Hello! I started this last week and I now have a prototype ready.
Feedback welcomed and encouraged.
Desktop version only at the moment.
Every day you’ll be presented with a new puzzle based on the day of the day, day (number), and month. Solve the puzzle by adding all of the pieces without them overlapping.
Press a piece to select it. Once selected, move your mouse to position the piece. You can press Q and E to rotate.
This prototype got accepted for Poki play testing. I’m now setting the game up to work for both mobile and desk. While the game is simple, there’s a lot to be done to get it ready for release. The best advice I could give to a game dev who’s struggling to release a game is this: start with the most simplest game possible (even if it’s Pong) and get it released.
That is great news! But why are you not targeting both mobile and desktop?
I plan to!
That was a typo. I meant “now”.
I developed desktop first because it was easier to set up the controls. Mobile requires some creative thinking for rotating and flipping the pieces. I’m already working on a mobile version.
Making progress with getting the game ready for play testing. For a simple game there’s a lot of not-so-simple mechanics to figure out. Perhaps making an MMORPG would’ve been easier.
The main thing to figure out was rotating the pieces. I ended up with making it so a tap rotates the pieces and dragging a piece moves it. Seems simple enough. If I had flipping, I make it so a double tap flips a piece.
Some of the small, but important, things to consider:
Before
After
I switched from depending on collisions to determine if a block is on a valid square. I am using code instead. This is more reliable and also makes things easier later.
With all the work I’m doing with blocks, my next game will definitely be block/grid related.
Interactions are now smooth and intuitive. Getting closer to launching the play test version. A little more polish need, but not too much. Goal is to get it live asap. I’m sure there will be changes based on player feedback.
Play the playtest instead. It’s ready!
Loads very fast.
Within minutes of requesting videos, I got 10 ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. The initial feedback was valuable. I saw that some players couldn’t figure out the controls. I added some basic instructions to make it easier to understand.
Hope you add a hint system. Even if its just for 1 block to know its correct position haha
It’s possible, but I’d have to write the code to figure it out. There are also 1-20 possible solutions depending on the day. The code would have to choose one and lead the player toward it with hints / rewarded ads.
