AlphaBlock

Started by Reiter, Mon 01/11/2021 17:11:00

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Reiter


-Welcome to the Block, unit E-60. A new testing range has been prepared, all for you. It will test your abilities and gather valuable data for future research. So go forth, solve tricky puzzles, find goodies and do not get killed.-

-You will be rewarded with an Official Block-Corp Workplace Coffee Break if you conclude this test range successfully and pulse-havingly.-

-Good luck!-




AlphaBlock is a quick Sierraesque point-and-click puzzle adventure game, set in a testing facility. Use your wits and your inventory to solve puzzles, go to new rooms and find collectibles and score.

Be careful, though. Look before you touch!



AlphaBlock is free of charge, and you can download it now from this Itch page:

https://marc-reiter.itch.io/alphablock

Also available in Swedish.



The resolution is 320 x 200, and it is built on the splendid AGS Sierra template.

The Music is by maestro Eric Matyas.

Good luck, and have fun!


Mandle

OMG!!! Puzzles! Gimme!!!

I miss games that just give you puzzles to solve! Many games these days are trying to be movies or give you an open world to live in. Which is all fine... But sometimes just a game that is unashamedly puzzle after puzzle, with some story to uncover along the way, is a welcome change!

Reiter

That was the general idea, a string of puzzles with a standard presentation to them, in a scenario in which it makes some degree of sense. Mostly as an opportunity for me to learn how to program proper puzzles, I shall admit. I like puzzles, too, and I think they can be the meat and potatoes of these sort of games. It can be difficult to make them make sense in the context of the game and story, but it is worth doing.

I do not know what sort of challenges these puzzles would cause a seasoned puzzlonaut, but I erred on the side of simple. The main purpose of a video game puzzle is to make the player feel clever when they solve it, after all. It was fun to come up with them.

Anyway, as an extra treat, have an advert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj56CjvtSZY

It is more of a jape and an in-joke than a proper trailer, but it was fun exercise to write, record and put together. All thanks to my splendid colleagues!

Pogwizd

Why the CD cover is bent? I can't stop thinking about it now : )

Reiter

The stupid paper was not stiff enough. I had counted on the centrifugal force of the Lazy Susan pushing it back into place, but it was not quite enough.

Making the prototype covers were great fun, but O Lord, getting the things cut to the right size was outrageously tricky. Digital distribution have some great advantages.

selmiak

any chance you compile the game for linux too?
It is just another checkbox in the general settings and uploading another folder

Pogwizd

Quote from: Reiter on Tue 02/11/2021 16:55:51
Making the prototype covers were great fun, but O Lord, getting the things cut to the right size was outrageously tricky. Digital distribution have some great advantages.

I can imagine. The whole thing seems like a fun thing to do.

This reminded me of my idea of making my personal big box edition of Absurdistan. I remember wondering about how to make the cover image for the actual CD (the disc, not the box). I was thinking that printing on an adhesive paper should do the trick. But similarly to what you mentioned, I was sure that cutting out a perfect circle would drive me nuts.

Your game looks awesome, too.

Ian Aloser

#7
This is so great , Congratulations!!!
But : Could this be a bug ? :
Spoiler

When pressing the switch in the room with the 6 fuses,
there is no way to load a previous game.
I am stuck on this particular point of this great game
EDIT: Anyway, you can restart the game and load from there
The fuse puzzle is driving me nuts, I was sure I inserted the right fuses in the right order....
EDIT EDIT: Got it ! You have to look really close :-))
[close]

Reiter

#8
Quote from: selmiak on Tue 02/11/2021 23:57:02
any chance you compile the game for linux too?
It is just another checkbox in the general settings and uploading another folder

I will do that, Sir! I have no means of testing the game on Linux, which is why I did not include a Linux build. I hope it is as basic to install and run on Linux, though. There will be a Linux upload soon, stand by.

Quote from: Pogwizd on Wed 03/11/2021 08:07:42
Quote from: Reiter on Tue 02/11/2021 16:55:51
Making the prototype covers were great fun, but O Lord, getting the things cut to the right size was outrageously tricky. Digital distribution have some great advantages.

I can imagine. The whole thing seems like a fun thing to do.

This reminded me of my idea of making my personal big box edition of Absurdistan. I remember wondering about how to make the cover image for the actual CD (the disc, not the box). I was thinking that printing on an adhesive paper should do the trick. But similarly to what you mentioned, I was sure that cutting out a perfect circle would drive me nuts.

Your game looks awesome, too.

Thank you kindly!

It was worth the time, and it is fun to have something physical around, even if it is mostly for looking good on a shelf. Indeed, the cover for the actual CD was something I decided to ignore for now. It was just too damned fiddly. That said, if you buy CDs that are mostly plain, you can just cut out and paste the label you want on top of their label, I imagine. I think I shall do that for my next project.

Quote from: Ian Aloser on Wed 03/11/2021 09:39:46
This is so great , Congratulations!!!
But : Could this be a bug ? :
Spoiler

When pressing the switch in the room with the 6 fuses,
there is no way to load a previous game.
I am stuck on this particular point of this great game
EDIT: Anyway, you can restart the game and load from there
The fuse puzzle is driving me nuts, I was sure I inserted the right fuses in the right order....
EDIT EDIT: Got it ! You have to look really close :-))
[close]

Thank you very much for playing! I do hope the
Spoiler
fiendish fuse-room
[close]
did not mar the rest of the experience. I can reveal that my play-tester looked like he could throttle me before he solved it.

Spoiler
Indeed, the point of the room is that it locks you in until you solve it, so I believe it worked as intended.
[close]

It was a bit of an experiment on my part, taking away the ability to save and load at will and putting them in specific hotspot locations. Chiefly to make save-scumming a bit less tempting. I am not sure if it was worth it, though. What did you think about it?

I think that I shall make sure that the player can load a game whenever they need to in the future, and just limit opportunities to save.

-EDIT-EDIT-EDIT-

There is now a Linux version of the game available for download on the same itch.io site. I do hope it works! If it does, please consider telling me so.

Ian Aloser

Reiter,
the concept for saving was just fine!
At the beginning I thought " OMG, will I have to play it
from the beginning every time I fail?", but then I found an opportunity
to save just when I needed it. Great idea !!!!
The puzzles were fair, and very creative !
You did a great job here, hope there is more to come.

Cheers and thanks for the great entertainment !


Shadow1000

Ok I'm a bit confused as to the ending....

Spoiler
I got 3 eggs and I ended up where I got the congratulations message. Is there more to the game? How do I end? I also never ended up getting the coffee so maybe I need to do something else? I think there's a bug that you can keep getting the clippers?
[close]

Reiter

Quote from: Ian Aloser on Wed 03/11/2021 16:18:06
Reiter,
the concept for saving was just fine!
At the beginning I thought " OMG, will I have to play it
from the beginning every time I fail?", but then I found an opportunity
to save just when I needed it. Great idea !!!!
The puzzles were fair, and very creative !
You did a great job here, hope there is more to come.

Cheers and thanks for the great entertainment !

Thank you very kindly! I am happy that it proved to be an amusing game, and that it was worth your time! Glad that the save system worked out in the end, but I think that I shall have the player be able to load freely in the future. For indeed, I shall make sure there is more to come.

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Wed 03/11/2021 22:13:28
Ok I'm a bit confused as to the ending....

Spoiler
I got 3 eggs and I ended up where I got the congratulations message. Is there more to the game? How do I end? I also never ended up getting the coffee so maybe I need to do something else? I think there's a bug that you can keep getting the clippers?
[close]

Hmm, that is odd.

Spoiler
Did you reach the credits section? That is, a congratulations message that displays your score and eggs and then goes to the credits and then let you quit or restart? If so, it is most certainly an odd bug. The game is supposed to end with finding the coffee-room. Keep visiting rooms, to be sure.
[close]

Spoiler
The clippers thing is most certainly a bug, it seems. I shall patch it during the week-end. Thank you for spotting it, and letting me know!
[close]

I shall investigate when I have the time, and see what it may be and see about patching it. Thank you once more for notifying me!

Shadow1000

Quote from: Reiter on Thu 04/11/2021 08:26:54
Spoiler
Did you reach the credits section? That is, a congratulations message that displays your score and eggs and then goes to the credits and then let you quit or restart? If so, it is most certainly an odd bug. The game is supposed to end with finding the coffee-room. Keep visiting rooms, to be sure.
[close]


No. I just got
Spoiler
a congratulations message and ended up in the room I started in. There's a save/load console there and the voice on the screen tells me that I can save and I'll find out later why. I feel like I'm supposed to do something now to finish the game
[close]

Rincewind

Wow, this looks really cool, gonna try and find time to play it in the near future!
(Also pleasantly surprised to see a swedish translation - det är man inte bortskämd med! := )

Reiter

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Thu 04/11/2021 14:21:41
Quote from: Reiter on Thu 04/11/2021 08:26:54
Spoiler
Did you reach the credits section? That is, a congratulations message that displays your score and eggs and then goes to the credits and then let you quit or restart? If so, it is most certainly an odd bug. The game is supposed to end with finding the coffee-room. Keep visiting rooms, to be sure.
[close]


No. I just got
Spoiler
a congratulations message and ended up in the room I started in. There's a save/load console there and the voice on the screen tells me that I can save and I'll find out later why. I feel like I'm supposed to do something now to finish the game
[close]

That is odd. There is indeed more in the game. Try moving forward or back-tracking.

Spoiler
The test range is built in a circle, so you end up where you began eventually. There is a room with three doors - one that goes inwards/upscreen, which you open by completing three puzzles in the cirquit. That is where the end of the game is. The game is not over until you encounter coffee, I can reveal. Have another look through the levels, to be sure.
[close]

Quote from: Rincewind on Fri 05/11/2021 08:40:15
Wow, this looks really cool, gonna try and find time to play it in the near future!
(Also pleasantly surprised to see a swedish translation - det är man inte bortskämd med! := )

Thank you kindly! I do hope it will meet expectations.

Indeed, the translation was well worth the extra work. It is nice to have, and it is good to get into the habit of making translation-friendly games from the start, as it were. Samt, naturligtvis, smyga in ett litet hurra för fädernelandet!

Ian Aloser

Reiter,
I ended up with 1170 points, lost some due to
Spoiler

not giving the right answer for several times during the letter puzzle.
Never had the white egg in my inventory, guess I didn't find it.
However, it appears as "found" the credit section
[close]
Once more: Great game !

Shadow1000

Quote from: Reiter on Fri 05/11/2021 08:53:49There is indeed more in the game. Try moving forward or back-tracking..... The game is not over until you encounter coffee, I can reveal. Have another look through the levels, to be sure.[/spoiler]

Ok, I had missed something and I completed the game.

I ended up with 1180 and 4 eggs.

Overall, I think the game is AWESOME. Packed with puzzles of a varying range that makes you want to keep playing. Some were pretty easy but some were challenging enough to really give that amazing feeling of having solved a challenge. I think the most difficult puzzle was the
Spoiler
figuring out which fuse goes where and the difficulty gets compounded by not being able to save
[close]
My opinion is that having Load/Save consoles is GREAT and really ups the gameplay by making you DESERVE to save. Having bonuses like
Spoiler
a point system and finding eggs
[close]
is also a really nice touch.

My only confusion was that there was a congratulations and I wasn't sure if the game was over or if I had to do more or how. In the rest of the game, the puzzles found YOU rather than you having to wander around to find puzzles, but once I got back on track it was ok.

So, overall, really well done!

heltenjon

#17
Another great game! Please add it to the database as well, as that will make it easier to find for people only accessing the game page.

Will you reveal to us what the maximum score/number of eggs/total endings are available? Or is it your prescious secret?  :-D ;)
I finished the game with 1400 points and four eggs, but couldn't see a white one among them, like the one Ian describes. It didn't cross my mind that points could be detracted for making mistakes or dying, though, so I wasn't all that careful all the time.

I'm very fond of scenarios that put the player in a lab rat situation like this one does. It worked really well as a frame for the puzzles. And the puzzles themselves were a treat - very entertaining.

I'd like to know if I missed something, though. The game hints at
Spoiler
an alternate ending where an escape through the rubble may be possible.
[close]
I also finished with two panels showing an "x", indicating a task not done. One was connected to the button opening a door after completing the pattern
Spoiler
square
[close]
by pushing four buttons. And the second was in the room with the clippers. I imagine that was me trying to outwit my captors, triggering a bug instead:
Spoiler
I tried to make it away with the clipper by taking it (a new one) for the second time before replacing it in the holder. There never were two clippers in my inventory, but I kept it after returning it to the holder. And the panel still showed an "x".
[close]

In sum - great game, highly recommended. Thank you and congratulations on the release. Again, please add it to the database as well.

EDIT: And the advert video is hilarious! Va skojigt!

Reiter

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Fri 05/11/2021 19:19:34
My only confusion was that there was a congratulations and I wasn't sure if the game was over or if I had to do more or how. In the rest of the game, the puzzles found YOU rather than you having to wander around to find puzzles, but once I got back on track it was ok.

So, overall, really well done!

I am happy that you found the track again! Glad to hear that you had fun. Indeed, the little extras were a fun thing to add, and I like to think they add a little degree of replay value, as it were. I shall keep the system for my next title, and as it seems to have worked satisfactory, I shall keep working on the save system, too. Thank you kindly!

Quote from: Ian Aloser on Fri 05/11/2021 11:54:00
Reiter,
I ended up with 1170 points, lost some due to
Spoiler

not giving the right answer for several times during the letter puzzle.
Never had the white egg in my inventory, guess I didn't find it.
However, it appears as "found" the credit section
[close]
Once more: Great game !

Thank you! And I am happy you had fun! However,

Spoiler
There is no white egg; they are red, blue, yellow and green. If it looks white, it may be that it shows up as uncollected/blank in the credits section. Keep hunting!
[close]

Quote from: heltenjon on Sun 07/11/2021 01:38:53
Another great game! Please add it to the database as well, as that will make it easier to find for people only accessing the game page.

Will you reveal to us what the maximum score/number of eggs/total endings are available? Or is it your prescious secret?  :-D ;)
I finished the game with 1400 points and four eggs, but couldn't see a white one among them, like the one Ian describes. It didn't cross my mind that points could be detracted for making mistakes or dying, though, so I wasn't all that careful all the time.

I'm very fond of scenarios that put the player in a lab rat situation like this one does. It worked really well as a frame for the puzzles. And the puzzles themselves were a treat - very entertaining.

I'd like to know if I missed something, though. The game hints at
Spoiler
an alternate ending where an escape through the rubble may be possible.
[close]
I also finished with two panels showing an "x", indicating a task not done. One was connected to the button opening a door after completing the pattern
Spoiler
square
[close]
by pushing four buttons. And the second was in the room with the clippers. I imagine that was me trying to outwit my captors, triggering a bug instead:
Spoiler
I tried to make it away with the clipper by taking it (a new one) for the second time before replacing it in the holder. There never were two clippers in my inventory, but I kept it after returning it to the holder. And the panel still showed an "x".
[close]

In sum - great game, highly recommended. Thank you and congratulations on the release. Again, please add it to the database as well.

EDIT: And the advert video is hilarious! Va skojigt!

Thank you kindly!

On scores, I am not sure, I shall confess. I must check my notes. I do believe you may have 'aced' it, however.

Indeed, the laboratory rat maze scenario is very useful for puzzling videogames. Like Portal, like Amnesia: Josephine... I am quite fond of it, since it gives you such a sturdy frame-work to build a puzzle game around, that still makes a degree of sense in its setting. It is a reliable old chest-nut. It may be a while, but I think we may revisit the Block some day.

As for spoily matters:
Spoiler
You did not miss anything, I can reveal. The hint is flavour, I fear. If there is such an ending, I did not put it in, at least. Perhaps next time.

That there were crossed monitors, meanwhile, puzzles me. It is likely a missing line somewhere. Also, something must be wrong with that clipper room, but I am still trouble-shooting it. You are only supposed to get one pair of clippers, which you have to surrender to move on. It is quite neat that you out-witted Complex, however! Well done!
[close]
I shall look into it over the week. Thank you for the feed-back.

I shall see about adding it to the data-base, when I have a moment. Thank you, and I am glad that the game and the advert was amusing!

heltenjon

Quote from: Reiter on Sun 07/11/2021 22:41:55
Quote from: heltenjon on Sun 07/11/2021 01:38:53
I also finished with two panels showing an "x", indicating a task not done. One was connected to the button opening a door after completing the pattern
Spoiler
square
[close]
by pushing four buttons.
It may be a while, but I think we may revisit the Block some day.

Yes please!  (nod) (nod)

Quote
That there were crossed monitors, meanwhile, puzzles me. It is likely a missing line somewhere.

It may perhaps have to do with the order I did things in? I
Spoiler
pushed the green button to open the door next to the square puzzle before I went back and put the fuse in place, if I recall correctly.
[close]

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