4 ms·

Was it this one? https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/js/untangle.html https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/js/unta... I went a

Was it this one? https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/js/untangle.html https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/js/unta... I went and found this game again relatively recently. It reminds me so much of decoupling and refactoring software or vice versa. I spent a few years occasionally trying to remember what distant memory of an experience decoupling reminded me of. I quite enjoy both. Whilst simultaneously kind of hating the process. Incredible sense of clarity once you've resolved everything that was stepping in the way of understanding. Moments of despair and frustration. Sense of progress combined with feeling this could be never ending. Iteratively trying to step towards something better. It all seeming worth it in the end. So many parallels.

hinkley 5y ago
Most likely, yes. These games might be fun for students as a learning exercise. Not so much for me.
mikewarot 5y ago
I love that game... something about solving puzzles just makes it feel like flow. I always crank up the complexity on it, and can do it for hours. The other game I can lose time in is Universal Paperclips[1], I looped through it 100 times before quitting. 1 - https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/
- ozzmotik 5y ago
  Universal Paperclips is one of those true gems and in my opinion one of the standout examples within the incremental genre of what a game can really be. also good incrementals: a dark room, SPACEPLAN, kittens game, and trimps. with the exception of SPACEPLAN, all of these games have always been greatly enjoyable despite feeling like the worst type of work that one could be doing. i find it odd that I'm willing to do that sort of resource allocation and microoptimization thing almost endlessly for free, but the idea of doing it in meatspace for pay seems almost intolerable.

hinkley 5y ago

Most likely, yes. These games might be fun for students as a learning exercise. Not so much for me.

mikewarot 5y ago

I love that game... something about solving puzzles just makes it feel like flow. I always crank up the complexity on it, and can do it for hours. The other game I can lose time in is Universal Paperclips[1], I looped through it 100 times before quitting. 1 - https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/

ozzmotik 5y ago
Universal Paperclips is one of those true gems and in my opinion one of the standout examples within the incremental genre of what a game can really be. also good incrementals: a dark room, SPACEPLAN, kittens game, and trimps. with the exception of SPACEPLAN, all of these games have always been greatly enjoyable despite feeling like the worst type of work that one could be doing. i find it odd that I'm willing to do that sort of resource allocation and microoptimization thing almost endlessly for free, but the idea of doing it in meatspace for pay seems almost intolerable.