Switchboard by James_7777

[raw]
made by James_7777 for Ludum Dare 59 (JAM)

Switchboard is an atmospheric, noir inspired game about working in a telephone exchange, connecting calls to their requested destinations.

In the game, you get calls from people requesting for their port to be connected to another specific port, however, they won't know the port number, so you need to check your paperwork to figure out which port to send their signal to. Once you know the port, use the cables to connect them together, and hope you got it right!

Try to earn enough money across all three days...

If you are having problems (like lighting issues) with the browser version, please download the windows/linux build :)

Controls: - Look Left/Right: A, D - Change Clipboard Page: A, D - Interact/Pick-up: Left Click - Drop: Right Click

image4.png image.png

Ratings

Overall 72th 4.107⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Fun 193th 3.732⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 280th 3.607⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Theme 62th 4.375⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 206th 4.155⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Humor 284th 3.192⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Mood 19th 4.5⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 40🗳️ 35🗨️

Feedback

kristinamay
Apr 20th · 16:01 UTC
This is sooooo polished for a jam game!! I fiddled around with making a switchboard game a couple of years ago, but this is way better than my concept. I like the different ways of determining the correct connection, it's like 911 operator meets Papers, Please. I'd totally play a full game like this, great work.
msipp27
Apr 20th · 17:52 UTC
Instructions were a little unclear at first but i only missed 2 calls so overall i guess it's a little too easy
vanny96
Apr 20th · 20:10 UTC
Very nice game, the mood was great and the concept is executed very well. Text was a bit hard to read on my screen, perhaps due to the pixel effect. Some calls felt like I couldn't find an entry at all into the registry, perhaps I missed something there myself though!
LDJam user 428646
Apr 21st · 01:03 UTC
What an amazing entry! I agree with vanny96 that the text is a bit hard to read, but it's not a dealbreaker by any means. I like that you didn't try to turn this into a time-based game where you're rushing against the clock, but I feel like the puzzles need a bit more sauce. They're pleasant to do, but they don't have any real challenge to them. You can play the whole game using only one cable, which feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. Maybe you could require that each line has to stay on for a certain amount of turns until you can move it? I can already see some holes in my suggestion, but I hope you can see what I'm getting at. Great game though! I loved how it told its story through the gameplay, and all the little ambient sound effects in the background really built up the atmosphere. Good work!

![legs.png](///raw/66a/86/z/7175c.png)
PastMoments
Apr 21st · 01:05 UTC
Excellent mechanics, pretty fun and very moody. Only complaint is the pixel effect on the text makes it hard to read.
dan-whiffing
Apr 21st · 01:20 UTC
Great game! Very moody and polished. Didn't understand what the tutorial meant about the connecting call at first, but understood after the first day. I swear Newgold warf isn't there. I looked for several minutes and couldn't find it. Also a bold font would make a big difference in readability. Missed the good ending by one call! Nice work
LDJam user 424326
Apr 21st · 06:38 UTC
I really like this noir atmosphere—it creates a melancholic mood
Sometimes it’s genuinely hard to understand what the people on the other end of the line want
Awwwz
Apr 21st · 09:31 UTC
looks nearly like a black and white silent film...immersive! the leading is very clear! the sound effect is great, love the part that the game keeps quiet for most of the time
Occastral
Apr 21st · 17:35 UTC
This game was quite fun. Loved the loop of needing to check ports on the clipboard. My only critique is that the text was quite hard to read with the pixel effect. Overall thought, it was very well executed. Great work!
Alex de la Cour
Apr 21st · 21:35 UTC
Timmy got his legs! And I had a whole wallet busting 50c left over. Good stuff here, I like the chill noir mood and the whole thing played really well and felt slick. Only criticism is sometimes it's hard to see the numbers under the wire.
Prussichger
Apr 22nd · 12:54 UTC
I like the atmosphere!
CodeChomper
Apr 23rd · 00:11 UTC
So that was fun! Great entry, I had to play twice to get the hang of looking up the ports on the clipboard. I got new legs!!! Glad there wasn't a timer or multiple calls coming in at once lol.
bigfatgua
Apr 23rd · 04:43 UTC
This is such a well-polished piece of work, I really enjoyed it. I especially love the soundscape—the constant rain outside the window and police sirens created such an immersive atmosphere. Great attention to detail!
Leophyte
Apr 23rd · 11:01 UTC
Very nice atmosphere and visuals, altough the HD text bubbles are a bit out of place lol

Also the pixel post process is making some of the texts a bit harder to read but not enough to prevent you from playing so it's ok

The gameplay is nice, maybe a bit too easy/repetitive, it could use some more variation

Love me some noir games, good work :)
nikitose
Apr 23rd · 14:55 UTC
wow so noir!!! cool
LDJam user 427605
Apr 24th · 03:33 UTC
Great noir vibe. Nice music. Nice animations.
But in my opinion, the filters applied to the graphics really made it difficult to read the text; it hurt my eyes, haha.
Anyway, the game turned out wonderful and atmospheric.
You guys are great!
ouchyzapgun
Apr 24th · 03:41 UTC
excellent
Volkolak
Apr 24th · 11:43 UTC
I made it to The Legs End. On the last day I had already got the hang of it and didn’t make any mistakes. Cool style and good implementation!
nerdyHerbivore
Apr 25th · 19:32 UTC
Made it to the legs end! My favorite part was the figure in the window, loved the atmosphere and simple gameplay. Can definitely see you fleshing this out more to tell a story, can see the beginnings of something good with the alien mentions. I figured it out, but it would probably be good to add a mention of how to set down the cables in the tutorial. I loved the inclusion of being able to look at Timmy's beautiful photo up close :D
Rolly
Apr 27th · 10:44 UTC
Your game has a mood that's just on point! Everything contributes so well: the music and sound effects, the visuals, the story! I loved it!

The characters on the clipboard were a bit difficult to read, as a downside of using this visual style. But after a while I understood how the clipboard worked and could more efficiently know where to look, so that's fine.

Good job!
ruruie
Apr 27th · 17:48 UTC
I agree with the others that the readability was a thing. Retrying the game with the controls not working during the tutorial was also an issue. In general I seemed to have some trouble handling the plugs. On the other hand the audio and mood were right on.
Kyle Farwell
May 06th · 02:46 UTC
Excellent mood, nice little story and pretty fun. Nice job!
suzysu
May 08th · 10:39 UTC
Really atmospheric and polished entry! I loved the noir mood, the rain and ambient sounds, and the way the switchboard mechanic fits the theme. Checking the paperwork and connecting the right ports feels very satisfying.

The text was a little hard to read sometimes with the pixel effect, but overall the game feels cohesive, stylish, and really well executed. Great work!