's a video showing the card disappearing glitch https://youtu.be/XPRq5fP2T0A im still not sure why it does that
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 14:14 UTC
@ukumeme Thanks for taking the time to make a video. Will look into this for sure
Simply
21. Apr 2020 · 16:40 UTC
Well done, Nice game!
Digitom
21. Apr 2020 · 20:03 UTC
Very interesting. I like the concept very unique.
scott.redrup
21. Apr 2020 · 20:27 UTC
Hey very unqiue and interesting take on the theme. There was A LOT of information to try and take on board but in the end you just kind of figure out how to play it. I managed to win on my first try, maybe I got lucky? Can see a lot of people enjoying this kind of game.
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 20:48 UTC
@scott-redrup thanks a lot for playing, and congrats on the win. If it gave you at least a bit of a challenge then I'm happy. Glad you had a good time
Lihpten
21. Apr 2020 · 21:06 UTC
This is a really fun puzzle game! The visuals are good, and the music has that nice synth sound to it a bug where one of my cards got stuck floating off to the side of one of the placements (It's related to trying to place a card on another card, I was too focused on the game to notice much else though.) Over all, this feels a little like a game of chess. I wonder if this would work as a real world card game...
🎤 Trifectuh
21. Apr 2020 · 22:57 UTC
@lihpten thanks for playing! And thanks for the bug report. Will definitely look into it
Herrybiscuit
21. Apr 2020 · 23:34 UTC
Super cool idea. Took me a minute to get use to the rules but was entertained the entire time. Would love to see something like this become a full game (or even a mini-game in a larger game)
TerribleTrioJoe
22. Apr 2020 · 00:11 UTC
Fun game! The gameplay/mechanic was very interesting -I had to think carefully about which cards to play in which positions.
🎤 Trifectuh
22. Apr 2020 · 00:23 UTC
@herrybiscuit Toying with the idea of a more symmetrial 2 player version...
🎤 Trifectuh
22. Apr 2020 · 00:23 UTC
@terribletriojoe thanks for playing! Glad you had fun (and a bit of a challenge)
defectivemelon
22. Apr 2020 · 02:00 UTC
Just want to chime in w/ my enjoyment of this game -- it got tense near the end, but I got lucky with the exact card I needed to take out 3 red cards and make sure I didn't lose another lane on the last turn -- A very cool project, nice job w/ the exposition to fit the theme ;)
slotha
22. Apr 2020 · 02:00 UTC
Really Cool Game! I like the concept! I just barely won the match! (sorry about the extra messages, the website was lagging)
slotha
22. Apr 2020 · 02:02 UTC
Really Cool game! I loved the concept! I just barely won the match! great music too!
slotha
22. Apr 2020 · 02:03 UTC
Awesome Game! I love the concept! I just barely won the match! great music too!
🎤 Trifectuh
22. Apr 2020 · 02:44 UTC
@defectivemelon thanks so much! Glad you had a nice balanced round. Given the random nature it can be a bit... mean (or downright impossible lol)
🎤 Trifectuh
22. Apr 2020 · 02:45 UTC
@slotha liked it enough for 3 whole comments eh? ;) Thanks so much for playing. Really happy you had a good time with it.
Scubes 3.14
22. Apr 2020 · 04:01 UTC
I'm not really a fan of asymmetrical system ( 3 turns vs 2 turns). However, I think it made the game harder, in a good way. The AI was hard to beat, but very satisfying when beaten. Despite the simple rules, the matches were intense.
meelo
22. Apr 2020 · 04:07 UTC
This is a really original concept - there were definitely some emergent phenomena in the gameplay, like realizing that one's opponent's cards might often not be wise to get rid of in order to protect one's own cards. I managed to win twice by following this strategy, although it also made me lose once (sorry, Earth) - so there's definitely some subtlety here. I can see this working really well as a two-player game with some tweaking - at least for my taste, there were somewhat too many variables to track; I could imagine either using smaller hands (e.g. each player having just three cards) or a smaller set of possible tiles (e.g. three kinds of cards are revealed at the start; they are the only cards that will ever be played in that round) creating a more understandable experience. It's quite fun as it is already and I think it has a lot of potential for improvement too - well done.
🎤 Trifectuh
22. Apr 2020 · 04:34 UTC
@scubes-3-14 I actually mostly agree with you. Came down to sinking time into making the AI smarter to create a challenge with a symmetrical format, or allowing the AI to play kindof randomly and creating challenge another way. Ran out of time for option number one, so option number two was the choice. I'm happy with how it turned out.

I'm toying with a multiplayer symmetrical version though. I think that could be really fun. Thanks so much for playing and taking the time to leave feedback!
🎤 Trifectuh
22. Apr 2020 · 04:42 UTC
@meelo thanks a ton for the detailed feedback. It makes me very happy that you made that realization about not removing cards. It's a strategy I've watched a couple of people organically discover and it feels great every time.

I do think I agree that there may be too much to pay attention to, or too many random variables. Things like your suggestions for smaller hand sizes, symmetrical multiplayer mode, or preset decks with certain numbers of certain cards are all things I'll be looking into after a little break from staring at the code :)

Thanks again!
🎤 Trifectuh
22. Apr 2020 · 04:46 UTC
@scubes-3-14 @meelo stepping away from the computer for the night, but will play and rate your games tomorrow. Thanks again for playing
hypermania
22. Apr 2020 · 20:41 UTC
Despite not really being much of a card game person, I actually found this pretty grand. The mechanics were simple, intuitive, and I felt the need to strategize a bit in order to secure a victory. I'd appreciate a smarter opponent, and perhaps some nicer graphics, but altogether this has been one of my favorite LDJ games so far.
mao
22. Apr 2020 · 22:10 UTC
Neat! Not too difficult, but still makes you think. The card draws can mess you up late in the game if you don't get enough arrows, but you can mitigate it by using the less powerful cards by making room for better ones. Love the music as well.
🎤 Trifectuh
23. Apr 2020 · 05:08 UTC
@hypermania thanks so much! I ***also*** wish the opponent was smarter. But then they wouldn't get to play 3 cards while you only have 2 ;) Glad you enjoyed it.
🎤 Trifectuh
23. Apr 2020 · 05:10 UTC
@mao Thanks for playing! I'm glad you found a bit of challenge along with your victory. The music was one of my favorite parts of the jam: Finally stop staring at code for a few hours and just make *sound* happen
Aj Jones
23. Apr 2020 · 06:55 UTC
Really cool entry, unique from most of the others!
Had the card disappearing glitch that others have mentioned.
Audio was really nice as well!
🎤 Trifectuh
23. Apr 2020 · 19:46 UTC
@aj-jones Still working on pinpointing that particular issue. Glad you had a good time regardless, thanks!
Michael Wingfield
24. Apr 2020 · 20:25 UTC
Great concept for a game. I'm super impressed you have a working AI. It beat me a couple times before I started to get the hang of the rules. The art was lacking quite a bit though. Didn't feel much like I was fighting aliens or that I was keeping a data connection alive. Great submission overall though. Thanks!
G.A.GameStudio
24. Apr 2020 · 22:33 UTC
Great game, but it is a little fast and confusing and it sometimes bugs out. Great work though.
🎤 Trifectuh
24. Apr 2020 · 22:44 UTC
@michael-wingfield thanks so much for playing, glad you had a good time :) I wish I'd had more time to pretty things up, make it more hackery and computery and alieny, so fully agree with you on the presentation. Happy overall with how it came out tho.

I'll give your game a play later tonight or tomorrow! Thanks again!
🎤 Trifectuh
24. Apr 2020 · 22:45 UTC
@g-a-gamestudio hey thanks a bunch! I'd be curious to know what bugs if you remember off the top of your head. I do agree that 15 turns is a little quick, but maybe too long would be worse?

Appreciate your input a ton! I'll give your game a play tonight or tomorrow
G.A.GameStudio
24. Apr 2020 · 22:49 UTC
@trifectuh so the bug was that when you hold a card two cards would appear, one on the edge of the screen and one that you are holding. The card that you would be holding would be blank and the one on the edge had the symbols. Then when you place down the card, it would be empty.
G.A.GameStudio
24. Apr 2020 · 22:49 UTC
So yeah.
disperse
25. Apr 2020 · 00:53 UTC
After I figured out the board control was related to the last layer who controlled the square rather than which card was there presently I was able to win a couple games. Interesting strategic game, great solo entry!
🎤 Trifectuh
25. Apr 2020 · 03:08 UTC
@g-a-gamestudio Thanks for getting back to me with that report. I think a few people have had that happen. Still trying to replicate it but I'll figure it out eventually. Glad it didn't ruin your experience.
🎤 Trifectuh
25. Apr 2020 · 03:10 UTC
@disperse Hey glad you had fun! Given more time there would've been way more of a tutorial, so I'm glad you were able to figure it out and start strategizing. Thanks so much for playing. I'll give you a rate/comment tomorrow :)
sky_fighter
25. Apr 2020 · 07:38 UTC
Took me a while figure out how to play, but once I did it became a very fun puzzle like game
FabiGhindaru
25. Apr 2020 · 17:19 UTC
It was actually very creative, good job! ^^
🎤 Trifectuh
26. Apr 2020 · 06:30 UTC
@sky-fighter thanks for sticking with it. Glad you had a good time!
🎤 Trifectuh
26. Apr 2020 · 06:30 UTC
@fabighindaru thanks so much :)
monkeyDvrus
26. Apr 2020 · 20:25 UTC
Very cool! Nice song and good game
🎤 Trifectuh
26. Apr 2020 · 21:02 UTC
@monkeydvrus Appreciate you playing. Thanks a ton :)
WillyPa
27. Apr 2020 · 07:37 UTC
Great game and great music!
Whiteseraph
27. Apr 2020 · 11:59 UTC
It's a good game and I had fun playing it. It's easy to pickup. Note - the AI can fill a lane and close it in 1 turn if he has only one card of his own on it. Happened to me and It's very hard to prevent him to do so strategy-wise. I'm not sure the logic you are using behind the hood on how the AI places the cards, but might try imposing a limit of 2 cards/per lane/per turn if other lanes still have empty slots.

Try going for a compo if you are doing everything solo, this would have been a very strong compo entry!
🎤 Trifectuh
27. Apr 2020 · 19:04 UTC
@willypa Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it!
🎤 Trifectuh
27. Apr 2020 · 19:08 UTC
@whiteseraph Hey thanks for the thoughtful comments, I'm glad you enjoyed the game! I have seen the immediate lane-loss in a few of my test games. Have a few ideas on how to make it a less frequent occurrence.

And I'd love to submit to compo one of these days. Lost all of Saturday during this one so wasn't really a possibility this time.

Thanks again :)
AdamV
28. Apr 2020 · 03:25 UTC
Fun puzzle game! I'm not sure I completely grasped the mechanics, but I was able to win so I guess I knew what I was doing :sweat_smile:
🎤 Trifectuh
28. Apr 2020 · 04:58 UTC
@adamv consider going pro in the MWC (Midwest Connection) circuit. We pay out millions in prizes and I'm definitely joking.

Glad you had a good time. If you have any questions about the specific rules of the game let me know. Cramped for time at the end of the jam and didn't get the tutorial in that I wanted to include.
TheDecider
28. Apr 2020 · 17:46 UTC
Love it! Really smooth controls on phone we're surprising but appreciated. I could see myself dumping hours into this game on a mobile app btw.
🎤 Trifectuh
28. Apr 2020 · 20:28 UTC
@thedecider Thanks dude! Hopefully we're not on lockdown in October so we can team up on the next one.
CataclysmicKnight
02. May 2020 · 05:19 UTC
I really like this game!! I could totally see this as a tabletop game as well, and there was a LOT of tension as I was throwing cards down and hoping that I wouldn't end up getting knocked out. I lost a column around turn 8 or 9 and it was a real tug of war! Very well done, my fav LD entry thus far :smile:
Epicload
02. May 2020 · 05:29 UTC
Cool game and interesting gameplay!
🎤 Trifectuh
02. May 2020 · 17:01 UTC
@cataclysmicknight Thank you so much for your comments, both here and on itch. Glad you had a good time!
🎤 Trifectuh
02. May 2020 · 17:02 UTC
@epicload Thanks for playing!
CataclysmicKnight
02. May 2020 · 21:18 UTC
I sure did @trifectuh, and if you end up doing more with this game lemme know, I'm definitely interested!
🎤 Trifectuh
06. May 2020 · 06:35 UTC
@cataclysmicknight there may or may not be a multiplayer version in the works ;)
CataclysmicKnight
08. May 2020 · 23:25 UTC
@trifectuh That would be AMAZING!