Shimmerpaint Prototype 4


If you publish Flash games in some capacity and would like to fund further development based on this prototype, don't hesistate to contact me at nathan_AT_icecreambreakfast.com.


Mouse: Click, drag, and release to draw on the canvas.
'f': fullscreen, 'escape': leave fullscreen.
'm': mute/unmute sound (not in fullscreen)

GOAL: Uncover the canvas before running out of strokes. Earn extra strokes by uncover a lot of the canvas with a single stroke.


Please wait for this to load - there's no progress bar. Click the flash app a few times to give it input focus.
There's no way to restart, so press F5 to refresh the page to play again.

How to Play Well


   Hold down the mouse to select the center of a circle to paint, then drag the mouse out to select a radius. Let go, and the circle slowly fill in. If, while filling, the circle collides with a spark, you lose a brush stroke and no paint will be laid down. Otherwise, the circle will be filled in with paint. You earn extra brush strokes for big circles, but that's riskier.

Design Notes


Casual Games Constraints


 &emsp This prototype took the constraints of mobile devices, touchscreens, and casual players in mind. So, it has touch/mouse interaction, no real-time pressure, short rounds, and so on.

Success to Continue


   In this prototype, play continually exhausts a limited resource, but successful play generates more of that resource. Every Extend is the first game that drew my attention taking this approach so explicitly. In Every Extend, a player's only attack is killing themselves by exploding, but their explosions cause chain reactions. Long explosion chains earn extra lives. But this idea is at the heart of several old arcade games, where big scores, earned by risky play, give extra lives. See Pac-Man or especially Robotron. This prototype explores that relationship, with painting a stroke using a limited resource, but risky strokes, which you fail more often, generating extra strokes. This is a powerful game mechanic pattern. It sharply foregrounds risk versus reward choices.

On Art


   I would love to make games teaching players about paintings and visual art. Game mechanics and rules lead player attention, focusing repeatedly, even repetitively, on variations of patterns that players couldn't stay interested in otherwise. This is a powerful tool. But if I can't, maybe someone else can make such games for me. I'd love a game to use tons of works from great masters as content for such a game, much like Guitar Hero used rock songs as levels.
   This game points vaguely in a direction like that, but only vaguely.