Isotopic 256 | Hacker News Reader

Isotopic 256

jamesdonnelly.github.io

180 pointsepenn36 comments

Should you get a game over if you still have radioactive elements on the board? I think you should still be allowed to keep going, especially since you have less tiles and you are moving around with the assumption that things are going to start disappearing.

I don't think so. A move in 2048-like games is only a move if some pieces actually, well, move. If the board is full, there are no valid moves left, and any radioactive elements can never decay.

Right, it's only 2048-like. I think it being a derivative of 2048 doesn't mean it has to follow all the same rules. Anyways, I assumed the smaller grid was because you had the ability to wait for things to decay if you filled up the grid. It's merely what I was expecting, but maybe no one else feels the same way.

That was my expectation too.

Stellar nucleosynthesis (somewhat simplified): http://newbrict.github.io/Fe26/

okay, now that is beautiful!

This doesn't work right. Deuteron doesn't fuse correctly in all the situations.

What's incorrect about it? I'm glad to fix any inaccuracies! :)

http://www.convectron.eu/images/02-DT-fusion-reaction.jpg

I guess I was actually just confused about the physics of nuclear reactions. :)

This is what I was expecting once I figured out what Isotopic 256 was. Being able to go triple-alpha to carbon is key to stellar burning (it's why you're here, too).

Both games are fun, but Fe26 is going to keep me occupied for a long time.

Edit: I'm getting trapped at Mg24. Following the alpha-process, I should be able to stuff in another alpha to get to Silicon, but it's not happening, nor is it listed in the fusion rules below the game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_process

Me too. Most of the time my board gets “full” of Mg24. It makes the game more interesting. It’s a pity that it’s only a missing entry in the game table and not a real nuclear phenomenon.

Be glad: If it were easier to get stuck in Magnesium, stellar evolution would be very different, and our beaches would be made of magnesium (and our oceans full of Magnesium salts).

Higher elements would still be formed, by the occasional fissioning of Mg by fast alphas/neutrons, but it would change observed nuclear abundances considerably.

Yeah, the way the rules work magnesium is a dead-end. You have to double-oxygen to get to silicon, and then it's smooth sailing. (Note that all implemented reactions are listed if you scroll down)

Very clever. When I realized why the shakey elements were disappering (not having yet read the text above the game) I smiled.

The fading elements is a nice touch to the game logic. It helps defend against simply mashing buttons (which works surprisingly well in the original).

My jaw is on the floor. This. is. Awesome.

This is the only version of "2048" that I've actually found that is fun and interesting.

Thank you!

I'd like to see a larger version though, 3x3 is fun but 4x4 would be awesome!

In other 2048 games all of the combinations carry the same weight, but this one has "goals" being stable elements, awesome dynamic!

This is a great variant. I wonder if it would be possible to conceive a chemistry version that can could potentially teach people about atomic bonding?

A bit easy though, I had no trouble beating it after a couple tries.

How do you beat it? I always assumed the new pieces appears at random points and it's impossible to beat it other way than by coincidence?

Very clever remix! I think it's too easy by default though --beat it on the first try without any issue. Maybe increase the "win" element to 512?

You're too good then ;) Haven't beaten it yet! Been playing for 30min now...

So you too have been nerd sniped?

At least that is less time than the aeons that can be spent on other games, including 2048. But you do have to wonder how much time people do waste on these things. A weekend of coding for one for the original 2048 and many, many man and child years collectively wasted by the rest of humanity.

Perhaps I will just stick to the occasional spin of 'Desert Bus'...

Honestly, my perception of difficult for 2048 clones is really skewed. After wasting hours playing it when it first came out, I'm now good enough at it that I can reliably get 2048 in one go every time I play. I've even gotten to 4096 multiple times. I've given up on 8192...

btw, if you want to know how to beat it, just google for a strategy guide. there's million of blog posts and stuff on the subject by now, and they're quite easy to follow once you get the hang out it -- not a bunch of edge-cases to memorize like a Rubik's cube.

There is a bug in the code (IE11?)

If the board has:

   4He  4He  --	
  16O   8Be  4He
   4He  4He  2H

and you move up then you get

   4He  4He  4He
  16O   2H   2H
   4He  4He  --

(The middle 8Be just dissapears.)

Edit: Just tested this in Chrome. Some atoms are readioactive. The radioctivity is not visible in IE11.

IE11 security feature I guess!!

I don't know the technical name for the disappearing elements, but I'm assuming it's intentional. Interesting twist! I don't think I'm smart enough to play this one though, I'll stick with doge.

There were only two sentences of text above the game, perhaps they contain the answer to your implied question?

"Join the elements and get to the tile with 256 isotopic mass! Watch out for unstable elements though, as these won't be around forever!"

Playing for almost 2 hours not getting any further than lone Sr-128, now seeing all those "too easy, beat that 3 times already".

Uh. Did scientists came up with a brain replacements already?

Definitely the best variant of Threes/2048 I've seen so far. Really nice work!

I think the HN plays 2048 was the best one.

The numbers on the top left don't have any correlation with the elements, right?

Just beat this game. Nice spin on things.

Not sure what I did... but got 710...

Pretty fucky that some things just disappear.

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