SignalShooter by Altiioo

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

SIGNAL SHOOTER

A tactical signal-bouncing duel where precision beats chaos!

Welcome to Signal Shooter, a fast-paced 2-player local multiplayer arcade game where strategy, geometry, and physics collide.

Instead of destroying your opponent, your goal is to transmit energy signals into your own receiver and outpace your rival in a battle of control and precision.


CORE OBJECTIVE

Fire signals across a dynamic arena and guide them into your Signal Receiver.

But it’s not that simple:

  • Signals lose strength over distance
  • The arena is filled with reflective walls, gravity fields, and magnetic distortions
  • Every shot becomes a puzzle of angles, timing, and control

The first player whose receiver reaches 100% signal charge wins the round!


STRATEGY & GAMEPLAY

This is not just about aiming—it’s about reshaping the battlefield in real time.

  • Signals bounce, curve, accelerate, and decay
  • Environmental hazards constantly interfere with trajectories
  • Players can collect and deploy tactical items to influence signal flow

Master the system, and you can pull off insane trick shots—or completely sabotage your opponent’s plan.


TACTICAL ITEM SYSTEM

Collect and deploy powerful tools to control the arena:

  • Reflective barriers
  • Gravity / magnetic fields
  • Acceleration or distortion devices
  • Portal-like redirectors

How it works:

  • Press Space / 0 to shoot signal
  • Press E / Numpad 1 to select an item
  • Use WASD / Arrow Keys to position it
  • Press Space / 0 to confirm placement
  • Hold the confirm key to:
    • Adjust placement angle
    • Control field strength (e.g., magnetic force)

Every placement is a trade-off—precision and timing are everything.


CONTROLS

Player 1 (Left Side)

  • Adjust signal shoot angle: A / D
  • Select Item: E
  • Place / Confirm: Space / 0 (Hold to adjust)
  • Shoot / Cancel: E

Player 2 (Right Side)

  • Adjust signal shoot angle: ← / → (Arrow Keys)
  • Select Item: Numpad 1
  • Place / Confirm: Numpad 0 (Hold to adjust)
  • Shoot / Cancel: Numpad 1

Ratings

Given 0🗳️ 0🗨️

Feedback

hammeredzombie
Apr 20th · 15:16 UTC
i like the core concept but i feel like the execution of it got too complicated and the fun was lost
🎤 Altiioo
Apr 20th · 16:22 UTC
@hammeredzombie thanks for playing! I originally thought a game being too simple would rob it of its fun—but it turns out being too difficult does the exact same thing. but thanks for comments this and we will continue to improve.
hammeredzombie
Apr 20th · 16:41 UTC
@altiioo my biggest frustration was the delay between shots. i wanted to spam to learn the gravity wells faster so i could figure out where the solution was, but i get that that makes the game too easy. if i had had a different kind of visual feedback to help me learn i think that would have subdued the frustration of not being able to spam

i completely ignored the multiplayer aspect too fyi, i just wanted get the yellow square to the red square and felt like the game was preventing me from figuring out how to do that.
hammeredzombie
Apr 20th · 16:45 UTC
oh theres more levels.....hahahaha i got really unlucky with the gravity well one with the spinning X
Coda Highland
Apr 22nd · 19:13 UTC
Link that works: https://files.jam.host/embed/$425136/47866/index.html

It's an interesting idea. I can't play it properly because I don't have a numeric keypad on my laptop, but at least I was able to work out a way to hit the target for the first player. Creative use of field-based physics!
LDJam user 221561
May 02nd · 17:41 UTC
At first a little complicated but as soon as you figure out a way to solve each level you can just repeat quickly to beat your opponent. Frustration with the same fire key being automatically defaulted to 'restart level' on completion so progression was hard having to repeat levels over and over.