Perhaps the most unusual puzzle on Google Play
This is a bit presumptuous, but I decided to headline this text with one of the reviews about my game. There are two reasons for this: the first is that such a description makes my vanity, I confess, why hide it. The second reason - I would like this puzzle to be perceived as such, or rather, the whole set, by the players.
I recently calculated that for 5 years I have been creating games in my spare time. During this period, I made several games that can be called successful, judging by the number of downloads. But for real, I am proud only of the last, it is depicted in the picture above. No, this is not a game about lutboksy . This is a set of puzzles, the main idea of ​​which is to combine diverse puzzles in one plot. But the main thing is that these should be tricky puzzles, such that require an unconventional, creative thinking from the player. Puzzles with a simple but unexpected solution. Under the cat gifs, the history of creation and technical details of this game.
And so, about a year and a half ago, the “stars were formed”, an artist was found, ready to take on the visual part of this game. I myself, besides generating ideas, are engaged in programming and at the same time everything else, which is the release of a mobile game in the modern world. Below you can see the progress of the graphics on the example of the game menu, starting from the alpha version drawn by me personally, and ending with the second part of the game, which we are finishing right now.
UI development
')
But before talking about development, I would like to say a few words about the setting of the game. I will quote, if you can call it that, the script. Here and in the game itself, you can see references to Stephen King's The Dark Tower, yes, I am a big fan of him!
The Mechanical Box is one of the last fragments of the technology of the Ancients, preserved in the post-apocalyptic world of the alternative Earth. High-tech device created for the sole purpose: to store and protect the unknown Object inside. Today, the Box is in a rather poor condition, partially damaged, overgrown with moss and other vegetation. On one of the surfaces, you can still read the warning label: "SUBYADER POWER SUPPLY ELEMENTS ARE NOT SUBMITTED".
Fan art
That is, imagine that you have in your hands turned out to be some kind of multi-layer mechanical device and your task is to crack it layer by layer, looking for secret switches, selecting passwords and solving brain-cracking riddles. To finally find out what is inside the box?
Of course, the main advantage of such a game is not the plot or even the secret of the “Box”. The main thing is the puzzles themselves! I spent many evenings of Google inquiries like “unusual puzzles”, “trick riddles”, “extraordinary tasks” and reading, reading ... Thinking, drawing in a notebook I understandable doodles to me. In addition, in the process of searching for ideas, I often watched various quests on YouTube (especially I like retro games). But this does not mean that “Fur. The box consists of borrowed riddles from somewhere. Every idea that seemed successful to me, I rethought, compiled with others, diluted with my own, author puzzles. However, an attentive player will find here variations on the theme of classic puzzles, such as the Tower of Hanoi or the Bulls and Cows.
Sketch
As a result of such a "brainstorming", a sketch of a future level appears + a textual description of the mechanics of its work. Which, after discussing the details with the artist, turns into a new layer of the “Mechanical Box” protection system. Something like this:
Result
I think that I was able to collect some really extraordinary puzzles in this game. Here is one of my favorites. Using the properties of the real world, which in itself is cool. Turning the phone at a certain angle, we see how the text magically appears where there used to be just an abstract pattern. Breaking the "fourth wall", one might say.
Magic
Or here are two more examples of the search for patterns that simply blow up the brain to people who think mathematically. On the left, the task found on the Internet, on the right is my own development. In the first, you need to get a 4-digit code from a sequence of numbers under an ultraviolet lamp, guided by a hint on the sheet next to it. In the second, you must "solve" the formula.
Try to solve it yourself
It must be admitted that such riddles are complex initially, in their essence. Not everyone can distract from the fact that numbers are numbers and look at them simply as abstract forms. In general, I position this game as the “Most Difficult Quest”. And these are not empty words. Despite the short duration of the game, here for everyone there will be puzzles that can stump. This is both a virtue and a curse “Fur. Boxes "at the same time. The advantage is that there is a challenge in this game. Even if you try to open the “Box” with the whole company, the obstacles will be serious, and the pleasure of a difficult victory will be real. Especially if you decide not to use the tips that are in the game in case you don’t go any further.
Well, the curse is spoiled casual players, accustomed to puzzles being a match-3 game. And here are riddles of a completely different sort! My game does not help the player to get through. Even hints are just hints (where possible, of course). All so as not to deprive you of the joy of self-victory. In the "Box" there is no training, no one will lead you by the hand, there are no bouncing buttons and other tinsel characteristic of free-to-play. In this, I decided to be consistent to the end and do so, as they did in those times when the games did not hold their players to complete fools, in favor of good marketing indicators.
Here, by the way, is a curious analyst. Just over 3% of players get to the seventh layer. This, of course, can afford only indie. Any large studio will simplify, make the game more template, just to increase the retention rate.
Nightmare game designer
Of course, you have to pay for everything. There are quite a lot of haters in Storach, so people are arranged ... Someone just doesn’t like hardcore puzzles, some cannot understand the logic of the riddle and immediately write reviews, like “There is no logic in the game! The author wants us to search for a password through 9999 options! ”This is not true. Everywhere there are hints and logical decisions, another thing is that they are well hidden. Yes, you need to carefully examine the level, any element can have its secret meaning, it is necessary to test hypotheses, even the most unexpected. You need to be able to look at the problem from a different angle, sometimes literally. But this is the beauty! With trivial riddles it would not have been a difficult and interesting quest.
The level is inspired by riddles from the book 150+ Challenging Numeric & Logic Puzzles.
But, the average rating of 4.5 points indicates that the game has more fans! It's amazing when one of the players, the father from the Netherlands, talks about playing the game with his 10-year-old son. And that it would be cool to distribute such a game in schools for the development of logic and informal thinking in adolescents. When a teacher of mathematics from the UK not only permits the use of ideas from his book of mathematical puzzles in a game, but also sends the book with an autograph! When a player from Russia (sorry, I forgot your name!) Writes a whole story on his blog just because the game hooked him. It is because of these moments and is to develop games.
Speaking of the technical part, the game is written in Java using the LibGDX engine. Mostly because I often deal with this programming language by work. Besides, I am captivated by the simplicity and lightness of LibGDX. This engine allows you to collect the game for all major platforms. The game is already available on Google Play and in the App Store, as for the PC - there are plans to make an independent branch “based on”, on a completely different engine (this is Unity, who would doubt). But for now, these are only plans. Another web-version can be collected, but I don’t have any idea what to do with it, except to put it out on the same itch.io just as part of the popularization of the game.
My version of the "Tower of Hanoi"
Architecturally, the project looks like this: there is a base class of the game object. He knows how to display a sprite on the screen, apply a mask (when you need to display only a part of the sprite), give away his hitbox to check for collisions, etc. I wrote my own implementation of this class. Oddly enough, out of the box in LibGDX is not. All game objects (combination locks, levers, keys, hatches and other mechanisms) are inherited from it, then the behavior specific to each specific element is added to them. With levels, the situation is similar. The base level contains UI elements, exit dialogs, prompts, and the like. Each new layer of the “Box” is a separate class inherited from the base level, where the whole logic of its work is described. I chose this approach because all levels are practically unique both in mechanics and in objects. That is, each level is a “game in a game”. Of course, the complexity of the development is greatly increased, even though I try, if possible, to use at least some elements again.
Level creation process
Game mechanics are basically point-and-click quest mechanics: drag and drop, combine objects, click. The DragListener from LibGDX helps in their implementation. Here is an example of dragging an object within the game area. It remains only to add this listener to the desired object using addListener ().
Since that time, the first part of the game was made and “released to life”, thanks to the success of which, and it has more than 2 million downloads and about 100 thousand active players, a sequel appeared. In the sequel "Boxes" I decided to completely change the visual style, move from portrait orientation to landscape, and many more minor changes. I believe that the continuation should not just copy successful ideas from the previous part, this should always be a development, a step forward. True, on this approach many large titles (for example, “Heroes”) also stalled, what can we say about us. Here is the “Fur. Box 2 ”is noticeably less popular, although, to me personally, it seems much more beautiful, matured and holistic or something. But I'm not complaining, I found my audience, even if it is not very large.
The popularity of the game, mostly viral. I tried to buy ads in AdWords - it did not bring a noticeable result. Yes, and it is difficult to expect that for such a game the purchase of installations by CPI would be economically feasible. But the news on w3bsit3-dns.com and the fixed post on one well-known entertainment resource showed themselves well. Although, I judge purely subjective, according to the response of the audience. Unfortunately, in the confusion of the preparation of materials, I forgot to add UTM tags, so I can’t say exactly how many players came and the cost of installation. And at the end of last year, quite unexpectedly for me, the game was included in a review on a German YouTube channel with 700k subscribers. That day, we earned more than $ 1000 - this is a record in general for all the time that I play games! Very cool, it is a pity that so fleeting.
But, in the end, here, after all, as with any creativity. I make games not because of victories or in spite of failures, but because I cannot not do them. What do you want! I will be glad to answer questions in the comments.
I recently calculated that for 5 years I have been creating games in my spare time. During this period, I made several games that can be called successful, judging by the number of downloads. But for real, I am proud only of the last, it is depicted in the picture above. No, this is not a game about lutboksy . This is a set of puzzles, the main idea of ​​which is to combine diverse puzzles in one plot. But the main thing is that these should be tricky puzzles, such that require an unconventional, creative thinking from the player. Puzzles with a simple but unexpected solution. Under the cat gifs, the history of creation and technical details of this game.
And so, about a year and a half ago, the “stars were formed”, an artist was found, ready to take on the visual part of this game. I myself, besides generating ideas, are engaged in programming and at the same time everything else, which is the release of a mobile game in the modern world. Below you can see the progress of the graphics on the example of the game menu, starting from the alpha version drawn by me personally, and ending with the second part of the game, which we are finishing right now.
UI development
')
But before talking about development, I would like to say a few words about the setting of the game. I will quote, if you can call it that, the script. Here and in the game itself, you can see references to Stephen King's The Dark Tower, yes, I am a big fan of him!
The Mechanical Box is one of the last fragments of the technology of the Ancients, preserved in the post-apocalyptic world of the alternative Earth. High-tech device created for the sole purpose: to store and protect the unknown Object inside. Today, the Box is in a rather poor condition, partially damaged, overgrown with moss and other vegetation. On one of the surfaces, you can still read the warning label: "SUBYADER POWER SUPPLY ELEMENTS ARE NOT SUBMITTED".
Fan art
That is, imagine that you have in your hands turned out to be some kind of multi-layer mechanical device and your task is to crack it layer by layer, looking for secret switches, selecting passwords and solving brain-cracking riddles. To finally find out what is inside the box?
Of course, the main advantage of such a game is not the plot or even the secret of the “Box”. The main thing is the puzzles themselves! I spent many evenings of Google inquiries like “unusual puzzles”, “trick riddles”, “extraordinary tasks” and reading, reading ... Thinking, drawing in a notebook I understandable doodles to me. In addition, in the process of searching for ideas, I often watched various quests on YouTube (especially I like retro games). But this does not mean that “Fur. The box consists of borrowed riddles from somewhere. Every idea that seemed successful to me, I rethought, compiled with others, diluted with my own, author puzzles. However, an attentive player will find here variations on the theme of classic puzzles, such as the Tower of Hanoi or the Bulls and Cows.
Sketch
As a result of such a "brainstorming", a sketch of a future level appears + a textual description of the mechanics of its work. Which, after discussing the details with the artist, turns into a new layer of the “Mechanical Box” protection system. Something like this:
Result
I think that I was able to collect some really extraordinary puzzles in this game. Here is one of my favorites. Using the properties of the real world, which in itself is cool. Turning the phone at a certain angle, we see how the text magically appears where there used to be just an abstract pattern. Breaking the "fourth wall", one might say.
Magic
Or here are two more examples of the search for patterns that simply blow up the brain to people who think mathematically. On the left, the task found on the Internet, on the right is my own development. In the first, you need to get a 4-digit code from a sequence of numbers under an ultraviolet lamp, guided by a hint on the sheet next to it. In the second, you must "solve" the formula.
Try to solve it yourself
It must be admitted that such riddles are complex initially, in their essence. Not everyone can distract from the fact that numbers are numbers and look at them simply as abstract forms. In general, I position this game as the “Most Difficult Quest”. And these are not empty words. Despite the short duration of the game, here for everyone there will be puzzles that can stump. This is both a virtue and a curse “Fur. Boxes "at the same time. The advantage is that there is a challenge in this game. Even if you try to open the “Box” with the whole company, the obstacles will be serious, and the pleasure of a difficult victory will be real. Especially if you decide not to use the tips that are in the game in case you don’t go any further.
Well, the curse is spoiled casual players, accustomed to puzzles being a match-3 game. And here are riddles of a completely different sort! My game does not help the player to get through. Even hints are just hints (where possible, of course). All so as not to deprive you of the joy of self-victory. In the "Box" there is no training, no one will lead you by the hand, there are no bouncing buttons and other tinsel characteristic of free-to-play. In this, I decided to be consistent to the end and do so, as they did in those times when the games did not hold their players to complete fools, in favor of good marketing indicators.
Here, by the way, is a curious analyst. Just over 3% of players get to the seventh layer. This, of course, can afford only indie. Any large studio will simplify, make the game more template, just to increase the retention rate.
Nightmare game designer
Of course, you have to pay for everything. There are quite a lot of haters in Storach, so people are arranged ... Someone just doesn’t like hardcore puzzles, some cannot understand the logic of the riddle and immediately write reviews, like “There is no logic in the game! The author wants us to search for a password through 9999 options! ”This is not true. Everywhere there are hints and logical decisions, another thing is that they are well hidden. Yes, you need to carefully examine the level, any element can have its secret meaning, it is necessary to test hypotheses, even the most unexpected. You need to be able to look at the problem from a different angle, sometimes literally. But this is the beauty! With trivial riddles it would not have been a difficult and interesting quest.
The level is inspired by riddles from the book 150+ Challenging Numeric & Logic Puzzles.
But, the average rating of 4.5 points indicates that the game has more fans! It's amazing when one of the players, the father from the Netherlands, talks about playing the game with his 10-year-old son. And that it would be cool to distribute such a game in schools for the development of logic and informal thinking in adolescents. When a teacher of mathematics from the UK not only permits the use of ideas from his book of mathematical puzzles in a game, but also sends the book with an autograph! When a player from Russia (sorry, I forgot your name!) Writes a whole story on his blog just because the game hooked him. It is because of these moments and is to develop games.
Speaking of the technical part, the game is written in Java using the LibGDX engine. Mostly because I often deal with this programming language by work. Besides, I am captivated by the simplicity and lightness of LibGDX. This engine allows you to collect the game for all major platforms. The game is already available on Google Play and in the App Store, as for the PC - there are plans to make an independent branch “based on”, on a completely different engine (this is Unity, who would doubt). But for now, these are only plans. Another web-version can be collected, but I don’t have any idea what to do with it, except to put it out on the same itch.io just as part of the popularization of the game.
My version of the "Tower of Hanoi"
Architecturally, the project looks like this: there is a base class of the game object. He knows how to display a sprite on the screen, apply a mask (when you need to display only a part of the sprite), give away his hitbox to check for collisions, etc. I wrote my own implementation of this class. Oddly enough, out of the box in LibGDX is not. All game objects (combination locks, levers, keys, hatches and other mechanisms) are inherited from it, then the behavior specific to each specific element is added to them. With levels, the situation is similar. The base level contains UI elements, exit dialogs, prompts, and the like. Each new layer of the “Box” is a separate class inherited from the base level, where the whole logic of its work is described. I chose this approach because all levels are practically unique both in mechanics and in objects. That is, each level is a “game in a game”. Of course, the complexity of the development is greatly increased, even though I try, if possible, to use at least some elements again.
Level creation process
Game mechanics are basically point-and-click quest mechanics: drag and drop, combine objects, click. The DragListener from LibGDX helps in their implementation. Here is an example of dragging an object within the game area. It remains only to add this listener to the desired object using addListener ().
Since that time, the first part of the game was made and “released to life”, thanks to the success of which, and it has more than 2 million downloads and about 100 thousand active players, a sequel appeared. In the sequel "Boxes" I decided to completely change the visual style, move from portrait orientation to landscape, and many more minor changes. I believe that the continuation should not just copy successful ideas from the previous part, this should always be a development, a step forward. True, on this approach many large titles (for example, “Heroes”) also stalled, what can we say about us. Here is the “Fur. Box 2 ”is noticeably less popular, although, to me personally, it seems much more beautiful, matured and holistic or something. But I'm not complaining, I found my audience, even if it is not very large.
The popularity of the game, mostly viral. I tried to buy ads in AdWords - it did not bring a noticeable result. Yes, and it is difficult to expect that for such a game the purchase of installations by CPI would be economically feasible. But the news on w3bsit3-dns.com and the fixed post on one well-known entertainment resource showed themselves well. Although, I judge purely subjective, according to the response of the audience. Unfortunately, in the confusion of the preparation of materials, I forgot to add UTM tags, so I can’t say exactly how many players came and the cost of installation. And at the end of last year, quite unexpectedly for me, the game was included in a review on a German YouTube channel with 700k subscribers. That day, we earned more than $ 1000 - this is a record in general for all the time that I play games! Very cool, it is a pity that so fleeting.
But, in the end, here, after all, as with any creativity. I make games not because of victories or in spite of failures, but because I cannot not do them. What do you want! I will be glad to answer questions in the comments.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/346508/
All Articles