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While the functions and design is like trial/error, ive just completed a portion of what challenge there is in this game... However, trying to pass each test with one layout makes the means to reuse parts useless. If there was way to add a color before the first tape, some of the solutions. I.E 4th string would be less confusing. While this takes the difficulty, maybe the part only can be used at a limited # of times per test?
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I just cheated, and it made me sad :(. The tests are poorly worded, and the randomly generated test options do not make for rigorous testing. Instead of making a machine that actually completes the given objective, the game is now to make a machine that passes all tests, even if it doesn't actually 'work'. As a programmer, this kind of thing makes me so angry my fingers swell up and explode.
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http://pastebin.com/b4hks1v3 all of my solutions for the non-challenge levels. I will leave those as what they are meant to be: a challenge.
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I think you should add another high-score for levels solved. So far, only 3 people have had the patience to finish them all...
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I just want to say that all in all this is the most enjoyable programming/logic game I've ever seen. So good, in fact, that I stuck it out long enough to complete every single level (well, still working on the bonus levels) on my own without looking up walkthroughs, borrowing other people's solutions, or giving up, and that's a first for me. Kudos, and I wish people wouldn't vote games down just because they require higher thinking, because this game deserves to be rated much higher.
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Love the game, however the ingame help says the controls for the selection tool are "Shift-C copies, Shift-C pastes", should probably be "Shift-V pastes".
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worst person on the board! feels good. Metatron was insane. I didn't actually get it right, just really close. A BRRGB would have failed.
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Lots of fun! Really needs a colorblind setting, though. For me, the yellow/green on the marker machines are distinct, but they might as well be the same color on the tape. A darker green would work for me, although shapes are always a good alternative, too.
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Good game. It's challenging but the satisfaction of a nice solution is worth it. Unfortunately level codes aren't working for me.
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it's very easy to cheat when you have predetermined input :( the problem is not in cheating, is in the probability of designing a machine that doesn't work in all cases. I disagree that it's difficult to program random inputs! it's very easy to solve this kind of problems with modern computer languages! It should be easy to create a random input test!
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I'm pretty sure I did something wrong for Judiciary, given my solution took 128 parts. It was very cramped, but it works for any string with at least 3 spare places (for the "yellow in middle" machine).
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Terribly addictive. I'm not a "maximizer"-type gamer, but I can't seem to be satisfied with a stage until I'm convinced I have the perfect solution. I keep neglecting IM conversations for 10 minutes while I test an idea.
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I love how difficult the game is (or maybe I'm just dumb). Some of my programs took a vastly long time to run even at 50x, but I like to think they were very parts-efficient. :)
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I'm having trouble with some levels, but when I try to copy someone else's solution, all I get is a single dot. I seem to be doing something wrong.
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My symmetric string reverser for Academics: 41 parts, 5:29
?lvl=23&code=y12:2f3;c12:3f3;p12:4f3;g13:4f2;g11:4f0;p14:4f2;p10:4f0;b10:3f3;b14:5f1;r10:5f1;r14:3f3;q15:4f0;q9:4f0;b8:3f1;y9:3f0;p8:2f1;b9:2f0;r7:2f2;q8:1f3;c10:1f3;c11:2f3;c13:2f3;c14:1f3;c9:1f2;c10:2f2;c11:3f2;c13:3f0;c14:2f0;c15:1f0;q12:5f2;c12:6f3;c12:7f3;c12:8f3;c12:9f3;c12:10f3;c12:11f3;c12:12f3;y15:3f2;r16:3f1;p16:2f1;r15:2f2;b17:2f0;q16:1f1;
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The game is fantastic but I had a hell of a time on just the 3rd level. I must have just been thinking wrong but I'm sure that caused a lot of people to rate it down. Not sure how to fix it.
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Lol: on the robo-soldier, I had to look into wikipedia how to multiply binaries... when I noticed that it was probably one of the simplest/fastest levels:
?lvl=12&code=r12:4f3;r12:5f3;r12:6f3;c12:7f3;c12:8f3;c12:9f3;c12:10f3;
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btw, for ppl who enjoyed this, the codex of alchemical engineering is one you should try, and then the sequel which is Magnum Opus I think. They are on Kongregate. Also, there should be a link to the maker's page, which has maybe 4-5 games total, but they are worth playing. ESPECIALLY the one with the strange russian/soviet name. Its similar to this, and very VERY hard lol. Good luck completing the whole game! lol. If you do, let me know, because I quit playing after maybe 20 hrs of playing if not more... and that is the ONLY puzzle game Iv played that I couldnt/didnt beat.
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Whoever is rating this game poorly doesnt seem to understand what a puzzle game is SUPPOSED to be. Flashy graphics are important on action/shooter games etc., sometimes an rpg. Ok. But graphics arent important at all on puzzle games! They're nice, yes, so maybe 1 star off for a few ppl, but theres no reason for this game to NOT have over a 4 star rating! The only reason I think some ppl are rating it low is because they cant solve the puzzles... Puzzles are supposed to challenge your mind, thats the whole idea! If you arent smart enough to solve a puzzle (which I think anyone with enough determination can solve these), that doesnt make it a bad GAME. Honestly, it just makes you either ignorant or impatient or both... Quit rating it low because of YOU lol.
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Any hints on a general strategy for Ophanim (bonus level 2) would be greatly appreciated. I've contemplated trying to left-fill the shorter string with reds then comparing them bit-wise, or trying some sort of subtraction, but neither seems to be getting me anywhere. There's something obvious I'm not seeing.
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PleasingFungus: I agree that that's a problem. What I would do is have a list of guaranteed tests (that catch the obvious edge cases - empty string, the minimal accepted string, one 'normal' accepted string, one normal 'rejected' string, and whatever else is obvious for that particular string) and then a couple random ones - even if all the random ones should be failed, the user still has to accept the accepted ones from the fixed inputs.
And of course the "change" ones are much simpler to do this for, but they probably don't need it, either.
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My last comment was... regrettable. Poorly worded. Also, wrong. And pretty much everyone's been calling me on it.
So: here is the REAL problem with randomly generated strings.
Let’s say we start throwing random strings at the player, instead of pre-made tests. Many of the ‘accept’ levels have pretty stringent conditions – so most of the tests will fail. This means that the player can just run their machine repeatedly and, with a little patience, they’ll end up passing no matter whether their solution is valid or not. (Even if it’s just an empty grid – if all the strings are supposed to fail, then that’ll pass!)
We can start to constrain the strings we give – say, ‘half will accept, and the other half will reject’. Then we start to encounter the problem of randomly generating strings that match a specific pattern. This is a pretty tricky thing to do, in general – and we still have the problem that they may just, well, randomly allow a flawed solution to pass…
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I don't know if robostilts is SUPPOSD to be this easy, but after looking at some other people's designs I felt compelled to share my super-simple one. ?lvl=10&code=g12:4f3;p12:5f3;y12:6f3;c12:7f3;c12:8f3;c12:9f3;c12:10f3;b11:5f2;r13:5f0;
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Freaking finally. I don't why Judiciary! wasn't the last non-challenge level, because I really feel that it was the hardest. In fact, I had to combine the solutions to THREE other levels to make it work: Police! (to find the midpoint of the string), Academics! (to reverse the second half of the string; if the original was a repeated string, the result would be symmetrical), and Engineers! (to see if the resulting string was symmetrical). The resulting ginormous 119-part monstrosity takes more than 13 minutes to complete, but it works. I'll paste it into the next comment for fear of running out of space.