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A jam submission

The Line Of BattleView game page

Push the battle line across to you opponents side to defeat them. Best of five rounds wins
Submitted by Andrew Beattie — 11 hours, 39 minutes before the deadline
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The Line Of Battle's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Controls#593.1153.115
Accessibility#652.9232.923
Originality#703.3853.385
Audio#733.0383.038
Overall#992.8132.813
Theme#1152.7312.731
Graphics#1252.4622.462
Fun#1352.0382.038

Ranked from 26 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Godot Version
4.4.1

Wildcards Used

Single Location

Use only once location

Limited Palette

Use a restricted color palette

Game Description
Expand the battle line across the board to your opponents side to win the round! Best of 5 rounds will give you victory.

How does your game tie into the theme?
You expand the battle lines position across the board by generating random scores for each tile you select to push for victory!

Source(s)
N/A

Discord Username(s)
N/A

Participation Level (GWJ Only)
1

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

Cool concept.  Didn't realize it was 2 player initially, but that didn't stop me from playing it. I didn't see initially that you have plans to remove the RNG, and I believe that would really take the game to a new level.  Can't wait to see how this develops more!

the VOD is linked below, and will be available for 60 days:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2575958229?t=1h4m24s

Developer

Hi Two Hearts,

Thanks for the systematic review and it was invaluable feedback for me to see how you played via your Twitch stream. 

This was a bit of a prototype for me and due to it being a solo project the RNG was a placeholder system forced in by time constraints to at least allow the player to see where I am going to take this. 

I know a couple of guys were playing it across screen share and said it worked a treat. 

The system will eventually populate each tile with a random power number that will be briefly displayed to the player at the start of each round on each tile. The player will then have a limited time to recall where the highest numbers that they saw were and select them to increase their power, basically a memory game. I also plan to add other features as I go that will probably include a CPU opponent. 

Submitted(+1)

This seems like an original take on the jam! Despite the RNG this could be a cool project form multiplayer. I also like the 3d effect of the red line. I'm interested if the games is actually 3d.

Developer

Hi Vikbro,

Thanks for the comment!

The whole game is made in 3D, it will be come more apparent when the game is finished. 👍

Submitted(+1)

I liked the soundtrack, especially the intro.

I've been clicking tiles and seeing the bar move, but it's not clear to me how my choices impact the game. As seen in the comments, I'll look in a few weeks when it's more of a board game? 

Good times.

Developer

Thanks Dac,

Yes, please keep your eye on it as it will change from the current jam  prototype to a full game 👍👍

Submitted(+1)

Nice game, but relies too much on RNG. However, great job !

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

It's a decent concept, but honestly you're leaning a little too hard on the RNG. I can't find any way to predict what the color is going to be, or any specific skill to master; so it's kind of a coin flip each time. If you can add some kind of dexterity test or puzzle to getting a higher score, you may be on to something.
In fact, even briefly flashing the colors before hiding them and letting the player select—maybe with a timer so they have to hold it in memory—might fix this issue.

Developer(+1)

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your feedback!

You are right mate, as mentioned below the RNG is a placeholder system just to allow the game to be playable for the jam and I have a full “board game” style system already layer out on paper which will remove 99% of the RNG   I was unfortunately under serious time constraints during the production of this game jam. 

Im hoping you will take another look in a few weeks time to see what I have added. 

Thanks again man 🙏🙏🙏

Submitted(+1)

This was actually a really cool approach to the theme and I had a decent bit of fun playing against my friend (had to play through screenshare but basically the same thing!). The game feel overall was quite good, the music and audio is very fitting and it's a simple concept but you executed it really well. As others have mentioned, the decisions basically all being RNG can be very hit or miss but despite this, I think you've still managed to make it feel quite good!

Genuinely quite interested to see a bit more from this game in the future :) good submission!

Developer(+1)

Thanks very much for the feedback it is greatly appreciated. 

I already have a solution to the RNG placeholder on paper which I will be adding to the game in the next couple of weeks. 😊

Submitted

I really look forward to seeing that!

Submitted

Reminds be a bit of Battleship! I liked the sound design a lot. I tried for a long time to figure out if there was any tactics to win but I couldn’t really find any, but ended up winning anyway. Looking at the other comments and your responses, I don’t have much to add.

I think keeping some RNG in the initial picking of tiles can be fine, but I’d like some more input into my decisions. Maybe the scores for each tile are set at the beginning of the round but now shown, and stay the same across the entire match, and its about finding the highest value tiles and keeping some while exploring for more.

Good work though!

Developer

Thanks Josie,

I really appreciate your comments and I will continue to work on the game after rankings are complete to finish the game and add to the tactics system   

Take care 👍

Submitted(+1)

Bit disappointed tbh, this one is flying under the radar

Submitted(+1)

An interesting concept for a game. I've had issues with it being purely RNG but I gather by your replies to other comments that it wasn't your intention to be that way. I managed to totally dominate my opponent because I found a way to click and streak the mouse diagonally and it seems like if I clip things the right way, I can select more than 5 tiles. It would also be neat if each player could select from only their own side instead of the entire board. Love the soundtrack. Nicely done.

Developer

Hi Kitty,


Thank you for you invaluable feedback, that is the first I have heard of that bug and I was able to recreate it in the way you mentioned. It still only selected 5 tiles per player for me but drew tiles without the need for clicking the mouse button. 

I already have a fix for this issue and will implement it with a very small time delay on selection to prevent the bug or I may just ignore and mouse held input commands. 

What is really odd is that I tested for this during production and I wasn’t able to get it to glitch, the rapid drawing of the 5 tiles was intentionally left in in case some players wanted to blast through it without selecting one at a time. 

Thanks again 👍

Submitted(+1)

After reading your previous responses, It’s understandable that the core mechanic in this game has to be randomized. Still, I think this is a great proof of concept. With only some minor tweaks (that you’ve already mentioned) I believe this could be right at home on a party pack type deal like Jackbox or Warioware.

And big props for doing this as a one man band! I’m especially impressed with the sound and audio, you’ve achieved a great balance with the mix here. The music is very suitable for the game world, and is further elevated by the SFX choices you’ve made. Audio is the only thing I contributed on our project, so I pay close attention to it!

Great stuff. Will play this at work with my buddies on break!

Developer(+1)

Thanks Shabs,

That is a very nice comment you have made and I am genuinely appreciative of the time you have taken to play the game. 

As you mention, the game is currently a proof of concept and for me it’s all about getting the game working mechanically so the players can see the potential. I aimed for fluidity and robustness and for the game to behave as the players would expect with no crashes or errors 

I would love to get the game on a party pack bundle, that would be a dream come true!

I am glad you enjoyed the music and the SFX as it’s something that I feel really grounds the game in reality and sets the tone. Also from a design point of view only having a limited colour pallet available adding richness through the other senses was vital, coming from someone who is focussed on sound that’s a huge compliment 

I really hope you enjoy playing during your break and I wish I could give you some tips to destroy your buddies but even I don’t know how the rounds are going to play out😂  


Have fun!

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

You’re very welcome mate. Game feel was the number one priority for us on PopRocks as well so I really notice when someone nails it and you absolutely have here. Everything feels smooth and responsive in a way that’s properly satisfying. The core gameplay loop is simple on the surface but it flows in a way that makes it easy to get into and hard to put down. Even with the randomised elements, it all comes together in a way that feels intentional and well thought out.

You’ve got a great sense for game feel too. The way the animations snap into place, the way the music and SFX ties it all together really gives the whole thing a proper sense of identity. It feels like a finished idea rather than just a jam prototype and that’s not easy to pull off in a short time.

Fingers crossed for that party pack dream. I reckon this and PopRocks could sit side by side in a chaotic little jam bundle that gets passed round at house parties and lunch breaks. You’ve got the right energy for it and with a bit of extra content and some light refinement I could see it being a proper hit.

And no tips? What am I gonna say then. Fair play. I’ve been keeping my own tricks close to the chest on PopRocks too. Sitting on the top of the leaderboard for now, unless of course you plan to change that…

Looking forward to seeing what you cook up next.

Submitted (1 edit)

I can see this game being great in three steps:

  1. Make the tiles so that positioning of the chosen tiles matters, example: tiles have random score values, some tiles have zones around them (not necessarily squares, make varios shapes like tetris pieces) which somehow power up the tiles in the zone, when the source tile of the zone gets selected.
  2. Make it so that at the begining of the turn tiles get randomized. 
  3. Add SHORT timer to the players turn
  4. Profit.

Well, that my take. I can't say anything else than others so... good job you made a working game!

Developer

thanks for the kind words and time taken. 

I like the idea of making the tiles into “Tetris”  kind of shapes, it is something I am going to think about over the next few days  to see how it would affect the game flow   

What was important to me during implementation was maintaining round speed , I did have it tweaked slightly originally and it felt to slow and chess like and I think that your idea of the player selecting shapes rather than single tiles  might allow for greater strategy whilst keeping the battle speed feeling  


Thanks 

Submitted(+1)

There is no much more to add from the previous comments actually, I agree with everything, suprising to me seeing a multiplayer game in a jam (I didn't do many jams but this is the first multiplayer game I see).

I miss the single player thou, maybe an  AI that selects random tiles for 1 player mode would have done the job?  (since every hting is random it would have made sense I guess)

also to mention, the music selection was very appropiate! 

Developer(+1)

Thanks for the comments and I agree. I would have liked to have added a CPU opponent and it is something that I will probably do once rankings are over.  

Thanks for the acknowledgment to the music, it’s all hand made in Ableton. If you ever need some game music drop me an email I offer it as a service 👍

Submitted(+1)

Nice to see a local multiplayer game in a jam!


Like some of the others have highlighted, i think some rules / differences in tiles would have been nice. Having some agency and choice in where i could place tile would feel a bit more engaging than a hidden value attached to a spot, especially on such a large grid. Perhaps a smaller grid could have helped alleviate that? Not sure!

It's a fun concept though, i liked the music and think with more refining and something to base your descisions on, it could be a neat 'lil game.

Developer

Thanks Ayyyspoon!

Yeah I have always loved couch co-op games and thought I would take the opportunity to implement it here. 

I was just thinking of adding a defensive mechanism to the game, so once one player has selected their tiles the other player can select 5 tiles with the right mouse button which will generate defensive points to deflect the oncoming attack. 

One of the ideas I also had originally was to have each tile display a number on top of them at the start of every round for a very short time. The player then has to try to remember where they saw the highest numbers and select those to generate the power score. It then becomes a bit of a memory game. 

What do you think?

Submitted(+1)

The memory idea is a good one! Can think of a few ways you could start mixing it up to increase difficulty if/when games go on longer.


Flipping numbers upside down, adding -/+ modifiers, flashing up for even less time.

Yeah, neat idea. Would like to see more!

Developer

Thanks for the reply and it is certainly something that I look at implementing. 

Submitted(+1)

Game idea looks interesting, pretty original. Music feels nice pick for the game.

I little worried about RNG in the game, I would love to have some rules I can understand and follows it to achieve victory. When game is based on RNG any of my decision do not really matter, it's just luck. 

I like overall idea, just maybe some other system I could explain to second person and have fun.

Great work and congrats on your submission!

Developer

Hi Object22,

Thanks for your comments!

Yes, the RNG was a bit of a last resort. The way it works is when you click the tile it assigns a random colour to the tile, it also rolls a random multiplier to the tile which is then used to multiply the RGB values from the tile and that is what populates the power meter.  What I really wanted to do wasn’t possible as I ran out of time and it literally a game of chance. 

I will probably update the game once the rankings are over to include the original idea I had which would make it like a board game


Headphones or decent speakers are essential for the music👍

Developer(+1)

Sorry,


Thanks Pavelee 😊

Submitted(+1)

reminds me of battleship

Developer

Thanks, it was in my thoughts as an inspiration 👍

Submitted(+1)

Pretty fun game! I like how you made it a local co-op game, there's really not that many of them nowadays! Feels like a fresh idea. I do wish it wasn't 100% random, that would make learning the game more rewarding, but generally it was fun for a little bit, hype moments when you get tons of power and come back!

Developer(+1)

Thank you for your time and kind words!


The random element was a late decision due to time constraints and I totally agree with you! I will likely add the system I wanted to code once the rankings are complete and that will make it like a fully fledged board game👍