Circuit Sketch

Game Premise and How it Fits the Theme "Loop"

The idea of the game was to have the player draw a line through the puzzle that connects back to the start thus creating a complete circuit or loop. To enforce the drawing of loops the game does not allow for players to backtrack or visit previously visited tiles, unless it's a special tile or they use the undo move button.

Reflections On the Last 4ish Days

This is my first game and my first game jam. I spent the last month learning Pygame and wanted to use this jam as a way to test myself. I don't really think this game will reflect how much time I sank into it over the last 96 hours but I learned a ton. I really wish I had found sounds for the game that felt right, but I really hated every idea I had on that front and just removed them at the last minute. This is definitely more of a prototype than a game. I feel like the name is a little uninspired; the little line the player draws reminded me of an Etch a Sketch and you draw a circuit so "Circuit Sketch" just kind of stuck because I couldn't think of anything better. I was definitely out of my depth for a lot of this, but I did have fun making this game. It didn't occur to me until the last minute that I was going to need to make a page for the game which I have no idea how to do. I could probably ramble more but I'll leave it there for this section.

Game Controls and Rules

• The player moves through the puzzle using arrow keys
• The player can undo moves using the "X" key
• There are 5 different tiles:
  • Start: A green tile with a compass/star in the middle
  • Goals: Plain green tiles
  • Junctions: Blue tiles with a compass/star in the middle
  • Walls: Black tiles that prohibit movement
  • Tiles: Gray tiles that have no special property
• The player cannot revisit tiles unless they are a Junction or Start
  • You draw a little pink line as you move to help visualize where you've been
• The player must pass through all goal tiles
• The player must end up back on start to complete the level
• Junctions and Start can only be visited from each side once

For Those That Play My Game

First off, I appreciate that you took time to give my little concept game a try. I would appreciate it even more if you gave me some constructive feedback and thoughts on the idea I came up with. I have some other self-critique that I left out of my reflections section, but I'd like to see what others say. Also if you happen to have recommendations on learning materials be it music, art, or game design I'd love some direction. I do prefer written material over video tutorials, which maybe I shouldn't say on a YouTuber's jam, but I'm fine with video recommendations as well.