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Donut County
Donut County is a puzzle video game developed by American designer Ben Esposito and published by Annapurna Interactive in 2018. The player moves a hole to swallow objects, which makes the hole increase in size. The concept originated in a game jam based on pitches from a Twitter account parody of game designer Peter Molyneux and later added a mechanic similar to that of Katamari Damacy. Other inspirations for the game included Hopi figurines—a theme Esposito later relinquished—and locations from Bruce Springsteen songs. Donut County was released in August 2018 for iOS, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows platforms, while versions for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in December 2018. It was also released for Android in December 2020.
In Donut County, the player controls a hole across several different levels, each of which is self-contained but has several areas that open up as they progress. The goal of the game is to swallow every object to essentially clear out the level. As the player moves the hole to swallow objects, the hole increases in size. There are some puzzle aspects to this: to swallow objects floating on top of water, the player may need to maneuver the hole to drain part of the water and then have that water consumed by a bird, repeating this until the water is drained. Later in the game, the player gains access to a catapult that fits at the top of the hole. This can be used to fling certain items swallowed by it, hit outcroppings to dislodge objects, or trigger switches.
Human Mira works for her friend BK, a raccoon, at the local donut shop in Donut County. She finds BK more interested in a new mobile app, trying to earn enough points for a quadcopter drone, which he does by scheduling the delivery of donuts to the residents of Donut County. However, Mira discovers that it's not donuts being sent by the app, but actual holes that have been consuming the homes and residents of Donut County.
BK refuses to acknowledge he did anything wrong, and when he receives his quadcopter, Mira purposely destroys it and then orders a donut to the shop, swallowing it up as well. They join the other residents trapped underground, and they all try to reason with BK that what he did was wrong. They come to learn that this was part of the plan of BK's boss, the Trash King, to acquire more trash. The Trash King and other raccoons developed the app to swallow all the trash they could find, ignoring the whims of the people that lived there.
Mira and BK launch a mission to stop the Trash King. As Mira uses a hole to wreak havoc within the raccoon's facilities, BK tries to convince the Trash King to stop what he is doing. The Trash King tempts BK with a lucrative position, while sending a giant quadcopter to fight off Mira. BK rejects the offer and races out to help hack the quadcopter and destroy it, destroying the raccoons' facilities as well. BK agrees to help return all the people of Donut County back to the surface.
You play the role of a hole, you must move around an environment making certain elements fall into correct targets at the right time.
Indie game developer Ben Esposito worked on Donut County in his free time while developing The Unfinished Swan. The core game concept was prompted by a game jam based on video game pitches from a Peter Molyneux parody Twitter account, Peter Molydeux. Esposito made a game called The Pits from a pitch wherein the player moves a hole around an environment. The game grew to work as a "reverse Katamari": instead of a ball that expands upon touching items, as in Katamari Damacy, the Donut County hole expands upon swallowing items. Esposito described the game as a "whimsical physics toy".
Donut County was originally called Kachina, based on the Native American "spirit beings that personify nature". Esposito was inspired by the design of Hopi doll sculptures. Following a blog post that expressed criticism of his treatment of Hopi culture, and his subsequent effort to make an "authentic game" that incorporated the culture, he decided to change the title and abandon the theme. Donut County also took inspiration from indie game Windosill's art style, Los Angeles's high density of doughnut shops, and locations from Bruce Springsteen songs, such as Asbury Park and the New Jersey Turnpike.
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Donut County AI simulator
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Donut County
Donut County is a puzzle video game developed by American designer Ben Esposito and published by Annapurna Interactive in 2018. The player moves a hole to swallow objects, which makes the hole increase in size. The concept originated in a game jam based on pitches from a Twitter account parody of game designer Peter Molyneux and later added a mechanic similar to that of Katamari Damacy. Other inspirations for the game included Hopi figurines—a theme Esposito later relinquished—and locations from Bruce Springsteen songs. Donut County was released in August 2018 for iOS, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows platforms, while versions for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in December 2018. It was also released for Android in December 2020.
In Donut County, the player controls a hole across several different levels, each of which is self-contained but has several areas that open up as they progress. The goal of the game is to swallow every object to essentially clear out the level. As the player moves the hole to swallow objects, the hole increases in size. There are some puzzle aspects to this: to swallow objects floating on top of water, the player may need to maneuver the hole to drain part of the water and then have that water consumed by a bird, repeating this until the water is drained. Later in the game, the player gains access to a catapult that fits at the top of the hole. This can be used to fling certain items swallowed by it, hit outcroppings to dislodge objects, or trigger switches.
Human Mira works for her friend BK, a raccoon, at the local donut shop in Donut County. She finds BK more interested in a new mobile app, trying to earn enough points for a quadcopter drone, which he does by scheduling the delivery of donuts to the residents of Donut County. However, Mira discovers that it's not donuts being sent by the app, but actual holes that have been consuming the homes and residents of Donut County.
BK refuses to acknowledge he did anything wrong, and when he receives his quadcopter, Mira purposely destroys it and then orders a donut to the shop, swallowing it up as well. They join the other residents trapped underground, and they all try to reason with BK that what he did was wrong. They come to learn that this was part of the plan of BK's boss, the Trash King, to acquire more trash. The Trash King and other raccoons developed the app to swallow all the trash they could find, ignoring the whims of the people that lived there.
Mira and BK launch a mission to stop the Trash King. As Mira uses a hole to wreak havoc within the raccoon's facilities, BK tries to convince the Trash King to stop what he is doing. The Trash King tempts BK with a lucrative position, while sending a giant quadcopter to fight off Mira. BK rejects the offer and races out to help hack the quadcopter and destroy it, destroying the raccoons' facilities as well. BK agrees to help return all the people of Donut County back to the surface.
You play the role of a hole, you must move around an environment making certain elements fall into correct targets at the right time.
Indie game developer Ben Esposito worked on Donut County in his free time while developing The Unfinished Swan. The core game concept was prompted by a game jam based on video game pitches from a Peter Molyneux parody Twitter account, Peter Molydeux. Esposito made a game called The Pits from a pitch wherein the player moves a hole around an environment. The game grew to work as a "reverse Katamari": instead of a ball that expands upon touching items, as in Katamari Damacy, the Donut County hole expands upon swallowing items. Esposito described the game as a "whimsical physics toy".
Donut County was originally called Kachina, based on the Native American "spirit beings that personify nature". Esposito was inspired by the design of Hopi doll sculptures. Following a blog post that expressed criticism of his treatment of Hopi culture, and his subsequent effort to make an "authentic game" that incorporated the culture, he decided to change the title and abandon the theme. Donut County also took inspiration from indie game Windosill's art style, Los Angeles's high density of doughnut shops, and locations from Bruce Springsteen songs, such as Asbury Park and the New Jersey Turnpike.