LudumData

traceroute by wles

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

Main menu.png

Navigate the signal through cyberspace, bouncing through switches, routers, and firewalls.

  • Switches are cyan, the signal bounces off of them.
  • Routers are yellow, they redirect you to always bounce perpendicularly.
  • Firewalls are red, they drain your remaining bounces.

Connect the signal to a node and hold for three seconds to inhabit it, then relaunch from the new terminal.

Each node has maximum number of bounces that it can transmit through, displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Your signal color will change depending on the node you transmit from, and will travel through walls of matching color.

Pink bounce.png

Compatibility Notes

  • The CRT shader doesn't display correctly in Safari
    • If playing the web version please use a different browser for best experience.
    • Firefox is not working on Windows but should work on Mac
    • Chrome (and Chrome derivatives like Edge) works on either
  • For best experience we recommend the native Windows version
    • Some audio effects don't work in the browser export
    • Windows version is also tested to run under WINE

For updates since the jam submission, including a workaround for the CRT shader in Safari, see the "Director's Cut" linked below. This contains work done after the jam deadline so please don't use it for scoring.

Director's Cut

We've added another link to a build with any work done after the jam deadline. Currently this includes:

  • Option to disable CRT shader
Jam Version (Web) https://ludumipsum.com/ld59/play_version/40780/index.html
Jam Version (Windows) https://ludumipsum.com/ld59/download/40783
Director's Cut (Web) https://ludumipsum.com/ld59/play_version/40937/index.html
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/traceroute

Ratings

Overall 210th 3.875⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Fun 109th 3.897⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 297th 3.569⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 312th 3.946⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 346th 3.897⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Audio 459th 3.161⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Humor 619th 2.13⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 482th 3.537⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Given 15🗳️ 30🗨️

Feedback

Big Nose
Apr 21st · 03:00 UTC
wow very nice. I like the vibes and it was very intuitive as i didnt even read the instructions
smilewood
Apr 21st · 03:10 UTC
I enjoyed this one, great design and use of the theme to go along with a fun puzzle game. The puzzle mechanics were fairly unique, I especially liked the changing of the playing field when the color of the node I connected to changed and the walls suddenly behaved differently. My only complaint for the puzzles is that, more so at the end than the beginning, there wasn't a lot to puzzle through, it was just a matter of lining up the obvious target. Overall I thought this was a lot of fun, well done!
TarikMoguchel
Apr 21st · 03:11 UTC
Nice game! In some levels I had a feeling that I cheated or found unintended solution. For a puzzle game it is very important to show to the player, if he solved it right
But on other hand if I managed to pass level with less steps than available - it is great, isn't it? In any case it would be nice to have a clear "rewarding" feedback
thelasttankmage
Apr 21st · 03:12 UTC
This is great, I love the graphics, very intuitive and fun puzzle game!
dan-whiffing
Apr 21st · 03:14 UTC
Nice work! Cohesive graphics and approachable gameplay. The camera drifts around a bit too much in a way that hurts your ability to aim. I also thought 3 seconds was a bit long for switching nodes. Other than that, feels pretty good!
Isaac Hisey
Apr 21st · 03:15 UTC
Same here! jumped it played around, made it the end. Enjoyed the whole experience!
astraltraveller
Apr 21st · 03:17 UTC
fun puzzle game, was able to finish it!
Lemma
Apr 21st · 03:19 UTC
Very fun experience. I just wish there wasn't a big black thing blocking part of the screen. Apart from that, great game.
Rinevard
Apr 21st · 03:24 UTC
![gd.png](///raw/105/36/z/71c6d.png)
penagwin
Apr 21st · 03:25 UTC
This is a really fun puzzle game! I would recommend removing that overlay though, its difficult to see whats going on.

Other than that this is pretty unique, and the style is great
🎤 wles
Apr 21st · 03:28 UTC
@lemma If you played in Safari, there's a compatibility issue with the CRT screen shader. If you have Chrome, give that a try!

If we do a post-jam update it's on the to-do list to add an option to disable the CRT visuals.
khaotom
Apr 21st · 03:29 UTC
Fun as heck. Love the visuals. Never have I had so much fun aiming at balls before.
🎤 wles
Apr 21st · 03:30 UTC
@tarikmoguchel as far as we're concerned any solution is a valid solution. We've managed some weird ones during development and I think it's even more fun than solving it the intended way. Thanks for playing!
LDJam user 259103
Apr 21st · 03:33 UTC
This was a lot of fun, and I love the aesthetic! I do think it was perhaps a little too easy, though - the bounce limits were almost always at least twice as large (often more than that, even) than I needed. Some of the later sections involved some more precise aiming, though, which I enjoyed. Nice work.
LDJam user 427212
Apr 21st · 03:33 UTC
Really awesome once you get the hang of it, great concept and great execution!
Roboolet
Apr 21st · 04:53 UTC
Really unique game! Was easy to understand and i like the gradual introduction of new mechanics. I really liked the yellow walls. SFX were nice and tingly as well.
Chaseplays
Apr 21st · 05:58 UTC
Had a lot of fun with this one! Visually I love the style, the puzzles were really interesting, and everything felt really mechanically intuitive on its own!

There were some puzzles where I felt frustrated with how long I had to wait - any time where something was spinning was especially rough - but I did get all the way to the end, and did thoroughly enjoy my experience getting there. Great work!
LDJam user 424326
Apr 21st · 08:43 UTC
I really like the mechanic—it feels fresh, and the sound design really helps emphasize it
Nidoprince
Apr 21st · 09:02 UTC
![tracerouteBug.png](///raw/f78/76/z/71e04.png)
When I try to open the game I get this error. Using Firefox.
Mikan
Apr 21st · 18:43 UTC
Cool concept. Sometimes observation and aiming can be hindered by camera zoom and movement. And sometimes I feel that the ray speed is very slow.

playthrough: https://youtu.be/pG4UEXnSwVw
🎤 wles
Apr 22nd · 03:26 UTC
@Nidoprince we narrowed down where in the development history the Firefox issue cropped up, and it may be related to the engine settings for window resizing. Oddly it's Windows specific, Firefox on Mac works fine.

Probably won't be able to fix this on our end, but I hope you were able to check it out in another browser or with the Windows version!

In other browser compatibility news: for Safari users getting large black areas from the CRT shader, you can try the Director's Cut version where so far the only change is an option in the video settings to disable the CRT shader. Wanted to add that on Monday night but ran out of time.
LDJam user 426288
Apr 22nd · 06:18 UTC
I really love the gameplay design, and the controls are also very simple and easy to understand. I especially like the art style of the cover presented with code🥰🥰🥰
roccay
Apr 22nd · 10:20 UTC
Love how the visuals make simple shapes look so good. I enjoyed a lot. Great work!
amo
Apr 25th · 16:27 UTC
A very interesting puzzle game with excellent visual effects！
LDJam user 268934
May 05th · 09:42 UTC
Fun bouncing game you made. I like that we use the “same” mechanic but so differently.
Do think you’re closer to the theme.