Mark.BMay 28, 2023
Craig S. Kaplan
I created an interesting new (free, web-based) puzzle app for mobile devices (works best on iPads, less-well-to-not-at-all on other devices). Want to try some challenging puzzles that blend spatial reasoning and manual dexterity? Just Slide to Unlock! https://slide.isohedral.ca/
May 26, 2023 at 1:41amWeb
Show threadMarco MagiriusMay 26, 2023
@csk I love it.
Show threadZimodoMay 26, 2023

@csk this is a really cool idea, but the finickiness of the interaction is kinda making it harder than it needs to be. might i suggest allowing the line to go backwards and being more lenient with going off the line?

ps nice 🎩

Show threadCraig S. KaplanMay 26, 2023

@Zimodo Thanks for the feedback.

Forbidding backwards motion was a deliberate design decision. It makes things a bit more challenging, and also prevents possibly paradoxical cases where you reverse the stacking order at crossings.

Leniency is obviously a more continuous question of tuning, for which there is no perfect answer. But it's definitely tuned to be pretty tough, because I want dexterity to be a core part of the puzzle.

Show threadNan MaMay 26, 2023
@csk @Zimodo I think twisting fingers itself is interesting enough, and I wouldn’t emphasize precision if I make the game. I want people to be frustrated about the topology of their hands but not the precise location of the fingers.
Show threadEunakriaMay 26, 2023
@nanma80 @csk @Zimodo ditto! this is a fascinating challenge to me but really only in its pure mathematical form. dealing with the imprecision of my device's touchscreen and my own impaired motor skills just makes it an unpleasant experience
Show threadCraig S. KaplanMay 26, 2023
@Eunakria @nanma80 @Zimodo Yeah, as I was putting this together I was quite conscious of the downside that it'll be a nightmare for anybody with motor impairments. Sorry about that! I really should finish my rewrite of my older puzzle game Good Fences, which doesn't rely on dexterity to nearly this degree.
Show threadEunakriaMay 26, 2023
@csk @nanma80 @Zimodo no worries! I still had a ton of fun with the puzzle. I'll check out Good Fences later; it seems really interesting
Show threadNataniel FarzanMay 26, 2023
@csk
This is really unique and challenging game! I'm having fun finding strategies for each level. Twisting and turning my phone is not something I see in many games, which is a really cool form of interaction!
Show threadStephen SpencerMay 26, 2023
@csk very nice!
Show threadChristian Lawson-PerfectMay 26, 2023
@csk arg! This is really well made but now my fingers hurt! How many screens are there?
Show threadCraig S. KaplanMay 26, 2023
@christianp There are 30 in all.
Show threadChristian Lawson-PerfectMay 26, 2023
@csk ah, rats! Then I must have reset just before the end
Show threadNan MaMay 26, 2023
@csk excellent game! My wish list: 1. More lenient. If my finger is slightly off track, make the dot not movable rather than going all the way back. 2. Change the background color to indicate I’m ready to move fingers. Today the words’ color changed slightly. I think a more obvious hint would be better. 3. Maybe a level selector but I’m not sure about it.
Show threadNan MaMay 26, 2023
@csk I want to say again. The game is really really good. I like it, my 2.5 yo daughter and 7 yo son also like it.
Show threadNathan ReedMay 26, 2023
@csk Working fine for me on galaxy s10!
Show threadMarco 🌳 ZoccaMay 26, 2023
@csk gaaaaahhhhhhhh
Show threadRyan The Red 🖥️🚲🍺🏳️‍🌈May 26, 2023
@ocramz @csk You think that's bad, wait until you get to the triple swipe, which unfortunately on my phone also triggers a screenshot. Oopsie.
Show threadMarco 🌳 ZoccaMay 26, 2023
@redrummy @csk Finger twister! Would be even better as a team. Or with kids!
Show threadUli@aufdenbergdeMay 27, 2023
@redrummy @ocramz @csk Whaaat? There are triple swipes? I nearly broke my fingers with the double ones!
Show threadmrityunjaiMay 26, 2023
@csk aarg! my fingers got twisted up.
Show threadhacknorrisMay 26, 2023
@csk good one
Show threadMichael Potts (HMHackMaster)May 26, 2023
@csk argg how far does it go! When I got to 3 fingers I nearly threw my phone across the room. 😂
Show threadMichael Potts (HMHackMaster)May 26, 2023

@csk ahhh I got so far into the 3 line area then accidentally hit the home button on the browser and lost everything 😭😭

I'll give it another go tomorrow.

Incredible challenge though!

Other than some way to persist progress in the event of an accidental page refresh or something, I think it's flawless! It works very well on my Android phone browser and is challenging in a pretty balanced way!

Show threadArchnemysisMay 26, 2023
@hmhackmaster @csk On my iOS, leaving the game and coming back I was right back at the same level once I unlocked the first screen. Was really glad I didn’t have to redo some of those.
Show threadMichael Potts (HMHackMaster)May 26, 2023

@Archnemysis Ahhh you are totally right! I got that initial screen and just put it down. But yep, unlocking that initial screen brought me right back!

@csk I shall close my earlier complaint as 'user error'! It's a flawless challenge!

Show threadMichael Potts (HMHackMaster)May 26, 2023

@Archnemysis @csk

Oh, but crap. Now I am working on it again. 🤣🤣

Show threadCyndy PoonMay 26, 2023
@csk Ooh, that was so satisfying until it got hella challenging. I like it!
Show threadKrisMay 26, 2023
@csk this is way more physically demanding than I was expecting. Brilliant work!
Show threadKapitän ClownfeuerMay 26, 2023
@csk man, the double tuning-fork one... 🤨
Show threadArchnemysisMay 26, 2023
@csk You sir, are sadistic. Excellent game.
Show threadLori OlsonMay 26, 2023
@csk argh. Got stuck on the 7th? Three finger one.
Show threadMetamereMay 26, 2023
@csk Great concept! I was able to get up to the nested U level before it didn't work on my Android phone. Hopefully you can get it working sometime.
Show threadMikeMay 26, 2023
@csk This is a great concept and has that addictive "just one more...". Works well on my Pixel 6 (at least up until the double zig-zag. Might have to carry on now I've seen there's 3 finger levels
Show threadArchnemysisMay 26, 2023
@mikestreety @csk wait until you get to the 5 finger level! (Guessing that is the highest, but maybe it adds lines infinitely until the final screen which is just a bunch of dots Twister style and you have to touch all at once to win.)
Show threadAnca BuitMay 26, 2023
@Archnemysis @mikestreety @csk 11 dots with one for your nose?
Show threadRyan The Red 🖥️🚲🍺🏳️‍🌈May 26, 2023
@csk Oddly satisfying! Suddenly reminded of the first multi-point touch games like TapTap. Works okay on my Android
Show threadHannaMay 26, 2023
@csk Thats fun - thank you!
Show threadTane Piper ⁂May 26, 2023
@csk Yep definitely depends on the quality of the screen and I've got a couple of cracks in it 😂 Got this far, fun game thought!
Show threadArendVeelHooiMay 26, 2023
@csk Nice!
Show threadDoubledadoMay 26, 2023
@csk this kind of game would run great in #swiftui ! Great idea.
Show threadTopaz, Gem CoyoteMay 26, 2023
@csk oo! How's it work on desktop? We no longer have any tablety things.
Show threadTopaz, Gem CoyoteMay 26, 2023
@csk "please use a phone or tablet"? fuck
Show threadГригорий КлюшниковMay 26, 2023
Topaz, Gem Coyote, for a good reason, it requires multi-touch
Show threadMoved to TechHub.SocialMay 26, 2023
@topaz @csk impossible unless you have a multitouch screen.
Show thread Pink 🏳️‍🌈May 26, 2023
@csk works fine on my android phone
Show threadNan MaMay 26, 2023
@csk Maybe you can add a timer so that someone will speed-solve all levels. Like the Rubik's cube competition, we can have categories like two-hand, one-hand, blindfold, solve-with-feet.😂
Show threadArchnemysisMay 26, 2023
@csk Gonna pick back up here tomorrow. My fingers are just too thick tonight.
Show threadMartijn Tonies ✅May 26, 2023
@csk It's a good thing you can move your phone upside down and circle it around. :) @ionica
Show threadyayroos  May 26, 2023
@csk made several times harder than it would otherwise need to be by the length of my fingernails lol
Show threadSnailMay 26, 2023

@csk I like the concept although, and this might be my phone, I found on longer levels my touch could get lost so the slider reset which was frustrating.

I also had a lot of difficulty once the second slider appeared, trying to twist and synchronize two fingers around a U-bend, and stopped playing.

Show threadtא‎mášMay 26, 2023

@csk Love this! Worked perfectly fine on Firefox Mobile on Android.

Not sure if spinning my phone around is in the game's rules, but nobody said it isn't 😁

Show threadSam RoseMay 26, 2023

@csk pro tip folks: rotation lock 😄

This is excellent, really well done.

Show threadAndrewMay 26, 2023
@samwho @csk even more pro-tip: cut a sausage into four parts then just slide them around the screen, easy 😛
Show threadDaniel NeumanMay 26, 2023
@csk This was fun!
Show threadRowan MerewoodMay 26, 2023
@csk oooh, you lured me in and then it got infuriating. You, respectfully, are a fiend.
Show threadRobin Syl 🌸 May 26, 2023
@csk @Emily_S this is way too much fun omg
Show threadRobin Syl 🌸 May 26, 2023
@csk oh crap I lost my progress, make sure you finish this in one setting
Show threadMark de Vries 🇪🇺May 26, 2023
@csk Cool, seems simple, but need lots of dexterity later on. 😅
Show threadHuKMay 26, 2023

@csk Dissapointed. Not a game guy. Sorry.

There was no problem solving required. All the figures were obvious. This was just a touch screen exercise. Perhaps good for boomers etc.

Show threadfo0barMay 26, 2023
@csk @nblr oh come one - really?