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Universal Paperclips

decisionproblem.com

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Re: Universal Paperclips

#31

Post by Groxx »

terramex wrote: post #22
adamrezich wrote: post #11

what're some other interesting "incremental games" out there these days? for me at least, just seeing numbers go up and get huge (Swarm Simulator) doesn't really do it for me. part of what makes Universal Paperclips so good is that, like Candy Box, a huge part of the joy is uncovering entirely new gameplay systems as you progress. A Dark Room was neat in that it brought the idea of a coherent narrative that you (some…

SPACEPLAN is certified classic: http://jhollands.co.uk/spaceplan/ (free prototype to play in browser with paid full version on Steam/iOS/Android).

Also easily the best sound design in any incremental I've played. Which is a seemingly weird thing to combine with an incremental, but they did a truly excellent job.

Spaceplan is a relatively short and simple experience (there's not much to optimize, just do), but it's so well done that I highly recommend it.

Re: Universal Paperclips

#33

Post by dylan604 »

actionfromafar wrote: post #30
CharlesW wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if he got the idea from Philip K. Dick's 1955 story "Autofac"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autofac https://www.vulture.com/2018/01/electric-dreams-recap-season...

PKD keeps surprising me.

I like how the sci-fi authors have spent time thinking about what an advanced AI could do, yet those building the AI have not taken a moment's pause to consider what they are doing

Re: Universal Paperclips

#34

Post by Groxx »

adamrezich wrote: post #11

what're some other interesting "incremental games" out there these days? for me at least, just seeing numbers go up and get huge (Swarm Simulator) doesn't really do it for me. part of what makes Universal Paperclips so good is that, like Candy Box, a huge part of the joy is uncovering entirely new gameplay systems as you progress. A Dark Room was neat in that it brought the idea of a coherent narrative that you (some…

Crank is pretty similar to both A Dark Room and paperclips in terms of feel, also not mobile friendly at all sadly: https://faedine.com/games/crank/b39/

Re: Universal Paperclips

#35

Post by dylan604 »

bironran wrote: post #4

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33446121 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24389655 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15439569 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36972227 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22394560 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32125372 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35378453 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20955089 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15504187 https:…

Maybe it'll look like the "They're taking the hobits to Isengard" video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKP16d_WdZM

Re: Universal Paperclips

#36

Post by jprete »

MiguelHudnandez wrote: post #8
jon-wood wrote: post #2

RIP to the productivity all the people discovering this for the first time today.

I think I still have javascript commandlets to auto-play phases of this game. That brought a whole other level of enjoyment to it.

One of the best ways to expand an incremental game’s gameplay is to gradually automate one layer, while introducing new mechanics in a higher layer. So one’s focus for optimization gradually shifts from older and better-understood mechanics to a higher level, where the gameplay is to manipulate the lower layer’s mechanics to make it run as quickly as a basic action did at the start.

Re: Universal Paperclips

#37

Post by gms7777 »

wccrawford wrote: post #24
ramesh31 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an entire genre now called clicker games. For whatever reason, people are entranced by watching numbers get bigger. It's the same thing with RPGs.

IMO, it's not just the numbers. It's the constant strategizing to make the numbers go bigger, and the changing strategy as the game progresses. There are plenty of really crappy clickers that don't do anything for me. And there are some that are too complex to be really fun (Kittens), but the ones in the middle, like this one, really feel good.

I've had to institute a blanket "no clicker game" policy for myself because I find them way too addicting. The frustrating thing about most (but not all) clicker games is that for me, they usually don't even feel good (e.g., relaxing, mentally stimulating, satisfying). They just make me feel like I'm an addict that needs my dopamine drip. There are definitely non-clicker games that hit the same spot for me, but almost every clicker game I've tried manages to completely suck me in.

I would put Universal Paperclips and A Dark Room as exceptions though in the sense that they're still fully engrossing, but there's a little bit more depth and discovery than just "click the thing until you have enough clicks to get the next thing".

Re: Universal Paperclips

#38

Post by d1str0 »

dylan604 wrote: post #33
actionfromafar wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PKD keeps surprising me.

I like how the sci-fi authors have spent time thinking about what an advanced AI could do, yet those building the AI have not taken a moment's pause to consider what they are doing

Do you honestly believe that the only people who have thought about the ramifications of AI are Sci Fi authors? I can guarantee people who spend years researching and building advanced language models have thought about the ramifications of their work.

This isn’t Jurassic Park.

Re: Universal Paperclips

#39

Post by nemomarx »

adamrezich wrote: post #11

what're some other interesting "incremental games" out there these days? for me at least, just seeing numbers go up and get huge (Swarm Simulator) doesn't really do it for me. part of what makes Universal Paperclips so good is that, like Candy Box, a huge part of the joy is uncovering entirely new gameplay systems as you progress. A Dark Room was neat in that it brought the idea of a coherent narrative that you (some…

I've been enjoying Bitburner, which has pretty good variation between levels of gameplay and a little bit of fake cyberpunk hacker story to it.

Re: Universal Paperclips

#40

Post by d1str0 »

operator-name wrote: post #15

If you're starting this on a mobile device, don't make the same mistake I did. It gets quite laggy later on and some of the "gameplay elements" are designed around having a mouse.

If you use the mobile app it will work just find. Highly recommend.
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