LudumData

Coherence by bentglasstube

[raw]
made by bentglasstube for Ludum Dare 59 (COMPO)

Deep in space, your navigation computer has failed. Can you repair the circuits and find your way back home?

ss1.png

Repair increasingly complex circuits to get your ship back online.

ss2.png

Jump into hyperspace.

ss3.png

There are six levels to play and limited oxygen to beat them all. You have to solve each puzzle before you lose the signal. The signal status is indicated in the lower left corner. A strong signal will look clear and usually like a sine wave. As the signal loses coherence, it will get "fuzzy". When you can no longer make out the original wave, you are close to losing the level.

Puzzles are generated randomly but are always solveable. Use the mouse to click tiles to rotate and connect the matching source and sink circles to complete the signal. You can also use the keyboard to move around and space to rotate, but it's a bit wonky if you go out of bounds and I didn't have time to fix it.

Spoiler for the ending:

!> I didn't have time to make a win screen so after the level with 7 paths to connect you will just be lost forever in space with the text "searching for signal".

Link https://git.sr.ht/~bentglasstube/ld59/archive/ld59.tar.gz
Link https://bentglasstube.itch.io/coherence
Link https://build.eatabrick.org/coherence/v1.1/coherence-windows-v1.1.zip
Link https://build.eatabrick.org/coherence/v1.1/coherence-macos-v1.1.dmg
Linux (AppImage) https://build.eatabrick.org/coherence/v1.1/coherence-linux-v1.1.AppImage
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/coherence

Ratings

Overall 130th 3.532⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Fun 150th 3.29⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 265th 2.694⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Theme 167th 3.565⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 90th 3.758⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Audio 202th 2.823⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Mood 123th 3.548⭐ 33🧑‍⚖️
Given 40🗳️ 41🗨️

Feedback

SteveOfStevesGames
Apr 20th · 10:07 UTC
A fun well made logic game.
I love the flying through space bit, always makes me feel like im there.
I didnt get past the level with 4 colors.
Zazzar
Apr 20th · 14:55 UTC
A really challenging but engaging puzzle game with seemingly a lot of replayability if the puzzles are random. The visuals are really nice and fit the mood and theme really well. Some audio control would be nice, especially with the lazer/buzzing sounds being quite distracting when they are that loud, but that's not uncommon for game jams. My only real critique is I'm not a fan of the puzzle resetting as you solve it. The oxygen counter works well as an ominous timer to get through the quite hard levels, but losing the signal (is it because of too many moves? I couldn't tell why it would reset randomly) when you've been working at a puzzle for quite a while sucks, only to be given an entirely new one you have to start over again fresh. Losing the signal jump scared me a few times too I was that focused haha. Other than that feature, a really well put together replayable game.
TermiGht
Apr 20th · 14:56 UTC
Wow the effects were realy nice! And the graphics was good with the different visuals of the circuit lines.
🎤 bentglasstube
Apr 20th · 15:31 UTC
@zazzar The signal loss is a hidden timer. The signal display is supposed to give you an idea of how much time you have left. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to really balance that or make it apparent to the player. As with every game jam, I had a lot of ideas that went unrealized. Thanks for the detailed review.
kristinamay
Apr 20th · 15:40 UTC
I liked this, I love pipes games like this, but I kept losing and not understanding why. My oxygen was fine, and I thought that was the only concern? Maybe not. In any case, I liked that different pieces occasionally behaved in ways I didn't expect, I think a puzzle like this has a lot of potential to get really complex and interesting! Good work.
Zyertdox
Apr 20th · 16:03 UTC
A really cool puzzle game! I especially liked the variety of paths and how they intersect, which adds a lot of complexity to the levels.
🎤 bentglasstube
Apr 20th · 18:44 UTC
@kristinamay It's not very obvious, but the signal display is also important. When the signal becomes incoherent, you will lose the current level and have to start over. The oxygen indicator is how long you have to beat the entire game.

I added an explanation to the description to make this more clear.
graebor
Apr 21st · 02:26 UTC
Cool puzzles, I enjoyed the escalating complexity. It took me a bit to realize the little pairs of dots act like bridges to form crossings - it made so much sense once I realized, but something about the art made me assume they were just endpoints. I liked that the signal was a cool visual thing rather than just a meter ticking down, gave it a bit of character. And the starfield is very satisfying and smooth to watch :sunglasses:
mahalis
Apr 24th · 11:55 UTC
I like the premise and the circuit mechanics, but I agree time pressure on a puzzle like this is pretty rough—I think it might have helped to have a first few levels with unlimited time so people can figure out how things work, **then** introduce the timer. Or maybe have the first few resets give you the same puzzle again so you can get the solution in place if you were close to getting it. Still, it’s a fun challenge once you get the idea down. Nice work.
ValentinWB
Apr 24th · 12:02 UTC
This eventually got too big brained for me but I really enjoyed the gameloop and overall execution. Congrats on your entry !
LDJam user 279233
Apr 24th · 22:47 UTC
"The pipe game she tells you not to worry about" :fearful:

A Very cool game. I got to the level with 4 colours but that was just about the limits of my intellect. The retro space effects were an excellent addition. The core mechanics would still pull through without the extra thematic flare, but IMO, games really do need a little something extra sprinkled on top to make them feel nice to play. It didn't stop me from enjoying the game but I encountered a possible bug where after completing a level, the game froze in the "searching for signal" phase and I had to refresh. I'm on Win11 and Firefox. Thanks for another great LD game!
🎤 bentglasstube
Apr 25th · 16:46 UTC
@mahalis As is often the case with my LD games, I play them too much during development and don't realize how difficult they are. This is a very valid complaint and I should have spent more time balancing things or at least made it more obvious when your time was running out.

@noobman64 interesting, the "searching for signal" phase just means it's trying to generate the next level. The final level can take a while because it frequently has to throw out the level and try again, but before that it should be pretty quick. Unfortunately this is a difficult bug to reproduce.
Stratcat66
Apr 26th · 08:19 UTC
I am still trying to figure out how things work (and have not passed the first levels yet)... From my point of view I connected the red dots (I assume these are the source/sink nodes) but the signal does not get better.
🎤 bentglasstube
Apr 26th · 08:21 UTC
@stratcat66 You have to click the power button (or press enter) to check your solution once you think you have connected things and it will show you the path connecting them.
Stratcat66
Apr 26th · 09:14 UTC
@bentglasstube That obviously fixes my problem, thanks :laughing:
Conduit
Apr 26th · 09:20 UTC
This was tight, I really enjoyed the minimal atmosphere, it made me feel like I was stuck in space! I liked the oldschool graphics, it felt like I was playing an old Atari game which was refreshing :) well done!
ditam
Apr 26th · 21:11 UTC
Very cool, impressive that the levels are randomly generated. I gave up on level 4, but I had fun, and I admire the concept. Even with the added description, I don't really get the point of the signal shape visualization, is that just an other timer? Or what makes the signal fuzzy? What should I do when it's becoming incoherent?
🎤 bentglasstube
Apr 26th · 21:16 UTC
@ditam It's just a timer for the current level. All you can do when it gets fuzzy is try to finish the puzzle quickly.
pres2300
Apr 27th · 04:33 UTC
Good job all around! The levels seemed to have a nice increase in difficulty for each one. The way you implemented a timer with an increasingly fuzzy sine wave is a cool idea. I liked the SFX and "heartbeat" that added some stress to getting the puzzles done on time. Nice work!
Discomorphine
Apr 27th · 09:53 UTC
Firstly, I liked random generation, but after few puzzles, I saw that the puzzles are pretty straight: there is one way and some trash segments around it.

I don't really like it, cause the game is not making you actually solve it, it makes you do tiring work for little emotional reward (again, the right ways look obvious and straight).

Also, I would appreciate more different mechanics, because just paths amount progression is sad (I've only done 3 levels, maybe there are more?) :(

Nice try though, good job!
LoHii
Apr 27th · 14:46 UTC
I really enjoyed the spaceship view of the setting and how the boards didn't immediately come up after completing the level, creating of feeling of actually having to maintain something. As for the gameplay, it took me a bit to figure out how the jumping lines exactly worked, and the bigger issue was that the larger levels started to feel repetitive.
🎤 bentglasstube
Apr 28th · 07:49 UTC
@discomorphine I'm not sure what you mean about the right way being obvious and straight. It sounds like the puzzle generation is not working correctly for you. If you don't mind could you send a screenshot of the point in the game where you thought the solution was obvious and straight.
sinemual
Apr 30th · 04:10 UTC
I liked that there’s a story—even if it’s simple—and an intro! The gameplay isn’t really my thing, but I played through a couple of levels; the idea of relaying a signal from point to point is pretty cool!
Disvent
May 02nd · 10:08 UTC
The puzzles really clicked for me. It’s a simple but addictive logic game with a great atmosphere - I especially loved the feeling of flying through space; it definitely has a bit of a Star Wars vibe :).
I had a great time!
seurimas
May 02nd · 21:57 UTC
Very good delivery on the theme, mostly through the mood you set. The puzzle difficulty ramps up a little quickly, and could have used more time to learn some new mechanics (input/output "wireless" node pairs, perhaps?). Great work!
ellaris
May 03rd · 08:51 UTC
Cool game, nice cutscene, but there was a bit of regular noise, it took me a little bit to figure out how the wires can cross but got there.
LDJam user 352490
May 04th · 19:43 UTC
This was really tough. I was able to solve up through four colors (without losing signal), but I gave up after the third try on five colors. Maybe the time limit was a bit steep, or I just got unlucky with how complicated the patterns were. My strategy for most of it was just to make one line at a time, and hope that the other lines fit around it. Not sure if there's a better strategy for solving.

It was satisfying to make the patterns, though. It's sort of a game about training your brain to trace the lines themselves, rather than the tiles (since each type of tile has so many different skins).
Meta-link
May 06th · 14:49 UTC
Great game, a bit hard but I loved it. The puzzles are really well made, and the opening sequence is gorgeous.

Good job :slight_smile:
Alchemic
May 07th · 22:22 UTC
A bit of a tired trope, but well-implemented. I got to the 5-color puzzle before I had to step away.

I like how the variety of tiles makes you look a little harder to see the path, it makes things a bit more difficult than a standard pipe puzzle.

It wasn't really obvious how much time I had to complete each puzzle, and I guess the oxygen meter is just there for aesthetics.

Overall pretty solid but could use a bit more... I dunno... identity? pizzazz?

I liked the starfield!