New upgrade, big changes, 6 possible puzzles so far + a puzzle editor to make your own and play it immediately (in this build it does not save them if you kill the app … sorry in the next one). Still a bit light on the help but getting there.
Here is a video
http://youtu.be/Dq8wQ5n0NjU
And the link
http://testflightapp.com/install/5bd435ec1cc3604bc6fa9b080d3cfa84-NDgxMTM5Mw/
Comments?
Great update, I can actually figure out puzzles. I like the new options for game modes and the background is nice.
upgraded what I hope to be the last beta, 3 new puzzles + some eyecandy. If you can please let me know if you think there is any reason I should delay the launch.
Again here is my team link
http://tflig.ht/zgQNNd
and a link to a youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCKku1m4gE4
which version?
I now have 3 possible graphic versions, the one above and the following two. I am trying to decide on the most appropriate one. What do you guys think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bqY3Fg2ceI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7u4ivPdwKQ
Comments on the latest beta:
- Proofread your texts! In the initial help message (when pressing ?), for example, the last sentence is missing a capital letter. Other glaring ones: “star ofdavid”, “15puzzle”
- In the initial screen, when one of the help messages is shown, hide the others. If not, check your font scoping: when I press
? and then About, the font of the ? message changes.
- Lastly on the initial screen, is there really a difference between the “About” and the “Thanks”? I would expect “About” to give me something like the
? text, and on “Thanks” I would expect to see both that it was made in Codea and any thanks you have.
- I had all three of the initial texts open, then pressed “Play”, and all the following texts were displaced. For example, the “continue” text started in the centre of the button and was a bit high. Further experimenting shows that it is the “Thanks” text that causes this: if I have that open when I press “Play” then I get displaced text.
- Is there some initial animation with the title “SLideHeX” (been writing too much LaTeX recently?)? It happens so quickly that I don’t see more than a blur.
- When I press play I don’t have time to read the message.
- The “Choose number of players. Touch to continue” message is confusing. How am I meant to choose the number of players at that moment? How about “On the next screen you can choose the number of players.” Same with the instructions when I get to the puzzle stage: I miss some sense of the context in which those instructions are meant to hold. Even a simple “How to play” title would help there.
- I feel that the order of options is the wrong way around. I’m far more likely to want to change the puzzle than I am to change the number of players. So I’d put the number of players menu first, and then the puzzle menu second, with the back-out sequence going from the puzzle to the puzzle menu. Similarly, when I’m at the scoreboard I have to options: “back” and “reset”. It’s not clear that “reset” means “reset scores” and not “reset puzzle” while “back” takes me to the “choose number of players” menu. I’m most likely at that point to want to play that puzzle again so “back” should take me there.
- When I’ve solved a puzzle, it disappears straight away. How about some celebration animation first?
- How about a miniature of the solved puzzle? I got a bit confused with the “star ofdavid” one because the lower line isn’t horizontal (why is that?) so the numbers weren’t in the order I was expecting.
- In the build-your-own, how about some more detailed instructions? Such as “On the first screen you can choose the dots and then on the second you can draw the lines by tapping dots that you want to connect”. How about the ability to name a homegrown puzzle?
Phew! That’s quite a list! On the plus side, I really like the feel of it and the graphics. And I like the range of initial puzzles and the ability to make your own.
I’m curious as to the mixing algorithm. At a guess, I would have it randomly execute a the transitions defined by the edges.
I made a silly puzzle: four dots with two pairs connected (- -). Upon trying it, I got the Codea error window:
error: [string "Puzzle = class() -- Hexagon)..."]:137: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)
There was also quite a lot printed in the output window. Presumably this is for debugging, but should probably not be there in the final app.
Wow thanks!!
I agree with most of your comments. The only one I have a problem with is number 4. The trouble is that I have dedicated help for each level ( with solutions and so on) that is accessed from the “choose number of players” menu.
I have uploaded another build incorporating some of your comments. I wonder if the bug is still there. please try it again.
@corneliuhoffman, the link above to install the app doesn’t work
oups sorry, you need to connect to the dashboard. here is the new link (but it will expire as well when I update the app)
http://testflightapp.com/install/e900c3d5b5eda5afbe9f2ad2c2e6082c-NTAyNzQ3MQ/
submitted, I changed the title to PebbleSlider.