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Line Bender's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Originality | #34 | 4.374 | 4.374 |
| Overall | #416 | 3.766 | 3.766 |
| Fun | #705 | 3.466 | 3.466 |
| Presentation | #1189 | 3.458 | 3.458 |
Ranked from 131 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
How does your game fit the theme?
Segments are joined together and rotated to solve puzzles. The idea of rotating joined circles is inspired by one of Fourier's contributions to mathematics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6sGWTCMz2k&t=6s
Did your team create the vast majority of the art during the 48 hours?
Yes
We created the vast majority of the art during the game jam
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Comments
Well not sure what I was doing but it was still cool and fun to magically solve! Thanks for making it fun to watch doing it rotating thing AND making it easy to cancel the current rotations for an updated try (otherwise there would be a lot more waiting around) This was very amusing to play and fits the jam theme very nicely. I may not understand what all is happening but I think you do a great job of implementing and designing this game!
One note, and it may just be me or my PC, but when I tried to run the game in the itch app it wouldn't seem to load even after a minute, I had to go to itch in my web browser and play it there for it to work. Again could be something on my side but just mentioning it just in case you make a more full version in the future!
I am glad you were able to enjoy the game! I appreciate that you noticed the little details. Thanks for the heads up about having a player issue -- hopefully that was just anomaly and it resolves itself.
If you wan't my breakdown of what goes on in the puzzle, check out the comment I left below yours.
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203
What an original idea! Kudos for coming up with such a good idea. The presentation was pretty good too. The scene transitions, the sounds and the trails all made it feel responsive. However, the difficulty curve is a bit wonky for there to be fun. I couldn't find any consistent way to solve the puzzles; every time I did solve the puzzle, it was out of randomness. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough. But as game designers, we shouldn't be making the player work hard to find the fun. That was the bit which was lacking from the game: fun.
Summary: Magnificent idea and good presentation but not very fun.
I appreciate that you shared your thoughts on this game! I noticed a range of reactions to how solvable the levels are. Some people are able to get a hang of how the numbers and segments interact, others go through trial and error, and most are somewhere in between. I don't think that you need to "look harder" -- if anything I think there are 2 ideas that the game needs to do a better job of introducing.
I noticed that those who are able to problem solve their way through the puzzles (with not toooo much trial and error) picked up on some form of these 2 ideas. If you're interested in the 2 ideas then read below, and if not then no worries! I really do appreciate your feedback.
The 2 key ideas (Semi Spoiler alert below)
These aren't the only ways to interpret the puzzles, I've seen some people surprise me with their own way of breaking things down. Ideally, the mechanics of it all are enjoyable enough for a player to have fun even if they don't exactly know what they're doing.
I hope this breakdown was helpful :)
Wow, that was a really good explanation. I realized that the game wasn't too complicated, it was me who was unable to figure out the underlying patterns. Thanks a lot for the breakdown. I'll go and give it a second try :)
Awesome!
Also, I forgot to mention one more thing which was worth praising; the tutorial. A lot of games in the jam that I've tried just leave the tutorial in the description or mention it somewhere in the game as a block of text. But you have created interactive tutorials which help the player learn what he/she should learn without saying a word. Happy to see that too. :)
Thanks for the detailed responses, it really is motivating!
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203
Beautiful game, even if I couldn't fully wrap my head around it. I couldn't even solve one of the levels that you have a gif for
Very cool concept and it's so satisfying when everything works perfectly. It was really difficult and I just couldn't figure out a consistent way to solve anything, so it ended up being more trial and error personally. I'm sure if I spent more time I'd start to get it more, and overall a super cool game!
Extremely cool and unique concept that lends itself well to satisfying victories and a calming atmosphere.
On the other hand it's like a rubix cube to me, as in I'm pretty sure there's a method but I'll never figure it out on my own lol
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203
Left feeling more confused but still finished all the levels. 10/10, great puzzle
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203 -- 25 levels now :)
Wow very unique, this concept is very expandable!
Great game, was very satisfying to watch the solution play out! I'll be looking forward to a full mobile release : p
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203 :)
Congratulations on the release! Any chance of an android version?
Not yet, but it is possible! If the game does well on iOS then I'll focus on an Android release.
Wow, wonderful! Once I clicked my understanding of what it was doing into place I was very happy. ^_^ Fantastic calculating-puzzle game. I'm with the other commenters, definitely seems like a keeper. (For some reason the aesthetic reminded me of an old Mac game called Spin Doctor just because in that, you were a wand spinning around circles like this, even though it was a very different game :D )
Thanks for sharing -- I'm glad you enjoyed the puzzles!
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203
Very fun to watch things play out.
This is incredible! I could totally see this as a one-tab mobile game. Its just so satisfying when you finally get it right! Great job :)
(VSauce would be proud)
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the game, and based on all the comments I am considering making a full mobile game for this.
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203 -- this was one of the comments that otivated a mobile release!
What an interesting idea! It's really cool to see this math in action. 3b1b would be proud!
Thanks :) I'm really glad you appreciate the math-ness of it!
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203
Cool but hard
Wow this was fun! i love the use of double pendulums, also being able to add and subtract from the number of spins felt really cool
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203
Great game, I found it hard, but I definitely find think this is a great game jam submission
This is a fantastic mobile game idea - the kind of logic-puzzle-y thing that can keep me entertained for hours! Great idea for a puzzle game and very in tune with the theme! I also appreciate that the physics isn't too touchy to make it frustrating; using the integer increments was a good move. I also really appreciate the blue swoosh - easy eye candy and helpful for actually seeing where your last arm-swing went!
Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the game!
Really nice to see the arm in action! nice job
Original idea for the game, I also liked those ball lines
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203
This is gold, If there was a mobile version I would be downloading right now to play on breaks
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203 -- I hope you enjoy it on your breaks!
I must say, the game is pretty satisfying to play, the visuals could use an upgrade though...
A full version of Line Bender is now on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/line-bender/id1598044203 -- I hope you like the updated visuals!
I DO!