Code Tower by madmaw

[raw]
made by madmaw for LD28 (COMPO)
It's a tile matching game where you enter small programs (mostly mathematical formulas) using Polish notation.

Probably best you watch me play it on Youtube before you play as it's kind of hard to pick up, but feel free to read the instructions below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN_LyMZCOgU

If you're not familiar with Polish notation you might want to read up on it, but basically it means the operator goes first (instead of in the middle). For example

+ 1 2 = 1 + 2 = 3
+ 1 * 2 3 = 1 + (2 * 3) = 7
- - 1 2 3 = (1 - 2) - 3 = -4

The benefit is that precedence is implicit (no brackets) which is necessary for the game to work. The down side is that it's pretty hard to read. The game tries to help you enter valid expressions by colour coding your selection.

Green = section OK
Red = section missing parameters
Purple = extra parameters
Dark gray = invalid parameter

Longer chains of operations should, on average, yield rarer operators in the replacement tiles. The operators should be reasonably familiar, but just in case

+ 2 parameters, adds them together
- 2 parameters, subtracts the second one from the first
* 2 parameters, multiplies them together
++ one parameter, adds one to it
-- one parameter, subtracts one from it
acc one parameter, adds the parameter to the current score
tim one parameter, adds the parameter to the remaining time

Finally it's only really tested in Chrome (it's HTML5), but I have had some promising results in Android and iOS browsers.

Oooh comments! First of all, thanks for playing. Some people seem to be missing a couple of the nuances, which is understandable because the learning curve is vertical
1) You can build equations in any direction (not just left to right)
2) The first level (you only get One(s)) only gives you plus's and ones, variety increases on later levels (which are always unlocked). The first three levels are really just training levels.
3) It's a word play on the theme, because the only number you ever get fall from the top is 1 (you only get one - although this is technically untrue as you can also get zeros)
4) There is no ending or win condition as such, although the last 3 levels do have an end as they are timed. Would have liked to have a high-score server or something, but it didn't happen
5) I think RPN is short for Reverse Polish Notation, this only uses Polish Notation (so PN?)

Ratings

Coolness 60% 3
Overall 3.38 212
Audio 2.68 414
Fun 2.93 446
Graphics 2.58 674
Innovation 4.30 5
Mood 2.56 641
Theme 3.14 356

Feedback

apwolf
16. Dec 2013 · 06:39 UTC
Well presented but I have no idea what was going on!
ehtd
16. Dec 2013 · 06:47 UTC
Oh! pretty clever game. Took me some time to get used to the notation
ThatGuy
16. Dec 2013 · 06:51 UTC
Interesting concept, more games should espouse the wonders of RPN =P I was only ever able to get + signs and ever increasing values. This was even after getting every tile on the board connected in a single equation, I'm assuming that's a bug. Anyways, good job going in a different direction than most.
zzzev
16. Dec 2013 · 06:53 UTC
The mechanic is well implemented; when you get a few good ones in a row it feels very satisfying, but the presentation doesn't give quite enough context for players unfamiliar with polish notation. The nature of polish notation means that operators on the right side of the board are unusable, which makes it tough to keep a streak going. Still, by far the most fun I've had with polish notation, and a more than worthwhile experience.
oskardevelopment
16. Dec 2013 · 06:56 UTC
I like that it's given fun to Polish notation, great job! Well adapted for a table or smartphone. The first (highlighted)gameplay didn't work for me, couldn't do anything. The Accumaltors were working and were great fun! Thanks for the game! :)
ErikU
16. Dec 2013 · 07:00 UTC
High learning curve and hard to get the hang of, but once you do it's actually quite a fun game. Finished the second category with a score over 8000. Innovative concept
Snail_Man
16. Dec 2013 · 07:01 UTC
Fun game! I'm not familiar with Polish notation, but I learned quick. This is really a lot of fun :)
Thein
16. Dec 2013 · 09:03 UTC
Very unique puzzle game, never seen anything like it. I also learned Polish notation through it as well. Cool!
crockid5
16. Dec 2013 · 09:04 UTC
you feel so epic when you manage to get a huge combo :P pretty fun, how does it go with the theme however?
rezoner
16. Dec 2013 · 13:38 UTC
Once you understand what id does - it becomes a pretty cool game!
pLaw
16. Dec 2013 · 15:59 UTC
Oh now I got it :D
I didn't rate your game until now, because I didn't understand what's going on. But now I understand it, and it's a pretty cool idea.

So you need to add numbers by starting at an operator and dragging your term across the field (like in Wurdle). The result appears at your starting position and new values/opoerators fall from the top. I like that :) This is actually a good game for mobile devices.

Suggestion: you could limit the number of turns to add an chalange or add a time limit.
Chinchilla
17. Dec 2013 · 08:59 UTC
Worked really, really well on ipad. A pretty innovative puzzle game! And taught me Polish notation, which is pretty awesome. Would definitely play if it was on the App Store, good job! :)
GagaPete
17. Dec 2013 · 11:35 UTC
After a few tries I got it. But I've found no "end"? Otherwise nice little game that uses a lot of brain. :)
Devon
18. Dec 2013 · 05:31 UTC
Hard to get used to the notation. Still working on figuring it out, but finally getting somewhere. Interesting take on match games.
TheSnide
18. Dec 2013 · 10:33 UTC
Brilliant idea, thanks !

[ spent way too much time on it already ]
Jiggawatt
18. Dec 2013 · 21:08 UTC
My beautiful RPN tarnished by being featured in a mobile-y game! Nooo!
Shaun Lebron
18. Dec 2013 · 21:11 UTC
Fantastic idea. This'll get your brain going
grifdail
20. Dec 2013 · 22:02 UTC
Whaaaaou... I started playing this like... 2hours ago ! This is so good and addictive ! Good job... Also it's too easy to do humongoose score. I've made more than 550 000 000 with my first try.
SamH
21. Dec 2013 · 10:16 UTC
I reached 1.0392591322777107e+42 before it got really boring :) It’s a nice time waster and it could become interesting with built-in challenges, such as bonuses for long sequences, reach a million in less than 5 minutes, or try to make the value 42 appear on the board…
soy_yuma
22. Dec 2013 · 09:49 UTC
I liked it! It's a bit obscure because of the Polish notation, but I really liked it! Good job!
dalbinblue
24. Dec 2013 · 04:52 UTC
Really cool. Certainly the most innovative game I played, and probably the longest game I played. I thought with the first level the game would be easy, but then I played the other levels, and the challenge went up to the right level. I very good puzzle game, I'm glad I got to play it.
ashen
01. Jan 2014 · 12:39 UTC
This is a really original idea and use of the theme. I've used RPN on a HP calculator previously so the mechanics were fun from the start. Well done!