LudumData

Cascade by Joe Cowman

[raw]
made by Joe Cowman for Ludum Dare 47 (JAM)

Cascade_Cover.png

Cascade is a puzzle game where all your pieces are stuck in a loop. It centers around the concept of colors "cascading" down the screen.

Instructions

The game consists of three play areas: the Key, the Board, and the Viewer. Your goal is to make the Viewer match the Key by moving pieces on the Board.

Cascade<em>Board</em>Layout.png

Drag and drop pieces with the mouse. They move across the board in a loop and connect to other pieces of the same color.

The viewer contains the "cascaded" version of the board. You can think of it like each cell of the Viewer contains the color closest to the bottom of the board in that column.

Cascade Demo.png

When the viewer looks exactly like the key, you win!

Tips

  • Pieces of the same color clump together when they're placed together, so you have to be careful where you drop them.
  • Since the board is moving on a loop, the pieces will frequently split between the end and start of the board. You can use this to break up your larger pieces!
  • The viewer scrolls along with the board. It's okay to build the pattern in the key offset by a few cells, because the viewer will scroll all the way around eventually!
Youtube https://github.com/jcowman2/cascade
Youtube https://jcowman2.github.io/cascade/
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/cascade

Ratings

Overall 1100th 3.3⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1132th 3.053⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 251th 3.85⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Theme 773th 3.65⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1468th 2.325⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 16🗳️ 6🗨️

Feedback

dyguests
06. Oct 2020 · 15:35 UTC
Slightly understand the gameplay. It’s a bit difficult to control, it’s even better if you can pause the scrolling while dragging the mouse.
InefficientChunkOfCode
06. Oct 2020 · 15:44 UTC
Interesting concept!
Krapht
08. Oct 2020 · 00:20 UTC
love the concept but controlling where the pieces land is a bit rough. At times I would be trying to place a piece in an open field of white and for whatever reason it would just tell me I couldn't.
🎤 Joe Cowman
08. Oct 2020 · 00:28 UTC
@krapht Sorry to hear that! Was the piece giving you a highlighted preview of where it was supposed to land, or was it just blank? Maybe there's a bug in there. Thanks so much for playing!
upcharlie
08. Oct 2020 · 00:33 UTC
I thought the mechanics were really cool for a puzzle game, but it was difficult to maneuver the pieces as the rest were moving. Also had the game just crash on me once or twice.
Unicornfrog
08. Oct 2020 · 00:34 UTC
Good mechanics!

In the last ludum we tried to make a game in React, but there was no time to finish :sob:
StellarBearGames
08. Oct 2020 · 00:37 UTC
Alright this puzzle is actually genius. I really need a replay level button though. I kept botching level 3 and had to replay the whole game. I think placing 4-high blocks might be bugged, as if it has to fit pixel perfect before it will highlight. All this game needs is some thinking music and blip sound effects. Very nice!
atmctype
08. Oct 2020 · 00:38 UTC
Mechanic is cool. The scrolling while placing the pieces makes this weird time delay to figure out pieces. While it adds delay (and seemingly difficulty), it ends up being one of those things where the player says, "Man, I wish I could stop the scrolling". It then gets a compounded affect when you try to move a piece and the scrolling forces you to wait for seemingly no reason other than figuring it out faster.
RainyDay2800
08. Oct 2020 · 00:40 UTC
I like the concept. It starts simple but has a lot of potential to grow.
There are pros to having the blocks loop and gameplay elements like you said in your tips, but it makes it really hard to place block consistently. Maybe have it pause when player holds a block, that way you can keep pros of the loop.
Also having the blocks combine is a cool idea, but if you mess up, there's no way to unstick them unless you restart the game all the way to the start. It'd be nice to just restart that level.
Other than that, Great game, keep it up!
Krapht
08. Oct 2020 · 00:40 UTC
@joe-cowman the high light area was not appearing.
DotSquare
08. Oct 2020 · 21:00 UTC
I think the idea is neat but I don’t necessarily see what the loop thing add to the gameplay. The puzzle idea was good enough by itself but I guess you tried to find a way to connect it with the theme ?
As a puzzle game fan I would want to see more with that gameplay, and I think it’s the most important, so congrats ! 👍
Chukwuebuka_racer
09. Oct 2020 · 00:55 UTC
Nice!
StrangerYann
10. Oct 2020 · 15:53 UTC
not gon lie it took me a while to understand one plays the game ^^# but then beyond that it's a great game, pretty fun - gg guys :-D
saurterrs
15. Oct 2020 · 05:06 UTC
Like the game, though sometimes the pieces just don't go where I want to place them )
TotteriLudum
15. Oct 2020 · 10:28 UTC
The concept is smart. It is a really cool idea for a puzzle game. I personally haven't seen anything like it. It's a little unpolished, i experienced a few crashes, and the controls/mechanics can be a bit frustrating, but the idea is really something new, I think.
BjornStahl
17. Oct 2020 · 08:06 UTC
Really nice concept, I like these kinds of puzzle games. I had a little difficulty dragging the blocks though as it usually moved just as I released it, ending up in the wrong place.
DaSpikeyBoss
17. Oct 2020 · 08:13 UTC
Very nice. There is a lot that needs work but it is a very good start. Having the same color join together is a really good gameplay element that makes you consider carefully where you drop your pieces. The levels were also really good.

It might be better if it stopped scrolling or at least slowed down when you were dragging a piece as that sometimes made it really hard to place a piece. That would also probably fix a few bugs related to the scrolling screen that either stop you from placing a piece or allow you to place a piece on top of another piece that is already there.

If you do some work polishing this game up it could turn out really nice.
Good Job.
JoeShanahan
18. Oct 2020 · 11:25 UTC
Once I finally worked out how to split pieces by dragging them when they were half-off the screen, I realised how clever this puzzle mechanic was. As some other people have mentioned, it's very difficult to drag/place while the screen is moving, so perhaps things pausing while you're dragging could help?
Zuvr
18. Oct 2020 · 14:27 UTC
I really like the core gameplay loop and I think the idea fits the theme well.
The whole thing is nicely and smoothly implemented.
All that's missing in my opinion is some juice in order to make the surrounding experience more engaging, music would've been a great start!