29 replies to this topic

[Trevor Bradley]

UPDATED for Version 0.5

I've finally polished off this game to where I want it before I move on to finalizing new projects: All new graphics, crash bugs eliminated (I hope!), saved high scores, and a port to Ultimate Fenix. Enjoy!

Update for Version 1.0... Some final bug fixes (thanks for helping, testers!) and now with touchscreen support.

***

Factor - a game of primes
Developed on Fenix for the GP2X
This is my first game, and I'd appreciate your feedback! (particularly from the math geeks)

Download Link: Factor 1.0: Final Release

The idea of the game is that you need to factor a very large number which is a multiple of the first 8 primes: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, and 19. So, for instance:

12355467391260000000 = 2^8 * 3^7 * 5^7 * 7^10

By pressing the left, right, up, down, A, B, X, and Y buttons, you can attempt to divide the large number by a prime. You can increase the power of the prime to attempt more points. Make a mistake and lose even more. Set to a beautiful Spanish guitar piece: Isaac Albéniz's Suite Española.

(more information in the README file)

Edited by Trevor Bradley, 21 March 2008 - 11:06 PM.

[atomicthumbs]

A thinking man's game!

[twojame]

looks cool.

I promise to check it out soon.

[Trevor Bradley]

Awesome guys. Sorry for spamming the front page here, I was eager to post and should have use less image,centering, or not post my entire readme. I'll try to make my next announcement shorter and neater. (Admins, don't be afraid to not approve the message and PM me saying "Make that thing shorter!")

I've actually had two versions since. v0.1 and v0.2 both have a crash bug related to Factor's arbitrary precision multiplication function, which really pounds the heck out of integer assignment on that main menu. There were thousands of calculations and string to integer/integer to string calculations per second, and some nasty crash bugs that came along with it. I rewritten the code twice now, and now have a version that should be much faster and much more stable.

I'm now up to v0.3 here, but I want to put it through some pretty heavy testing here before I release it or try to republish it. You can grab my current version here, it seems ***MUCH*** more stable than v0.1 or v0.2.

Factor v0.3

[Ze_ro]

The game randomly crashed on me twice while playing, sending me back to the GP2X menu... but the third time I played there were no problems until I eventually quit.

Interesting game, though the scoring is extremely harsh! I'm actually envious of that -424754 score in the screenshot. I've only been able to record positive scores in easy mode. Speaking of screenshots, you might want to put one of the actual gameplay rather than the end-of-round... The way you actually play the game isn't that complicated, but the screenshot looks so ridiculous that it probably scares people away! ("OH NOES! MATH!! RUN!1!")

--Zero

[Trevor Bradley]

The game randomly crashed on me twice while playing, sending me back to the GP2X menu... but the third time I played there were no problems until I eventually quit.

Interesting game, though the scoring is extremely harsh! I'm actually envious of that -424754 score in the screenshot. I've only been able to record positive scores in easy mode. Speaking of screenshots, you might want to put one of the actual gameplay rather than the end-of-round... The way you actually play the game isn't that complicated, but the screenshot looks so ridiculous that it probably scares people away! ("OH NOES! MATH!! RUN!1!")

--Zero

I'm still working on crash bugs. I'm hoping for a version 0.4 in the next few days, but I want to spend more time testing and less time churning out versions.

I've actually gotten a score of 200,000,000 on hard once. Check out the README for hints on how to play. The trick is to take low risk moves until you're sure you're safe. A guarnteed way of getting a postive score is to take the low numbers at low power, then go for the highest power on the highest number when you know it's safe. It won't give you the highest score, but it's at least a strategy for getting a positive score.

It *looks* complicated, but really isn't. Just like the rest of math...

Glad you enjoyed it.

[echidna]

now, go for eye candy, dude.

[Manjuu]

I tried out v0.3. Very nice and quite challenging.

I did encounter a crash the first time I played it, but it now seems to be stable.

Great work. Keep it up.


EDIT: The Gameplay screenshot link you posted was incorrectly linked to the same image as the Menu screenshot.

Edited by Manjuu, 26 February 2008 - 11:22 AM.

[Optimus]

Now that's a very original concept for a game? Is it the first one you have encountered with such a concept or were you inspired by another already existing game? I haven't uploaded the game in my GP2X yet but by reading the description and since I am a mathematician I know what I have to do and sounds interesting

p.s. I once tried to factor a much smaller number in my calculator just to remember the number with the multiplication of it's factors. It was 5318537 and if you wrote that in a calculator and view it backwards it was saying "LESBIES" which in greek means Lesbians. My brother had showed me that joke and one day I was in an office in the army and bored I was playing with the calculator and tried this

Ok, that was an irrelevant story

Edited by Optimus, 26 February 2008 - 11:12 AM.

[Trevor Bradley]

Now that's a very original concept for a game? Is it the first one you have encountered with such a concept or were you inspired by another already existing game? I haven't uploaded the game in my GP2X yet but by reading the description and since I am a mathematician I know what I have to do and sounds interesting

p.s. I once tried to factor a much smaller number in my calculator just to remember the number with the multiplication of it's factors. It was 5318537 and if you wrote that in a calculator and view it backwards it was saying "LESBIES" which in greek means Lesbians. My brother had showed me that joke and one day I was in an office in the army and bored I was playing with the calculator and tried this

Ok, that was an irrelevant story

I have a mathematics degree so math games appeal to me. I often played a game where I would punch a large number into a calculator and try to figure out what prime was safe to divide into it.

I really like that this game is unique, and that as some non math folks have said, it *LOOKS* complicated, but really it isn't. It's basically a game of reaching into 8 bags and trying to pull out a certain number of blocks. It's my vindication that math can be fun..

Edited by Trevor Bradley, 26 February 2008 - 12:20 PM.

[Sphinxter]

If you like calculating mathematical probabilities try Star Hustlers
http://archive.gp2x....0,0,0,0,29,1999

[OrR]

Awesome game idea! I'd like to see more stuff similar to this.

[Trevor Bradley]

now, go for eye candy, dude.

Eye Candy Success!!! Check out Version 0.5.

I've upgraded Factor to v0.5 with all new graphics. I've always wanted this game to be a bit prettier and more stable, and I felt bad starting work on two new projects and leaving this game behind.

I hope you all enjoy the new enhancements.

[Manjuu]

Nice improvements.

There seems to be a problem in the high scores saving. It only saves the scores if you exit from the high scores list; the new scores won't be saved if you exit from the main menu.

Thanks for the update.

[Trevor Bradley]

Nice improvements.

There seems to be a problem in the high scores saving. It only saves the scores if you exit from the high scores list; the new scores won't be saved if you exit from the main menu.

Thanks for the update.

Yes, I noticed that soon after releasing..

It's getting dumb that I'm releasing so often, only to find mistakes 10 minutes after I publish. I blame doing most of my work at 4am...

Want to help me test before I release the final version?

http://www.internetg...or-v1.0-rc1.rar (now with touchscreen support!)

Edited by Trevor Bradley, 19 March 2008 - 11:02 PM.