Bouncy Dot

Exploring what makes games fun through minimalism.

Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove. - Antoine de Saint Exupéry

Flappy Bird was already a very minimalistic game, with very simple mechanics, which has arguably added to its widespread appeal. Here, for #FlappyJam, we explore just what can be taken away from the game and still be left with a playable, fun, (but highly minimalist) game.

Feedback (and your rating regarding the level of success) is highly welcome via Twitter at @OzIndie.

You can also play Bouncy Dot full size (http://www.combattanks.com.au/bouncydot/index.html). The resolution was optimised for the iPhone 5 series. If you add it to your home screen (instructions), you can play full screen.

Version 0.0.1 features:

• No music
• No sound effects
• No fancy graphics (everything is actually white boxes, coloured on the fly)
• No leaderboards
• No achievements
• Nothing but the core gameplay

P.S. You can also use the spacebar instead of clicking/tapping.

Note: The game is currently using Flurry Analytics in order to anonymously log highscores (I want to know how well people are doing!) – if you block Flurry, the game may break on the Game Over screen.

Changelog:

0.0.4
- Added the subtitle, "An Experiment in Minimalism", to title screen
- Added simple instructions based on feedback from people who have never played a flappy game
- Added copyright notice to game screens (rather than just page title)
- Can no longer bounce off the top of the screen
- Performed some optimisation

0.0.3
- Game now respects the network/information bar area when running from the home screen on iPhones
- Falling after hitting a pipe is now more fluid
- Separated the "Retry" button into two white boxes (now all game assets are truly 100% coloured on the fly)
- Added cross-promotion for another game I developed, Combat Tanks

0.0.2
- Minor graphical bugfix in first bounce.

Remember: Don't let hate win!