Development Process

 

Ideation

The idea came as a mush-up of Missile Command and binary matrix lightup puzzles.  I wanted to try my hand procedural generation, which worked well to make a roguelike. 

​

Procedural Difficulty

I knew I wanted diffusing a bomb to be solving a matrix light-up puzzle, and the typical ones use a plus shape. 

 

Just modifying the height and width of the switch board wasn't enough of a sufficient lever to modify the difficulty enough.  In order to have more of a tutorial and more difficult puzzles later in a run, I made 4 different switch patterns.

​

The first pattern is just a simple dot, this ensures the player learns  how to interact with the switch board puzzle and what ultimate goal is before they are hit with harder challenges.  I made these first ones easy enough so that on repeated runs more experienced players can get through them quickly.

​

The second is the standard plus shape, which adds a wrinkle to the players plan.  The next is an "x" shape, which again requires a different approach.  The last pattern is a target shape, which is exceptionally tricky.

​

By lining them up in this way, it gives the player a much fairer shot at learning and progressing.  The constantly changing board size ensures that it isn't monotonous.  After completing 4 bombs of each type, they begin to randomize.