Bubbles
Games
browser arcade game
SHOW HN2012
How HN took it
19 positive, 26 neutral or asking, 9 mixed, 20 critical, out of 74 comments about the project. Thread score -0.02.
Design: 3 for, 11 againstPerformance: 0 for, 6 againstIdea: 4 for, 1 againstDocs: 3 for, 1 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Addictive and fun to play
From 4 comments
I think that this game is awesome. I just played about 100 games, compulsively. I think this could be a hit if it was properly polished. 1. I'd love to play this on an iPad using…
peteforde on HNI hate you! Just spent an hour with your game :) (In case it's not clear, I think it's great and somewhat addictive, a few rough edges but really great)
serverhorror on HNI woke up early and then proceed to kill 30 minutes on this instead of getting to work on time :-/
kbkb on HNa) Far too difficult b) Addictive c) Ouch, my fingers.
exolab on HN
Good concept and reminiscent of Osmos
From 3 comments
This is an amazing combination of osmos with a bit of asteroids. The game play is excellent. I really hope this gets turned into a full game with levels.
jcampbell1 on HNReminds me of Osmos. Nice work but you should include instructions.
donkeylipstick on HNThat's pretty cool! Good job.
Floopsy on HN
Source code is useful to read
From 2 comments
Thanks for providing your "source" -- when I wanted to write a boardgame in Python, I followed much the same method, adapting a tic-tac-toe game demo.
Wingman4l7 on HNAlso, as mentioned above, it has code that we can read. Thanks!
gknoy on HN
Objections
Endgame is too hard; large bubbles appear suddenly and make winning luck-based
From 4 comments
Something needs to be done about the end game. Currently skill doesn't make a difference. It relies on the perfect storm of you absorbing a chain of increasingly large bubbles.…
bobsy on HNI know the game is unfinished, but it needs to be more "winnable" and less frustrating. Even when I work my way up to the size of half-the-screen, I end up colliding with a…
hardik988 on HNReally cool concept, but I don't like how when you get really big, bubbles the size of half the field appear, making the game unfinishable.
Aardwolf on HNYou cannot possibly win. It's hard to move around with so much momentum. If you try to maneuver the sides to try to get the little circles, then you have a higher chance of…
dmak on HN
No instructions; controls and space-bar shooting are not obvious
From 3 comments
This sorely needs some instructions. Tapping around the page produces no obvious results.
ctz on HNReminds me of Osmos. Nice work but you should include instructions.
donkeylipstick on HNGreat game! It needs a way to keep score or timer on how long you last. It took about 10 games before I became good at it, and I had to read the comments here to figure out the…
Casseres on HN
Movement has no speed limit and can be broken by holding keys
From 3 comments
Not gonna read all the comments to see if this has been said but you need to set a max velocity for the player. Hold down up and right from the start of the game and watch as you…
nviarnes on HNI think the ball needs a speed limit. I couldn't tell if there was one. I just held the up and left arrows at the same time and just kept holding. It felt like it would've went…
jps359 on HNFire a few bullets, hold right or left arrow, never die. Left it on while I went to class for an hour just to test. Still alive.
crazypyro on HN
Bubble colours are unclear about which are edible
From 1 comment
Yes, it could be a lot more obvious. In Osmos (a similar game) the coloring of the bubbles makes it much easier to distinguish which bubbles are edible and which are dangerous. I…
maggit on HN
Not mobile-friendly; needs touch controls
From 2 comments
Support for touch events on mobile perhaps?
geuis on HNCan you make it work on mobile with controls on the page?
ryangallen on HN
Requests
Full screen or bigger play area
From 3 comments
Something needs to be done about the end game. Currently skill doesn't make a difference. It relies on the perfect storm of you absorbing a chain of increasingly large bubbles.…
bobsy on HNI agree with full screen! Maybe rounds?
volts on HNGot some good potential. I think a much bigger playing field would be a good idea, or smaller relative bubbles. Homing bubbles etc could be fun.
SeanDav on HN
Scoring, timer, or leaderboard
From 3 comments
Great game! It needs a way to keep score or timer on how long you last. It took about 10 games before I became good at it, and I had to read the comments here to figure out the…
Casseres on HNVery nice! Do you plan to add some scores somehow? I imagine just on time would be boring, so growing and shrinking should grant you credits somehow.
Roelven on HNCool. Needs full screen, a timer and a leader board.
craig552uk on HN
Accelerometer or touch controls for iPad and mobile
From 2 comments
I think that this game is awesome. I just played about 100 games, compulsively. I think this could be a hit if it was properly polished. 1. I'd love to play this on an iPad using…
peteforde on HN+1 for this being amazing on the iPad with accelerometer. Very addicting game, well done
ecubed on HN
Levels, power-ups, or more complexity
From 3 comments
To improve the endgame, I would introduce power-ups, like a pill that when 'swallowed' temporarily turns player's balloon into a triangle that could puncture large balloons into…
donpark on HNThis is an amazing combination of osmos with a bit of asteroids. The game play is excellent. I really hope this gets turned into a full game with levels.
jcampbell1 on HNNice, needs a bit more complexity and slightly less frustration :-)
neilbowers on HN
Questions
Is it possible to win?
From 1 comment
Like a simple, HTML5 Osmos. Not sure how Asteroids comes in. When you pass a certain threshold, the bubbles get suddenly & aggressively larger; is it actually possible to win?
Wingman4l7 on HN
Is a framework being used?
From 1 comment
Are you using a framework?
jtms on HN
Alternatives named
Osmos
From 3 comments
Like a simple, HTML5 Osmos. Not sure how Asteroids comes in. When you pass a certain threshold, the bubbles get suddenly & aggressively larger; is it actually possible to win?
Wingman4l7 on HNYes, it could be a lot more obvious. In Osmos (a similar game) the coloring of the bubbles makes it much easier to distinguish which bubbles are edible and which are dangerous. I…
maggit on HNReminds me of Osmos. Nice work but you should include instructions.
donkeylipstick on HN
Asteroids
From 1 comment
Like a simple, HTML5 Osmos. Not sure how Asteroids comes in. When you pass a certain threshold, the bubbles get suddenly & aggressively larger; is it actually possible to win?
Wingman4l7 on HN
Khan Academy subpixel survival game
From 1 comment
I made something similar with the Khan Academy CS tools a while back: http://www.khanacademy.org/cs/subpixel-survival/996062559
oal on HN
Odell Down Under
From 1 comment
What arcade game is that? I can only think of Odell Down Under, but that was an old PC/Mac game...
Wingman4l7 on HN