God-like powers, at last
August 15, 2008 12:39 PM Subscribe
Flash Friday Fun! Excellent, physics-based game wherein you control the sun, trying to grab planets and keep them in orbit. Any game that includes the admonition not to "go hyperbola" is OK by me.
I had problems with two, also--note that you can just skip a level, if you feel like it. And your orbit doesn't have to be stable, just stable enough to run out the clock.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:57 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:57 PM on August 15, 2008
Yeah if you can't make it through the ten tutorial levels, the difficulty level might be just a tad too high...
posted by WinnipegDragon at 1:00 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by WinnipegDragon at 1:00 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite]
Yeah, once I realized that you just need to run the clock it's easier. Also, if you make the sun orbit the planet you can sometimes just get the planet to sit there. Drawing a perfectly circular orbit is hard tho.
posted by GuyZero at 1:03 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by GuyZero at 1:03 PM on August 15, 2008
Seven's when I started hitting the wall. I feel like I just need to learn The Trick to handling double-orbits and I'll be good...
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:04 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:04 PM on August 15, 2008
I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.
posted by chillmost at 1:08 PM on August 15, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by chillmost at 1:08 PM on August 15, 2008 [4 favorites]
Glad I'm not the only one encountering difficulty problems.
*shakes fist at level 8*
posted by owtytrof at 1:09 PM on August 15, 2008
*shakes fist at level 8*
posted by owtytrof at 1:09 PM on August 15, 2008
Y'know, I really wish it didn't tell me how many times I've failed. I'm trying to build a skill, here! I don't need to be reminded that I've destroyed half a star cluster.
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:09 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:09 PM on August 15, 2008
Level five is pretty cool. I never thought about the path of the moon relative to the sun. It makes sense now, but to see it sort of hang for a second on the far side of the planet it was orbiting was nifty.
posted by hue at 1:13 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by hue at 1:13 PM on August 15, 2008
If anything, this game has reassured me that my decision to not become the center of a solar system was a good career choice on my part.
Fuck you, level two.
posted by Stunt at 1:20 PM on August 15, 2008 [6 favorites]
Fuck you, level two.
posted by Stunt at 1:20 PM on August 15, 2008 [6 favorites]
♪ I just don't believe it!
I don't believe it!
The things I can do with my solar mass!
posted by Meatbomb at 1:21 PM on August 15, 2008
I don't believe it!
The things I can do with my solar mass!
posted by Meatbomb at 1:21 PM on August 15, 2008
I'm assuming that at least some of you are sober.
Cool... that means I that it's not my fault that I can't complete level two and the alcohol in my system has absolutely nothing to do with my inabilities to beat this damned thing...
That said, there's something quite satisfying about luring a planet to the edge of the screen and then slingshoting it off the other side at incredible speeds...
posted by twine42 at 1:22 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite]
Cool... that means I that it's not my fault that I can't complete level two and the alcohol in my system has absolutely nothing to do with my inabilities to beat this damned thing...
That said, there's something quite satisfying about luring a planet to the edge of the screen and then slingshoting it off the other side at incredible speeds...
posted by twine42 at 1:22 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite]
OKAY. Something is amiss.
So, a friend (who apparently is more suited to this solar bullshit than I) tells me to check out level 4. Cool, level skipping. So I reopen this demon of a game, skip to 4...and beat it on my first try. FUCK. Now I might have to try this game again.
I was so much happier when I sucked at it and still had a friday afternoon open.
posted by Stunt at 1:31 PM on August 15, 2008
So, a friend (who apparently is more suited to this solar bullshit than I) tells me to check out level 4. Cool, level skipping. So I reopen this demon of a game, skip to 4...and beat it on my first try. FUCK. Now I might have to try this game again.
I was so much happier when I sucked at it and still had a friday afternoon open.
posted by Stunt at 1:31 PM on August 15, 2008
If the goal is making the planets collide, I am awesome!
posted by never used baby shoes at 1:36 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by never used baby shoes at 1:36 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite]
use the force (of gravity) luke.
i rock and so does this game.
posted by punkbitch at 1:38 PM on August 15, 2008
i rock and so does this game.
posted by punkbitch at 1:38 PM on August 15, 2008
It gets easier as you go on. It may help to think of it as trying to stop any of these objects from reaching the edge, rather than getting things to orbit you.
posted by xchmp at 1:42 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by xchmp at 1:42 PM on August 15, 2008
The less I do the better the result. This is just like my day job!
posted by Mister_A at 2:08 PM on August 15, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 2:08 PM on August 15, 2008 [3 favorites]
This makes me think of when I used to play with those Spirograph things. Only, this is better.
posted by bjrn at 2:23 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by bjrn at 2:23 PM on August 15, 2008
I like how the completely impossible levels are bracketed by trivial levels with no discernable rhyme or reason. That makes for a fun experience. I also like how my phd in physics was of no help.
posted by Shutter at 2:35 PM on August 15, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Shutter at 2:35 PM on August 15, 2008 [3 favorites]
Thanks for that. I needed something to accelerate my hair loss.
posted by an egg at 2:43 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by an egg at 2:43 PM on August 15, 2008
Made it to level TWO, baby! Can't get to level three, but I'm kicking ass and taking names on level two!
posted by crapmatic at 3:17 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by crapmatic at 3:17 PM on August 15, 2008
Lord Sludge -- Destroyer of Planets, Reaper of Souls
posted by LordSludge at 3:29 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by LordSludge at 3:29 PM on August 15, 2008
btw, how would Wesley Crusher solve this game?
I don't know how Wesley would do it, but Kirk would hack the server and re-program the Flash script while that green-skinned alien hottie gave him a hummer.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:43 PM on August 15, 2008
I don't know how Wesley would do it, but Kirk would hack the server and re-program the Flash script while that green-skinned alien hottie gave him a hummer.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:43 PM on August 15, 2008
Alright, I failed the victory lap!
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 3:53 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 3:53 PM on August 15, 2008
Finally gave up on twenty, but it was fun while it lasted.
posted by DanielDManiel at 5:24 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by DanielDManiel at 5:24 PM on August 15, 2008
Note: This technique may spoil some of the fun of the game.
I've found that if you focus on just slowing the planets down to a crawl, that you can usually run out the clock. Just get close up behind a planet until it barely moves then quickly move on to the next planet. Once you got all planet's crawling, move your sun to a far off region of space. It's a bit trickier with moons, but still a generally workable strategy
The bad part is that you have no cool spirographs to admire :(
posted by forforf at 6:37 PM on August 15, 2008
I've found that if you focus on just slowing the planets down to a crawl, that you can usually run out the clock. Just get close up behind a planet until it barely moves then quickly move on to the next planet. Once you got all planet's crawling, move your sun to a far off region of space. It's a bit trickier with moons, but still a generally workable strategy
The bad part is that you have no cool spirographs to admire :(
posted by forforf at 6:37 PM on August 15, 2008
The victory lap sucks; I found that I could just barely make it work by jittering the sun around the middle so that no one moon got a continuous dose.. I suspect that linux flash slowed it down and made it easier.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:05 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:05 PM on August 15, 2008
If you like this, and you like Japanese Game Boy Advance games, you'll love Orbital.
posted by box at 7:15 PM on August 15, 2008
posted by box at 7:15 PM on August 15, 2008
This makes me think of when I used to play with those Spirograph things. Only, this is better.
posted by bjrn at 4:23 PM on August 15 [+] [!]
Well, the spirographs of my youth at least had the potential for being recorded for posterity's sake. *shakes fist at self* Why didn't I think of my future!?
posted by Quonab at 12:05 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by bjrn at 4:23 PM on August 15 [+] [!]
Well, the spirographs of my youth at least had the potential for being recorded for posterity's sake. *shakes fist at self* Why didn't I think of my future!?
posted by Quonab at 12:05 AM on August 16, 2008
This game makes me think about how fragile this solar system is. Why didn't the planets bang into each other early on in this sun's life? The odds that Earth would be as it is today by pure chance have got to be staggering.
posted by ZachsMind at 3:07 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by ZachsMind at 3:07 AM on August 16, 2008
Moons! Why did it have to be moons? Level 7 had me stuck for ages and then when I finally managed it I steamed through the next dozen levels but level 19 is a nightmare.
posted by electricinca at 5:00 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by electricinca at 5:00 AM on August 16, 2008
Okay forget that last comment I just tried it again by staying well away from the planet and moons and that worked. Be not an interventionist God.
posted by electricinca at 5:05 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by electricinca at 5:05 AM on August 16, 2008
I don't think I've ever been worse at a game...
posted by autodidact at 7:37 AM on August 16, 2008
posted by autodidact at 7:37 AM on August 16, 2008
WTF? I couldn't get past level 2, and I made a reasonable effort.
posted by cj_ at 2:52 PM on August 16, 2008
posted by cj_ at 2:52 PM on August 16, 2008
The level with the giant planet owned me. On the other hand, there's a partial moon eclipse out here at the moment. Whoever of you was, STOP IT RIGHT NOW.
posted by _dario at 3:05 PM on August 16, 2008
posted by _dario at 3:05 PM on August 16, 2008
Okay, finished, 31 levels, 43 "faults," & ... it was keeping a score, separately? What?
posted by Pronoiac at 4:20 PM on August 16, 2008
posted by Pronoiac at 4:20 PM on August 16, 2008
ha HA! After being stalled out at level 23 for a few days I finally managed to beat it just now. Then, onward to victory! Although I still technically never beat 2 and 3. Fuck you, level 2.
posted by Stunt at 5:05 PM on August 17, 2008
posted by Stunt at 5:05 PM on August 17, 2008
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posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:49 PM on August 15, 2008