NandGame – Build a Computer from Scratch

Post by sergex » Thu, Dec 03, 2020, 11:41 AM UTC

ncvytu wrote: post #99

sergex wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Author here - thank you for the feedback! The nand-count is based on how you built the components involved. So optimizing a component will have have cascading effects. "This is the simplest solution!" means the solution with fewest individual components on the canvas. I realize the text could be clearer.

If I could add a few more suggestions: 1. The blue on purple color scheme is a little hard on the eyes. Changing the blue lines and circles to #0f0 green helped a lot. (Green also has strong "on" semantics) 2. My SO and I both had trouble finding the trash can. We both tried to drag components back to the workbench or off of the mat to delete them. A larger trash can icon or just making it red might help. 3. I ran in…

Post by sergex » Thu, Dec 03, 2020, 11:58 AM UTC

Hitton wrote: post #95

I love this game. And was the UI improved since the last time it was posted on HN or am I misremembering it?

Post by ColinWright » Thu, Dec 03, 2020, 12:03 PM UTC

Post by _xoo » Thu, Dec 03, 2020, 1:26 PM UTC

sergex wrote: post #92

Sniffnoy wrote: post #16

Building circuits is neat, but I think this has some problems as a game: 1. It seems to only let you save one solution for each level, even though there are two optimization goals. It should let you save one for fewest components and one for fewest NAND gates. 2. It's not really clear how NAND gate counts work in later levels where you're using potentially non-optimal components you've built? Like does it count each…

Author here - thank you for the feedback! The nand-count is based on how you built the components involved. So optimizing a component will have have cascading effects. "This is the simplest solution!" means the solution with fewest individual components on the canvas. I realize the text could be clearer.

Post by Turing_Machine » Thu, Dec 03, 2020, 1:56 PM UTC

noncoml wrote: post #87

yellowapple wrote: post #85

So I'm a bit confused with how this is measuring the number of NANDs; for example, with the first adder problem, I solved it with exactly two gates, neither of which were NAND, and yet while it's recognized as the lowest number of gates, it insists that it can be done with fewer NANDs (than zero, apparently). Is it counting the NANDs that may or may not be used to implement those two gates? And if so, is that based o…

> If it is indeed counting the NANDs used to make the gates I actually used This > it'd be useful to have a clear indication of exactly how many NANDs each gate uses You learned that as part of your first section exercises. At the end of the day everything is made of NAND gates. That’s what the first section teaches you.