Rotator is a short prototype in which players rotate groups of blocks to form a path to a goal. This prototype showed that the core mechanic of rotating groups of blocks is too open ended and simplistic to generate interesting and deep levels. From most starting states it is easily possible to reach any other configuration of that state. This is possible because the following arrangement technique allows you to easily merge single blocks into and out of any 2×2 configuration.
The game was also too easy because there were multiple end states. In order to make this game more challenging I added a restricted number of moves so that the player would be required to find the optimal solution. Another way to think about this game is as a sliding puzzle except you rotate blocks instead of sliding them.
While programming this prototype I had to become more familiar with FlashPunk as well as learning the Pologonal Data Structures library.
Each puzzle contains a quote from Jenny Hozlers’ Truism work.
Details
| Release Date | 9th March 2012 |
| License | GNU GPL 2.0 - See Readme for more details |
| Source Code | Download |
| Download | Windows |
| MacOSX | |
| Linux |