[Philippe] Done! Presenting: Constellations

Hello everyone! First of all, I apologize for not providing continuous updates. I needed to finish the Game Jam before tomorrow (Sunday) so it was a bit of a hustle getting everything done. However, I can finally say that I have finished my game, and I am quite proud of the result! Here are some screenshots (with minimal spoilers!)

 

 

 

Here are the features included in the finished product:

1. 5 Puzzles, each featuring multiple solutions and detailed feedback on incorrect solutions
2. 3 unlockable Challenges, some with solutions, and some without
3. Detailed instructions on how to play the game
4. Support for iPad and iPod Touch (Theoretically)
5. Includes the following topics: Connected Graphs, Vertex Degrees, Cycles, and Bipartite Graph

My idea behind the puzzles was to give the player the opportunity to explore the ideas of graph theory through touch-based challenges. Most of the puzzles feature multiple valid solutions, and players are encouraged to try and find different ways of drawing graphs. In doing so, I hope that the player will notice patterns that lead them towards general conclusions and insights. The unlockable challenges were my attempt at encouraging the player to seek mathematical certainty. Since only some of the challenges are unsolvable, the players must convince themselves that a challenge has no solution; the game will not tell them. This forces the player to find reasons to support their claims, which are the makings of a Graph Theory proof.

Some challenges I faced along the way:

• Writing algorithms to check solutions was especially hard. Since I wanted to allow for multiple solutions, I couldn't just compare answers to stock solutions. Instead, I wrote algorithms to test whether graphs were connected or bipartite, and then used these functions to provide feedback in the game. The bipartite algorithm in particular was challenging, and I had to go through multiple iterations before I was confident that my it worked the way I wanted it to.
• I had limited space in the game to explain topics and puzzles clearly, and it was especially challenging choosing the right words to make my message easy to understand. I had my family and friends playtest the game and give feedback, which I then used to improve upon my explanations.
• Although I coded methodically, I did not comment sufficiently until the very end, which made my code very convoluted. Going forward, I want to make commenting second nature, so that I don't end up with a jumbled mess in the later stages.

My goal for this Jam was to make a complete, self-sufficient game. In my previous creations I always focused heavily on the mechanics, and had to explain the controls and goals in person. Constellations features a detailed explanation of the controls and puzzles while also boasting a fully-functional user interface. While I had to cut back on many of my original goals, the final product feels like a real, publishable game (even though it only lasts around 30 min!).

Here is the link for the game! I made it using codeheart.js, so to play the game simply open the play.html file in any web browser.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1wj2ixmhh9h7xns/Constellations.zip

Good luck to the rest of you; I'm looking forward to trying everyone's games!

--Philippe Demontigny