Wisps
Entry for GMTK2022 - Scroll down for Post-Jam Update Notes
Note - The target audience for this game is mid-complexity board gamers. If you don't play resource management board games, this game's learning curve might be a bit steeper than you're expecting. Please have patience and enjoy!
How To Play
- Click the roll button to roll all dice. The game automatically rolls your first dice when you begin.
- Assign each die to any of the 6 action spots.
- Repeat!
Game End
Every time you roll the dice, the black hole value increases and darkness approaches. When your rolled sum is less than the value on the black hole, you lose Wisps to boost your sum until you equal the threat value. If your rolled sum is still less than the black hole value, the game is over. Your score is how many rounds you lasted, or the value on the black hole.
How It Works
Resources
Earn Sunbeams, Moondrops, and Stardust by assigning dice to the top three slots. EarnWisps by rolling higher than the Wisp Trackers on the main gauge.
Leveling Up
Use Sunbeams, Moondrops, and Stardust to level up your dice's max values andWisps to level up the minimum value.
Note - A die must have at least two sides - you can never have a die with a same minimum and maximum value.
Wisp Trackers
You can spend 1 each of Sunbeams, Moondrops, and Stardust to lower a Wisp Tracker by 1, making it easier to roll. Each time you level this, the cost increases by 1.
Note - Wisp Tracker locations are based on the distance from the max sum of your dice and will automatically increase as your maximum dice values increase.
Post-Jam Updates!
Update 1 - The Clarity Update (7/24/22)
- Removed Wisps being useable as wild resources - it was a confusing and unclear mechanic!
- Resized game to fit smaller screens more easily
- Action slots now dim if they're invalid placement options when you grab a die
- Added shooting bits to help draw attention to resources gains and expenses
- The text showing each die's min and max now briefly emphasizes when changed
- The roll button has been reworked to be contextual and remind you what you still need to do before rolling for the next round
- Fixed infinite resource bug!
- Expanded area on action card where the game will accept placing a die
Update 2 - The UI Update (7/26/22)
- Rearranged UI to promote better gameplay flow
- Removed History log window
- Added additional shooting resources to show when Wisps are lost when rolling less than the threat tracker
- Removed collision on dice after they are placed in an action
Update 3 - The Graphics Update (7/27/22)
- Replaced a lot of the placeholder sprites from default unity assets or less thematic pieces, including new cursor
- Reworked the central meter to be more thematic, featuring a spiffy new spinning black hole of doom
- Refined functionality of flying bits to more accurately represent gaining resources. For balance reasons, the full sum is still subtracted upon spending, but gains are earned incrementally now
- Added SFX for the flying bits. Plink!
- Reworked how game over is represented - when you roll less than the round threshold, wisps are funneled into your rolled sum to bring it up to the treat tracker. You'll still earn wisps for passed markers.
Credits
Design, Programming, Art, Font, SFX - CFHM
Music - John Praw
Background - Digital Moons
Status | Released |
Platforms | HTML5 |
Rating | Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 total ratings) |
Author | CFHM |
Genre | Strategy |
Made with | Unity |
Tags | Board Game, Dice, Game Maker's Toolkit Jam |
Development log
- Post-Jam #3 - The Graphics UpdateJul 27, 2022
- Post-Jam #2 - The UI UpdateJul 26, 2022
- Post-Jam #1 - The Clarity UpdateJul 25, 2022
Comments
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Thanks for submitting your game to the stream, here's the interview;
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1544750629Unfortunately I wasn't able to beat my high score of 28 that I got in the game jam, but the game has improved a lot! I love the restructured UI, the log being removed.. Everything feels much clearer and more intuitive to play. You did a great job with that!
What kind of plans do you have going forward? Do you want to expand it further with more mechanics, or are you mostly just looking to polish it up and make this version be the best it can be?
Just published the final planned update with a few more improvements.
I'm going to keep the design in my back pocket for a retheme and a more fleshed out game, but I don't have time to develop it further right now. I'm currently trying to get out a mobile game based on my GMTK jam entry from last year (Slimebound), but once I'm done with that, I have high hopes for exploring Wisps more in-depth.
I just tried the latest update and it definitely was that last little icing on the cake that the current version needed. Nice job!
That's fair. I'd love to see what you can do with this title later on though, if you're still willing to return to it later on. I'm still sticking with my earlier comment of really enjoying the management style of this idea.
Best of luck with Slimebound and I wish you all the best in your game development journey!
I'M THE BEST WISPS PLAYER!!!
Nice! Well done. What did you think of the updates today?
Made it to round 17. Got the hang of it, simple but fun - nice chill atmosphere too, visuals and sounds really fit the design :)
At the beginning is confusing but after some tries, you get how the game works. It's pretty funny. The only issue is the size of the screen. Some things are out of range. Amazing game
Yeah, the game is formatted for 1920x1080. Did full screen help? Playing on a smaller monitor might not work as well
Bug: if you drag a die to another die that is already in a slot, you can get infinite resources
Nice catch! I was able to reproduce and I see what's causing it. Thanks for the feedback! I should be able to update it after ratings