The most frustrating game of pool ever | "Glow Ball - A Billiards Puzzle Game"
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Welcome to Steam Sequence, a series where I attempt to play every game on Steam in alphabetical order to see if there are any hidden gems among the piles of garbage.
Spoilers: It's mostly garbage.
The game for this episode is: "Glow Ball - A Billiards Puzzle Game"
In case you're wondering, Steam organizes games starting with punctuation first, then numbers, and then the actual alphabet. It may be some time before I reach the letter "A" on my journey!
00:00 Intro
00:19 First Impressions
02:05 Overview and Gameplay
25:37 Final Thoughts and Rating
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Intro/Outro Music by Approaching Nirvana
/ approachingnirvana
Song: Steampowered
Listen to the song on Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/4OsSqY... - Ігри
I think I can see why the predicted path of the ball doesn't quite correspond to how the ball actually moves when it bounces. The prediction line bounces off the walls as if it were a laser, or a "ball" with zero size. The actual ball being shot has a size and a radius, so it will contact the wall slightly _before_ an aiming line pointed in exactly the same direction would. This could have been fixed by putting invisible "virtual walls" for the aiming line to bounce off of, placed at a distance of the ball's radius away from the "real" walls.
...which will likely never happen, as this seems like hastily-produced shovelware.
I'm 99% sure you're completely correct, the devs took a shortcut and neglected to account for the physical size of the balls when the interact with other objects.
This game was an absolute pain to try and complete.
Thanks for taking the time to show this video some love!
That makes total sense. They cast a ray rather than a sphere when preparing the preview, which would create inaccuracies.
You have identified the problem correctly, but I think there are more elegant solutions.
@@ActionGamerAaron With this method, you only need to take the center point into account. Creating the new collision mesh could be automatized on level load (extrude walls by 'radius' along their normal vector), making custom level creation straight forward.
Good knowledge.
But I will add
Unity has a method to raycast which is probably what they used but it also has another to spherecast which does exactly what you think it does, just input the radius of the ball and the prediction line would work fine.
Maybe adding a little transparent sphere where ever it collides so you can better see the exact collision point on each bounce for easier readability
This one actually looks somewhat fun. While not perfect, it has potential.
Having put around 8 hours into this game, I can guarantee that it's not fun. Too slow, and too janky.
That said, I think the concept has potential - but I think it would be better as a mini-golf style game
@@Graeldon ....I stand corrected. Since you suffered through it, I'll defer to your opinion.
i can also see potential on this game
if only the puzzles and gimmicks were better it could be a fun destraction
This has potential
There’s a dljadow video of this game… from 7 years ago, from the thumbnail it doesn’t look like it changed much
something about the artstyle feels nostalgic i actually really like it, its very "early 90's 3d animation" specifically stuff like "turning a sphere inside out"
Xbox 360 Indie Program vibes
This ALMOST looks like a game that could be fun. Tone down the random, maybe add a secondary camera to show the level's different elevations in context, fix the trajectory line... then maybe this could be an interesting thing to play while waiting for a better game to install. I do like the idea of this game.
And of course let you aim with the mouse
This game looks like somthing that would come in a “100 great games!” Windows 98 disk you find at a goodwill
But at least that game would support mouse control.🤣
I know that for you this game was frustrating, but watching you play with the soothing music and your voice explaining was very relaxing to watch
Thanks for the kind words! I was really self conscious about how my voice sounded haha
@@Graeldon I almost _fell asleep_ during the walkthrough segment. Your voice is fine, man.
im so high and it's so good
Hello So High!
@@GraeldonWorst joke ever. Subscribed
Level 16 is actually really cool to watch
Neat concept for a level, just not fun to play
I just found your channel from the "'Member the Alamo" video, and I have to say that while the concept of the series is wild and unexpected and fun, it's the inpeccable execution that has gotten me hooked. Your voice is extremely relaxing, your humor has been geat thus far, and I genuinely love how in depth your analysis gets. I'm eagerly awaiting for the algorithm to recognize your videos for how good they are!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm always happy to hear that someone is enjoying the series!
I found the channel from that video as well, really relaxing voice for sure and a very interesting idea, subscribed!
I wonder how many of us are here from that specific video lmao
I'm not sure if I agree with randomness in puzzle games being a definite no-no. "Input randomness" is actually very common, such as games like Bejeweled giving you random gems to fill the board. You do generally want to avoid the same player action leading to inconsistent results, but I'm sure even this rule can sometimes be broken in a fun way. Not in this game, but like, conceptually.
Yeah totally man, I agree with that rather than “WeLl YoU’Ve nEveR pLaYed PeGgle”
5:45
"That either makes me really special, or really... really good at making poor life decisions."
So either makes you really special, or REALLY special.
I'll go with the 3rd option. Crazy. You kinda have to slightly be crazy to be a gamer. It's in the genes.
Can't deny that
This is the bargain basement version of Lunar Pool. If only it had the music to go with it.
The core concept here doesn’t seem terrible (billiards with different level layouts and stage gimmicks) but it would need good controls/physics/mechanics/designs (e.g. not making the player rely on random chance). This is the kind of game that gives good motivation to go do some gamedev, since it’s something one could really improve on with enough effort.
Thinking of the kind of variety and creative level designs that some minigolf-type games have (e.g. Wonderputt, What the Golf?, Zany Golf [though actually that’s got some RNG too]), I think one could do a lot in terms of gimmicks for different pool tables.
Stealing a bit from the comment by @TheStann on episode 1, the developer’s work here again feels like something one would uncover in the bowels of a shareware compilation.
That particular developer seems good at concepts that could be fun, in theory, not so much at making the actual games
I remember having this wishlisted as a kid, completely forgot it existed. Thanks for reminding me of it and making me glad I never played it
As a kid? How old is this shovelwear game?
It released in 2014.
A good version of this type of game is Quell. I've sunk quite a few hours into that and it's sequels. Great mechanics and clear pleasant graphics. Thanks for the video!
"A puzzle game should never have RNG"
Man's never played a single Popcap game. This is honestly giving me Peggle vibes and I kinda dig that. Honestly this looks like fun and I know someone who'd enjoy this sort of thing, so I might buy it and then gift it to them out of spite.
In some sense yes? But with Peggle, even if you miss, you aren’t punished immediately. If a game requires something from the player like accuracy but the system can’t do that, then what’s the point?
I'm enjoying this Steam sequence series. I 1st found your channel when you played Arcane Raise, but I decided to go back to the start of this journey. I noticed that you played Trine 2 and I love playing that series with my sisters. Are you excited for Trine 5?
Tentatively excited! I've only played Trine 1 and 2 so far, got a bit of catching up to do with the series
The aiming inaccuracy is most likely because they’re using a raycast for the guide and a physics sim for the ball, and the bounce happens earlier than expected
I appreciate how while this game is clearly a let down that no one should try to complete, you went out of your way to make your review double as a walk through. That's super chill of you!
At least they're consistent.
Consistently bad
You know what you're getting into, and you don't need to waste your time and money to get and play the game only to find out it's terrible.
@@joelhoon1707 ! That Developer Trying To Stay Consistently Subpar!
I will never ever play this but it was really soothing and entertaining to watch you play and narrate the levels. Perhaps even more so because of the background music honestly
I hate to say it, but you made this game look way cooler than it has any right to be
With full mouse or controller support, about 80 more stages, and a level editor, this could be a very worthy $10-$15 game
Shame it's so bad, cause this game looks (visually, I mean) really really nice, and the premise is sound.
With a lot of tweaking (game speed, graphical fidelity, level design, physics) it could be good. The core idea isn't bad, it was just executed poorly
your channel and this serious is egregiously underrated, dude.
I have pretty bad insomnia and these have been getting me through,,, these are really fun, honestly, i'm surprised nobody's done something like this before
also if i paid money for this game someone would be getting non-fatally shot, oh my god you are a trooper dude
man, major kudos to you for managing to beat this truly tortuous puzzle game. if it's any cold comfort, the walkthrough section is very calming and nice!
I'm glad that people find it relaxing at the very least!
It is a shame this one didn’t work out, because the aesthetic is really surreal and kinda nice. It feels nostalgic for some reason, and it’s weirdly similar to the primitive lighting you see in AutoCAD and other rendering software like that, it’s really different to standard video game lighting. The textures and animations also really remind me of very old 3D rendering software, but it’s nothing I could confirm.
This actually looks very similar to an nes game I played a ton as a kid
Lunar Pool?
@@yeasstt Wack, yes
Bouncing off of other comments here. The game isn’t great, but the video itself was an absolute treat. Something about your voice, the music, the incredibly simple gameplay, it’s a perfect, relaxing storm that I *really* hadn’t expected clicking on the video.
Thanks for the kind words, and for giving the video a chance!
Good friend of mine recommended your 'Member the Alamo video, decided to check out the full series since I really like the premise. I'm enjoying these quite a lot, I like that you're honest and fair in your critiques while also giving earnest suggestions and ideas about the games you play. Particularly about your Alamo episode: I really liked that you addressed the elephant in the room but still talked about everything else about the game, giving attention to everything that was relevant about the game itself; rather than discarding one in favor of the other.
While I love folks like Verac and Sseth, this style is a great change up. You've done great with these, looking forward to seeing more.
"If, like me, one of your two balls fall off the map, you'll still be okay."
😳
@@Graeldon wise words, I want this quote on a shirt, and on the back window of my car 🤣
@mavericknizmo9182 there is someone out there with one ball that will love this
@@Graeldon I wonder what kind of balls do they have... Like, ballpit balls, bouncy balls, gumballs??
i got this game in a 10 pack of random steam keys and barely touched it. glad to see someone made a review for it so I dont have to touch it.
Could be a good frustratingly difficult puzzle game, but the random elements and unreliable aim prediction really kill it
This game looks like a late 90's / early 2000's PC demo that shows off bump maps and lighting. Wouldn't be surprised if it was, initially.
I actually really like how some of the levels look, if only the game attached to them was actually good...
And here I am just wondering why they didn't at least have billiard ball textures, whether for flavor or even just so your own ball wouldn't look exactly the same as all the others.
Idea for a game:
A roguelike RPG where the combat mechanics is basically pool trickshots and you can only use environmental objects to indirectly attack, move or trap the enemies.
Potential issues:
1. Need to efficiently run out of order turns for a lot of enemies. Need to show turn order off nearby enemies in a simple way so player can know whether they're gonna get doubled by a group of enemies.
2. Need diversity of stats, enemies, items, weapons, etc to make the game interesting.
3. Need to ensure that the environment doesn't create areas with perfect safety for either the player or enemies, or accidental softlocks.
4. Need good AI for the enemies so they can actually pull off successful attacks and punish mistakes by the player, but not so good it feels like an aimbot.
Some enemy and item ideas.
Slime:
•Merges with slimes on collision, deliberately merges when
•Sticks loosely to environmental projectiles when attacking or attacked, but bounces off walls.
•Can split in half as an action.
•Has a slow overwhelming style of combat where it overwhelms the target with action economy and saturation tactics.
Bow:
•Ranged weapon which has pitiful knockback but it's direct fire.
•Some arrows can be used to pin enemies.
Shield:
•When held at an angle, greatly affects the trajectory of knockback, but can cause spinning out of control.
Pavise:
•Can be placed in the ground in front of a player and absorb a lot of the energy of an incoming object, but since it's an environmental object and not a cue ball / player, it can be targeted directly.
Fairy:
•Relatively weak but fast attacking flying enemy.
•Stunned on collision.
•Must be grounded to fall into a hole.
Bag of holding:
•Can be placed on the ground. Becomes a hole of a certain size. Objects and enemies which enter it are not killed but frozen in time, and may be placed again as a move.
Ability: gaping maw.
•Become a hole after bouncing off an environmental object.
•Opponents which have also bounced off an environmental object can fall in.
•Remain a hole after moving and until next time you move, although you still have mass and can be moved by objects that collide or fall in.
Ability: Jump.
•Move at an angle upward instead of forward.
Dynamite
•Small environmental object with its own turn.
•May be placed and then ignited.
•Once the fuse runs down, it explodes.
•Nearby objects, both mobs and environmental objects, are thrown at speed based on their size, mass, and distance.
General stats:
•Base telegraph: how long after you or an enemy decide to move that your move waits before happening.
•Base recovery: how long after you or an enemy successfully moved that you can't move afterwards.
•Power telegraph: how much does a full power move add to your telegraph?
•Power recovery: how much does a full power move add to your recovery?
•Radius: how heavy is the character.
•Friction: How well does it grip surfaces instead of sliding? Also affects drift due to roll and pitch rate.
•Rolling resistance: how much does it lose speed from rolling. Stacks with environmental modifier. Also affects drift due to yaw rate.
•Bounce: how elastic are the collisions?
•Mass: how heavy is the object?
•Max Energy: speed from full power moves.
•Inertial moment: how easily the object spins.
Some additional difficulties:
1. A roguelike with 1 hitpoint no matter how good your stats and gear is tricky, since it wouldn't be very hard to accidentally launch yourself to your doom or get ganged up on by enemies that attack as a team. Carefully deciding how much power to use for speed vs safety would be a real concern. Probably best to automatically start the player somewhere that is fairly safe. Not *completely* safe, but few and weak enemies and relatively few holes to gameover yourself in, and then let them move into more dangerous environments as they get better with core mechanics and understand how dangerous just yeeting themselves around or giving enemies an opening can be.
2. Graphically representing everything in an intuitive way so the player can know if they are gonna get attacked before they move and such would be important as well.
8 hours!? For science 😢 🫡
This game in more polished would be a ton of fun.
Halfway through and there's so much commentary about going into a hole that I wish this game had an IT GOES INTO A SQUARE HOLE mode.
You could say that there's a hole lot of commentary?
Thanks for checking out my older content!
@@Graeldon I will try to watch entire series, right now haven't reached letter A but am trying)))
@@Graeldon You know the "square hole" girl right?
Oh yeah! Everything goes on the square hole 🤣
@@Graeldon *cries*
I found this channel a couple days ago and I'm now binging it from the beginning ❤
Love the way you explain the whole experience, as well as the editing style. You'll have tens of thousands of subs one day, I'm calling it
I'm glad you're enjoying the content, even my older stuff! Definitely took me a bit to find my style.
Welcome to the channel!
@@Graeldon I dont know, your early content is still pretty nice! Lots of hugs
@@KSaran7 I appreciate that! Here's to more good content ❤️
Very cool series, reminds me of other series on YT where people play the whole library for a console. Steam is a monumental task. I hope you're not going broke buying all these not-worth-it games. lol
I got the idea for the series when I was completing my personal Steam backlog in alphabetical order 😅
I love the concept but unfortunately the line not actually indicating properly where the ball will go is a complete deal breaker for a potential purchase
if the concept for this game just had a better dev i could actually see this being really fun, sad it had developers who didn't actually care about making a good game
This is the kind of game to be in the background of storytime videos
This is actually a really cool idea for a game, and I think with some more polish and less randomness, it could be a great game
I think that for billiard games, it makes sense to win with the keyboard. You're forced to line up a shot in a way that somewhat stimulates having to guess the trajectory somewhat,instead of literally aiming with the mouse on top of your target.
Take a shot every time he says the word “ball”
I wonder when you'll stumble across the first game that could be considered a hidden gem. Let's hope it won't be more hidden than gem.
Damn, this actually looks really cool, too bad it sucks.
It's got a nice aesthetic, but it's only skin deep. So many games fall short due to poor mechanics
Minus the randomly spawning mines and the lying blue line this actually looks somewhat fun. Would make a good mobile game.
As a concept, it has potential, but it needs a lot of refining to be a good game. A much faster reset time would make a huge difference to the enjoyment.
yes
Hello again! Hope you're doing well!
@@Graeldon ya I am thabkd
the creative commons background music i hear is also used in Echo, and this has triggered ptsd i didn't know I had for that game :)
Having played and watched indepth playthroughs of the old Sega Genesis pool/billiard games, this sadly looks like the best game there is in that genre
I'm noticing with this series a genera that doesn't seem very common so far which is wide open sandbox.
Yeah it hasn't come up much yet, but I'm sure it will in the future!
this dev has some good ideas but clearly isn't putting in the effort to execute them properly.
Man, that sucks. A billiards-based puzzle game is the kind of thing that would be right up my alley.
Too bad it's crap.
With the "-" and """ setting the games before the actual Alphabet I am genuinely wondering at this point:
What will come first: A good (or at least say solid/fun) game or one which's title actually starts with "A"?
We definitely found some good games before we reached the A section! FYI, the A section is approximately 14 years away.
Do the eye markers only do something if you come to a stop on them?
Does anybody know what the name of the song at 20:30 is? It comes off very liminal and nostalgic, I'd love to save it for later.
All the music is by Kevin MacLeod. I can't remember the name of the track off the top of my head, but I'll pop in with it if I manage to track it down =)
Challenge: take a shot every time Graeldon says the word "ball".
I don't think anyone would survive to the end...
I thought the thumbnail looked like a bird.
at least it looks far better than the other game
I’m guessing this dev uses punctuation intentionally to boost his games to the top of the list.
What happens if the white ball hits a mine?
The white call is pushed in a random direction and it counts as either 2 or 3 moves from memory.
It only took 6 games for bro to turn cynical 😭
It does get better!
balls 👍👍👍👍👍😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
Another one i guess
Too bad this game was executed so poorly, I like the kinda gaudy 2000s computer game look of it
People in the comment saying this game looks like fun are masochists and/or morons.
this one is really baddd
wait it actually isnt
With this sorta series, I gotta wonder: are you gonna play AAA games? Getting to B are you gonna buy the entire BioShock trilogy? At E will you be playing through all of the Elder Scrolls games? Are you going to pay upwards of £50-60 (I don't know the conversion rate to canadian dollars, sorry) per game for games lots of people already know of? Or are you going to muscle through Steam's entire catalogue? Cause if yes, I can't wait for T & all the Thief games you'll be playing
The plan is to review everything, indies, AAA, and everything in between. The style of review will shift a bit depending on the game though
@@Graeldon that is certainly gonna be something. You ever planning to set up a patreon or kofi maybe? In case people wanna help you out with reviewing a little over 65 thousand games?