LudumData

Signal by Ty1rl

[raw]
made by Ty1rl for Ludum Dare 59 (JAM)

A puzzle game about routing a signal across a grid from a transmitter to a receiver.

Built in Godot 4.6.

Overview

Send a signal from transmitter (green) tower to receiver (purple) tower by activating towers along the way and re-propagating the signal. Each propagation reduces the signal integrity.

Waveforms

Wide (15 Integrity) propagates outward in a radial pattern across plain tiles. Blocked by rocks and walls.

Pulse (10 Integrity) propagates in four straight directions. Passes through rocks. Blocked by walls.

Skip (25 Integrity) propagates through any terrain, including walls. Short range.

How to play

  1. Click an activated tower.
  2. Choose a waveform.
  3. The signal propagates from that tower according to the waveform's rules.
  4. Any tower the signal reaches becomes activatable.
  5. Reach the target tower with signal integrity remaining.

Each waveform has its own integrity cost per activation. Choose carefully.

Levels

The Tutorials introduce each waveform one at a time, then show how to chain activations across multiple towers.

There are three levels Arc , Zigzag, and Gauntlet.

Link https://github.com/Ty1rl/Signal
Link https://ty1rl.itch.io/signal
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/59/signal-9

Ratings

Overall 438th 3.556⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Fun 357th 3.472⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 219th 3.722⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Theme 5th 4.694⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 428th 3.75⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Audio 422th 3.278⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Mood 383th 3.694⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Given 33🗳️ 12🗨️

Feedback

4farandbeyond
Apr 21st · 02:57 UTC
Fun little puzzle game. I kinda wish there was more of it. Mechanics are simple and easy to understand. I wonder what the minimum score on each puzzle is (I managed a 5 integrity remaining on level 7)... Well done!
FoxEcho
Apr 21st · 06:13 UTC
An interesting puzzle game with a nice mechanic! Using the levels to introduce the gameplay is a good choice. It might be better if the game moved to the next level automatically. Keep it up.
PollyKarm
Apr 22nd · 04:15 UTC
A very interesting game. I really like the atmosphere, it reminds me of something from childhood. Thanks for the game!
pragmascript
Apr 23rd · 14:41 UTC
love the music and the vibe. interesting mechanics. would like to have seen the signal propagate
apt_prose7
Apr 26th · 08:27 UTC
Well-designed, smooth and fun.
Stratcat66
Apr 26th · 09:22 UTC
Good small puzzle game. Not that many levels (yet), but I prefer new cool mechanics ideas (like in your game).
One-Thousand-Twoth
Apr 27th · 14:44 UTC
I immediately liked the visuals and the music. The music is a bit too noisy for my taste, but it fits the visuals perfectly, so for me that’s not a reason to lower the score.

The puzzles themselves are decent, but for me they were very—too—easy. I finished the game quickly, and it didn’t have time to fully engage me, though it didn’t overstay its welcome either. It might have been more challenging if there were an incentive to optimize each level and minimize resource usage, but the game doesn’t really encourage that, so I didn’t try. A player ranking system like in Mini Motorways would feel appropriate here, or something like a star rating for levels, where the fewer resources you spend, the better. Yes, it’s a cliché, but still.

Overall, it’s a game with a strong style, but from a gameplay perspective I found it lacking in difficulty. That said, it’s always hard to strike the right balance between challenge and what ends up killing the fun.
cax
Apr 29th · 03:20 UTC
I'd like trying more levels, and maybe more ways of transferring signals, because the music and visuals are cozy and I could spend more time playing if it had more actual levels (and shorter tutorial), nice idea really!
kkritselis
May 01st · 03:43 UTC
Interesting puzzle concept. Dialing in the difficulty with puzzle games are challenging, especially in aa jam, but I like what you've done.
LDJam user 221561
May 03rd · 01:44 UTC
Not bad, quite liked going through all the levels - needed more of a challenge towards the end!
TheSmellofOxygen
May 05th · 23:31 UTC
Very cool concept. I was skeptical at first about the obtuse seeming tower modes, but as soon as I saw the first large level, it immediately clicked. Polished. I wish there were more levels though. Half are brief tutorials, so there's only three to challenge ourselves with.