Hello,
I started working on a new puzzle minigame for multiple platforms called DeCalc.
DeCalc is calculator reversed! You get the result and you have to make the appropriate expression by arranging, dragging and pressing the right buttons at the right time!
nice! that is potentially a really useful educational tool. Used to do little reverse maths puzzles like this in my head and it lead to very strong numerical skills. best of luck!
I say this few and far between, but this looks great!
Great potential and with a little polish will be a hit I’m sure
I know my wife will love it… so you have you’re first sale
Wow, this is a really cool little game! Love the presentation, as the levels get more complicated they have that “ah hah!” feeling that good puzzle games should.
I know coAdjoint has already mentioned it, but that second video was confusing, mostly because it felt like the player was making mistakes or trying things at random (which always give the impression of poor design when you see it in a video, even if its what players will actually do). Even in your second video, which makes the gameplay much clearer, it’s a little jarring to show the player hitting the button each time and getting a syntax error.
The style fits the game really well. Having a mouse cursor trail is a good idea, but the particle effect you have for it (the white sparkles) is sort of strange, and makes me feel like I’m spreading hair all over the calculator. The pulse when you’re evaluating the numbers is great though.
I know you have a little dotty trail to show which way the evaluation goes, but it’d be useful if the first circle had some kind of indicator (maybe a white outline around it’s colour or something?) to immediately show where to start. Pressing evaluate or waiting for the dotties to show up feels clunky.
When I was playing it felt like if I dragged a button onto another button, the two should switch places.
First time I got to a t-shaped level I thought you were going to have an evaluation line cross back on itself, effectively allowing you to evaluate a button twice. Then I realised it went diagonally instead. Still, it seemed like a neat idea. (my apologies if it’s in the game already and I haven’t gotten that far)
Yeah, the video seems to be confusing, it’s mostly because I’m just testing all the features squished into one nonsense level. I changed it for a newer one which has both gameplay demonstration and new graphics. I won’t show “syntax error” and such mostly in the promotional videos, although it’s normal part of the game.
Do the cursor particles feel annoying? Or should I change their design?
I’m not sure I understand the thing with dotty trails. Do you want some symbol to indicate more visibly where the path begins or show the whole path immediately (since it takes a while for the dots to fill the whole path)?
Multiple people suggested that the buttons should swap, it’s implemented already (not published yet), thanks though!
Game already contains levels which use the same button more times (they’re after level 15, although not properly organized or finished yet).
I tried the webplayer demo in Safari and there seems to be a bug with the cursor.
It’s almost like it’s stuck in the center as when I’m not moving the mouse the cursor snaps back to the center, spraying particles.
I can’t click on the Casual button.
I personally think the cursor particles should go… but then it’s not my game
Just where path starts. If the first circle in the path was lighter or thicker or had something to make it stand out, it might make it easier to understand. Generally, it’s clear which way the rest of the path is evaluated, and when it’s not, you can always watch the dot trail.
@spraycanmansam: Thanks, I’ll look into it. There will be option to turn off the particles, although they might look annoying because the cursor doesn’t behave properly for you.
@FlaxSycle: Thanks, I’ll visualize the start of the path somehow (I’m thinking about slightly flashing circle - not too much, but enough to distinguish it)
@RSG, ANTMAN0079, SEG.Veenstra: Thanks a lot! ^^ I’m glad you like it. To be honest I was kinda afraid no-one will like it “because math” xD
**** FEEDBACK I'M LOOKING FOR ****
- In-game bugs
- Feedback about graphic design and effects
(do they look nice, do they fit the theme, are they annoying?)
- Feedback about level difficulty (especially Endless game mode and arcade)
and general gameplay
- Gameplay element suggestions if you think of some (there are a few that are
not used in the included levels yet)
- Is the in-game tutorial understandable and explains the concepts well enough?
- Do you get stuck on some levels?
- Are the new features and special buttons easy to understand?
- How fun are individual modes?
- What's your score on Endless/Arcade mode in various difficulties?
**** SOME INSTRUCTIONS AND NOTES ****
- All game modes work - try play casual first to learn the mechanics, then
try endless and arcade
- New Game / Continue / Level Select start a series of handmade levels
- The game contains 50 levels, that will be part of the first release of the game
- There's in-game tutorial
- Endless Mode and Arcade mode - uses a random level generator
- All difficulties work, but I appreciate feedback on them
- Level Editor is just for me, it won't be part of the finished game
Gotta say, this is something I think you could really sell to parents as a learning-game for their kids I know I would let my kids play this (if I had kids that is).
