Xsignals by zakchaos

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

Xsignals is up!

you can clone it via github, and run with Node , play local on localhost:3000 live version hosted @ https://xsignals.onrender.com (in current state , no Max user count, no moderation, So please don't be terrible people.)

How I used AI?

When i begin learning to code, this involved riding my bike to the library so i could get books on AppleBasic, and line by line code each one, learning lots of fundamentals in the process... when it didn't work id often learn something new, Through 90s and the epidemic of "script kiddies" I learned how important it is to really understand the concepts, and not just copy paste code...

So I did not "vibe code", I used google in a similar way I have every coding challenge, now they return AI responses... weas very helpful for understanding systems i havent used much yet, like socket.io etc.

It was useful to be able to paste a block of code and say why isnt this working? much in same way pasting into linting tools used to be.

Did i make this game in a sealed cabin without electricity , WiFi on a potato? No I didnt.

I used AI in this, the same way i would look at google to find tutorials, and example code, so I could understand and though i prob coulda copy pasted, for me a lot to be learned by typing line by line.

Cant say thanks enough to everybody who makes LudumDare possible. I hope it brings you the amazing joys and life changing experiences it continues to bring me!

Ratings

Overall 274th 2.75⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Fun 283th 2.346⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 233th 2.929⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Theme 212th 3.185⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 279th 1.923⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Audio 231th 2.212⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Mood 276th 2.269⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Given 22🗳️ 30🗨️

Feedback

manabreak
Apr 20th · 05:48 UTC
This one has a fun vibe to it! Had a chance of playing with the creator for a bit. Perhaps there's not that much "game" there yet, but there's potential here!
fullmetal_automaton
Apr 20th · 05:52 UTC
Got lucky getting in while there were other people playing. That was a pretty cool experience.
LDJam user 373623
Apr 20th · 05:53 UTC
this game is good conceptually, but the gameplay needs to be expanded upon. it feels very stiff to move around and the goal is very simple. the fact that it can even function as a chatroom though, is very impressive to do for a game jam.
MossGames
Apr 21st · 11:39 UTC
Very brave to attempt to build a multiplayer game for a game jam. The movement could have been smoother but otherwise I think the idea has legs, defo an reminds me of those .io games!
Xientra
Apr 21st · 14:10 UTC
Kinda cool but from what I could see there are no mechanics besides moving in front of others. Would have been cool if there was some type of async multiplayer!
PurpledArtFrog
Apr 22nd · 08:51 UTC
Holy hell... ambitious going for anything MP :thumbsup_tone1: Cool little concept... would have loved to join when others were online :thumbsup_tone1:
Hope you'll swing by with a vote :fingers_crossed:
UkuleleFury
Apr 22nd · 14:54 UTC
Ahh, I was very confused about what I was supposed to do before I read the comments here and understood that it's multiplayer! :) That's very cool for a game jam! Not as much fun solo though :/. Also, I started up off-screen, and didn't see anything happen for a while when I was trying to move around, so that was also confusing. I like the background music.
pkenney
Apr 23rd · 12:38 UTC
Wow, multiplayer! That's a cool technical accomplishment but I tried logging in last night and then again this morning to see if I caught anybody, but found myself alone. I wonder how that could be solved, where you could have multiplayer yet allow solo experience, I guess bots is the simplest idea? Or some kind of durable state that players can come in and manipulate so that you don't have to cross-over in time with another player? I've done a ton of LDs and only seen multiplayer a couple of times, so definitely an under-explored space. Glad to see you poking at it, and sorry I didn't get to really check how the game works when there are players crossing over.

Interesting.... the player seems to be on a discrete chunky grid when I tap-move or go around corners, but then it appears smooth when I hold the key down. Are you on a discrete grid but with interpolation smoothing it? The projectiles seem to go in a smooth straight line and not be locked to a grid in the same way.

Would have been curious to see this in real action, but even though I didn't really get to dig in here I'm glad somebody is experimenting in this space.
BushFire
Apr 23rd · 18:10 UTC
I got some friends join me to check out the multiplayer. Unfortunately one of the other players had their goal spawn next to mine, so he could camp on top of the goal, and both our signals scored him points. There was no counterplay.
Bumble
Apr 24th · 20:42 UTC
Very ambitious to create a multiplayer game! Sadly it is difficult to find a match with others...

I looked at the other comments and I think I got an idea of what the game is about. Interesting concept and kind of like those .io games?
hammeredzombie
Apr 25th · 00:30 UTC
sadly i got in when no one was playing so not much of a game to be played
Wouter52
Apr 25th · 16:39 UTC
Oof this is high risk, high reward! I think it's impressive that you created a multiplayer game for LudumDare. But... You need a constant stream of players who log in regularly, which is a damn impossible task here. Most people will stick around for 10 or 20 minutes and move on. In this game your game relies on other people to be fun. When nobody is there, then people will log out pretty fast. Which in turn will sustain the lack of players.

I don't really know what to advise in this case. I have some ideas though:
- Create a system where "[fake multiplayer](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/12xmcjr/have_you_ever_seen_a_fake_multiplayer/)" is an option
- Create some kind of notification system to let people know if there is anyone to play with. Make players subscribe to such system
- Create timeslots where rounds are played (maybe thrice a day) and let people know when to log in
Sphone Official
Apr 26th · 14:59 UTC
Got to try this with a friend and it's cool that it works but with the lack of depth and mechanics there is no counterplay at hand, i had no way of stopping my friend's signal since he had priority, i guess if i played with more than just 2 players it'd be different but if there was more to this it could've still been fine
kiddie
May 06th · 18:46 UTC
I love the idea of a Multi-Player modus! great job! Take this cute duck for I really love your game: 🦆