LINK DROP by Quackqack

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

LINK DROP is a strategic lunar landing challenge. Your mission is to remotely guide your ship to safety through rugged ​lunar terrain.

Pre plan your mission by placing antennas to create a safe path. If you aren't in communication range, you will lose control of your vessel.

Each mission will test your speed and resourcefulness. The faster you land and the fewer antennas you deploy, the greater your score!


gameplay.gif


Controls

​Planning Mode

  • Click to place an antenna. You can only place an antenna next to a flat surface.
  • You can click on a placed antenna again to remove it
  • Press SPACE to start the level

​Flying Mode

  • Fly your ship with WASD
  • ​You can press E at any time to go back to planning mode
  • You can press R at any time to quick restart the level

Ratings

Overall 60th 4.132⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Fun 63th 4.053⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 142th 3.842⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Theme 98th 4.289⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 289th 4⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Audio 138th 3.974⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Humor 492th 2.594⭐ 18🧑‍⚖️
Mood 345th 3.763⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Given 30🗳️ 13🗨️

Feedback

Ternarycat
Apr 20th · 17:08 UTC
Quite hard to me, dropped on the third level, but all including graphics, sound, game design on high level!
Tanjou
Apr 20th · 18:22 UTC
Really cool concepts and sweet art.
LDJam user 243193
Apr 24th · 14:20 UTC
I can really feel the theme in this game, missing signal = missing control.
Nice lander game! Despite my failures, I like how the ship is controlled.
If only I knew that I could land upside down.
adam-gould
Apr 29th · 15:07 UTC
It's very difficult to get used to the controls... they're very floaty, but that's what one would expect on the moon so it's not a negative point by any stretch of the imagination.

All all in all a nicely polished game with a good interpretation of the theme.
Cazik21
Apr 29th · 15:22 UTC
What a great idea for a game jam! Excellent work!
Carrerino
Apr 29th · 15:40 UTC
Nice! Thank you!
fourApril
Apr 29th · 15:57 UTC
I really like your art style
Jiri Hysek
Apr 29th · 16:32 UTC
Clicking on placed antenna didn't work for me for some reason :( So I get it to level 5 with only one antenna, 5th level cannot be done without that feature. But as you can see from my determination, I liked the game a lot! I find movement and maneuvering of the rocket satisfying when it's done right, but also very frustrating when not :) But it seems fair and restarts are instant. Also graphics and the whole mood is cool. Very well done!


EDIT: now, on the second run, I can place more antennas (I couldn't do that before so I thought I have only one), it's much easier now :D Actually, it's very nice way how to handle difficulty. I can use more antennas - it will be easier, almost casual game,! but my score will be worse. If I want a challenge, I can use as few antennas as possible, then it's hard as hell :)

Btw. I like I can place antennas and play also "Thanks for playing" screen :) Nice touch.

![screenshot.png](///raw/221/c/z/73136.png)
Destr
Apr 29th · 16:32 UTC
It looks very simple, but having a leaderboard takes the game to a whole new level! Perfect!
OadT
May 02nd · 18:49 UTC
Cool mechanic! Wished the movement would be slightly less inert, but still was a fun game. Also nice work on the music!
🎤 Quackqack
May 04th · 09:43 UTC
Thank you everyone for the feedback!

@jiri-hysek Sorry you had trouble with your first attempt, glad it was working for you after that. Thank for the nice comments!
MemoLoop
May 04th · 10:25 UTC
It's a fun game, but it's very hard to control the ship. Nice art and music.
CoolPurpleRat
May 04th · 19:19 UTC
Cool mechanic. Leaderboard turns game from a puzzle to the "make your challenge", and you need to learn how move with inertia to launch yourself, move on corners. Sound muffling outside of antennas area also nice touch. My nick is Persik.
Antoine Bodin
May 05th · 17:19 UTC
Very nice game, I found the movement of the ship perfect for this kind of game where we want to really push ourselves.
Sound is well mixed, although I can't find if the music is original or not, it's surely good for your game!
The theme interpretation is a little classic
But stil a very good entry, thank you for that !
ChuChuGeralt
May 05th · 18:09 UTC
Really liked the usage of the signals as well as the artstyle! As others mentioned, the ship was a little bit hard to steer, but I guess that’s normal for this type of game. I think a 'star' rating system would have been nice, giving more stars for using fewer signals. But that’s just a personal preference and didn’t affect my rating. Overall, a really solid and polished entry!