LudumData

Signal Garden by kintsugi

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

Make Game FullScreen pls)

Route a signal from SRC to TX nodes on a grid. Place plants, hit Run, watch the wave. Each TX needs the right frequency (f) and enough power (p). Oxygen is your timer; relay power from successful TX hits is your win meter.

Rules

Drag a plant from the inventory onto an empty cell to place it. Right-click a cell to remove. Run simulates once. If at least one TX matches, the run scores: you gain relay power only from matched TXs, recover some oxygen (more if more TXs match), and get a new layout. If zero TX match, nothing is scored. Win: fill the relay goal. Lose: oxygen runs out. Splash / end screen: press any key to start or restart. Controls Run — start · Alt — signal numbers f/p vs plant art · Space — pause (after splash).

This is my first Ludum Dare — I’m really happy to join the community. Thanks for playing and for any feedback.

Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/signal-garden-1

Ratings

Overall 840th 2.45⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Fun 840th 2.1⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 576th 3.121⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 442th 3.717⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 749th 2.667⭐ 32🧑‍⚖️
Audio 558th 2.414⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Humor 657th 1.826⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 804th 2.603⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Given 21🗳️ 34🗨️

Feedback

Pavel Goncharov
Apr 21st · 16:46 UTC
I want to enjoy it, but it's too much diffucult for me 🥲
Juutis
Apr 21st · 17:40 UTC
This seems like a solid base for a signal-based puzzle game. However, the puzzles are fairly trivial since you can always just match the frequency with Conv + Tuners, and then go for maximum power with Growers. There doesn't seem to be any use for Clamps and Spores.

The oxygen meter is kinda odd mechanic since you can pause the game with space bar. I would always build the grid while paused, then unpause, run the simulation and pause immediately again. It pretty much makes the oxygen meter obsolete.

Nevertheless, good job finishing a full game! Welcome to Ludum Dare! :grin:
BorisFromMurmansk
Apr 21st · 21:16 UTC
I didn't fully understand how the signal works, but nevertheless, after some time I still managed to win. However, when I wanted to take a screenshot, the game restarted. I feel like the oxygen mechanic here gets in the way—it doesn't give you time to think and figure out how everything works.
Derek Glennon
Apr 22nd · 01:11 UTC
It wasn't exactly clear to me how a TX was scored. I wasn't sure if it was checking the neighboring cells and looking for at least one match or if it was something else. Also, I agree that the oxygen/pause mechanic might have been getting in the way a bit. Regardless, really solid entry and congrats on your first Ludum Dare!
red-horde-games
Apr 22nd · 06:40 UTC
You might want post an itch link since here it cuts the screen.
Also not very clear how to play, could use better tutorial.
Otherwise cool.
Sam Gorman
Apr 22nd · 21:03 UTC
It's cool to see a really technical puzzle game like this in a game jam!

Unfortunately I couldn't really figure out how the game worked. I can tell that I'm adding and subtracting numbers with the plants (so it's about using the space effectively to get the right frequency/power), but how exactly all the plants worked and how the waves propagated never really made sense to me. I think a game like this really needs a clearer tutorial. I also think the oxygen timer hurts the gameplay. It's really tight and only serves to stress you out while you're trying to solve the puzzle. I didn't have enough time to figure all the mechanics out.

Nice job overall! I think you should keep working on this after the jam and see how you could refine it.
acd
Apr 23rd · 07:53 UTC
very cool and love the idea!
VerttiXPertti
Apr 23rd · 08:04 UTC
I think I understood the game after some trial and error but I didn't manage to win because of the timer. Also sometimes the logic didn't make sense to me. I think the towers should have had one input and output slot so directing the signal would have been more clear. The soundscape was surprisingly immersive, I thought some of the sounds were coming from real life at times lol.
JerryWest
Apr 23rd · 15:59 UTC
It's hard to say I enjoy this game. The information is quite confusing and the countdown is interfering with my understanding and thinking. Just as I was beginning to understand how to arrange the lines to activate a node, the map immediately changed to a completely different appearance.Wish you can improve it even better in the future!
LDJam user 424632
Apr 23rd · 22:22 UTC
The game is original. I was able to complete it using only the first two flowers. This is probably fixed by limiting the number of flowers so they aren’t infinite, and I assume it was done intentionally for a game jam, which is a plus. I couldn’t understand the logic of how the signal travels between the flowers, since there are no visible wires or directions connecting them. The timer can be stopped, so it didn’t really affect the gameplay. It might make more sense to replace it with oxygen tanks that act as limited attempts, which would introduce a real possibility of failure.
🎤 kintsugi
Apr 24th · 11:28 UTC
@juutis @catanus @sam-gorman @red-horde-games guys thanks for ur feedback. U absolutly right, literally described my thoughts during finishing the game <3
azsteak
Apr 24th · 13:54 UTC
Really interesting take on the theme. I like the concept but damn that's hard, maybe the time limit is a bit too much for me. I'd love to play it while taking my time
LDJam user 236055
Apr 24th · 16:25 UTC
I like the idea, it's definitely very original and innovative, but it's also very hard. It would have been good to add a couple simple levels at the beginning to get the basic concepts, maybe introduce only a few nodes at once, not all of them at the same time.
TheSmellofOxygen
Apr 26th · 04:12 UTC
Very original idea. Made me think.
apt_prose7
Apr 26th · 08:39 UTC
Simple, yet highly addictive.