A MineSweepEars Island

Abstract

MineSweepears Island is a Minesweeper-inspired puzzle game developed for Ludum Dare 32, where the theme was “An Unconventional Weapon.” Set on a hexagonal grid, players must create sweep paths to score points while avoiding hidden mines. Each tile displays the number of adjacent mines and its point value, adding a strategic layer to path creation. The unique twist comes from the game’s use of spatialized audio cues—players use their ears to detect nearby mines, introducing an innovative audio-based gameplay mechanic. This article explores the design process, technical challenges, and creative solutions that went into building MineSweepears Island.

Source Code LD32 Entry Play!

MineSweepears Island:

Theme and Game Idea

For Ludum Dare 32, I set out to create something unique with a familiar foundation. The theme was “An Unconventional Weapon,” and I combined the classic mechanics of Minesweeper with innovative twists to make it more interactive and immersive. The result? MineSweepears Island, a hex-based puzzle game where your ears become the key to survival.

MineSweepears Island is inspired by the traditional Minesweeper, but with a fresh perspective. Here’s how it works:

• The game takes place on an island made up of hexagonal cells. Around 20% of these cells are trapped with hidden mines.
• Unlike classic Minesweeper, your goal isn’t just to avoid the mines but to create sweep paths across the island. The number displayed on each cell indicates two things: the number of adjacent trapped cells and the number of points the cell is worth.
• To score higher, you need to create longer paths. The catch? Each cell can only be used once in a path, except when it’s used as the starting point for a new path. You have only 60 seconds to make as many paths and score as many points as possible.

The Unconventional Weapon: Your Ears

In keeping with the theme of Ludum Dare 32, I gave players an unconventional tool to navigate the mines: sound. Instead of relying solely on visual clues, players use spatial audio to detect nearby mines. Here’s how it works:

• When you enter a tile, if there are mines in the surrounding cells, the game plays a tune.
• The sound is spatialized, meaning you can determine which direction the sound is coming from, helping you guess which adjacent tiles are dangerous. You can probe if a tile is dangerous by getting closer to it. This introduces an extra layer of strategy, requiring players to not only focus on the numbers but also listen to the world around them.

The strategic depth in MineSweepears Island lies in balancing risk and reward. The longer the path and the closer you come to mines as you sweep across the island, the more points you earn. But, with only 60 seconds and a limited number of tiles that can be used in any path, you’ll need to plan carefully.

Post Mortem Ludum Dare 32

Developing MineSweepears Island for Ludum Dare 32 was a challenging yet rewarding experience. Crafting the spatialized audio and building the hex-based map from scratch was no small feat, but the end result was a game that felt innovative and immersive. Ranking #22 in Innovation was a huge highlight for me, but more importantly, the process taught me a lot about game design, especially in balancing gameplay mechanics with new ideas like audio-driven feedback.

If you’re curious, you can still check out the entry on the Ludum Dare website: MineSweepears Island - LD32.

Creating a game in just 48 hours is always a challenge, but Ludum Dare pushes you to think creatively and embrace the constraints. MineSweepears Island is proof of how much can be accomplished in a short time when you mix familiar mechanics with fresh, unconventional ideas.

Behind the Scenes: Building MineSweepears Island

I coded the game in JavaScript and relied on a PhiloGL for the drawing and a spatialHash library. Originally the game was deployed on heroku, and the game was served by an express app that simply renders some .ejs template to dynamically generate the webpages.

In the views folder, I used EJS (Embedded JavaScript) to dynamically generate the webpages and connect the user interface with the game’s logic. The res folder contains code snippets I frequently use, including shaders and musical note frequencies like A = 440Hz, which helped fine-tune the audio cues in the game.

Tools

• PhiloGL for 3D rendering
• WebAudio for spatial sound effects
• Bootstrap for the basic UI
• EJS for webpage generation
• JavaScript for game logic

Ratings

Rank	Categorie	Score
#22	Innovation	4.17
#471	Graphics	3.17
#504	Overall	3.22
#572	Mood	2.91
#580	Fun	3.00
#880	Theme	2.87

#1634 | Coolness | 41% |

the ludum dare website for version 32 is no longer available but you can find the page on webarchive