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I didn't like Zachtronics games, because from reviews I read, I expected them to be like programming, but instead they were merely puzzle games with programming

I didn't like Zachtronics games, because from reviews I read, I expected them to be like programming, but instead they were merely puzzle games with programming window dressing on them.

TrickardRixx 4y ago
This is a funny thing for me to read. The reason I enjoy programming is because the act of programming feels to me much like playing a puzzle game.
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  I guess it depends on the puzzle game. I enjoy programming (when I'm programming something I'm interested in, anyway), but don't like almost any puzzle games. There are a handful of exceptions: I loved Factorio (which could be considered a puzzle game), Gorogoa, Inside, and The Swapper. But Zachtronics games and most other puzzle games leave me cold.
  - db48x 4y ago
    Out of curiosity, have you tried TIS-100? It’s less of a game and more of an emulator for a machine that never existed.
    - pmoriarty 4y ago
      "have you tried TIS-100?" Yes. That's the first Zachtronics game I tried, and was sorely disappointed. In my view it's just a puzzle game.
      - db48x 4y ago
        Hmm. You might still think that it’s “just” a puzzle game, but did you ever try Ruckingenur II? That one actually got my heart racing the first time I played it. https://www.zachtronics.com/ruckingenur-ii/ https://www.zachtronics.com/ruckingenur-ii/
OnionBlender 4y ago
I find TIS-100 and shenzhen io frustrating because of how limiting they are. There is a max line count per chip and the circuit board is very cramped. I actually finished Exapunks because I felt the language was expressive enough to not be as frustrating and the line limit is a lot higher than needed.
shadowofneptune 4y ago
That's why I like them, they have more in common with the thought experiments you see in textbooks. TIS-100 teaches the principles of concurrency by presenting you with a computer architecture small enough to fit onto a single screen. It helps that there are multiple solutions, and you can try to optimize in a certain area like speed or size.
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  If you like those aspects of the game you might enjoy Neon Noodles.
defaultcompany 4y ago
Which games did you play? TIS-100 and Schenzen IO and Exapunks definitely felt more like programming games than puzzle games to me.
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  I played TIS-100. Expected it to be like assembly language programming, but it only has a veneer of programming over a puzzle game.
- Aeolun 4y ago
  I feel like the code in those games is merely a convenient interface to the puzzle aspect. It might as easily have been visual programming, and the game would be the same.

I didn't like Zachtronics games, because from reviews I read, I expected them to be like programming, but instead they were merely puzzle games with programming window dressing on them.

TrickardRixx 4y ago

This is a funny thing for me to read. The reason I enjoy programming is because the act of programming feels to me much like playing a puzzle game.

pmoriarty 4y ago
I guess it depends on the puzzle game. I enjoy programming (when I'm programming something I'm interested in, anyway), but don't like almost any puzzle games. There are a handful of exceptions: I loved Factorio (which could be considered a puzzle game), Gorogoa, Inside, and The Swapper. But Zachtronics games and most other puzzle games leave me cold.
- db48x 4y ago
  Out of curiosity, have you tried TIS-100? It’s less of a game and more of an emulator for a machine that never existed.
  - pmoriarty 4y ago
    "have you tried TIS-100?" Yes. That's the first Zachtronics game I tried, and was sorely disappointed. In my view it's just a puzzle game.
    - db48x 4y ago
      Hmm. You might still think that it’s “just” a puzzle game, but did you ever try Ruckingenur II? That one actually got my heart racing the first time I played it. https://www.zachtronics.com/ruckingenur-ii/ https://www.zachtronics.com/ruckingenur-ii/

OnionBlender 4y ago

I find TIS-100 and shenzhen io frustrating because of how limiting they are. There is a max line count per chip and the circuit board is very cramped. I actually finished Exapunks because I felt the language was expressive enough to not be as frustrating and the line limit is a lot higher than needed.

shadowofneptune 4y ago

That's why I like them, they have more in common with the thought experiments you see in textbooks. TIS-100 teaches the principles of concurrency by presenting you with a computer architecture small enough to fit onto a single screen. It helps that there are multiple solutions, and you can try to optimize in a certain area like speed or size.

pmoriarty 4y ago
If you like those aspects of the game you might enjoy Neon Noodles.

defaultcompany 4y ago

Which games did you play? TIS-100 and Schenzen IO and Exapunks definitely felt more like programming games than puzzle games to me.

pmoriarty 4y ago
I played TIS-100. Expected it to be like assembly language programming, but it only has a veneer of programming over a puzzle game.
Aeolun 4y ago
I feel like the code in those games is merely a convenient interface to the puzzle aspect. It might as easily have been visual programming, and the game would be the same.