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vanderz's Stackus (Other)
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| [January 28, 2010 05:51:23 PM]
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2nd Session__________________________________________________________________
I played the game further and completed more stages. I also allowed a couple of friends to play the game on separate occasions. This brought up an interesting user interface issue as both of my friends had difficulty with a certain control that the game uses. Instead of using a standard button for selecting the stage, advancing after finishing a stage, etc., they use a control that is modeled after the control used by Apple to unlock the iPhone. It is a button that you slide over to activate instead of clicking. Both of my friends tried several times to simply click the control and I had to explain how the control worked. However, the control is actually used in a convenient manner after a stage is complete. You can slide the button to the left to return to the stage selection screen or you can slide the button to the right to advance to the next stage.
Some interesting complexity to the game became more apparent as I played more stages. At first, you are more concerned in how you stack the blocks on the right side of the playing area. However, on certain stages you have to be very concerned with which blocks you drag over first. Removing a single block from the left side could cause an instability that causes other blocks to fall off the screen.
Because the game is simply a physics simulator, there is actually a very open amount of playing choices. I am fairly certain that I solved several stages in a manner that was not originally planned by the stage designers. As long as you can get blocks to not fall off the screen, it really doesn't matter how a level is completed.
I was also able to take advantage of some of the characteristics of the physics simulation. For example, I could place a block slightly over an already placed block to get it to shift over which was actually useful in completing certain stages.
There were several interesting stages that I completed that had a large gap between the platforms. I basically had to bridge the gap by quickly placing two or more blocks in a way that they jammed against each other.
An example where blocks must be jammed together to prevent them from falling through
The game is entertaining and challenging, and I do want to finish all of the stages. However, I don't really think that it has much in terms of replay value. Once I am finished, I doubt I will have any desire to play any of the levels I've already completed. I suppose some of the levels could present a new challenge in trying to complete them in a different manner than I had originally completed them, but I don't think that will be enough for me personally.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Jan 28th, 2010 at 23:07:52.
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| [January 28, 2010 11:20:31 AM]
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I chose to critique the iPhone game Stackus. I was interested in how the developer handled the limited but also unique input methods available to the platform. For a future game, this could be useful if I'm in a group that chooses to develop a game for the Google Android.
Stackus is a physics puzzle game. The screen is divided into two halves with the left side having a slighly darker background. The player is required to move multiple blocks so that all of the blocks are located on the right side and do not fall out of the right side before a timer counts down to zero. Different immovable platforms are located on either side on which to stack the blocks.
Screenshot of game
The game is simple to understand and play. It takes advantage of the touch screen on the iPhone so the player simply uses their finger to drag the blocks around. However, this can cause problems as your finger can get in the way when trying to move blocks. This is especially annoying when you are trying to move a smaller block and need to place it with a lot of precision. When you are stacking the blocks fairly high, you need to make sure the blocks are centered or it could cause your whole stack to fall.
While the game is easy to play, it does provide a challenge. The game has 50 stages and increase in difficulty as the stages get higher. The first stages are extremely easy and require the player to simply drag large square blocks and stack them on fairly large platforms. However, the game quickly adds more difficulty through several methods.
One method is varying the shape of the blocks. There are square blocks, triangular blocks, and round blocks. The blocks also vary in size and length or width. The different shapes and sizes require the user to plan how they want to stack the blocks. The round blocks in particular can cause difficulty as you have to make sure they are on a level surface or have something blocking them from rolling off the screen. If you use the smaller blocks as the base, you will likely create a stack that is unstable.
Another method is varying the weight of the blocks. They did a good job of giving the player visual cues regarding the weight of a block by giving the heavier blocks a darker color. The weight of the block becomes important in stacking the blocks. If a player puts a heavy block off-center, the whole stack can topple. If a player puts heavy blocks higher on the stack, it can cause the stack to be more unstable. Likewise, if a player puts blocks lower in the stack, the stack tends to be more stable.
Another method was to vary the platforms on the left or right on which the player can stack blocks. For me, some of the most challenging levels were ones where you had very small and sparse platforms on which to stack.
So while the game seems simple and easy at the beginning, there is definitely an emergent complexity as you progress through the game. Sometimes you have to be fairly creative in how you stack the blocks in order to create a stable stack.
The game gives a nice feeling of accomplishment. It's nice enough to see the timer count down and reach zero especially when your stack is on the verge of collapse. However, they add a few more little things to help the feeling. A different little jazz tune is played depending on whether you complete the level or fail. Also, in the background is the face of a character who watches as you move the blocks around. The eyes of the character actually follow a block as you drag it from one side to the other. When the timer starts to count down, the character also watches the timer with a look of trepidation and either reacts with glee if you fail or sadness if you win. The character is a nice subtle addition which does not cause a distraction when playing the game. It also makes you want to beat the level even more when you fail so that you can get back at the character for laughing at you.
Screenshot showing the character watching the timer
Screenshot showing the disappointed background character
Probably one of the nicest things for keeping me happy when playing the game is that I am not required to play each stage sequentially. The last ten stages are locked and I'm guessing I have to finish the other forty stages to unlock them. However, I can choose to play any of the other forty stages that I desire. This is very nice when I reach a stage that I am unable to complete. If I was required to finish the stage before continuing, I would probably get very frustrated with the game.
This entry has been edited 5 times. It was last edited on Jan 28th, 2010 at 11:43:39.
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vanderz's Stackus (Other)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Thursday 28 January, 2010
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This is the only GameLog for Stackus. |
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