The Useless Clock Machine

mossieur-patate 2022-10-16 17:35

(I am now in a rush to test as many games as possible to help, so please do not mind the cursory reviewing style.)

1. "To escape the meanings of the universe has created" -> is a word missing? 2. the first download link (‘The_Useless_Clock_Machine.zip - 26834103 bytes’) is apparently the same as the second (Mac) one, seeing "MACOSX" and ".app" inside the ZIP, and the fact that the sizes are exactly equal 3. the appearance of the title screen is beautiful and classy! :) Much care, there 4. nice, in-game links! Informative; I also took at the link from the game page: I knew of Marvin Minsky, but am unsure about his specific machine. Looks like a little creature getting emerging from his shell :) 5. the colourful graphics are to the point and do their job, really managed to play intuitively fast enough, although this is a speed game 6. managed to win by 3-0 on my first attempt! I think the player is at an advantage because the mouse can move through the screen, while the handles have to circle around 7. victory screen: nicely presented, I like the sober black and white (which is in contrast with previous colours!) 8. trying to lose to see what happens :) 9. ah, clicking does not necessarily trigger both handles to toggle direction! I wonder how they work precisely… 10. lost (on purpose): all right, you can quickly restart, which is reasonable :)

**Takeaway:** this is a short and simple yet clearly presented game; in particular, the timer is clever (because it is big and located near the action, while not bothersome). I also like the originality of resorting to such a machine concept! I think some sounds could have been welcome, machinery/clockwork ones, for example. :) The graphics have a nice style. I think the connection to the theme could have been stronger, as the time duration is merely used as that of the rounds, instead of a more ‘twisty’ idea. Also, a ‘criticism’ would be that it is so short, but I guess this is intended; it looks like a proof of concept. Big suggestion: have several different ‘useless machines’, which you have to beat each in one (or several?) 10-second challenge each! This would connect the game even more to the theme while adding variety and more lifespan.

Nice little informative experience (I did not know Marthe Troly-Curtin by the way, I think; some more research on the table for me XD), it is great that you explained the inspiration for your thought process! :)

PS: I forgot to say I think the cover/thumbnail is cute! :)

finn-pickart 2022-10-17 16:18

I really like the title screen animations. Game would be great on mobile so you can touch the stars better :)

jonathang 2022-10-17 20:12

The embedded game on the website seems to get a 404 error, but I was able to download the Windows game and try it there. I like the way you use the countdown timer as the background! It's fun, and satisfying to click faster than the clock can count back up again :)

ch4b13r 2022-10-17 21:04

The game is also on mobile @finn-pickart => https://kingdox.itch.io/the-useless-clock-machine

dzolkin 2022-10-17 21:11

I like the implementation and the idea

honey-pony 2022-10-18 01:45

This is a pretty effective game. It is of course very simple, but I think that's what makes it work so well. In particular, it reminds me of playing tic-tac-toe or some other paper-and-pencil game... the objective is both abstract in some sense but also overwhelmingly clear; there is no need for graphical flourish, as there is no story being told besides the raw game mechanics.

And the thing I really like is that, although it is very easy to understand the basic concept of the game, it is actually really hard for me to wrap my head around the exact behavior of the opposing player. It seems like the arms are moving in a pretty simple pattern, but I can't really derive a counter-strategy that follows the arms... my only hope is to look for red stars that are forming and quickly click them. If I try anything else--something like, watching the arms and trying to see which stars they will be taking in the future--I tend to have a harder time and to lose more often.

I think that's pretty cool. The mechanics are extremely simple but it is nonetheless not possible for me to quickly build an intuition for them.

amorykiet 2022-10-18 03:06

Very nice game but i can't win :)

skeptes 2022-10-18 07:40

nice little game, the menu was really cool and the game felt like a Wario ware mini-game. It brings back memory 😊

finn-pickart 2022-10-18 13:44

@ch4b13r ohh didn't see that. Thank you :)