Guided Peckcision (Test)
*Current upload is for testing purposes only
Guided Peckcision is a 2D pixel arcade style game inspired by the obscure WWII-era 'Pigeon in a Pelican' experiment performed by B.F. Skinner at Harvard University where literal pigeons were trained to guide literal missiles...
Players have to be quick and precise with their taps as they use pecking pigeons to guide missiles to their targets. The catch? The pigeons are well... pigeons.. Between them getting distracted and disobeying your taps, the obstacles you have to maneuver around just might make this mission impossible!
Embody that overconfidence that Skinner and Harvard had and once and for all prove that when pigeons are put in control of missiles, nothing can go wrong...
Features:
- Pigeons
- Fast paced whack-a-mole style tapping that requires precision -- (in development...)
- Balance the missile's pitch and yaw -- (in development...)
- Procedurally generated levels -- (in development...)
- Mobile design that runs in the browser
- Interchangeable pigeon hats!!!! -- (in development...)
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I made this game for the Brackeys 2025.1 Game Jam where the theme is, "Nothing can go wrong..."
This is my first ever game jam and first try at making a game since college! This has been such a challenge to do every step from scratch and in only one week. I took on this project as an opportunity to dive headfirst into game development, learn the Godot engine, and kickstart my own indie game journey. The tight deadline has pushed me to stay focused, learn fast, and overcome self doubt. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to implement everything I envisioned before the deadline, but I’ll give it my best shot!
Comments
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I think it's broken - I just see three blank red buttons, and nothing happens if I click on them or press any keys.
Interesting theme, though - I remember hearing about that experiment years ago, on a TV show called QI, and thinking it was both insane and genius!
Thanks for the comment!
I'm glad you see the buttons! I only made it public to see if it would run and if the aspect ratio worked on various devices.
I'm working on the gameplay now and will update it sometime this weekend, before the end of the game jam.
I have to check out that show now. From my research, the experiment showed promise but was abandoned because it was too bizarre.
Apparently, the same concept was later used to spot life rafts from coastguard search & rescue helicopters.
"In testing on the helicopter, the pigeons spotted targets on the first pass 90% of the time. The human crewmembers were capable of finding the target on the first pass only 38% of the time. In passes where both humans and the pigeons spotted the target, the pigeon spotted it first 84% of the time."
Thats absolutely amazing!! I'm blown away that they can be trained so well to not only identify a specific object but also to communicate it to people.
Search and rescue sounds like a much more reasonable application for their super senses. Plus, helicopter rides definitely seem more fun than missile rides.