LudumData

NAOS 750 AM by niterich

[raw]
made by niterich for Ludum Dare 59 (JAM)

"750 on the AM dial... #1 in our listener's hearts"

This game uses binaural audio. Headphones are highly recommended!

glamor shot1.png

A late-night drive through Mariposa Springs, with a local AM radio deejay to keep you company. He likes the way your headlights sparkle - won't you sparkle back to him?

Repeat the pattern the deejay shows you.

UPDATE 4/23/2026: After a number of complaints, I have released Version 1.1. No new gameplay was added, and the additional development time amounted to less than an hour's work. Nevertheless, for those wishing to review the original release, it is available as a Windows download at the link below.

VERSION 1.1 PATCH NOTES:

  • The steering penalty from incorrect answers has been halved

  • A No-Steer mode has been added, which is toggled by pressing the "N" key

  • The time before the pattern starts repeating has been reduced from 7 seconds to 5 seconds

  • Additional explanatory text has been added

  • Gameplay sections can be skipped by pressing the "P" key (not recommended until after round 2)

Windows (Ver. 1.1) https://nickhenley.itch.io/naos-750-am
HTML (Ver. 1.1) https://nickhenley.itch.io/naos-750-am
Windows(Ver. 1.0) https://nickhenley.itch.io/naos-750-am
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/naos-750-am

Ratings

Overall 421th 3.575⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Fun 503th 3.275⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 202th 3.75⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Theme 267th 4⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 413th 3.775⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Audio 306th 3.575⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Mood 171th 4.075⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 21🗳️ 15🗨️

Feedback

Rocotos
Apr 21st · 18:24 UTC
Gorgeous idea, but the car handling is so confusing that it almost throws you out of the experience.
It's hard to repeat the light pattern, when almost all the time you either got hit by a truck or an electricity pole.
vydra
Apr 23rd · 19:51 UTC
It is very hard to keep car on the road. And also it is very hard to understand what game is want from me. When i flashing in response i hear bad signal. I found out that i need to flash when tower doesn't singal to me but i still don't understand what did i make wrong.
Danibeve
Apr 23rd · 20:01 UTC
The idea and the atmosphere are really cool but i dont understand :(
LDJam user 148539
Apr 23rd · 20:03 UTC
I really enjoyed it, gets a little difficult keeping track of the signal but I liked the atmosphere and mood
Xaklor
Apr 23rd · 20:04 UTC
absolutely nailed it with the atmosphere, I like the setting and I love the concept. unfortunately the gameplay is quite frustrating, there's a lot to keep track of and missing any of the signal lights means having to wait for the loop to repeat all over for you to get it again. the pattern length is also a bit long, which compounds the problem by making you wait longer and longer for a second chance.
jk5000
Apr 25th · 18:57 UTC
A really difficult game, but a fun idea. Overall a good little jam game. Well done.
Roitchie
Apr 25th · 20:41 UTC
Very innovative game - signalling to the radio tower. The music and vibe of this is great. The minigame is a bit difficult but the updated version definitely helps in that regard. I really like the night time country road aesthetic.
!> I wasn't ready for the jump scare of accidently going into the wrong lane and getting hit by a truck
LDJam user 407703
Apr 26th · 01:22 UTC
Really great idea that creates an amazing atmosphere. I am also from a rural area, and driving home in the evening really does look exactly like this. I also found it very realistic how the game shows how hard it is to stay on track when you focus on something else, like the radio or something off the road.

I would love to see you continue working on this and add voice acting for the radio hosts, that would create an incredible atmosphere! Congratulations on this great project!
Shernik
Apr 26th · 05:58 UTC
The tower is cool, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get into the signal.
Conduit
Apr 26th · 06:06 UTC
This was a wonderful concept, felt like Simon Says meets Desert Bus! Absolutely stellar vibe with unique gameplay. Well done!
apt_prose7
Apr 26th · 08:37 UTC
A solid and enjoyable experience overall.
Saffwong
Apr 26th · 16:44 UTC
I really liked the vibe, I love driving/roadtrip games.
PokeyDem
Apr 27th · 02:47 UTC
Interesting idea, and the atmosphere feels really immersive, but I had a hard time figuring out what the game wanted me to do, so it would be nice to include a short tutorial at the beginning
ragtagradical
Apr 27th · 03:13 UTC
good vibes. i do struggle getting the signaling down. the first round i hit it spot on and then i just couldn't find the right timing again.
eloc
Apr 28th · 02:47 UTC
Honestly I wasn't any good at this game, but it is so gorgeous and such a vibe. Love it.
ljol3
Apr 28th · 03:50 UTC
Love that solemn yet peaceful feeling of driving alone at night in the desert.
LDJam user 221561
May 04th · 00:39 UTC
Came here to write a comment like @conduit :) Desert Bus! :rofl: The timing is really tricky!
Ryutoro
May 04th · 11:05 UTC
Good vibe and idea, but I'm not good at minigames haha
Scottyartt
May 09th · 06:58 UTC
This game is hard to play
LDJam user 257640
May 09th · 13:15 UTC
Not sure if game is endless but I did few rounds and had fun multitasking between trying to get the signal and steering the wheel correctly to not get into crash. Also I think it nicely captures the mood of drive at night, with its music, graphics and white noise. I realized later that you can hear music better if you get 750 on radio perfectly, it's kinda fun to me, that you can manipulate how much noise vs music you wanna hear