Inspiration
The idea was sparked by a Google search for meanings of "capture" and the Astronomical definition- for a larger object to take a smaller one permanently in its orbit. Originally, it was the sun you controlled, not the planets, but the moment I got a good orbit going and let go of the mouse I knew the reverse would be more satisfying, and it all just sort of happened from there.
What it does
It's a simple, arcade-y, score trial game- in two minutes, click and fling planets to try and keep them safe and circling the sun.
How we built it
The game was made in Construct 2- Although I originally only planned to mock it up in Construct, I realized what I had was already most of what I had planned, and switching engines would have done more harm than good.
Challenges we ran into
Figuring out how to score the player was an issue- Originally the game only gave 1 point per orbit but tracked it at an arbitrary point. Real time scoring would reveal that arbitrary point, but delaying it until, say, the planet was destroyed wasn't responsive. Ultimately I added a second scoring point to make things feel so smooth, as well as more conditions to gain points to cover it up slightly.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Doing a game jam at all! Usually when I have an idea I'll mock up a little bit of gameplay and then just let it rot on my computer, and I hadn't done anything making games in a while. Making a full, presentable game again in a short time felt great!
What we learned
I got some experience with less automated forms of control and movement, with the gravity physics and flinging being much less "Baked in" as opposed to, say, a platforming character.
What's next for Orbit
I may update the game a bit if bugs occur, but it's a simple game at heart, and new features wouldn't help much, I feel. However, I may revisit the gravity mechanics in a new way in the future- Collecting the star powerups felt fun, so a game more about maneuvering gravity fields as opposed to stable orbits could be interesting.
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