Index9

Just a handful of rules makes for a pretty simple system, right? Try and learn each one of them and how they interact with each other to clear off as many levels in a row as you can!

Sound and music by Julian Nasielski

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How to play :

- Click or tap the arrows above and below a digit to change it to another
- Configure the digits so that the resolution of the rules change the last digit to anything but a zero
- Press the play button to resolve the level according to the digit(s) you chose
- Alt-F4 to quit the game (if you downloaded the game on Windows)

Each digit is associated with a rule that affects the other digits around it

Every digit's rule is resolved one at a time from left to right (when the white underlining bar slides underneath the associated digit) changing the configuration of the digits every time one is resolved

0 : nothing happens

1 : adds 1 to the digit to its right

2 : subtracts 1 to the digit to its right

3 : makes every digit of the sequence equals 0

4 : skips the resolution of the digit to its right

5 : adds 1 to the digit that is 2 steps to its right

6 : subtracts 1 to the digit that is 2 steps to its right

7 : divides the digit to its right by 2 (rounded down)

8 : makes the digit to its right equals 0

9 : makes the last digit of the sequence equals zero and restarts the resolution of every digit in the sequence

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"A game about chain reactions and rule interactions"

My intention with Index9 was to explore the mechanisms of rules affecting other rules in a system. To do so, I made a game that is all about a single self-contained system of rules, affecting a very simple game state. 

The only important information in this game is the array of integers that make up each level. Each integer has a different rule associated with it, which will affect the numbers around it when the level is “played”. 

By hitting the “play” button, each integer of the array will be evaluated in sequence, from left to right, applying the effects associated with its rule to the digits around it. As the effects of those rules stack up, the sequence will change from its original setup in real time. The challenge lies in anticipating those changes by carefully planning the original composition of the array before hitting play. 

The result is a game that asks its players to directly interface with the rules behind its mechanisms. By applying a minimalist approach to content and presentation, the players can focus their attention on the effects of rules on the game state directly, without the need of abstraction through other systems.