Evolution

One of the challenges that was plaguing Overflow was a clash of identities. The original design, which is currently called “simple” was great in a lot of aspects. The rules were like the name implies,  were simple, 1+ 1 == 2, 2 + 2 == 3, etc. However there were problems. Player 1 had a distinct advantage (given that they knew what they were doing), because due to the nature of turn based rules they would unlock their special tiles. Which means that player 1 could dominate the board and there was no way to stop them.

So along came the second iteration, nicknamed “complex”; which, just like the original design had its own improvements as well as flaws. Complex changed the rules of how tiles interacted with one another. It became a game of simple math, 1+1 == 2, 2+1 == 3, 3+ 1 == 4. However when any number combination == 4, the tile(and all adjacent lvl 3 tiles) would wipe to 0. Which was really satisfying, because now you could actually counteract the moves of other players.

A fourth tile was created in this version that could only be placed on lvl 3’s, and would basically solidify the board. I added this tile to ensure that the game actually ended; otherwise it was possible that players would infinitely block one another from winning.

The biggest shortcoming was that the rules became murky. When placing a tile it would effect the board differently depending on it the tile was placed on your own pieces or an opponents. Ultimately, while fun, it was incredibly difficult to break into and understand.

Thanksgiving rolls around and I start thinking. What if we mash the two game types together? Create a hybrid of design?

Well, that is exactly what I did. The game plays like the simple version, but has the fourth tile and the ability to counteract/stop other players from winning. The new addition will be available soon, I need to figure out how exactly I’m going to approach tutorials in the future.