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Author Topic: a fascinating puzzle game  (Read 56874 times)

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-Stef-

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a fascinating puzzle game
« on: April 06, 2013, 06:12:11 am »
+9

Hi everyone,


One of my friends designed a 'puzzle game'. I don't really know what to call it. It has to do with directing balls around a grid, starting out with some simple puzzle levels and slowly turning into more and more complex state-machine computer science problems. At first it was just an idea in his head but now he made a client where you can actually play, and I've really enjoyed play(test)ing it. It also has a nice competitive element, because solving the problem with less components is considered better. Basically I'm now looking for some competition on the highscore-board ;)

I could talk a lot longer about it but there's not much point compared to having a look at http://xorballs.dskl.net.
If you try it out, please let me know what you think...
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Rabid

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2013, 06:57:08 am »
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Nice game. :)
Just got to level 8 with 2 stars. Can't find the 3rd though :(

Edit: Done it!

Now stuck on level 14.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2013, 07:38:45 am by Rabid »
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Awaclus

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2013, 07:45:24 am »
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Got stuck in the level where input is > < and expected output is ^^. I accidentally deleted the splitter though, and then couldn't get it back, so if it was needed in this level, it would explain a lot.

I love the concept, some of the levels I last played were great and the difficulty curve felt okay so far. In my own games, I usually follow a very difficult level up with a couple of easier levels, not like stupid easy levels, but less difficult than the very difficult level was. This way there is a "reward" for beating the very difficult level: you can now make some actual progress instead of getting stuck in the next level, while every level is still challenging enough to be interesting and while the game is progressively getting more and more difficult. Not everyone likes this kind of game design, but I do - though, I also often have action elements in my puzzle games which makes them fundamentally a bit different from this game, so I'm not even sure how well it would work here. But at least it's an idea, if not one worth implementing.
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-Stef-

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2013, 08:14:49 am »
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@Rabid: nice! anxiously awaiting your first 4-star solution :) Although I think it's pretty hard on the lower levels, because they just might be optimal already. (scores)

@Awaclus: I don't completely agree with the order of the levels either. But especially the first levels are based on building the later building blocks yourself, and that surely also has a nice ring to it. And of course you can somewhat set your own difficulty level by the number of stars you consider acceptable. Finding any working solution is a lot easier then finding the 3-star solution.

If you lost a splitter but can't get it back, you either discovered a bug or the interface isn't clear to you. Because once a component is available, you always have an infinite supply of it.
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Awaclus

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2013, 08:50:24 am »
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If you lost a splitter but can't get it back, you either discovered a bug or the interface isn't clear to you. Because once a component is available, you always have an infinite supply of it.
I discovered a bug. There was no splitter in the supply, just one that I got on the field during level 12. But now that I opened the game again, it is there in the supply.
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Watno

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2013, 02:24:04 pm »
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Is there a way to make the balls go faster?

EDIT: Obviously there is.
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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #6 on: April 06, 2013, 02:48:12 pm »
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I don't get it.  The ball just go straight through and nothing happens.  Are there instructions somewhere?
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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2013, 02:56:15 pm »
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put the thing on the left in the grid by drag and drop.
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Rabid

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #8 on: April 06, 2013, 03:00:19 pm »
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Help link is top left:
http://xorballs.dskl.net/help
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math

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #9 on: April 06, 2013, 05:31:47 pm »
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Interesting puzzle.  I'm stuck on #15 now.
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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #10 on: April 06, 2013, 06:07:45 pm »
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This reminds me of Trainyard and Refraction, two mobile games.  Has he tried those? 

I'd like an easy "clear-the-board" option, and also to clear the board in between puzzles.
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Galzria

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #11 on: April 06, 2013, 06:26:39 pm »
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This reminds me of Trainyard and Refraction, two mobile games.  Has he tried those? 

I'd like an easy "clear-the-board" option, and also to clear the board in between puzzles.

You can group select everything on the board and drag it clear, so it's not terribly inconvenient.
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TOWN Wins: M3, M5, M6, M11, M17, M28, M32, M105, M108, M114, M118, M120, M122, DM1, DoM1, OZ2, RM45, RM47, RM48, RM49, RM55
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SCUM Losses: M15 (SK), M102 (Tr), OZ1, RM55

Total Wins: 30
Total Losses: 20

eHalcyon

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2013, 06:41:52 pm »
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I can't 3-star level 13. :(

Edit: nevermind, got it. :P
« Last Edit: April 06, 2013, 06:43:43 pm by eHalcyon »
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-Stef-

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #13 on: April 06, 2013, 06:45:15 pm »
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I just got a new 4-star solution :)

On level 46 (colorful 2) solving in 17 what used to be 18.
It now looks very clean while my previous solution was quite a mess.
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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #14 on: April 06, 2013, 06:48:11 pm »
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You can get four stars?  What.
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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #15 on: April 06, 2013, 06:52:32 pm »
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Can you get 4 stars on only certain levels?

If it's all of them, I'm fairly certain you can't get higher than 3 stars on the 1-3 levels.
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eHalcyon

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #16 on: April 06, 2013, 06:55:32 pm »
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I'm going to guess that 4 stars is when you beat whatever it thought was the optimal solution.
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-Stef-

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #17 on: April 06, 2013, 06:55:50 pm »
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You can get four stars?  What.

Well they're rare and don't hold up very long. When you do better then the currently best known solution you get 4 stars.
The server doesn't accept it automatically as a new best though, and when David wakes up tomorrow he'll probably check it and update the scores.
Then my 4-star solution becomes a 3-star solution, and at the same time everyone else having 3 on this level drops to 2 stars.

Until then, blue is pretty.
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SirPeebles

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #18 on: April 06, 2013, 06:58:43 pm »
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You can get four stars?  What.

Well they're rare and don't hold up very long. When you do better then the currently best known solution you get 4 stars.
The server doesn't accept it automatically as a new best though, and when David wakes up tomorrow he'll probably check it and update the scores.
Then my 4-star solution becomes a 3-star solution, and at the same time everyone else having 3 on this level drops to 2 stars.

Until then, blue is pretty.

Ah, that makes sense, given that it would probably be difficult to know the optimal solution ahead of time.
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eHalcyon

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #19 on: April 06, 2013, 07:06:35 pm »
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Well, I've got 2 stars on 15...

I am going to stop playing now before my completionist side takes over completely.
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Galzria

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #20 on: April 06, 2013, 07:07:49 pm »
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Well, I've got 2 stars on 15...

I am going to stop playing now before my completionist side takes over completely.

Just finished 15 with 3. I think the only one I've missed 3 stars on is 8.
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Derphammering is when quickhammers go derp.

Faust has also been incredibly stubborn this game. In other news, it's hot in the summer, and water falls from the sky when it rains.


Mafia Record:
TOWN Wins: M3, M5, M6, M11, M17, M28, M32, M105, M108, M114, M118, M120, M122, DM1, DoM1, OZ2, RM45, RM47, RM48, RM49, RM55
TOWN Losses: M4, M7, M8, M9, M13, M14, M18, M31, M110, M111, M113, M117, M125, RM3, RM4, RM54
SCUM Wins: M2, M19, M23, M100, DM3, RM1, RM2, RM48, RM50
SCUM Losses: M15 (SK), M102 (Tr), OZ1, RM55

Total Wins: 30
Total Losses: 20

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #21 on: April 06, 2013, 07:10:24 pm »
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Well, I've got 2 stars on 15...

I am going to stop playing now before my completionist side takes over completely.

Just finished 15 with 3. I think the only one I've missed 3 stars on is 8.

I've got 3 stars on 15 and 8! But only 2 on 7 and 13. :'(
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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #22 on: April 06, 2013, 07:12:58 pm »
+1

I'm on 27. Since getting custom tiles, I've been abusing their power. My ratings are terrible, but oh well :P.
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eHalcyon

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #23 on: April 06, 2013, 07:14:52 pm »
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Well, I've got 2 stars on 15...

I am going to stop playing now before my completionist side takes over completely.

Just finished 15 with 3. I think the only one I've missed 3 stars on is 8.

I've got 3 stars on 15 and 8! But only 2 on 7 and 13. :'(

I lied.  I got my 3 stars on 15 (and everything prior).

I don't know if I should keep going...



Edit: arghhh 2 stars on 16 (everything UP).
« Last Edit: April 06, 2013, 07:29:54 pm by eHalcyon »
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math

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Re: a fascinating puzzle game
« Reply #24 on: April 06, 2013, 07:47:06 pm »
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How do you even solve 15?  I can't get it to work.
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