A NEW LEAP IN AUTOMATION GAMES
This video will be explained in more detail later.
Strategize animal performer lineup, discover powerful combos, upgrade troupe in the backstage, and manage animal transfers with ever-shifting transfer fees to become a legend of the circus.
My Roles: Game Designer, Programmer
Troupe management system design and programming, animal skill design, balancing, data management, achievement system design and programming, and UI programming
- SINCE January 2025 -
Gameplay
Core Gameplay
The player places animals in six positions on the stage. The show begins when the animal on the far left receives the ball. After receiving the ball, each animal starts performing its own passing action — some pass to the right, some to the left, and some pass to a specific position. When an animal passes the ball, it earns a certain amount of score, and the show ends when the ball hits the ground. The player’s goal is to build a passing loop and raise the score to meet the stage’s requirement.
Gameplay Loop
Mouseover to zoom in.
More Strategies: Splitting Score into Three
Avoiding Dominant Strategies
A common issue in automation games is that players keep using the same dominant strategy they found. However, dividing the scores into three types effectively prevented this monotony.
Each level now has three target scores, and one of them is significantly higher than the others. Thus, players naturally prioritize using animals that produce the most needed score type. Since the highest required score type changes from level to level, players are encouraged to explore new strategies every time.
Different Score Types, Different Playstyles
Additionally, each score type has its own identity, so the target scores affect not just numbers but also the play style.
Animals that produce red scores pass the ball to the right, those that produce yellow scores pass it to the left, and those that produce blue scores have unique passing or scoring behaviors.
For example, in a level that mainly requires yellow scores, players will use many animals that pass the ball to the left. Since a loop cannot be formed if the ball only moves left, players must think carefully about how to mix in red and blue animals to complete the loop.
Less Pressure, Be Bold
In addition, the player does not need to achieve all three target scores. Each level consists of three shows, and the score is evaluated after each show. If the player exceeds a target score, the excess amount is added to their Popularity; if they fall short, twice the missing amount is subtracted from Popularity. The player’s final objective is to keep their Popularity from dropping below zero after all three shows are completed. This system reduces the risk for players and allows them to try a wider variety of bold strategies.
Creating Variables Within Automation: Bananas
To Solve Overwhelming Setup
Before each act, players put a great effort into strategically arranging the animals. Once the show began, any flaw in the automation was irreversible once the show started. This structure overwhelmed players during the placement phase because they were pressured to make a perfect setup. Besides, the learning curve was too steep because players needed to fully understand every animal’s behavior pattern before positioning them.
It's OK To Be Not Perfect
The Bananas not only solved the problem but also added depth to the game.
Players receive 10 bananas at the start of each show. After throwing the ball, animals must rest for several turns. Normally, if they receive the ball while resting, the show will end immediately. But if the player has bananas, the animal can instantly throw the ball again by consuming bananas equal to its remaining rest turns. In other words, even if the automation is not perfectly designed, the player can keep the show going.
Combo Continues
Players can also click while the ball is in the air to throw a banana at it. If the banana hits the ball, it moves one space farther than where it would have landed. This allows the player to continue combos that would have otherwise been broken. Through playtesting, we even observed players planning their animal placements with future banana hits in mind, incorporating the mechanic into strategy.
By combining the split target scores with the banana system, the game now has nearly endless strategic possibilities and meaningful choices.
ANIMALS
Each animal’s behavior is designed to interlock with the others, creating countless possible combos.
Players must consider not only the direction in which each animal throws the ball and its rest time, but also how to make use of skills that grant high scores or affect other animals when certain conditions are met.
This encourages players to build strategic combos that last longer and generate even higher scores.
Mouseover images to see details.
Monkey
Direction: Right 1
Rest turn: 3
+10 JOY per ball passed.
Elephant
Direction: Left 2
Rest turn: 3
+15 SKILL per ball passed.
Lion
Direction: Special
Rest turn: 4
+20 NOVELTY per ball passed.
Lion passes the ball in sequence to positions #1, #3, and #5.
Giraffe
Direction: Right 1
Rest turn: 5
+5 JOY and +1 Banana per ball passed.
Snake
Direction: Left 2
Rest turn: 3
+5 JOY per ball passed.
WARM UP: +1 WARM UP per ball passed. When WARM UP is 3,
+50 SKILL then deactives until next act.
Bear
Direction: Right POWER
Rest turn: 2
+20 JOY per ball passed.
POWER: +1 POWER per ball passed. Throw ball further according to POWER.
Fox
Direction: Right 1
Rest turn: 3
+5 JOY per ball passed.
+5 JOY when neighbors pass a ball and generate
JOY.
Lizard
Direction: Left 3
Rest turn: 2
+10 SKILL per ball passed.
POWER: +1 POWER per ball bassed.
SKILL is multiplied by POWER.
Kangaroo
Direction: Right 4
Rest turn: 5
+10 NOVELTY per ball passed.
EXCITED: 4 EXCITED when ball passed. When EXCITED,
-1 EXCITED per ball passed by other animals and
+10 NOVELTY when any animal generates
JOY.
Buffalo
Direction: Right 3
Rest turn: 5
+20 NOVELTY per ball passed.
EXCITED: 5 EXCITED when ball passed. When EXCITED,
-1 EXCITED per ball passed by other animals and
+5 NOVELTY when any animal generates
NOVELTY.
Seal
Direction: Left 2
Rest turn: 3
+10 SKILL per ball passed.
EXCITED: 3 EXCITED when ball passed. When EXCITED,
-1 EXCITED per ball passed by other animals and double the score
of all animals and reduce the left pass by 1.
Goat
Direction: Left 2
Rest turn: 5
+10 NOVELTY per ball passed.
+5 NOVELTY if receiver has POWER.
Set POWER to 1 and multiply NOVELTY
by POWER reduced.
Strategy Examples
Giraffe-Bear-Snake-Lion-Snake-Snake
This is a balanced strategy that gets red scores with the bear, yellow scores with the snake, and blue scores with the lion.
By placing the lion in position 4, it frequently passes the ball to the snakes in positions 3 and 5, making it easy to gain yellow scores.
When throwing the ball to the left and returning it to position 1, the giraffe restores bananas while also passing the ball to the bear, aiming for red scores.
Kangaroo-Fox-Fox-Snake-Fox-Lizard
This strategy focuses on the synergy between the kangaroo and the fox.
When the kangaroo’s skill is activated, it generates blue scores whenever an animal produces red scores. The fox naturally produces red scores on its own, but it also generates bonus red scores whenever a neighboring animal produces red scores.
The key is to position the foxes to where they pass the ball to each other as many times as possible.
Bear-Fox-Goat-Lizard-Giraffe-Lizard
The bear can generate a lot of red scores, but it also has the danger of throwing the ball too far.
But when paired with the goat, a new playstyle with a stable bear becomes possible.
By using banana throws effectively, players can pass the ball to the bear when its power is low, and when the bear’s power is high, they can pass the ball to the goat to reset the bear’s power and gain a large amount of blue scores.
Encouraging New Strategies:
Dynamic Economy System
In a single run, the player progresses through eight levels, and they can enter the troupe management area between each level. In this area, players earn profits by transferring animals and can use that money to recruit new animals or upgrade existing ones. The prices of animals change dynamically. If a particular animal performs frequently during shows, its price rises; if not, its price drops. These changes accumulate over the course of multiple levels.
In other words, money serves as an “incentive” that encourages players to try new animals. Players initially purchase and use animals according to their personal preferences. As they keep using the same animals, their prices increase, while unused animals become cheaper. This allows players to sell their frequently used animals at a high price for more profit, then “buy the dip” and upgrade the animals they previously ignored. If they continue using the newly acquired animals, their prices will rise again, creating a new profit loop. Through this process, players naturally use and experiment with new animals.
This dynamic economy system is the highlight of the work I contributed to this project. I led everything from designing the game economy, to implementing it through programming, to visualizing the system using graphs.
Made With Unity
I have led development in Unity for many previous projects as well, but Circus Mania especially helped me significantly improve my Unity development skills.
In addition to the Dynamic Economy System mentioned earlier, I was mainly responsible for managing the animals. I utilized manager classes such as TroupeController and DataManager, and restructured the logic for reading CSV files so that any additions or modifications could be easily reflected. I also designed the format for reading animal information and displaying their values in the animal management system.
The animalproperty class, which contains the animals’ data, was originally developed by another team member. However, with their agreement, I later redesigned the structure so it integrates smoothly with other manager classes, allowing the system to read and write any necessary information instantly in all situations.
China University Student Game Awards 2025
Our team translated Circus Mania into Chinese and submitted it to the China University Student Game Awards (CUSGA). The game was nominated in the Most Surprising Game category, giving us the opportunity to present it at the event. Although we did not receive an award, the nomination proved its potential and motivated us to continue developing it in the future.
Feedbacks We Got
Judge A: The automation-based circus concept feels fresh and unique, but the gameplay focusing solely on passing the ball makes the overall experience feel limited. It would be exciting to see additional circus-inspired elements incorporated into the system.
Judge B: The core mechanics are engaging, yet the strict adherence to the circus theme seems to restrict the game’s potential. Exploring ideas beyond the theme could lead to more surprising and compelling gameplay directions.
Judge C: The precision required for the banana-throw timing feels slightly misaligned with the game’s genre. Adding supporting mechanics—such as allowing players to rearrange animal positions—could introduce more strategic depth.
Judge D: The visuals communicate a casual, lighthearted mood, while the gameplay leans toward hardcore timing and precision. This mismatch may cause confusion for the target audience, so aligning the aesthetic and difficulty would strengthen the overall experience.
NYU Game Center Spring Showcase 2025
Before participating in CUSGA in August, we had the opportunity in May to showcase our game at the New York University Game Center Sprint Showcase, where we presented it to a wide variety of young and old people, and those familiar and unfamiliar with games.
Perhaps because it features cute animals, many children stopped by to play. Some players struggled even with the tutorial due to the relatively high difficulty level, while others refused to leave their seats and kept retrying until they cleared a specific level.
Feedbacks We Got
Many players could not clear the banana-throwing part of the tutorial on their own.
Many players misunderstood and thought the banana should be thrown at animals.
Players often wasted bananas by randomly clicking.
Three to four players thought that they needed to click on the UI to throw bananas.
The lack of subtle changes in music or sound effects between levels made the game feel monotonous.
Some players felt the tutorial was too long, and they were tired by the end of it.
A few players could not find the tutorial button at all.
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My Roles: Game Designer, Programmer
Troupe management system design and programming, animal skill design, balancing, data management, achievement system design and programming, and UI programming
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