Sublime element

For today's edition of "Games That Made Me Feel Dumb," let's take a gander at [b]Sublime Element[/b]: a seemingly straightforward automation-themed logic puzzle. It's not something I'd pick for myself (note the distinct lack of cats), but the dev kindly provided a review key and… well, I was a naïve summer child who thought it'd be an easy introduction to the programming genre. Fast-forward ~7 hours game time, a full week of questioning my intelligence, several desperate attempts to phone a friend (shout-out to David from the Discussions page), and 6/7 achievements. I've gazed into the output void, and it also gazed into me. [h3]Gameplay[/h3] At each of (30) levels, you must place and "program" pistons, rotators, and/or conveyor belts to move 2+ elements into a mixer, then move the newly mixed element into a drop box. All programs must run in perfect loops, and tools cannot collide. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? [b]Controls.[/b] Entirely keyboard/mouse. [b]Settings + Features.[/b] Minimal, but include optional windowed mode and sound sliders. [h3]What Works For Me[/h3] ✅ [b]Programming.[/b] I expected programming to be the hardest part of the game, but it's easy, maybe a tad fiddly: just select, unselect, and rearrange four actions for each tool. Don't forget to turn the mixer on or reset to starting positions. Ta-da. ✅ [b]Level Design.[/b] The real meat is in level design: items can only be placed on specific tiles, and each level has its own wonky layout and challenges. While you can increase or decrease the reach of pistons and rotators when placing (see those +/- symbols?), you can't program them to extend further or to stop at diagonals, and they can't collide with each other when moving. It gets… difficult. ✅ [b]Soundtrack.[/b] The music is hilariously relaxing, especially when you want to scream into the void because you can't [i]reach[/i] the void. **Make sure volume is ON when you finish Level 30!** [h3]What Doesn't Work For Me[/h3] ❎ [b]Controls.[/b] This might be user error, but I spent 90+ minutes and five days agonizing over Level 7 because I didn’t know that you can rotate conveyor belts by clicking "E"; in contrast, pistons and rotators can be rotated with on-screen arrows. There were also some mapping errors: I had to click next to a few spaces in order to place items there. ❎ [b]Bug or Feature?[/b] The tutorial and guidelines aren't detailed, so it's difficult to distinguish bugs from rules you don't know. On Level 19, I "discovered" that finished elements vanish when transported by conveyor belt, but a later level could only be solved by doing exactly that. At several points, ingredients on a level vanished every time a rotator attempted to move them (fixed by deleting the rotator, all programming, closing the game, and rebooting the game). So, was Level 19 a bug or feature? [h3]Final Thoughts[/h3] I've done my share of real-life process engineering and factory automation, so games like [i]Factorio[/i] and [i]Shapez[/i] always looked more like work than play. As a result, I can't compare [b]Sublime Element[/b] to automation or programming games, but [i]can[/i] attest that it's an excellent logic puzzle for masochistic fans of spatial reasoning. There's no story to uncover, nothing particularly exciting or unique happening under the hood, but it's clever and challenging. I've been a little obsessed with it and will continue plugging away at post-game "Extra Levels" for a bit. Thank you, Thedox Games, for the invitation to play, and David for being the real MVP. [h3]Recommendation[/h3] You know those sayings about hitting a rock multiple times? One says persistent effort will eventually crack the rock; another says it's the definition of insanity. That's [b]Sublime Element[/b] in a nutshell. If repeatedly hitting your head against a rock, searching your process for errors, and wondering WTF you're supposed to do sounds like fun, then you need this $2 USD game yesterday. (EDIT: I put together some [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3537435897]level hints and gameplay tips[/url] to make the experience a little less painful.) If that sounds a little more intense than what you're looking for, or doesn't have enough cats, then I'd check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1567440/inbento/?curator_clanid=45365863]Inbento[/url] instead. [quote][b]Follow [u][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45365863/]Eekz Today[/url][/u] for more crafting, life sim, management, strategy, and story-rich recommendations.[/b][/quote]

Since this was a gift, I guess I should mark it was free, eh? Thanks, eekz! As of this writing, I have done 19 of 30 puzzles. Now, that's deceptive, because the remaining 11 I know will get notably harder. You will be given a limited number of locations to rearrange the playing field; there are deployers for the items you need to combine, the combiner, and a final destination. Empty squares can be used for machines, or as storage locations. This is a game about programming. Yes, you have a few basic tools that you can configure. They accomplish simple tasks and you'll master each one in 30 seconds or less. You use these basic tools to manipulate items around the playing field. But this is really like programming. Using only a handful of (sometimes simple) statements, you can combine them into some impressive results. You formulate a plan to get the correct sequence of steps for each machine. Some things can be repeated multiple times, and there's your function (your method for you OO nerds out there). Empty squares can be used for temporary storage or handoffs between different machines (your choice between variables or parameters). The factory must repeat itself, so restoring each component back to its starting position - closing your file handlers, freeing your mallocs (if you know, you know), will serve you really well here. No, it's not literally programming. But it is exactly the sort of problem-solving logic that I think capable programmers should have. And, speaking from a position of authority, I teach programming. I know this stuff. I recognize the thought process. I've been doing this since before your parents were born*. Get off my lawn and take your instant grams with you. Now, admittedly, it's not the shiniest game. Puzzle games rarely get a lavish visual treatment, so while this won't impress the CoD-playin' kids it's easily in the upper median of graphics for puzzlers. I sound like I might be damning with faint praise, but it does do the job, and it doesn't overdo it with presentation. There are... a few bugs, it's true. I expect they'll be solved soon enough and they're not really showstoppers either. In short, I had a pretty good time so far. I think I might have made a tolerably decent stream showing off how quickly I was smashing these things, but that's because sometimes, I really am a towering genius. I am also handsome and modest. Thanks for attending my Why I Am So Great TED talk. And get this game.

There’s no story in the game, but your actions revolve around creating the “sublime element,” the only force capable of bringing order to a chaotic world. While the goal is straightforward, which involves combining elements to eventually reach the sublime one, the process of mixing them is a bit more complex. You start with six basic elements and combine them to discover new ones. Mixing happens on a grid where you place and program mechanical components to manipulate the elements. There are 30 unique grid layouts, each presenting a new puzzle. Your job is to position and configure three types of tools: pistons (which grab and push in straight lines), rotators (which rotate and release), and conveyor belts (which move items) to guide elements into a mixer and then deliver the result to the output area. Each tool operates using four command slots, and you only need to arrange the sequence. You don’t need to write any code or input commands. Pistons and rotators have adjustable arm lengths (short, medium, long), but you must set their length before the program starts, and it can't be changed during execution. You can toggle each of the four commands on or off and reuse tools multiple times with different instructions. For example, a conveyor belt might move an item one space, a piston then pushes an object, and that same conveyor belt can then move again. The full sequence is visible on a timeline bar below, and you’re allowed up to 100 commands per program. To solve a puzzle, it's not enough to mix a new element once. You must build a self-sustaining process that continuously produces the target element. Once successful, the new element is added to your list. Fortunately, you don’t need to guess combinations because the game tells you exactly which elements to mix. Also, a puzzle doesn’t force you to mix already-discovered elements in later puzzles. Once you have the production established, you can simply pick the element as a resource.

Very deep and interresting game. Let me compare this game to Opus Magnum. In Opus Magnum you are free to place whatever where-ever you want and then make the product you need. In this game you are restricted to the room you're given. And there are only three tools: Conveyor, Rotator and Piston. Now this is a whole new ball game. The levels in this game are very cleverly made and only one solution is possible. It gets complex but it's so fun to figure out how to place stuf and then program it correctly. The difficulty is a notch above that of Opus Magnum and maybe it's simple graphics but the gameplay shines. A must have for gamers that like solving problems on very nicely made levels. And the game isvery, very cheap. This is bang for your buck!

一応おすすめにしておくが、30ステージ終わったら何もすることが残らない。 エディット機能があるが、そういうんじゃないんだ。 問題を増やせとは言わない。 何かもうひとひねりずっと遊べる何かプラス要素が必要。

Um jogo engraçado e bom para passar o tempo Semelhante a opus magnum Sem a historia deste mas com os niveis e temática semelhantes

ii like it lots pls make more :DD

Wow that was very cool

I'd like to be able to recommend this but currently it's too buggy. Two out of the first 5 puzzles are broken, with the proper solutions giving nonsense errors that even the dev can't explain (even after I emailed my save game to him, at his request).

If I was better at reviews this would be a better review. I don't typically write reviews. This game scratched so many itches though so it's worth a word. Word.