Here's a small WIP demo of a new puzzle game I'm working on called PixeLink.
The aim of the game is to link cells with the same number and colour to form a picture.
The game is mouse only. To play just click on a number and draw a line to a cell with the same number and colour. The line does not have to be straight. Going back over the line you've drawn will erase it. To remove a fully placed trail (if it's not correct) hold the left mouse button over the piece.
This game is still very much WIP and has no niceties like title screen, sfx or music. It's likely to have plenty of bugs too - if you spot them and can replicate them, then I'd love to know about them.
The cells are quite small and I'm toying with making them a bit larger (in fact I've done 2 other versions with different size cells (2x and 1.5x), but I keep coming back to this one as I can see the whole picture without scrolling.
The game will be released on pc and Pandora.
Looks like a very great idea and something that could been done nicely on a tablet.
You could eventuelly add pinch to zoom and scroll. Then it's would been quite touch friendly.
I'm so know it's not your area. You even could add joystick support too for ouya.
I'm play it when possible.
So nice! And as always with that cool looking Ian-graphic style :)
[EDIT]
2 things that I noticed: Once a cell is selected I was not able to select another one if I want to cancel trying to find the right path for the current selection. I would like to see two digit numbers centered inside a cell.
Really cool game idea!
I had centering on the numbers in an old version, but I've re-written the game half a dozen times due to bugs and general maths strangeness. Each time the code got tighter and cleaner as I knew my initial routine was way too complex. It's a small fix :)
There is no graphic style to this yet - just a simple and clean interface nothing more.
As for not being able to select more than one cell (while drawing), yeah - I toyed with the idea of cancelling the current draw if you let go of the mouse button, but I wanted it so that people who aren't great with touch control or mouse input can play - this was a result of my own real work. I'm running a computer course for some of the people I work with (mental health service users) and a lot of them have really bad motion controls. I could use Right mouse button to cancel current draw, but that's not touchscreen friendly for Pandora or tablets etc. Or would you want the ability to draw multiple paths?
It's not my original idea, it's based on a Nintendo DS game called PicPic - though that game was black and white only.
(http://images.eurogamer.net/assets/articles//a/2/6/5/3/0/8/a_med_eg_picpic01.jpg.jpg)
drawing one path is nice. Its does not need multiply path, if you have trouble to get that working (some sort same issues im have with Spot Race).
For Touchfriend, you could internally draw the path wrong to channel the current drawing, or you can checks the path when the user release the finger, so the user need to slide over numbers from start to end. So there is possible with touch part, when you only haft left button.
Alternative, you can allways just add a cancel button to press on eventuelt, which also can replease the second button as well.
Im just thinking this game would been great as a touch game. The nintendo DS version was property used styles. Im have one and should look for the game (im have created music for 3 nintendo ds games in the past).
Even the selection of a fontset is part of a style and a simple user interface, and if it's the game board only, is a kind of style for me. And I like yours. Simple but clear and suitable. I like the slight raised-effect of the pieces. Not everybody has a feeling for proper graphics.
Multiple paths, no, not necessary. But canceling, absolutely.
As for canceling, just a click on the root number should undo the selection. Or canceling by choosing another number. This would be not less touchscreen friendly IMO. When drawing paths, either by dragging or clicking the neighbour cell, it should also be possible to click more than only the nearest neighbour. When in reach it could jump several cells over as a straight then.
Yes, I've made similar experiences with my current project. After and after I revised parts of the code, could improve the math and the simplicity. Finally things are quite easy to handle but when it comes to math, I'm really really slow to get it right (pinch-zoom gesture with a borderless map was my latest trip hazard).
Good luck!
Im do play the game soon, its look like its a nice game and like those kind og games and would works excellent mobile games as well :-).
But if you dont plan to do a iOS/Andriod (im could still publish that for you eventuelly), then there is no worry about it at all about touch controls.
its would been nice if the game allready makered all "1", which is pretty none seance in this game. Something that should have been none automatic for speed up the game
This situation shows why a game cannot be continued when not having the ability to cancel paths.
:-), im see.
Im also just playing the game now. The cancel system does works pretty nice and still works with single touch as its area. Just press on a allready drawed path, and its remove. Im like that system.
Howover you do need to add a cancel system for that path, that is currectly drawing to avoid breaks the game (S.O.P.M. is right).
Im thinks clicking on any empty cell that is not possible to go (skipped a cell example) should do cancel it automatic. This is also avoid eventuelly confuction, when im resume the game as well.
Quote from: S.O.P.M. on 2014-Sep-19
This situation shows why a game cannot be continued when not having the ability to cancel paths.
Yep, that's exactly the type of feedback I need. I DEFINITELY want to avoid this. That's why I posted an early WIP.
QuoteAs for canceling, just a click on the root number should undo the selection. Or canceling by choosing another number.
It will be done. :)
Quoteits would been nice if the game allready makered all "1", which is pretty none seance in this game. Something that should have been none automatic for speed up the game.
Your wish is my command - I will add it as standard. I'll probably add it as an option to turn off/on too (for purists) :D
Cheers chaps - I'll fix/add/sort all these issues/suggestions momentarily :)
you are fast :-). Im removed that post, but you catch it, so im added it back again. Its was just a idea, hehe.
Yes, this is why you posted this as beta, hehe.
PS. Im did edited it few times. Im do thinks the best metod to cancel it is simply just by clicking on any impossible cell, the path cant go to (but there is many metod to do the same, up to you).
Small update and a new (smaller) puzzle to motivate you to try it! :P
To clear a partial (or just started) path click on a different number. It's not working clicking the start number (at the moment).
All the 1 tiles are now painted from the start - I don't like it myself, as it gives away a bit of the puzzle, but see what you think.
Double digits are now one pixel off-centre. I'll sort it when I next update.
That makes it much easier to play, almost too easy :-)
I haven't managed to get stuck anywhere yet.
Clicking any already drawn path cancels it.
All the coloured "1" gets reset if you accidentally click one of them.
QuoteAll the coloured "1" gets reset if you accidentally click one of them.
Yeah, I noticed earlier, but as it's a test to see if people prefer them painte or unpainted at the start I don't mind at this point. :)
QuoteClicking any already drawn path cancels it.
It's supposed to do that; just in case you've drawn the path incorrectly.
But if you have people that have troubles with aiming, that will be frustrating. Maybe a delayed click, double-click or click-drag?
There actually is a delay, but I can increase it - but then users might not think it's working if they have to hold on the piece for a long period. How long is too long? :/
[EDIT] Here's a new version where you have to hold on a completed path for longer before it erases. This seems a fairly comfortable length of time.
im cant see the issue with that, howover its could been if hitted quite away, example more than two cells away from the current path, or clicked on a another number will cancel the previous and draw a new one.
That totally depends on your target audience. The first thing I do with my windows installation when I reinstall is set the keyboard repeat to max and the delay to min. Others are quite happy with the delay and repeat in the middle. That delay was too short even for me to see it :)
I realize that touch and swipe might be a bad idea since you wanted to enable scrolling and zooming. So the only thing I can think of is delay or double-click.
As long as that is mentioned in the instructions, both should work well.
How hard is it to hit the right tiles on the phone though? Accidentally deleting your work is always frustrating.
on a touch based with scrolling and zooming, this could all been done with two fingers, include scrolling. that means marking multiply path is not possible, but is not required at all anyway.
there is something wrong with the newset version. There is no level layout at all?
Im throught you did added a new beta, hence this post. Got the game working again (because im saw the EDIT in the first post). But seen its the same version.
Its would been nice if you can add a version number in your next version to avoid it.
It was a new beta. I changed the length of time it takes to remove a placed path, to prevent accidental erasing of set paths.
I did outline the changes - see the top post on this page.
What puzzle did you last download? - the first one was fast-food items, the next was a comic book hero.
I will be updating this later with a new look and yep, I will label the versions in future.
New update -
- Moved gamescreen to right.
- Added small preview (may change size)
- New puzzle
- Added (c) & version info
the new version works quite better:-) and a nice cancel method, its works nice :good:.
Im did found a another nice lille bug (v0.04):
You have forget to reset the removal delay timer, which should been happens after each path removed and when the user cancel the path. You can accidently got removed many path at once with the same click....
OK. I'll have a look at that. Cheers Alan :)
Here's a new puzzle. Just unzip it and rename it to whatever the puzzle was named in the last release (4.dat?) and place it in the Data folder.
New game! Great, I will be soon checking it out too.
Here's another update. I've opted for a simpler "double tap/click" feature to remove paths and painted areas, seems more natural and intuitive and decreases chances of removing areas accidentally.
I've also added some information panels (see attached screenshot)
This is likely to be the last beta update.
dont forget to remove attachement from the older builds to avoid confuction, because im allways try that one in the first post first.
0.5:
The timer can been stressed to look on if you want a relaxed game. Would been nice to hide it by just click on the timer and replace it with "show". Just a idea (the time its self can still been run in the background of course).
But im do love the double click method you choiced to cancel and also to remove path. That works excellent!
Do you have plans to random puzzles? which could been fun to sovle?
I'm glad you like the double click - it does feel (and work) so much better than the previous method.
The time just counts up - there is no time limit. I find it quite interesting to see how long a puzzle has taken to solve. It will (eventually) save each puzzle's completion time so that you can try to beat it in later games. Of course I'll modify the status to show the best time too. Removing it? Dunno. Making it a little less obvious is certainly possible.
Random puzzles hadn't even crossed my mind. I was so eager to create a working app and then work on the puzzles that I never even thought about it. I'd have to say that for time being I would prefer to concentrate on pictures, but random is a possibility.
you dont to remove it, just a possible to hide by clink on the timer and uses that as a "toggle" button. This is just a idea.
yes its fells nice using that metod and no confuction to uses that for both. You could even double right click to act as the double click eventuelly.
QuoteYou could even double right click to act as the double click eventuelly.
Why double right click? Double left click works on Pandora and presumably Android devices too ;)
Did you mean right click to remove rather than double click? If so that won't work quite so easily on a touchscreen...
using both mehods. none of them conflict together, so both could been implemeted for same time (right should act like a left double click, without removing the left double click of course). Its not required, its just taste of mind and a idea.
WOW! Looks great!! I totally missed this post last week!
Going to give a go shortly and I'll post any bugs I find,
=D
And I'm can't tell anymore than about eventuelly issues :-). I'm look forward to the final game.
Hi Ian
Game plays well...
Here is my screenshot...
I got stuck and couldn't continue as I did not know how to un-select a number that could not join to another...as is was surrounded.
(e.g. Number 4(green) see pic)
Also, I was unsure of the value of have 1 & 2 as numbers included as they offer little puzzlement (especially 1)
Otherwise - very good!
Would it help to have wildcard tiles that could become the tile required if joined to?
Just double click to remove or cancel a path.
Yep, you can easily cancel any path - created or while creating, by double clicking it.
It would be pretty difficult to create a puzzle that has no 1s or 2s - I try to use them as little as possible, but they have to exist. In themselves they aren't puzzling, but longer pieces do rely on them to exist.
[EDIT] The version you played might be the older version, so things have been updated since then. The latest version is v0.06.
Just released a Halloween themed version for Windows pc and Pandora.
(http://socoder.net/uploads/214/halloween.PNG)
Windows pc version - See post #39 for current version.
As you can see the puzzle is now larger than the play area. Use Cursor Keys (or map click) to navigate. :)
[EDIT] Added map click to select chosen portion of the puzzle.
Map is a nice idea, but im dosent like the arrow idea, which is clumsy and quite slow me thinks (you can do keep that throught).
But instead or as a alternative, why not just do a single click on a area on the map you want see? In that why, you still will got a keyboard free game.
Im also thinks, now you have so big a map, do a auto save function when the user quit, and auto resume when the user launch the game again. Im not sure all players will do that in one run.
I didn't have time to implement two other control schemes - arrows at the edges of the screen and clicking on the map. They will be both be added when I get time.
This is still very much WIP though, so there's likely to be many more changes.
There is a save system in place already. I'm not going to constantly save the state of the game just in case a user decides to quit.
EDIT - Added map clicking/dragging. Attachment added