Bubbles

Games

browser arcade game

SHOW HN2012

188points
87comments
#85of 1,677 in 2012
Top 6%of 2012 by points

How HN took it

DebatedReal support and real criticism

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 HN
    • I 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 HN
    • I woke up early and then proceed to kill 30 minutes on this instead of getting to work on time :-/
      kbkb on HN
    • a) 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 HN
    • Reminds me of Osmos. Nice work but you should include instructions.
      donkeylipstick on HN
    • That'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 HN
    • Also, 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 HN
    • I 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 HN
    • Really 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 HN
    • You 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 HN
    • Reminds me of Osmos. Nice work but you should include instructions.
      donkeylipstick on HN
    • 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 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 HN
    • I 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 HN
    • Fire 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

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 HN
    • I agree with full screen! Maybe rounds?
      volts on HN
    • Got 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 HN
    • Very 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 HN
    • Cool. 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 HN
    • 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 HN
    • Nice, 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

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 HN
    • 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
    • Reminds 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

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