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[Graknorke]

Earlier on today, Zachtronics (the maker of SpaceChem and Infinifactory) put up a game on Steam Early Access. It is in line with the overarching pattern of SpaceChem and Infinifactory, which is that you get certain inputs and must get certain outputs from them.
However, the twist in TIS-100 is that you are doing so using assembly code on a computer of mysterious origin and function.



Documentation for the game comes in a manual reminiscent of an old computer manual, and itself drops some cryptic clues of its own.

Spoiler: Features as given on Steam (click to show/hide)

TIS-100 is an open-ended programming game by Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem and Infinifactory, in which you rewrite corrupted code segments to repair the TIS-100 and unlock its secrets. It’s the assembly language programming game you never asked for!

The Tessellated Intelligence Systems TIS-100 is a massively parallel computer architecture comprised of non-uniformly interconnected heterogeneous nodes. The TIS-100 is ideal for applications requiring complex data stream processing, such as automated financial trading, bulk data collection, and civilian behavioral analysis.

Despite its appearances, TIS-100 is a game!

• Print and explore the TIS-100 reference manual, which details the inner-workings of the TIS-100 while evoking the aesthetics of a 1980’s computer manual!
• Solve more than 20 puzzles, competing against your friends and the world to minimize your cycle, instruction, and node counts.
• Design your own challenges in the TIS-100’s 3 sandboxes, including a “visual console” that lets you create your own games within the game!
• Uncover the mysteries of the TIS-100… who created it, and for what purpose?

Zachtronics: http://www.zachtronics.com/tis-100/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/370360/


So, I myself am only on the 5th level, but so far the plot looks to be of the variety that unfolds slowly, and you could easily get by without noticing. Not that it's a bad thing. A bit of subtlety could go a long way when flashy in-your-face cutscenes dominate AAA.
And I have to say, the aesthetic is very, very fitting.

[a1s]

It is in line with the overarching pattern of SpaceChem and Infinifactory, which is that you get certain inputs and must get certain outputs from them.

Don't forget KOHCTPYKTOP (however you spell that,) where you assemble integrated circuits instead of algoruthms. Pretty fun, though I prefer the fantasy-engineering of Ruckengineur to the classroom-like assembly of circuits.
fake edit: got that name pretty close.

[Graknorke]

It is in line with the overarching pattern of SpaceChem and Infinifactory, which is that you get certain inputs and must get certain outputs from them.

Don't forget KOHCTPYKTOP (however you spell that,) where you assemble integrated circuits instead of algoruthms. Pretty fun, though I prefer the fantasy-engineering of Ruckengineur to the classroom-like assembly of circuits.
fake edit: got that name pretty close.

Those ones do exist too, but they're less well-known. Probably because they are much, much harder to get into.

[Levi]

I'm not so sure about this, is it actually fun?  I mean, I loved spacechem but this look suspiciously too much like a job.

[Graknorke]

It's a set of puzzles that get increasingly complex to solve over time. Similar in base concept to SpaceChem, but instead of playing with moving shapes around you're playing with moving numbers around.
I don't know specifically whether you'd find it fun, but a friend and I are having fun racking our brains to try and find the optimal solutions to some of the early problems.

[alway]

My prime number solver is the best.

Spoiler: My terrifying awful solution (click to show/hide)

Making this post in the 15 or so minutes it takes to run the tests. :v

Spoiler: woo cycles (click to show/hide)

It actually kinda broke the cycle count statistics: apparently it truncates the display after 5 digits. The actual cycle count was 738142, as shown in the menu.

[quinnr]

People are considering Assembly as....fun? This is a new concept to me. I think I need some time to get used to the idea before I throw money at it D:

[a1s]

People are considering Assembly as....fun?

Not news, in my book. Assembly was probably my favorite part of Computer System Structure 101.

[LASD]

People are considering Assembly as....fun?

Not news, in my book. Assembly was probably my favorite part of Computer System Structure 101.

Same. Just makes me wonder how much audience this game has outside of Computer Science students.

[quinnr]

People are considering Assembly as....fun?

Not news, in my book. Assembly was probably my favorite part of Computer System Structure 101.

Same. Just makes me wonder how much audience this game has outside of Computer Science students.

I just finished an assembly class this semester. In hindsight, it wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't call it my favorite. Maybe a game would make a good learning tool....I wonder how close to real life this all is.

[frostshotgg]

I think this is really, really cool. Slowly but surely Zachtronics is building a series of games that teach you how2computer. Next come updated KOHCTPYKTOP (Basic circuitry) and Ruckengineur (Logic gates). Starting from the basic silicon circuits, puzzlers will be able to work their way up to consumer electronics, and from there the lowest level of programming (This) which will lead to higher level programming. Somewhere along the way ye olde Turing-style mechanical computing from SpaceChem and Infinifactory fits in as a history tie-in.

[MrRoboto75]

The game gets fairly challenging, but at least it is very satisfying to solve one of the programs.

[CyberUrist]

I think this is really, really cool. Slowly but surely Zachtronics is building a series of games that teach you how2computer. Next come updated KOHCTPYKTOP (Basic circuitry) and Ruckengineur (Logic gates). Starting from the basic silicon circuits, puzzlers will be able to work their way up to consumer electronics, and from there the lowest level of programming (This) which will lead to higher level programming. Somewhere along the way ye olde Turing-style mechanical computing from SpaceChem and Infinifactory fits in as a history tie-in.

Hm. Ruckingenur (I just checked the spelling) was less about logic gates and more about hacking a system you start off not really knowing anything about. КОНСТРУКТОР was more about basic logic gates, because it doesn't have any electric components aside from silicon and metal.
I do quite enjoy this game, though. I've always had a soft spot for assembly and I think I prefer this to SpaceChem because SpaceChem gets huffy if atoms smash into things while this game just gets huffy if a port is used both ways.

[frostshotgg]

Using logic gates. It had you putting ICs together to make whatever processors, from what I remember.

[a1s]

Using logic gates. It had you putting ICs together to make whatever processors, from what I remember.

That's KOHCTPYKTOP. Ruckingenur was the one where you probed pre-existing ICs and tried to make them do what you wanted (usually unlock some code-lock)