Hidden masterpiece
Incredible amount of interest and emergent complexity from a very simple set of rules.
Good but needs one thing
Needs an option to cut audio completely so that I can listen to the Jim Rutt podcast while also playing the game. Even with volume at 0 it still cuts media player audio. Also, the AI is kind of predictable. Always takes the path of least resistance. Very addictive though.
2k rounds in and still coming back for more
This deceptively simple app is one of my favorites. The basic rules are easy to learn but the game dynamics shift with every randomly-generated round. It’s like a miniature induction into intuitive game theory! But fun.
Needs work
It would be better if one could chose a different colour after the setup.
Good potential, but problems
I hope this game gets updated. Classic mode and other-more reasonable- modes…
3 big problems.
1) how rolls are determined isn’t stated, nor obvious. Is it random or not? Modifiers? Unknown.
-An 8 unit spot shouldn’t be whittled down to 2 by a 2 unit enemy.
Likewise, I’ve played rounds where every one of my rolls is bad. And I mean that. *every* roll.
2) you can’t call off an attack once started. It’s all or nothing. Thus, if you have a series of rapid awful rolls on the attack, you don’t get to cut your losses and wait. You whittle yourself down to 1. This is a deviation from risk rules that does not add to the game, imo.
3) whacky starting positions. In some ways it keeps things interesting, but sometimes the game starts off truly absurdly. There’s no sense playing them. Play one turn, get bad rolls, and it’s done. Auto surrender. It’s annoying. I can think of several novel ways to bring both choice and chance into determining starting position, so it’s doable.
3 big problems.
1) how rolls are determined isn’t stated, nor obvious. Is it random or not? Modifiers? Unknown.
-An 8 unit spot shouldn’t be whittled down to 2 by a 2 unit enemy.
Likewise, I’ve played rounds where every one of my rolls is bad. And I mean that. *every* roll.
2) you can’t call off an attack once started. It’s all or nothing. Thus, if you have a series of rapid awful rolls on the attack, you don’t get to cut your losses and wait. You whittle yourself down to 1. This is a deviation from risk rules that does not add to the game, imo.
3) whacky starting positions. In some ways it keeps things interesting, but sometimes the game starts off truly absurdly. There’s no sense playing them. Play one turn, get bad rolls, and it’s done. Auto surrender. It’s annoying. I can think of several novel ways to bring both choice and chance into determining starting position, so it’s doable.
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Almost great.
Why isn’t the math consistent? Sometimes a 3 will beat a 2, but sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes a 2 will beat a 3 when it doesn’t seem like it should. If there’s an explanation for this that can be factored into the player’s strategy, please include the logic in the instructions. If there isn’t an explanation, please fix this broken but almost great game.
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Hard to see if you're colour deficient
I can't tell the colours apart. Can you make a version that has a colour blindness option or make the colours more distinct/use shapes etc?
Pretty Interesting
Don’t 100% understand how everything works because sometimes the math works out differently than I expect, but the game is interesting and a good challenge.
The potential of games to enhance human flourishing.
I’ve been playing this game for over a month now and I really enjoy the challenge it provides me. I play for 5-20 minutes a day and it feels like a nice mental workout. I’ve noticed that I tend to get Strategic insights while playing that then translate and help me in my strategic decisions in my day to day life.
I love the challenge of an AI that gets better as I get better. It feels like I’m being coached by the machine to also become better. I wish all instances of human - machine relationships were more like this one.
I love the challenge of an AI that gets better as I get better. It feels like I’m being coached by the machine to also become better. I wish all instances of human - machine relationships were more like this one.
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Great game with realistic strategies
This is a fantastic addictive game with realistic strategies. There is one flaw that gives the human player a tremendous advantage. Bots never attack a node that has an equal or higher value. Attacking a higher node sometimes is a great strategy as it weakens the node so that it gets attacked by other bots or allows the player to use more than 1 node to gang up on a higher node.
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Afn affordable, satisfying strategy puzzle
A quick, fast-paced Risk with a helping of randomness to keep it fresh. As much a brain puzzle as it is a game. Jim warned it's addictive and he's not wrong!
5 stars for a new, respectful good-value game, but/and lots of room for improvement. The AI is not very strategic, and conditions are similar each game, so once you get the hang of things it becomes a bit predictable. Multiplayer would be an obvious next big feature.
But the core is solid and worth a dollar. Hope to see more like this! Maybe something involving ecosystem simulation..?
5 stars for a new, respectful good-value game, but/and lots of room for improvement. The AI is not very strategic, and conditions are similar each game, so once you get the hang of things it becomes a bit predictable. Multiplayer would be an obvious next big feature.
But the core is solid and worth a dollar. Hope to see more like this! Maybe something involving ecosystem simulation..?
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Impressive and deceptively simple!
Seriously great game, do it!!!
Simple game with complex strategies
No microtransactions, no lives. Not trying to suck the money right out of your wallet. And it doesn't melt your battery!
Also game is great. Would love to see updates. Different starting conditions & AI strategies. Maybe even a bigger game board.
Also game is great. Would love to see updates. Different starting conditions & AI strategies. Maybe even a bigger game board.
Intuitive and addictive
Games are short and engaging. Most attractive game I have on my tablet.
Network effects pattern recognition embedded in a game
I loved playing Network Wars (created by Jim Rutt) because it reminds me of all the bar work effects the world is littered with if you can function stacking. Every function stacking beyond a threshold achieves a network effect. I like the way game mechanics reinforce network effect availability in the game and in general. ~Bobby
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gz
so simple but yet complex and addictive. I like it! :)
Good but
Good start. Would need something for longer engagement, like Upgrades or a campaign.
Fun idea: math doesn’t add up
The basic concept is great. But when I attack a 2 with a 6; I assume I should win and end up with a 3 on that tile? Instead the tile did not change colors, an we both dropped to a 1?
If this is a bug, it wrecks the game.
If that’s by design it would help to explain why.
If this is a bug, it wrecks the game.
If that’s by design it would help to explain why.
Quick and engaging randomly generated strategy
This is an interesting twist on Risk-style strategy games. I have my suspicions about how the battles are decided, but it’s definitely not 3v2 with defenders winning ties. Each game is completely random, which leaves some games feeling very lopsided. I wish I could wager on the outcome, or that there was some sort of challenge metric assigned to maps where my high-density units are at the 4 corners of the map.
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