Galactic Billiards

Hey, who keeps stealing planet models from the science lab and putting them in the pool table? 

A pool-pinball-roguelike(?) where you add to-scale models of the planets to your ever-growing table and strategically rack up high scores using their chaotic abilities.

Tip: The game is easier to play without fullscreen mode.

How to Play

• Click and Drag the cue ball to launch it
• Sink balls to earn points, and make your table bigger
  • Bigger table unlocks bigger planets
• Meet the score threshold to pass each level
• Add planets between rounds, each with special abilities!

About

Made in 4 days for the GMTK Game Jam 2024. The theme of the jam is "Built to Scale". This game uses the theme in two ways: the balls are scale models of planets, and the table grows in scale each time you sink a ball.

The fact that planets differ so vastly in size was a big challenge for the game's design. We wanted players to play with all the planets, but to fit them all on the table, the table has to be so big that the smaller planets become hard to see and hard to sink. Our breakthrough idea was making the table grow in size as the game progressed. Aside from it being another way to incorporate the theme, it was perfect for the game's progression:

• It naturally shifted the focus to the larger planets with more powerful effects as the game progressed
• It allowed us to just keep adding more balls each level, leading to more delightful chaos 
• Early game, the cue ball becoming larger makes you feel stronger as you can hit the balls with more force
• Late game, the table size instead becomes detrimental, as balls become more spread out, and it becomes too easy to sink the larger planets that you'd rather keep on the table for their powerful abilities.

Team

• nobiy: programming
• kumorikuma: art, programming
• yummily: programming
• shpen: music

Credits

• Planet textures: https://www.solarsystemscope.com/textures/
• Score VFX from DamageNumbersPro: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/gui/damage-numbers-pro-186447