Synthesizer

Synthesizer
7DRL
Developer	graspee
Theme	Audio Synthesis
Influences	Real life synthesizers, Michael Brough games
Released	2015
Updated	2015 (7drl)
Licensing	some kind of free
P. Language	C#
Platforms	Unity 5, so lots but only Win and web released
Interface	Keyboard, redefinable in unity launcher
Game Length	infinite, highest level reached is measure of success
Official site of Synthesizer

Screenshot

About

Synthesizer is a 7 day roguelike game created in a 168-hour window as part of the 7DRL 2015 event.

Inspiration and aims

Having recently been drawn into the world of audio synthesis and fancying myself as a bit of a top music producer kind of pangolin and encouraged by my fictional friend: broom, I decided to make a roguelike that incorporated a lot of ideas and themes from the world of audio synthesis. I realized from the start that the problem with this would be that fans of audio synthesis might be critical of the way I had applied the ideas of synthesis to the game, and liberties I had taken in doing so, while people who knew nothing about audio synthesis might be confused and turned off by the ideas in the game. Nevertheless I had to try.

Another influence was games by Michael Brough. I was amazed at how games like 868 hack had non-deterministic damage and tiny, non-scrolling maps and yet managed to present the player with a deep and complex playing experience with tactical possibilites. I decided on an 8x8 playfield, actually bigger than 868 Hack's 6x6, but matching the size of the Novation Launchpad and similar MIDI controllers.

Unique/rare features

The game is designed to look like a synthesizer and the game's features all revolve around that conceit. Sometimes that is contrived and I'm not happy with it, for example the player's hp being called "master volume". It just doesn't fit in well. Where the features do work in my opinion are the time system, which is a grid of "micro turns" or beats which considers all events happening in the same beat as occurring simultaneously, and the deterministic way damage is determined for you and the enemies, which is via waveform style graphs that undulate up and down meaning you have to time your attacks on the beats to avoid doing damage to yourself.

Another unusual feature is "effects". These are coloured squares on the floor which have various effects depending on their colour, for example double damage, or convert damage to healing. If you or a mob attacks when standing on an effect they get the benefit of that effect. This was inspired by various virtual instruments (VSTs) that use balls bouncing round a grid in order to make procedural music. Nova3 is a good example of one. The effects move at different speeds and bounce off walls, playfield edge and other effects.

Normal features

• The levels are 8x8 and don't scroll. They are inspired by real world devices like the Novation Launchpad.
• The graphics in the playfield are 16x16 sprites with no animation. Sprites both larger and smaller are used to draw the interface to resemble a real world synth.
• The text in the game is by a font by me, graspee. It's called "Wednesday" and was designed one time we were having work done on the house and the internet went down for a week.
• There are six different type of mob in the game, called glitches. Four of them have unique behaviour while the other two are the traditional "fast but weak" type and "strong but slow" type.
• There is always on a level: an exit, a random number of patches (basically upgrades both you and mobs can use), random number of walls, random number of effects (see special features).
• The player transitions to a new level on going through the exit.
• There is no FOV. Walls simply block movement.

Versions and platforms

Synthesizer is written in C# using Unity 5. A binary is provided for Windows and there is an online version. Source code is not yet publically available.

Game related links

• Full instructions on the web: https://pangoempire.wordpress.com/2015/03/15/synthesizer-full-instructions-wip/
• Instructional video:https://youtu.be/yy37WbU62qw
• Author's Let's Play video: https://youtu.be/OD9maSTu86Q
• Game binary download
• linux - untested
• smackos - untested
• play online
• web version as a download