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A jam submission

Pile Tree (GWJ version)View game page

How big and balanced can you make your tree?
Submitted by Mad Parrot Studios — 56 minutes, 13 seconds before the deadline
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Pile Tree (GWJ version)'s itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Accessibility#63.3813.381
Theme#74.2864.286
Originality#93.9523.952
Overall#93.7073.707
Graphics#113.9523.952
Fun#133.5713.571
Audio#153.5243.524
Controls#213.2863.286

Ranked from 21 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

A very interesting game! I had lots of fun. The only thing I would like to suggest is an indication that the tree becomes unstable and that it might fall.

Developer

This is done by the music, when the tree starts to become unstable the music changes immediately. How fast the tree falls and you having the time to correct or not depends on the current weight distribution of the tree. A very tall tree will fall so quickly it’s almost instant, while a wide low tree will give you more time to react

Submitted

Great idea and execution. Simple polished games are often the best. I actually tried it on a phone since you provided an apk. Fps tanked at around 200 but it workded great! :D


Developer

Wow! And that impressive score as well! Thanks!

Submitted(+1)

It's quite an original idea, I really like it!

I would only suggest that the rotation of the camera should also be assigned to some keys instead of clicking the buttons on the screen.

Submitted(+1)

congrats on the android build, the audio reacting to the gameplay, and the lovely visuals! a fun take on the theme, and a very amazing entry overall!

Submitted(+1)

A simple meditation game. I like the implementation of adaptive music) I wonder if this game was given to a bot, how tall a tree would he could grow? Could it reach space? Would aliens be surprised? So many questions and so few answers...

Developer

Hahaha there is a limit in height the tree can grow, because each child branch is smaller than the parent, so the size will ultimately stabilize at some asymptote somewhere. But the weight can grow infinitely though

Submitted(+1)

I could play this all day! Such a beautifully simple concept and lovingly executed.

The only negative here is that making the tree fall is actually more fun than making it tall...

So as a tweak here I'd suggest adding some fun elements to growing the tree - like birds that come an nest in it, or fruit that grows on it once it's big enough. Something to "reward" the player for making it grow.

Another idea would be to give some warning shakes, sways or noises once the tree is nearly in danger of falling, just to give the player a chance to react.

Still a great little game and very relaxing to play

Submitted(+1)

Really cool original concept

(+1)

those pops are really satisfying

Submitted(+1)

Really nice concept, also well executed. Would have been cool to have a highscore system so you can try to beat your best score. Also maybe some feedback about how the weight is distributed and which way the tree is leaning could be good, that way you know if your tree is imbalanced before it falls over and can build accordingly.

Submitted(+1)

Love this game. Fits the theme and wildcards very nicely, and was extremely satisfying placing those branches. My high score is 107 branches and 501.6 "weight". :) Great entry!

Submitted(+2)

Good concept, and well put together!

Others have pointed out how it would be nice to be able to rotate the view a bit more easily with the keyboard for example. I think maybe a button + mouseclick and drag would have worked well too, but that's really not a big issue. Good job!

Submitted(+1)

What a great game! I really like the concept and how well it fits the theme. I couldn't even tell if it was physics based as it responds very well to the game play even when I tried to cheat by keeping the center of gravity very low.


I would have very much liked a way to rotate with the mouse or something more precise than the buttons offer. Still this would make a really great full release mobile game with a few gimmicks to make for some more interesting levels!


My high score was 252.9 weight by the way :D

Developer

Thanks! It’s physics based but not physics-perfect, the base area for calculation is a bit smaller than the tree colliders to make it tip more easily, and I manually placed the center of gravity for each branch. TL;DR: physics is not perfectly respected when it comes to “start tipping” but it is respected once it starts (tall trees fall with more force)

Submitted(+1)

That was really fun !!! Same as Maaack said, I tried to rotate with the keyboard first but couldn't do it, I guess you built the game with phone and tablet in mind right ?

Is there a way to counter balance the tree once it starts to fall ? Couldn't do it in time

Developer

Thanks! Yes, I had touch in mind indeed. And yes, you can counter but that depends on the shape of your tree as it’s physics based. Also the heavier the tree the faster it tips so the harder to counter, but if it’s unbalanced by very little and you notice it quickly you can still counter

Submitted(+1)

Was looking forward to playing this one after seeing your updates on discord. This was short and fun! The art was really well put together, too. And I liked how the music got dramatic when the tree started toppling.

I wanted to be able to turn the camera around the tree with my keyboard. I'd also like something more to reach for besides a personal goal.

Developer

Thanks! I too feel it needs some kind of objective, but I can’t think of anything

As for the keyboard I made it trying my best to be compatible to touch screens, but I guess having the keyboard working in parallel won’t hurt…