[GAME] Vertebrae

[Ali Nikkhah]

I made a game that's basically Snake with a couple of twists that I thought make it more interesting, combined with Sokoban. I worked on it for about two months on and off and the script is really hacky and messy, but I tried to explain it through commenting as best as I could. Don't look into the source though if you don't want things to be spoiled. Many of the levels are quite difficult, I don't know how I could have done otherwise, but for now, you just have to play the whole thing linearly.

Here you go: http://www.puzzlescript.net/play.html?p=ce2474f62432e2a703bba3fb65f5b01f

I wanted put all the levels in one overworld, but I needed to be able to change zoomscreen size midgame, so as a suggestion, I think it would be a useful feature generally to be able to change values like intervals or screen sizes before certain levels or through rules.

Any sort of feedback would be appreciated. I hope you enjoy the game and there aren't any terrible bugs still in there.

(If you want to refer to levels, I've numbered them by commenting, couldn't come up with enough interesting names to name all of them.)

[Hoboken Pudding]

Looks cool. i don't know if I'm missing something but I'm stuck on the first level. I got the tail but can't figure out how to drop the box on the second switch.

[Ali Nikkhah]

Oh, I'm very sorry, it never occurred to me to make sure the player knows the boxes can float on water. I will try to do that, but I think it was clear that the boxes can't get on the second switch without passing the water (if you aren't stuck because of that, then that's part of the puzzle).

[Hand-E-Food]

Wow!  This is amazing from the get go.

This game is very difficult very quickly.  I'm on the third screen and have no idea where to start.  I feel like I have to guess whether a mechanic will work and hope for the best.

But I'm very impressed by every mechanic I do find.

[Hand-E-Food]

I just had a look at the code.  I'm stuck on level 3 of 56!

😱

[Ali Nikkhah]

Thank you!! I didn't think it's ging to be like that. I apparantly was too concerned with not making the game diluted with easy puzzles I made it too hard hehe. There is no difficulty curve, though, because of the nature of the mechanics, so not all the next levels are going to be harder.

It seems like many of the levels are going be too hard for most players, but I've put a lot of effort into findong the right balance between unfairly difficult and easy.

[Stephen Lavelle]

ahaha this is deep/fun/involved

On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 5:37 AM, Ali Nikkhah <nikk...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you!! I didn't think it's ging to be like that. I apparantly was too concerned with not making the game diluted with easy puzzles I made it too hard hehe. There is no difficulty curve, though, because of the nature of the mechanics, so not all the next levels are going to be harder.

It seems like many of the levels are going be too hard for most players, but I've put a lot of effort into findong the right balance between unfairly difficult and easy.

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[Ali Nikkhah]

I'm glad you like it :) I hope you get to enjoy the really fun parts too.

[Skalmantas Šimėnas]

This is so good, I've been stumped on level 2 for a while and then I've started pressing random buttons, eventually that gave me an idea on how to do the last part, it's amazing!

Now I'm stumped on 3, so yeah... :D

[Alan Hazelden]

Could do with a checkpoint after dialogue in the first level.

Stuck on the third level here too!

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[Ali Nikkhah]

Thanks for playing, and for the suggestion, it's done now. 

I wonder how many people abandoned the game right away because they got stuck, should have thought about that, but then again, the later levels aren't easy either.

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[Chris Pickel]

I have beaten level 3, though I had to leave behind a vertebra and the game didn't seem to recognize that. I'll keep going later.

There really doesn't seem to be much instruction in the game, and I think it could do with more. Not explicit instructions, but puzzles with more constrained solutions. For example, something like this could be the second level:

wwwwwwwwwwwwww

wwwwwwwwwwwwww

wwwwwwwwwwx_ww

wwwwwx_wwwb/ww

wwww#b/wwwzzgg

g??>..t1..-.ww

wwww#b#_b./.ww

wwwwwx__w.-.ww

wwwwwwwww.-.ww

wwwwwwwwx__www

wwwwwwwwwwwwww

This puzzle and the real level two don't require any knowledge of the mechanics beyond detaching and attaching. Then level three requires understanding of two new mechanics (which I won't spoil here—or maybe it's supposed to be just one mechanic and that's why I lost the vertebra). It seems like there's room for a couple of levels that flesh out that one mechanic before you move to the next.

[Ali Nikkhah]

Thanks for the feedback! You aren't supposed to leave one behind, I check that indirectly through level design wherever it's needed, but I seem to have missed that one.

The first part of the example you posted is covered in level 2 (I also changed the numbers in the source so this means second level of the game, I don't know how I thought starting with 0 wouldn't cause confusion) and the second part in level 3. I'll think about adding another tutorial level, but honestly, I thought level 3 would be it. I don't know how you solved it, maybe you can hide the spoilers and explain your solution, but if it seemed too far-fetched maybe just hint at it? And sorry it was possible in that level, I made sure it's impossible now. As far as I tested, even with leaving one vertebra behind 3 requires only the basic mechanics (vertebrae and boxes float on water, you can push boxes with your body, and the attach detach mechanics).

[Lukas Schüller]

Very fun so far, but pretty tough. I feel like I don't have a good feeling for the patterns yet, if that makes sense. I hope that will start to work out once I get farther. (Then again, I never really "got" the patterns in Snakebird either. Maybe I'm just not good with snake puzzles)

7 is very breakable, though, by pushing the single crate into place first and leaving behind two vertebrae.

[Ali Nikkhah]

Thanks for mentioning that, I just fixed it. Did you try to solve the level and not leave any vertebrae behind? Because at least one other puzzle in the game is based on the core idea in that puzzle, so it may seem nearly impossible if you tried to solve that without having solved this (or maybe not, but yeah, I seem to have missed a number of shortcuts, so sorry for the inconvenience).

[Chris Pickel]

I did this: http://imgur.com/a/tQCuZ

But it no longer works in the new version of the level.

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[Ali Nikkhah]

That's indeed part of the solution.

[edderiofer]

I didn't have to do that at all. Instead, I did this.

On level 10, I *gained* a vertebra, which I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to do, as the extra vertebra wasn't present in the next level. Which I'm currently stuck on.

[edderiofer]

I should note that looking at the source code, it looks like I'm not supposed to lose any vertebrae on level 11, which I'm having trouble figuring out how to do.

Also, I'm guessing this was in part inspired by Stephen's Sausage Roll. Which may well be why I'm doing so well compared to other players here; I just played through part of it this afternoon.

[Ali Nikkhah]

I have a version of level 3 where that's impossible, but I didn't put it in because many were already stuck on that level and I had an idea why my solution wasn't coming to their mind. Maybe I'll put an easier level before it and switch in the real level 3.

Dammit :D exactly the two spots where I couldn't stop you from detaching a vertebra before pushing the block. Bad level design on my part, I guess!  Thanks for mentioning it, both are impossible now, and the level looks much simpler.

Also, I think you are misreading the last part of level 11, it's actually impossible there to finish with one less vertebra. It's one of the tricky puzzles, you might have to give it time. Yes, it's very much inspired by Sausage Roll. Good progress so far, I'm looking forward to hear your opinion on the later levels.

[edderiofer]

Level 10 is currently an insta-win level because you apparently forgot to place in any player objects.

Also, getting crushed by a closing door is also a win because it removes the player and thus all players are on goals. :P

[Ali Nikkhah]

Oh man, sorry! All fixed now! Also, spoilers!!!

[Virelsa]

Forget level 3; level 1 took me about fifteen minutes to solve! I get the feeling these puzzles are going to become very intricate indeed.

That little mouse is extremely cute, by the way, and I'll be quite sad if I don't get to see him again.

[zelca...@gmail.com]

*is stuck on level two*
This appears to be too difficult for my brain to comprehend, I cant figure out how to get that last box on the switch, its just... stuck.
Heh, I feel like an idiot. This game sure got hard quickly.

Also the mouse is adorable and I want one.

[bike...@gmail.com]

I got through the first 10 levels but have been stuck on level 11 for a long time now. It seems impossible. Has anyone figured it out? Is it really possible to push the first block without stranding a vertebra?

[Stephen Lavelle]

here's a link to save anyone work of finding the game:

http://www.puzzlescript.net/play.html?p=ce2474f62432e2a703bba3fb65f5b01f

(no tips about that level, but thanks for reminding me about the game - I'd forgotten to post it to the gallery tumblr...)

On Fri, Oct 13, 2017 at 7:04 PM, <bike...@gmail.com> wrote:

I got through the first 10 levels but have been stuck on level 11 for a long time now.  It seems impossible.  Has anyone figured it out?  Is it really possible to push the first block without stranding a vertebra?

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[Ali Nikkhah]

Thanks for posting it to the gallery! 

Yeah, that level is one of the most difficult ones in the game, if not the most difficult. It isn't impossible, though (in case people are stuck on other levels, I've checked them all, a few of them are breakable, but all of them are definitely possible). As for a hint, I'll just say it is possible to regain vertebrae after breaking them off by pushing that block (and if you don't mind spoilers at this point, the core idea of the level has to do with the upper door being no different than a wall, and therefore acting as a support, when closed).

Am Freitag, 13. Oktober 2017 20:29:33 UTC+2 schrieb Stephen Lavelle:

here's a link to save anyone work of finding the game:

http://www.puzzlescript.net/play.html?p=ce2474f62432e2a703bba3fb65f5b01f

(no tips about that level, but thanks for reminding me about the game - I'd forgotten to post it to the gallery tumblr...)

On Fri, Oct 13, 2017 at 7:04 PM, <bike...@gmail.com> wrote:

I got through the first 10 levels but have been stuck on level 11 for a long time now.  It seems impossible.  Has anyone figured it out?  Is it really possible to push the first block without stranding a vertebra?

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[David Cherepov]

I was stuck on level 1 for a while, I think partly because the restart felt kind of broken, so it put me in a state where i couldn't make any progress and it put me back into the same state when I restarted. Minor issue because I could just do a new game to get out of the fail state, but that irritated me a bit though the game overall is cool.

[Ali Nikkhah]

Oh, sorry for that! I forgot to remove the checkpoint marker once you're past the narrative part, it's fixed now.

[bike...@gmail.com]

On Monday, July 17, 2017 at 11:29:46 AM UTC-7, Ali Nikkhah wrote:
> I made a game that's basically Snake with a couple of twists that I thought make it more interesting, combined with Sokoban. I worked on it for about two months on and off and the script is really hacky and messy, but I tried to explain it through commenting as best as I could. Don't look into the source though if you don't want things to be spoiled. Many of the levels are quite difficult, I don't know how I could have done otherwise, but for now, you just have to play the whole thing linearly.
>
>
> Here you go: http://www.puzzlescript.net/play.html?p=ce2474f62432e2a703bba3fb65f5b01f
>
>
> I wanted put all the levels in one overworld, but I needed to be able to change zoomscreen size midgame, so as a suggestion, I think it would be a useful feature generally to be able to change values like intervals or screen sizes before certain levels or through rules.
>
>
> Any sort of feedback would be appreciated. I hope you enjoy the game and there aren't any terrible bugs still in there.
> (If you want to refer to levels, I've numbered them by commenting, couldn't come up with enough interesting names to name all of them.)

Thank you for the great game. I have made it to level 39, but then Firefox updated and I found myself on level 1 again. Is there any way to jump ahead to 39, or do I have to start all over again?
- Jeff

[Stephen Lavelle]

you can edit the game and remove the first 38 levels from it :P

https://www.puzzlescript.net/play.html?p=8007a516757ef4b9b39d8796d9d186a9

this the right level?

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[Dean Huff]

This is a great game!

I've been struggling with level 53 for a while now. It's the one with the 15-block tail, which must remain intact in order to pass through the island with 15 pressure plates. At one point I managed to get there with 14, but then got crushed trying to get out. It seems like the goal is to back the tail through to push the loose blocks onto the plate in the water, while ending up with the mouse/skull on the other plate. But, I can't feed the tail through the diagonal gap in the islands in order to get close enough, and I can't weave the tail into a larger shape that will slide over far enough either.

Any hints on this one?

Thanks,

Dean

[Ali Nikkhah]

Thanks! The solution to that level is conceptually simple enough to be spoiled by trying to give a hint. I'll just say there is another way to end up being able to pass through the first door (the one with the block in it) than what you have in mind and it shouldn't be that hard to find considering you've played this far.

[Dean Huff]

So, now instead of trying to back through the door, I've been trying to form a kind of ouroboros shape so that I can follow the end of the tail through the door. However, in order to push the two blocks far enough to the door in the water, it has to have a straight edge 5-blocks long on the bottom. It also needs to have an additional two horizontal blocks which can be traversed facing away from the door, so the tail can be used to push the blocks to the door. There are just not enough blocks for such a shape, so that approach doesn't seem possible either. Using that approach, I am able to push them within one square of the door, and then retrieve them back, so I can follow the end of the tail through the door. Yet again, only one block away from a solution.

I've already tried and thought I had ruled out reaching around the door with the block to push the other floating block to the door in the water, both from above the wall and below the wall.

Am I missing something obvious?

[Ali Nikkhah]

No you are not missing something obvious. I think it's communicated well enough that the things you,ve tried are definitely not the solution. If you don't mind spoilers at this point, here's the final hint: you can push the second block onto the button while taking the first block with you, then you can turn around and pull back the first block to put it back in the door.