Heya,
to get used to the Playdate SDK and programming in LUA (last thing I did in LUA was some Garry's Mod stuff 15 years ago), I created a simple game called "Crank-It".
It is very similar to the party game Bop-It.
The basic game loop is simple: Complete the displayed actions in time to set a new highscore. It uses all input methods the playdate has to offer: so you have to tilt the device, shout into the microphone or crank that CRANK.
I think it is best played in a group, but you can still go for a new highscore alone (and just ignore the "pass it" action).
This is a fully playable, but early prototype. The graphics, sounds and music are basically all placeholder. Also the timings probably need to be adjusted. And it is missing some animations, transitions, etc.
Still I wanted to get it out there and hopefully some feedback to improve upon.
So please try it out for free and tell me what you think:
Some more in-depth notes:
The move and press actions allow any direction/button for now
"shout it" can easily completed by just blowing into the microphone. But actually shouting might be more fun
The cover might hinder the playdate from detecting the docking of the crank properly (at least it does for me), so I recommend playing without it
Tilting and shouting at the wrong time will never lead to a fail - but other actions do.
There is an option in the menu to disable the music, if it is too annoying. It was my first time "composing" something on my own, so it is pretty rough.
Hey guys,
I just released an update for the game: version 0.6, which adds a new game mode: Simon Cranks.
As the name suggests, this will play out like "Simon says". So the game will prompt you with an increasing number of actions, you then have to repeat in order. Right now it kind of is the singleplayer mode to the main game.
Would it be possible to get a look at the source code? I really love that you used all the inputs the playdate can get and am trying to wrap my head around them (s00per beginner here).
Thank you for putting together such a laid back game!
I am not releasing the source code right now, maybe at some point in the future I will.
Honestly it would not help you very much though in my opinion. You are better off reading through the official developer handbook and taking a look at the examples that come with the SDK.
While my game is fairly simple, it is still more complex than any of the examples (Crank it has about 1000 LOC, while the examples are only a few hundred).
The "2020" game example makes use of the A and B buttons, D-Pad and Crank (in different ways). I think it is a good starting point. Take a look at the code, edit a few things and see what happens to build an understanding of how the whole system works. And if that is still overwhelming, there are shorter and simpler examples, too.
Of course, if you are trying to build a similar game to Crank it and have any specific questions about the design, I am happy to help.
I spent a couple of evenings over the last months polishing every last bit of this tiny game.
Now I am happy to announce the release of Version 1.0 GOLD!
This update includes:
A new animated menu
Nice music by Kevin MacLeod and Musictown
New particles and effects
A settings menu, so you can finally disable that dreaded "Shout it" action
A brand new gamemode: Crank the Bomb. It plays similarly to the Hot Bomb Omb game in Mario Party: Your Playdate has just become a bomb, but nobody knows exactly when it will blow up. You just know one thing: You don't want to be the one holding it when it does!
Tons of other tiny improvements here and there
Your highscores set in the previous versions will transfer over to this one.
PS: I will also be releasing the source code in the next couple of days. So keep an eye out for that, if you are interested in that kind of stuff.
PPS: I might consider submitting this for the catalog as well. The itch.io version will remain freely available though.
Thanks!