Puzzle Mode is IN! - and to celebrate, we have a short-term SALE!
Puzzle Mode is IN!
GO GRAB IT!!! - It's a FULLY PLAYABLE preview, so please, feel free to give it a try!
To celebrate this milestone, I've also temporarily discounted TETRALOGICAL (Discount should be live on the 7th June, and will run for TEN days!) to hopefully increase the community size, maybe get some wishlisters on board, more reviews etc, and start making the Leaderboards busier, to celebrate finally getting this implemented (it's been a tough cookie to crack for the endgame logic!)
The computer 'help' as regards allocated pieces is also in, albeit with a couple of player-friendly tweaks still needed to make piece allocation a bit better BEFORE you hit 20 tiles... (at present, this is the point where the computer WILL lend a hand and give you the best fitting pieces, albeit in a random order, so you still need to think on how to play them in order to still solve the puzzle!), so you may possibly get a puzzle-breaker piece before then, if you've not played in such a way to get rid of these possible pieces, by leaving 'slots' for them somewhere in the board!)
If we get more players, and more reviews, then Valve/Steam will also let me add the other MEANINGFUL achievements I wanted to add, but can't as I've virtually run out (only 100 allowed, while Steam is 'learning' about my game, and that won't change without more reviews and players playing it for longer than an hour total!)
Again, I stress it's an early (but still fun!) preview, but still missing an additional helpful tweak I'm intending implementing, so can still force you to lose the level by giving you a none-optimal piece, if you don't plan your moves to maximise your options, piece-wise, until you hit 20 tiles!
I'd give you some hints and tips to maximise your chances of beating levels, but a lot of the fun comes from figuring out what to do, and what NOT to do, in terms of leaving yourself with options / where to attack the board, etc!
What's new in this release?:-
PUZZLE MODE! - Also shows you your time taken to solve a puzzle, purely for information at present, but can be ignored and played relaxed.
68 levels now included for NORMAL, BLITZ and LIMITED MOVES modes!
Around 50 of these levels are ALSO available in the new PUZZLE MODE, categorised by difficulty, or size/craziness!
4 more colours to play with in the Level Editor / Creator (with more on the way), as I needed some extra shades of blue and red for some level ideas to work!
PS - It's less levels than the total, simply because you cannot solve a level if the tiles aren't divisible by 4, so some levels simply cannot be played in Puzzle Mode without affecting the way they look just for the sake of making them compatible with Puzzle Mode! :)
PPS - Unlike normal mode, in PUZZLE MODE all levels are playable to try and beat at ANY time, and are split into 4 difficulties (either by complexity, or for CRAZY levels, by size!). Beating these levels by solving them completely WILL mark them as UNLOCKED/BEATEN within the main modes ALSO, but you'll still be unable to play them in those modes until you beat enough preceding levels beforehand! ;)
What's currently NOT in this release? (but generally imminent!):-
Possibly extra logic to help your chances of NOT getting a duff piece in the bit just before the endgame (ie. around 24-32 pieces left on the board), if user preference is to have this added (as opposed to a one-use per game 'swap' button).
Possible one-time option during the course of a game, to swap ONE piece for a different piece, either in EASY mode, or just there regardless.
The ability to play your OWN creations in Puzzle Mode (requires splicing index files, and comprehensive checks for Puzzle Mode completability, which I need to add!)
Online Multiplayer - it's DEFINITELY going to be added, just needs time (a lot of time!) spent on it, and developing it...
I'd like to also take the opportunity at this point to thank my loyal supporters and players, you've been an amazing help and morale boost, and I really hope that you like the new mode so far! - Please, please continue to tell your friends about my game, if you feel they'd also enjoy it!
Puzzle Mode is nearly ready!
This was tougher to implement than I thought! - But, it's now looking like a week or two of work before it's ready (time permitting!), to create leaderboards, modify the level selection to ONLY show puzzle-mode enabled levels, give a relevant endgame summary screen, etc...
It plays well so far, although of course, even with the correctly assigned pieces near the end of your game, it's still possible that you can have already rendered the board uncompletable with an earlier move, so in this mode it's VERY important to take your time and play strategically, carefully studying the board when placing new pieces, to avoid breaking it, etc!
I've also added those additional colours (both for my own levels, and in the Level Creator/Editor!), and re-worked some of the existing levels to be completable in Puzzle Mode, plus some other tweaks and fixes!
Some PUZZLE MODE tips!:-
I'd advise always doing your best to leave yourself somewhere to place a problem piece type that you may get, without causing 'islands' of empty slots that do NOT divide perfectly by 4 (tiles per shape).
PLUS, on tight sections of a level, try to picture if a piece that you're about to place might render other slots unplayable! (ie. if only a LONG piece will fit inside a closed space, try to picture which other pieces need to 'butt up' against it to solve that section without rendering other slots unplayable), then try to keep those slots free for the correct piece, etc...
Once you're down to five last possible moves / 20 free slots left, the computer will step in and try to dynamically allocate the best mix of pieces (not just ones that will fit for the current turn, but more ones that will fit the MOST pieces into how final free slots) to allow you to have a better chance of completing the puzzle, but of course, HOW you place those pieces plays a big part in that... ;)
Of course, there will be some instances where you are unfortunately given a none-optimal piece before this point (for example, if you've created a very tight, scattered play board), but you can either retry the level, or if you're playing on an easier difficulty setting, you will have access to a limited number of 'SWAP's to request another (always different shape, if it's possible) piece.... :)
NOTE! - SWAPPING will penalise you time-wise, and will not count as a 'flawless' puzzle completion!
...ie. You will 'beat' the level, and unlock more levels, but will NOT gain an online ranking - so if you have to use it extensively, you'll probably have to kiss that Leaderboard 'Fast Completion' ranking chance, and flawless puzzle completion achievement, goodbye!
So, in short - Thanks for your patience, and my apologies that it's taking a bit longer, but please bear with me! - PS - I'll upload some screenshots tonight, to whet your appetite... :D
The clever stuff is IN!...
Thanks to my good friend and all round genius.... :)
...so Puzzle Mode will be cracked on with and integrated, along with additional levels, some other tweaks, and more coloured tiles to build your creations (and mine!) with...
Additional colours are already in place (24 colours/shades now in total, with more to come, and hey! - more colour choices are always good!), once I'm back from London (training course for my day job....)
I'll be able to start integrating Puzzle Mode and some new Leaderboards next weekend, so it won't be long from there - it's fairly simple to add now that the important stuff (the user fairness/experience) is sorted!
Argh, now I've just gotta wait 4 whole days before I can code again back at home... :(
Watch this space guys!
We're getting there!! - on track for Puzzle Mode in 2-3 weeks at this rate! :)
Hi All! - okay, we've (a good friend is now helping me out) written a doozy of a routine to intelligently allocate your pieces on any board, at any point,, and so far it's looking really good, and more importantly, FAST! (So fast in fact, that almost all of the time, on a medium spec PC, you won't even realise that it's doing it's clever thing to ensure that you're NOT cheated out of a well-played puzzle completion, by giving you a 'bad' / board-breaking / none-optimal moves sequence of pieces) ;)
(Of course, if you don't actually play the pieces that you've been allocated *well*, or thinking ahead, then you can still render a level un-completable... :) So it's still up to yourself, and skilful play! ...)
So yes, Puzzle Mode (and of course, some related achievements and Leaderboards!) is getting there, and once included, leaves me free to look into next adding...
ONLINE MULTIPLAYER!
So as usual, please bear with me, and please keep spreading the word to your puzzle/strategy loving friends & family, Youtubers or reviewers!
Thanks guys!
Japster
Just a quick announcement to my supporters!
I've promised regular updates, even if nothing much is happening on the release front this week, so just to let you all know - I'm currently beavering away on PUZZLE MODE, but just putting that endgame piece allocation logic together...
This is super important, and needs to be in place before I implement this mode, as the last thing I want you guys to find is that you lose on a carefully played intricate Puzzle level because the computer gave you a selection of pieces that caused you to not be able to complete it....
So using the logic I'm implementing, the computer will intelligently look and see what the MOST pieces you can fit are, near your endgame, and give you those - so if you're doing great, and on track to solve the puzzle, you WILL get a selection of pieces allowing you (with correct placement!) to completely clear the level!
...Of course, if you've already rendered the puzzle un-complete-able, you'll still get the best pieces possible to maximise your puzzle completion percentage... :)
So please, bear with me, and it will be making an appearance soon! (along with a bunch of extra levels I've been creating in my down time!)
All the best,
Den / Japster
Just a quick update!
To any players not currently seeing 50 built-in levels!
I meant to add this logic a while ago, but today I've added the logic to MERGE new built-in levels into your installation's index file, whilst copying over your user-generated levels... :)
What this means in simple English is that if you've created ANY USER levels since I added 20-30 original levels in the first live release, you've probably not been seeing/able to access any of the newer 50 (so far!) built-in levels.
...and now you will! - moving forwards, each time more built-in levels are included in a build, this will again happen automatically....
So, in summary - If you've created any user levels at all, then you'll get some more built-in levels added, if you just download and run the updated release of TetraLogical!
Thanks all!
Den / Japster
New LIMITED MOVES Game Mode now LIVE!
TetraLogical's 'LIMITED MOVES' Game Mode is now LIVE!!
Give it a try! - You can choose from a starting 'pot' of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 or 100 moves/turns....
As usual, the aim is to get the best Score and Efficiency percentage that you can, in your allocated moves, BUT, as per BLITZ mode, skillful playing will net you MORE turns....
If you get 48 in a single move, you'll earn 5 more turns.
If you get 47 in a single move, you'll earn 2 more turns (Essentially a FREE TURN (see below) for that move played, plus a bonus turn).
If you get the BEST move possible, but it isn't a 47 or a 48, you'll essentially get a FREE TURN, and your moves pot will remain the same / NOT use up that turn.
Use this to your advantage! - try to keep earning more turns by getting the best scoring move as often as you can, to prolong your game.... :)
Of course, the dilemma of this mode is that you may see a nice 47 or 48 on the board, but do you play possibly lesser efficiency moves and wait for the right shape to get it for extra moves, or just play the best scoring moves you can? - Early on in a game, you may be trying for 100% (so not advisable generally), but if it happens later, at say 93% efficiency, it might just be worth it for those 5 extra moves!... decisions.... ;)
Along with the new game mode, there are an additional 216 Leaderboards added! (1 for each of 3 level size categories, for each of these, 1 for each STARTING MOVES selection, and for each of those, 1 each for the best scores for 75%+, 80%+, 85%+, 90%+, 95%+, 96%+, 97%+, 98%+, 99%+, and of course, NO 100%! (taken this logic out, as yes, you would theoretically be playing forever if you could achieve this!))
LEVEL SIZE TIERS:-
50 or less tiles = SMALL
51-100 tiles = MEDIUM
101 or more tiles = LARGE
Additionally...
As usual, during testing, I've set a few scores, and you may be happy to know that a few more leaderboards will be created to record your best runs for any given starting BLITZ or LIMITED MOVES game!
ie. If you last for say, 1:35 in a 1 Minute Blitz game, you'll be submitted to that Leaderboard! Same for the other time selections, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc...
...and for Limited Moves mode, the same will happen, but for the highest ACTUAL MOVES played in a game, versus the initial limitation of 10,20, 50, etc...
Should be fun seeing some of these set!
PS - I may well re-use the Blitz bar to visually show your moves left in this mode, but as this is a more relaxed mode and not timed/under pressure, I think that the large Moves Counter does the trick! - Of course, always happy to get feedback either way! :)
PPS - I also added a nice summary to the End Game screen in BLITZ and LIMITED MOVES/TURNS modes - Will now tell you how long you actually lasted in your timed BLITZ game (compared to the starting time that you were given, or how many turns you actually managed to play compared to your starting pot for TURNS mode) ready for the above enhancements and Achievements (2 For 1, 3 For 1, Logic Machine, etc)... :)
I've also added 3 new Achievements specifically for this - ie. if you manage to last/play for DOUBLE, TRIPLE, or QUINTUPLE the starting MOVES or TIME in either BLITZ or LIMITED moves, you will beat those Achievements... :)
BUG FIXES:-
Of course, I've also added new tweaks and bug fixes to the game, including the following:-
1) Now, exiting out of the EDITOR won't throw you into the LEVEL SELECTION screen to start a game (might have seemed intentional, but it wasn't! ;) )... It will now take you back to the Main Menu itself, as makes more sense...
2) Tweaked the end game timings - was way too much of a delay between Game Over, and actually showing the endgame screen and/or Leaderboards summary. Changed timings a bit to speed it all up, and changed the logic to smoothly wait for the update, then display.
3) Other little bits and pieces in general, that I spotted while adding all of that above!
...and don't forget, the recent and addictive BLITZ mode is also available, and we should be seeing more scores appearing on those Leaderboards soon, so let's get competitive!! ;)
Thanks as always for the support guys, and please, if you're loving the game, spread the word, or perhaps maybe leave a short review/rating! - It's currently my single biggest way of hopefully getting more exposure.... :D
Den / Japster
Just a quick updated build!...
...featuring bigger, bolder, zooming banners to easily show when you've got a 47, 48, Max Score, Level Unlock, etc...
I've also added a few fixes for level unlock and banner showing (as above) for all scenarios - ie. Blitz, normal, Solo, Vs, etc...
As always, have fun!
Den / Japster
Okay guys! - Just released an updated build, with the following stuff added!
Better Level Unlocking - fairer!
Now, you'll have 10 unbeaten built-in levels to play in any order, at any time. Simply beat any of them to unlock further levels, until you've unlocked them all! - I did start putting this new logic in an earlier build, but the logic is now in place and fully working, to my knowledge! - please let me know if not!
Multiple Leaderboards Summary Page!
When you complete a game now, you will not only be shown the most relevant Leaderboard ranking that you got, but ALL Leaderboards that you may have potentially placed on!
i.e if playing a nice game of 1 minute Blitz, and scoring say, 90%+ efficiency, and maybe even beating your previous 90%+ efficiency games STREAK, you should be able to cycle through eg. the following Leaderboards:-
Best scores for the current level, 1 minute Blitz, 90%+ Efficiency
TOTAL 90%+ Efficiency Games played
Best 90%+ Efficiency Games Played Streak
etc... :D
If placed on more than one Leaderboard, you'll see 2 new selector arrows next to the FRIENDS / GLOBAL toggle button, which will highlight if enabled, to navigate back and forth between Leaderboards... :)
COMING SOON!:-
I'll also be implementing a similar Leaderboards summary button at the BEGINNING of a game, so you can see all possible Leaderboards and your position on them if ranked, before playing, for the current level and settings.
(eg. Level 13, Blitz, 5 minutes) - would cycle between all Leaderboards for that game setting - (75%+, 80%+, 85%+, 90%+, 95%+, 96%+, 97%+, 98%+, 99%+, and 100% Effiiciency) :D
Well, LOTS of work done to TetraLogical this weekend!
Managed to sort out a few more fixes and enhancements this weekend!
Busy, busy weekend! - Only just finished coding! Zzzzzz.....
Here we go.....
1) PLAYABLE PIECES AT ALL TIMES
Now the computer WILL give you playable pieces at ALL TIMES. However, if another player sneakily blocks your piece's (probably great!) move, or a Downfall causes you to not be able to play your currently allocated piece (but moves ARE still possible on the board, with different pieces), then a sound effect will be played, you will NOT miss your turn, and the computer will swap the unplayable piece with a random (but playable!) piece...
2) SAVED SELECTIONS IN BETWEEN GAMES
TetraLogical now remembers your SOLO and VS player selections (both CPU and human) for the current run of the game, in between rounds and the menu screen, etc... (and I'll add those to your saved settings next, including your previously selected game mode TIME etc settings...) ...so you can set 'em and forget 'em, until you want to change them!)
3) MORE LEADERBOARD SUMMARY BLING!
I've also added a nice background for the Leaderboard screen, and a trophy cup if you manage to get 1st, 2nd or 3rd place on either Global or just friends LB's... :D
4) HUMANS GO FIRST!
In Vs games, Human players now ALWAYS go first, for consistency. I may put in a toggle to allow this or revert to 'pot luck'... :) So now, if ANY Human players are playing, then the computer will select one of the Human players at Random, to start.
5) 'BEAT ALL CPU PLAYERS' / 'KING' ACHIEVEMENT IS LIVE
Also, the achievement for beating ALL 21 CPU opponents is LIVE... :D
- So, if you've already beaten them all, just beat any CPU opponent again, and you should find that it kicks in!
Phew! - Lots of other stuff tweaked etc, but hopefully no new bugs in! - Would be very interested to hear what you all think when you have a chance to play with it! :D
