#replicube

[lensdeer]

HOW THE FUCK AM I BETTER THAN AVERAGE ON BOTH METRICS I THOUGHT MY SOLUTION SUCKED

[volt-is-insane]

Damn you replicube why are you so fun and whimsical

Tricking me into enjoying math for the first time since middle school 😤

[kaiserouo]

nice

[hackernewsrobot]

Replicube: A puzzle game about writing code to create shapes

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3401490/Replicube/

[tbfmpyear2]

Idea 3: Cozy Desktop Simulator

This game would take place inside a simulated operating system, created in UMG (Unreal motion Graphics, their widget system). The gameplay consists of a combination of second-to-second, minute-to-minute and hour-to-hour gameplay loops that all take place inside the desktop. and are designed to create a relaxing affect.

The short, second-to-second loops involves the player's a proofreading job, shown in my mockup (DocReader). I went with this idea because I had a very similar system in SpaceLifeSimulator: a previous game I worked on which was also designed to be cozy.

The longer, minute-to-minute loops would involve the player exploring the desktop: the internet, files, applications, and any other features a desktop might have.

Both of these loops would feed into the hour-to-hour loop of uncovering who the player is and what kind of world they live in, through bits of lore revealed over time in both their job and the exploration of the internet. Again, this is the same approach as in SpaceLifeSimulator which I thought was really successful.

My biggest inspiration for this game was another game called Replicube, where you are also in a fake desktop and your goal is to design voxel models by writing code.

Replicube also has a bunch of side features that utilize the fake desktop, like message boards, background customization and even an email system:

These features inspired me to go for the simulator project in this idea, and the customization ability and all tools you get give me a feeling of freedom and coziness, like I'm in a sandbox with all the time in the world. This is a similar affect to what I want this project to be like just with a bit more direction and structure.

Mainlining is another game I was recommended to look at when discussing my idea with a peer, and I think the way it approaches a fake desktop is closer to how I want to do it compared to Replicube because this is the entire focus of the game:

It doesn't have the same relaxing feel as Replicube, but the systems in it are definitely something I would dive further into if I chose this idea.

This game would also require some design consideration, and for that I looked to old computers, like the Apple Macintosh and Apple III:

I like the aged yellow color, and maybe for the UI in the game I could have a border of the thick monitor, to show the player that that is the mind of computer they're operating. Additionally, going for a computer design like this would affect what I show on the screen too. I think it would be a lower resolution and more pixelated to represent the computer's age and lack of technical development.

However, I also thought it would make sense to consider more modern computer set ups too, to see what kind of vibe they would bring:

With more modern computer set ups, there's more room for expression and character- just compare the feeling you get from the white, blue, and pink rooms- they're all different in character. Most importantly, this would help me as a designer convey who the player character is if I had tools of a more modern setup. I think this is really important, given how this would be a game with a narrative.

It also got me thinking- what if instead of just being in the computer screen, you could zoom out and see what's on your desk? Again, a really good way to add story and depth to the world, and it allows for me to create new mechanics around this. This concept then reminded me of point-and-click adventure games, so if I took this idea further I would totally want to play some of those, because it's not a genre I've explored at all:

While I really like this idea for a game- it is incredibly ambitious. My experience with making SpaceLifeSimulator and DOStruction (a game jam game that uses a command line interface to play) has taught me that creating virtual desktops like the one I plan to make is incredibly difficult. I know from experience that UMG struggles to create:

animated 2D sprites

Procedural widgets

interactable widgets placed in the world

So these are all issues I know I would need to solve before being able to properly create even a simple desktop interface.

Additionally, alongside the programming challenges I mentioned above, a game like this would require a lot of assets and story writing This goes outside my chosen specialisms of game design and programming, so it's not something I really want to focus on, and it just asks for time I don't think I will have.

[pqrachel]

Steam Next Fest Demo Thoughts

Wishlists on Steam are super important for a game before it launches. It's basically the best way to support games you like before they actually release. So every NextFest I play a ton of demos and wishlist anything that I even remotely enjoy. Cuz even if I don't end up buying a game when it releases it still really helps the devs. So yeah here's the demos I played and what I thought about them. (Roughly in order by how much I liked the demo / am hyped for the full game.)

MINDWAVE -WarioWare inspired game with a super chunky pixel art aesthetic, OMG this game's gonna be so fun! Sexiest dithering I've seen in a bit. I loved the demo! I prefer curated bits of a game rather than just the first level for demos, but it's a free demo so that's not a meaningful downside at all.

Is This Seat Taken? -Basically a perfect demo. Gets the point of the game across, has fun levels, has a tiny bit of challenge to show that it won't all be easy. I'm now super excited for this game and I didn't know about it at all until this demo. <3

Replicube -I already have the playtest version of this game so there's nothing new in here for me, but it's gonna be an amazing Zachtronics game. Go check it out. The demo offers a lot levels but hides half of them depending on what difficulty you choose, imo not a great way to do the demo but there's so many levels in the there that's not that big of a deal.

Monster Prom 4: Monster Con -Not a big demo, I was kind of hoping for more. But I'm super excited for the full game cuz of the other Monster Prom games. But the demo doesn't do too much other than giving a small look at the new characters. Oh and there's a sexy Zoe pinup in her Garfield lingerie. And it does also give a sneak peek at a new comic book feature but doesn't let you try it out at all which is a bummer.

HASTE: Broken Worlds -I've got a lot to say about this one because this game was sick as hell but it also had a bunch of little issues in it that could easily be fixed before launch. Hopefully having more eyes on the game through the demo will allow the dev team to improve their game. …Anyways, the 'restore the world' levels requiring actual 100% is dumb as hell, let me out at 90 or 95% please. The 'find the portal' levels aren't fun either, this game works when you're going fast, not looking around for objects and backtracking. The slay the spire style map felt weird felt out of place at first but then it was so worth it for the boss. Just dope. I think the proc-gen for the levels is so close to being good, it FEELS proc-gen and not in a good way: coin trails often lead to bad landings, gaps appear at awkward times and at angles where you can't see them. -INSERT SEGUE- The game's made by the Clustertruck team which has me hopeful. I'm excited for this game but I really hope it gets better before launch and not just more of the same.

Level Devil -Oh I'm getting some serious flash games flashbacks. Just a troll lil platformer. You love to hate it.

Run TavernQuest -This is a neat twist on text-based RPGs. Super fun demo level too. Def wishlist. :D

Aethermancer -Incredibly well polished demo from a publisher I trust. But I'm just really not into turn-based RPGs. I tried give it a shot and do recommend it if you like that type of game. Looks fun. Also there's a NextFest demo speedrun competition which is dope af.

Sandustry -Played for a decent bit, but honestly it just makes me want to buy Factorio more than anything.

Ridiculous Shipping -Definitely a fun demo, but unless the game's really cheap or really on sale at launch I prob won't get it. Still a wishlist just to support the dev cuz the demo was fun even though it was too short and too easy.

Wheel World -Gameplay and audio was skipping around even on low settings. No way to turn off controller vibrations either. Just not worth playing the demo for me, I really dislike games that make their accessibility settings an afterthought. More settings available in the full version, what even is that. If and I mean if it's optimized then maybe it could be cool, cuz I'm getting Breath of the Wild / Lil Gator Game but on bikes and that just sounds neat. I'm not super hyped but I did wishlist just in case the full game is better than the demo.

Isopod -From the devs who made Webbed, but now it's 3D. And after playing it feels so much less fun in 3D, the movement isn't as responsive and the character feels sluggish which is sad. Webbed was done so well in 2D, that I prob would've prefered a direct sequel if they wanted to make another physics-based grappling platformer.

There's a few more that games I played only about 3-5 minutes then uninstalled for one reason or another. I don't wanna talk badly about games that someone put actual care and work into so I won't mention which ones, but there were 7 more demos that I played that I didn't really like anything about.

[lensdeer]

First page of the code size results yay

[lensdeer]

[computer smoking behind me] Haha yeah I'm something of an optimizer myself

[lensdeer]

I could've done so much better but apparently I don't understand bitwise operators well enough ;A;

[lensdeer]

#

I'm not 100% sure I can afford it right now but I can already tell this game is gonna fucking consume me when I get it

[pqrachel]

So a few years ago one of my friends challenged me to playthrough 4 games in Feb. It's supposed to be a backlog clearing thing but I usually throw in one new game.

In 2022 my list was Bayonetta 2, LiS Remastered (New at the Time), Horizon Zero Dawn (PC), & God of War Opus Magnum.

I forgot in 2023, but in 2024 my list was Slay the Princess, Pseudoregalia, Laika: Aged in Blood, Tritris NES Lines WR, and TMNF.

And for 2025 my list is Unsighted (a game I played in 2023 but softlocked and gave on), Outer Wilds (I forget why I stopped but should be fun to get back to), I Am Your Beast (Got too focused on S Ranking every level and forgot to enjoy it, gonna just play through them and forget about ranks (mostly)), and Rift of the Necromancer (which comes out next week but I'm gonna play the hell out of on release).

And I didn't notice until just now typing this out but I usually switch one game up and pick something else. I gotta say PGRC and Replicube (both by the indie dev walaber) have been hella fun and I could see myself playing those for some arbitrary goal instead of one of the ones on my list. Except Rift there's no way I'm not playing through that whole game this month.

---

That being said I'm also releasing my second Blanksford comic over on Bluesky this month so I've gotta be a bit more strategic with my free time than usual. No playing Rivals 2 ranked for hours on end or grinding PGRC for new PBs until 4am this month.

...unless.

[lensdeer]

I'm not 100% sure I can afford it right now but I can already tell this game is gonna fucking consume me when I get it