Lightbot: Puzzles Game Using Programming Logic

by karimf • 9 years ago

162 32 9 years ago

slazaro• 9 years ago

I remember playing it years ago, it's very well designed and even as a software developer, some of the later puzzles took a while to figure out.

...I think I'll play again.

Double_a_92• 9 years ago

Tricked my nieces into programming with that. :D

sokoloff2• 9 years ago

Yeah, my kids love[d] it and it was totally worth buying it.

My one complaint was that it got too hard "all of the sudden". It seems like more puzzles in the middle difficulty level would increase the value and replay-ability of the game.

hargriffle• 9 years ago

I agree. I have been playing this with my daughter (she's 6) a bit. It is fun and she really enjoyed the early parts.

We got to a part requiring the recursive calling of a function and she didn't bat an eyelid at the idea of it.

Aissen• 9 years ago

If you're interested in this type of games… Look at any game from Zachtronics: http://www.zachtronics.com/ . Plus maybe Human Resources machines: https://tomorrowcorporation.com/humanresourcemachine

bananicorn• 9 years ago

Whoa - he's responsible for infiniminer? Considering Minecraft was built on top of it, I wonder how much credit he's been given...

Also, most of these games actually look like you could learn something from them, while having fun...

whatshisface• 9 years ago

Minecraft wasn't built on top of infiniminer, it was inspired by it. The games are actually extremely different if you play them.

0xBA5ED• 9 years ago

+1 for Zachtronics. I recommend Opus Magnum! You can try their old game "The Codex of Alchemical Engineering" for free on their site to see if it might be your cup of tea.

pjmlp• 9 years ago

Thanks for spoiling my commute times. :)

gcatalfamo• 9 years ago

Human Resources machines is a true gem.

Will_Parker• 9 years ago

I second Human Resources Machine. I just finished all the optimization challenges last weekend and it was extremely rewarding.

I'd say it's more about assembly language than general programming. You never (really) get enough power, with the 9 opcodes it gives you, to set up subroutines or functions. And many of the monstrosities that end up solving the problem would probably horrify Dijkstra in his grave. :)

tekromancr• 9 years ago

Yea! ShenzenIO is my jam! i have probably dumped dozens of hours playing that.

joshschreuder• 9 years ago

Shenzhen makes me feel like I'm not actually that good of a programmer :)

I beat the first 5-6 levels and got stuck. I should go back to it. I did beat the solitaire game though.

akrasuski1• 9 years ago

I can recommend one of his older flash games: KOHCTPYKTOP. Awesome, about making silicon-level transistors, gates, eventually chips...

ygra• 9 years ago

Also Manufactoria.

kranner• 9 years ago

Today's Google Doodle is relevant to this.

https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2017/12/4/16733396/googles-doo...

tasuki• 9 years ago

Check out RoboZZle, which is more advanced (including eg call stack, enabling some fancy tricks): http://robozzle.com/

tromp• 9 years ago

Seconded; robozzle offers more variety and bigger challenges.

110011• 9 years ago

Amen. There are some truly mind bending puzzles there.

ateesdalejr• 9 years ago

Wow I'd never heard of it before. I've tried it for a bit and just love it. Though I wish the js version wasn't beta and it didn't require silverlight.

aalleavitch• 9 years ago

I’ll definitely share this one with my nephews.

notanai• 9 years ago

afghanPower• 9 years ago

I wish that was available for Android/PC/Linux.

megamindbrian2• 9 years ago

I loved this game for years.

kentt• 9 years ago

My neice and nephew love this game. They're 5 & 7. My only complaint is that I think the difficulty ramps up a bit fast or their could be a bit more easier levels. Would pay for that.

dunham• 9 years ago

It looks like they have a Jr game - maybe that doesn't ramp up as fast?

My 5 yr old tried human resource machine the other day, got a couple of levels, but that ramped up way too fast for him. I'm afraid that this might ramp up a bit fast, too, but maybe the Jr version would work.

He also plays with "hopscotch" - which is free and a little more free-form. It has some nice tutorial videos that walk you through building various simple games, or you can just do your own thing. (NB - he can read, which helps with that app.)

We're also gonna give the Lego Boost a go this Christmas (partially because I wanna play with it) - it also has a similar block-style of programming, but you get to move a physical robot. (Or any other lego creation.)

_raoulcousins• 9 years ago

Is there something similar for Xbox One? Would love to get something like this for my niece and nephew.

ropable• 9 years ago

Anyone looking for a similar type of programming game, but as a tabletop boardgame, look up RoboRally. It's a competitive MP game, but it's a great basic introduction to writing a program. A good family game, as well as one to play with adults.

Maultasche• 9 years ago

I got this game for my kids (6 and 7). They haven't quite got the concept yet, but I think they'll understand it soon. They can make the robot go straight no problem, but they still have problems figuring out when to put down the left and right tiles.

I also play the board game Robot Turtles with them. It's like a simpler version of Lightbot with physical tiles to move around. They do understand how Robot Turtles works, so Lightbot shouldn't be far behind.

eilyra• 9 years ago

The name and art seemed familiar, I remember playing an old Flash version[0] of this. Cool game from what I remember.

[0]https://www.kongregate.com/games/Coolio_Niato/light-bot

sriku• 9 years ago

The thinkfun series is also awesome - http://www.thinkfun.com/learn-coding/

Appears related to lightbot, but it's closer to cellular automata - where the robot has a state that determines its next step. It's played using cards, which feels more fun strangely. My 10yr old loved it.

Lightbot: Puzzles Game Using Programming Logic

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