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SHENZHEN I/O - new game from Zachtronics
- Thread starter BrokenFiction
- Start date
BrokenFiction
Member
toythatkills
Member
I'm in the UK and I have a package to pick up at the local sorting office from the US. It can't be this already, surely!
I can't think what else it might be though.
I can't think what else it might be though.
I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with the fact that once he's got the basic game engine built, it probably doesn't take a lot of work to design each individual level. Look at SpaceChem, once you've got the basic system made where everything acts as you want, he would just have to figure out a good set of inputs and outputs that would make for a series of compelling puzzles, create backdrops for the various worlds (not even necessary on single-reactor puzzles). Sure, there's stuff like the boss levels that require something a bit beyond the base game (there's also a level towards the end of Infinifactory that's a bit different than the rest), but for the most part, the actual level design is probably fairly trivial, since almost the entire solution in his games is created by the player.
Same here. Zachtronics is one of the few developers that I trust to deliver every time.
More_Badass
Member
I have a love-hate relationships with his games. I love them and there's nothing else quite like his style of games, but then I realize my output in Infinifactory is a row too long and my elaborate, precisely timed assembly line is useless...and then I put the games aside for a few months
BrokenFiction
Member
Mine is more like a love-hate_myself relationship. I adore them. I also suck at them.
Well i'm regretting not buying the limited edition
I literally discovered the game a day or so after the LE stock ran out. I'm furious. Not with anyone in particular, of course, it's just an unfortunate quirk of circumstance. But GRRRRR.
More_Badass
Member
Do we know what the price will be? TIS was $7, and SpaceChem was $10. I don't think this'll priced in the Infinifactory/Ironclad Tactics range
$14.99
Nabs
Member
I think the site said $14.99 at some point.
Hah, I can see that. I had a few close calls myself. While the first half of the game has levels that I almost thought were way too big, things start to get rather cramped towards the end. I lucked out in that my solution to the last level happened to end up with just enough space for me to get the completed object into the output space. Another block or two less and I would have been screwed.
Given the pricing of his previous games, I'd say around the $/10 point, but I'd happily spend 15-20 on it if need be.
I have to go back and play more Infinifactory. I enjoyed my first run through, but what I enjoyed most was going back through the levels making minimum-block-count solutions, which often ended up being utter monstrosities, trading off any attempt at speed or efficiency in order to get the block count down (I remember one in particular where the solution involved dumping about 80% of the blocks off into the abyss). Good times.
Judging by the screenshots, Shenzhen I/O seems to have production cost and power consumption as two different metrics to track, and I'd be interested to see any more. Competing with GAF to minimise run times for TIS-100 programs was a lot of fun, even if I did always seem to end up being beaten by a single cycle, so hopefully we'll have a bit of competition in Shenzhen I/O as well.
Probably implemented DSfix in there somewhere.
Well, email sent... here's hoping!
Yeah, that's been eating me up for a long time, and the more I think about it the more I become convinced that it's just impossible and Durante's a witch (or, more likely, a professional who solves low-level optimisation problems like this on a daily basis, whereas I've barely coded a thing since college).
Not to drag this further off topic, but
I've worked out that the first line of the output node has to be MOV 0, DOWN or MOV ACC, DOWN (as ACC defaults to 0), and every other instruction in that node has to be of the type MOV _____, DOWN. But, ACC can never change (as any operation which changes ACC doesn't result in an output), so effectively the first instruction has to be MOV 0, DOWN. However, in order for this to work, there has to be a cyclicality at which 0 repeats in 15 or less cycles (as that's the maximum number of instructions in the node), and 0 doesn't repeat at any such cyclicality (for the first test pattern 0 repeats once every 33 cycles). Therefore it's impossible. Of course, it's not impossible, as Durante (and I believe one or two others) managed it, which means one of my assumptions or logical deductions is wrong, but I've gone over it many times now and I just can't see where I've made an error. I don't want to be told what it is, but not knowing is infuriating.
More_Badass
Member
Still deciding whether to get this or keep saving for Thumper next week. I wanted to like TIS, but I never got a grasp on the coding mechanics. This seems more advanced and like it had more SpaceChem DNA
Zach Barth is a wonderful, wonderful person.
Thanks for the heads up. Just bought one myself. I'm too stupid for this dude's games but I'll never stop buying them because they are so different from everything else I play. Curse Tomalexi for introducing me to them.
Edit - Also Zach said I could say they still have some more LEs left if anyone else is looking.
Thanks for this! Today was my first time hearing about the game so I thought I had missed out, but I did still manage to get one ordered by emailing him. I'm really looking forward to this, even if his games pretty consistently make me feel stupid.
toythatkills
Member
Got it! It's pretty nice is what it is. Can't wait to comfortably beat level one of the game now before playing level two and beginning to cry
Any sign of customs charges? Wasn't sure whether to get mine sent to home or work.
Game is launching in 3 hours? :O I thought it will be somewhere at night for EU zone.
Most of the time new releases unlock at 7 pm CEST. So 2 hours and 47 minutes from now.
this guy are sick
Member
Oh man, I was watching the video on the steam page in anticipation of the release in a couple of hours, I thought this was going to be a SPICE style simulator, but there looks to be a decent amount of coding too.
So excited for this.
So excited for this.
toythatkills
Member
Nope, got through with no issues
+1
I picked up TIS-100 during the Summer Sale and couldn't beat the first puzzle.
this guy are sick
Member
HARMONIC MAXIMIZATION ALGORITHM
it's p good
is there going to be an OT or are we just posting in this thread?
I have quite a few gaffers from tis100, but for anyone else add me, more times are good:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/thants
it's p good
is there going to be an OT or are we just posting in this thread?
I have quite a few gaffers from tis100, but for anyone else add me, more times are good:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/thants
this guy are sick
Member
.
I speel my dreenk
Member
The whole presentation of the game concept and the binder & materials regarding your place in the game's fiction is actually super well done.
Really wanna open this envelope, though.
Also, this music is really good.
Really wanna open this envelope, though.
Also, this music is really good.
Yep, also reading manual right now ;p
More_Badass
Member
this guy are sick
Member
I speel my dreenk
Member
Yeah, this solitaire variant is actually pretty sweet.
That feeling when you did better than expected. Ignore power .
The game is really awesome so far. Glad I got the limited edition.
.The game is really awesome so far. Glad I got the limited edition.
I've literally just *started* TIS100, inspired by this, while I wait for the binder to arrive (Hey, I tend to fall behind). I've got a few gaffers from the Spacechem era, but if anyone else wants to add me, http://steamcommunity.com/id/mclem
More_Badass
Member
It's just history repeating itself. The TIS thread died after about three pages, and then blow up a few months later,
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