LÖVE

Thanks for the good feedback.

Concerning the "finger":
As has already been said twice, I used GIMP, so what looks like a finger is part of what one of GIMPs filters created for me.

Tenoch, if you really wanted to clone Osmos, go ahead! I offer you to take part in my project, or to create an even better version yourself.


I have thought of creating a dev diary for this project, so I keep it in mind. Let's see whether I stick to it.

This and Osmos are too easy... and repeative. Wouldn't keep me playing more than maxium of two rounds.
Needs to be infinte as in gameplay so you don't need to restart the game since there is no real story.
also the shine effect needs to be seamless.

Too easy? Did you complete all attractor levels in Osmos? I've got problems with them.
I wanted to add an option to easily change difficulty and maybe include a system which automatically adjusts it to player, but think it will be better to do this once I improved the code (as in usability), adding comments, splitting things up between files (eg moving functions for breeds into "breeds/type/draw.lua" or "breeds/type/tasks.lua"), gathering certain code snippets in functions, etc.

I agree if you say that this game is very repetitive whitebear, but this is what I want to change as soon as the basic framework runs really really smooth anyways. My goal was to support modding - which means custom maps (thus objectives), breeds and maybe other things. Thanks for not letting me forget about that.

Two questions:
What do you mean with infinite as in gameplay?
How should shine effects be seamless?

finally got it

Another idea: add the possibility of "decay": a very small chance that a plasma ball splits in two parts, each having considerable speed. That would solve the problem that if you are small when the game has run for a while, you can't grow because all the smaller balls have been absorbed. Also would that bring a bit action in the later parts of the game, because at the end almost nothing moves anymore!

The shine effect on Red bubbles are blocky you need to remake those so the flare shine does not reach the edges of your the actual picture size. You can see the blockyness in your own screenshots even.

With infinite gameplay I mean that game doesn not end till you lose. Just like in any other arcade game. In tetris the bricks just fall faster (and in netris new stuff appeared as you progressed). In streetfighter you get to fight new round if you win and get "V" for each won round to the upper left corner next to your health bar. In asteroids... etc. etc. etc.
To put it simple you need scoring system and have the game end when you lose. It's not really puzzle or have a story so I asumed you were wanting a arcade game.
I do have ideas though.
Scoring:
1. Absobing mass would give you score by the amount mass absorbed.

Progress of game:
1. Gameplay area "infinite" (if move to one direction the old bubbles disapear and new ones appear on the other side randomly)
2. Stage style so new level begins after all bubbles are eaten but score does not reset.

To keep player's interest:
1. New types of bubbles (with simple AI or special methods to kill/absorb/getridoff)
2. Player Upgrades/Shopping could let player upgrade the propulsion etc.
-1. Twin Propulsion: shoots two bubbles to both sides 23¤ angle to avoid feeding the bubble you are escaping.
-2. Viral A Propulsion: Forces the target to extract bubbles randomly around it on each hit (making it smaller but with cost of making you smaller aswell)
-3. Hardening: You can become immune for absorbation for short moment (but you can't absorb either for this moment)
-4. Viral B Propulsion: Forces target to propulse in your direction.
-5. Viral C Propulsion: Forces target to propulse away from you.
-6. Unstable Jump: you sacrifice random amount of your mass to be at your mouse location (can be over 50%)
-7. Jump: you sacrifice 1/10 of your mass to be at your mouse location
-8. Tuning: Propulses faster but eats more fuel.
-9. Freeze: Your propulsion particles freezes those that absrob them but absorbing the frozen ones causes you to freeze as well.
-10. Plague Bearer: absorbing you (real contact, not bubbles) causes the absorber lose mass rapidly to half from the point it was infected.

I have more but won't over whelm you now.

I am not sure, whether I understand what you mean by blocky. Are you speaking about the attached image, or the fact that the colored circle is cut at the bottom, which was already fixed in the first version I uploaded (the screenshots are not as up to date as the .love file I've attached)?

I've also read through your ideas, but have to mention here that I did not plan on creating an arcade game. (as in collecting power ups, etc.)
Maybe I'll implement a system to allow players to create mods with certain effects when consuming certain type of breeds, like taking over their abilities - maybe based on how much of the players mass is of that breed.
@New types of bubbles: I already planned on creating different kinds - what you call "types of bubbles" is called "breeds" in this little games. (for examples see attractors in Osmos - they create a gravity field which attracts all other entities, allowing)

Fun start, but in case you didn't realise, your system does not conserve mass...

If you get almost all the bubbles, then start zooming around and then collect all your bits again, you are bigger than when you started. Repeat, get bigger, etc. Until you are bigger than the entire viewable area.

Is this intentional?

Currently the game does not zoom out, if you grow. You have to do this manually. So if you get too big, use your mouse wheel!

I'm not talking about the zoom level.

To be more precise:

0) start (size = original_size)
1) emit a bubble (to move) (size = size - bubble)
2) re-absorb it (size = size + bubble)
3) your size is now bigger than the start! (size > original_size)