{"author_link":"\/users\/gevernus","author_name":"Gevernus","author_uid":"gevernus","comments":[],"epoch":1792398614,"event":"LD60","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":435849,"likes":6,"live_source":{"record":"runs\/20261020T000047.266532Z\/records\/0010.json","object":"objects\/7a7cef78614cb5ad14dac9773ae0fd070dfc9ace78ebd922b98e0413e2a3f7de","sha256":"7a7cef78614cb5ad14dac9773ae0fd070dfc9ace78ebd922b98e0413e2a3f7de","response_url":"https:\/\/api.ldjam.com\/vx\/node2\/get\/435906+435640+435916+433036+435915+412831+415468+433316+435650+432881+433917+435907+435910+435911+435802+435904+435653+433752+435042+432774+435879+435905+433588+433550+435903+435900+435860+435869+435895+435892+434255+435861+435849+435651+433337+433828+435888+435891+435172+435885+432767+435886+435877+435880+435881+433098+433149+435423+435875+435873","captured_at":1792454623},"metadata":{"p_key":"212371","p_author":"Gevernus","p_authorkey":"1102351","p_urlkey":"452491","p_title":"Stardust: from a speck of dust to a black hole in 48 hours","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD60","p_time":"1792398614","p_likes":"6","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1102351","us_name":"Gevernus","us_username":"gevernus","event_start":"0","event_key":"121","event_name":"Ludum Dare 60"},"node":{"id":435849,"parent":435651,"_superparent":432763,"author":102351,"type":"post","subtype":"","subsubtype":"","published":"2026-10-19T08:30:14Z","created":"2026-10-19T08:29:41Z","modified":"2026-10-19T18:03:57Z","_trust":2,"version":1383083,"slug":"stardust-from-a-speck-of-dust-to-a-black-hole-in-48-hours","name":"Stardust: from a speck of dust to a black hole in 48 hours","body":"Stardust is my Ludum Dare 60 Compo entry. You play a clump of cosmic dust that pulls in everything smaller than itself and grows, through a whole star's life: dust cloud, gas nebula, protostar, yellow star, blue giant, hypergiant. When the hydrogen runs out, your star collapses, and its mass decides what it becomes: a white dwarf, a neutron star... or a black hole.\n\n![Stardust gameplay](\/\/\/raw\/fcf\/81\/z\/73af7.gif)\n\n**Finding the feel.** The first prototype had sliders for everything. I quickly swapped them for a dozen complete \"feel\" presets \u2014 vacuum, real gravity, a funnel, a snowball, a heavy star \u2014 and played each one until one stuck. The winner made the star *heavy*: it turns slowly, moves with inertia, and the world falls into it instead of you chasing the world.\n\n**Yarn instead of fire.** Stars are usually drawn as glowing balls. I went with twisted yarn and wool: the hero is a ball of fiery strands, and the dust is little tufts of fluff. It gives the whole thing a soft, handmade look while still feeling hot and alive.\n\n**The camera is the progression.** The zoom depends on your mass. You always stay about the same size on screen, and the universe keeps shrinking around you. Every transformation is a moment where the scale suddenly makes sense again.\n\n**Small and fast.** No engine: TypeScript on a bare canvas with WebGL shaders, about 3 MB. The music is synthesized live in code.\n\n**[Play Stardust in your browser](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/60\/stardust)** \u2014 I'd love your rating and feedback. What should a star eat next?","scope":"public","node-timestamp":"2026-10-19T11:26:19Z","meta":[],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/60\/stardust\/stardust-from-a-speck-of-dust-to-a-black-hole-in-48-hours","parents":[1,5,9,432763,435651],"files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"love":6,"love-timestamp":"2026-10-19T18:03:57Z","comments":0,"_collation":{"event":"LD60"},"_live_source":{"record":"runs\/20261020T000047.266532Z\/records\/0010.json","object":"objects\/7a7cef78614cb5ad14dac9773ae0fd070dfc9ace78ebd922b98e0413e2a3f7de","sha256":"7a7cef78614cb5ad14dac9773ae0fd070dfc9ace78ebd922b98e0413e2a3f7de","response_url":"https:\/\/api.ldjam.com\/vx\/node2\/get\/435906+435640+435916+433036+435915+412831+415468+433316+435650+432881+433917+435907+435910+435911+435802+435904+435653+433752+435042+432774+435879+435905+433588+433550+435903+435900+435860+435869+435895+435892+434255+435861+435849+435651+433337+433828+435888+435891+435172+435885+432767+435886+435877+435880+435881+433098+433149+435423+435875+435873","captured_at":1792454623},"magic":[]},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"435849","n_urlkey":"452491","n_parent":"435651","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/60\/stardust\/stardust-from-a-speck-of-dust-to-a-black-hole-in-48-hours","n_slug":"stardust-from-a-speck-of-dust-to","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"102351","n_created":"1792398581","n_modified":"1792433037","n_version":"1383083","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/60\/stardust\/stardust-from-a-speck-of-dust-to-a-black-hole-in-48-hours","text":"Stardust is my Ludum Dare 60 Compo entry. You play a clump of cosmic dust that pulls in everything smaller than itself and grows, through a whole star's life: dust cloud, gas nebula, protostar, yellow star, blue giant, hypergiant. When the hydrogen runs out, your star collapses, and its mass decides what it becomes: a white dwarf, a neutron star... or a black hole.\n\n![Stardust gameplay](https:\/\/static.ldjam.com\/raw\/fcf\/81\/z\/73af7.gif)\n\n**Finding the feel.** The first prototype had sliders for everything. I quickly swapped them for a dozen complete \"feel\" presets \u2014 vacuum, real gravity, a funnel, a snowball, a heavy star \u2014 and played each one until one stuck. The winner made the star *heavy*: it turns slowly, moves with inertia, and the world falls into it instead of you chasing the world.\n\n**Yarn instead of fire.** Stars are usually drawn as glowing balls. I went with twisted yarn and wool: the hero is a ball of fiery strands, and the dust is little tufts of fluff. It gives the whole thing a soft, handmade look while still feeling hot and alive.\n\n**The camera is the progression.** The zoom depends on your mass. You always stay about the same size on screen, and the universe keeps shrinking around you. Every transformation is a moment where the scale suddenly makes sense again.\n\n**Small and fast.** No engine: TypeScript on a bare canvas with WebGL shaders, about 3 MB. The music is synthesized live in code.\n\n**[Play Stardust in your browser](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/60\/stardust)** \u2014 I'd love your rating and feedback. What should a star eat next?","title":"Stardust: from a speck of dust to a black hole in 48 hours","wayback_source":{"record":"runs\/20261019T084531.982834Z\/records\/0002.json","object":"objects\/77df2c3a72f613399d88ef8e708d16c3aa3fec0faa7ae026158243ae21a38c37","sha256":"77df2c3a72f613399d88ef8e708d16c3aa3fec0faa7ae026158243ae21a38c37","response_url":"https:\/\/api.ldjam.com\/vx\/node2\/get\/435485+435850+433247+433205+435849+434415+433513+433384+435657+433036+435289+435844+435842+435843+435056+433694+433487+432938+435839+434860+435838+435794+435833+435832+433271+434281+435795+435837+433459+435096+435836+435835+435834+435822+435831+435829+434028+435827+435825+435297+432900+435821+435154+434967+432806+432821+433588+435819+435818+435802","captured_at":1792399534}}