{"author_name":"monika","cat":"LD #35","comments":[],"epoch":1462098120,"likes":0,"metadata":{"p_key":"1113","p_author":"monika","p_authorkey":"29124","p_urlkey":"41131","p_title":"Panic at the Space Petting Zoo.","p_cat":"LD #35","p_event":"LD35","p_time":"1462098120","p_likes":"0","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"29124","us_name":"monika","us_username":"themonika","event_start":"1460678400","event_key":"33","event_name":"LD35"},"text":"

Hi everyone!<\/span><\/p>\n

So this Ludum Dare, I made Space Petting Zoo Crisis!<\/strong>,\u00a0a game that is designed for three people to play on one shared monitor and three cell phones. Because I\u2019m that person who does weird things that makes games complicated. I know. I have a problem. I’m working through it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>I plan to write up how I did it at some point, because people have been curious, but this is not that post. This is a \u201cHow to play the game no matter what your setup is!\u201d<\/em> post.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, some assurances in big friendly letters!<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, you can play this game single player!<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, you can play this game with just a computer!<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, you can play this as a remote multiplayer game!<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Okay, ready?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/ludum-dare-35\/?action=preview&uid=29124<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How to play without a cell phone<\/h2>\n

To play this game, you need a <\/span>Host Screen<\/b> and a <\/span>Player Screen<\/b>, both of which you can see. Ideally, the host screen is your whole monitor, and the player screen is your cell phone, but you can also do this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"setup1\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Open two browser windows<\/strong>. Arrange them side by side like this so you can see both of them<\/strong>, with the host screen much wider than the player screen.\u00a0Open the game in the host screen, and click the link that says \u201cHost a game\u201d. Choose your options (details in the how-to-play section) and click \u201cCreate game!\u201d<\/p>\n

The next screen gives you some information on how to connect to the game. (You can reopen this box at any point by clicking \u201cShow QR code\u201d in the top left of the screen.) The first link is where players should go. Copy it into your player screen browser window and click join. If you are playing from a real cell phone, the QR code is probably the fastest way to join.<\/p>\n

\"setup2\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Now, the main problem with playing this game as a single player is that it takes a long time to move your character around the map just to adjust the generators. I recommend opening up three tabs on your player screen window so you can play as three characters and spread out.<\/p>\n

\"setup3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You can now click on the ground in the player screen browser window to move your characters around.<\/p>\n

How to add a remote player:<\/h2>\n

The remote player will also need to be able to see the Host screen<\/strong> and a Player screen<\/strong>. If the remote player is playing on just a computer, he or she will first need to set up browser windows as shown above.<\/p>\n

To display the same host screen that the first player is seeing, the remote player needs the <\/span>mirror link<\/b>, which is the link after the QR code in that box with connection info. The mirror screen will also have that box, so the remote player can get the player link or QR code.<\/span><\/p>\n

I recommend using some sort of voice chat so you can coordinate while you play. There is no chat function in the game at this time.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to win!<\/h2>\n

To play, you need to <\/span>find the generators<\/b> and <\/span>connect them in a loop<\/b>. (\u201cFind the Hamiltonian Cycle\u201d for you graph theory nerds.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Options:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hard<\/strong>\u00a0(8 generators) is a hardcore puzzle game for people who like hardcore puzzle games, so choose that if you\u2019ve ever been annoyed that the difficulty settings on a Killer Sudoku generator don\u2019t go high enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

Normal<\/strong>\u00a0(6 generators) is still pretty hard, but takes less time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Easy<\/strong>\u00a0(6 generators, direction cap of 2) is a good way to get a feel for the game if you don\u2019t want to spend a lot of time on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don’t want to have to explore first and\u00a0<\/span>just<\/b> want the puzzle game, check \u201cshow all\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Play Tips:<\/strong><\/h3>\n