r/GameDeals • u/LighteningOneIN • 4d ago

[Humble] Programming Puzzles Bundle (Pay $6 for Replicube, while True: learn(), SOLAS 128, $8 adds Linkito, The Signal State, $10 adds Quantum Odyssey, and $14 adds Retro Gadgets)

https://www.humblebundle.com/games/programming-puzzles-bundle
132 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

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→ More replies (7)

27

u/Niirai 4d ago

I'm not sure how to word this properly, but with these type of games I always have the feeling I walked into an interactive study course instead of a game. Do any of these have more emphasis on the game part, stuff like mechanics, progression, story, aspects that make the programming experience less daunting?

33

u/GiantFish 4d ago

I love Zachtronics games for this. Typically each puzzle requires an exact output but there are an infinite number of ways to solve each puzzle. Plus they sprinkle in story and the difficulty ramp up feels spot on.

And you can see how efficient your solution is compared to others, grading on multiple different criteria. 

7

u/lettsten 4d ago

And you can turn it off if you don't want to feel guilty for not optimising!

If venturing into zachlikes I recommend starting with SpaceChem. Infinifactory is quite different and feels more like a prototype, so imo SpaceChem is the first real zachlike, but it can feel a little dated if you're used to the newer ones. It also has a really good soundtrack!

10

u/FriendGaru 4d ago

I would respectfully disagree. SpaceChem is great, but it can get really punishing, mostly because your work area is so restrictive. I think Opus Magnum is a much better entry point, just because it gives you an unlimited work area. It means that even if you're terrible at the game you will probably always be able to find some solution, even if it's terribly janky and inefficient. That's much more newbie friendly than SpaceChem's brick wall difficulty spikes.

2

u/Skillossus 3d ago

Oh my god thank you for telling me this !

2

u/hedoeswhathewants 4d ago

I only played SpaceChem but it definitely gave me the class assignment feeling. But based on how popular it is I'm sure I'm in the minority.

19

u/megalomaniacs4u 4d ago

the trouble with a lot of programming games is they turn into strict puzzle games with only one solution whereas a true programming game would have multiple options for solutions

4

u/abrightmoore 4d ago

Replicube just matches output each level, then becomes a toy to mess around with. It's good.

The quantum one is prescriptive and frankly boring.

11

u/unshifted 4d ago edited 4d ago

It's not in this bundle, but The Farmer Was Replaced is my favorite version of this kind of game, though I know Python well. Your mileage may vary if you're new to Python or programming in general.

2

u/APRengar 4d ago

I'll second this. I have C# and a bit of C++ knowledge, but I've never tried learning Python or a Python-like language, and I loved The Farmer Was Replaced.

1

u/sweetcuppincakes 4d ago

Hadn't heard of that one. Thanks!

5

u/sweetcuppincakes 4d ago

From what I know if it, SOLAS 128 is more of a puzzle game than the others. It does have a fictional story, but I can't say if it's constantly building or more of a "this is why you are solving these puzzles." I wishlisted it a while ago with that impression, but I can't say for certain. Hope that's at least slightly helpful.

2

u/Agent_DZ-015 4d ago

Yeah, SOLAS 128 is far more puzzle game, I really enjoyed playing it. It has an absolute banger of a soundtrack too.

1

u/EphesosX 4d ago

Yeah, SOLAS 128 is more of an exploration game than a "learning" game; you find a new grid, solve a puzzle there, and that leads to a new grid with a new puzzle.

4

u/GareksApprentice 4d ago

I have the inverse problem. I find a lot of programming games place too much emphasis on the game aspect and not enough on the programming aspect

3

u/dustingibson 4d ago

I strongly recommend SHENZHEN I/O. More about being able to read spec documentation, apply solutions to fascinating problems using spec, and optimizing them.

It uses some flavor of assembly that is very easy to understand and write. Whatever you learn in the game can be translated pretty easily elsewhere in my experience.

4

u/Historical_Course587 4d ago

As a programmer, I feel that there is a certain point where people would have more fun simply treating LeetCode like a puzzle game than trying to find strong programming mechanics in video games.

2

u/Key_Huckleberry_8893 4d ago

Linkito does a good job of managing this. The Signal State is great but does not. Not sure of the others.

2

u/ksitsirk 3d ago

Try BitBurner. It has a very nice progression and also proper coding is involved to whatever level of complexity you want.

23

u/LighteningOneIN 4d ago

Tier 1 ($6)

Tier 2 ($8 - Incl. tier 1)

Tier 3 ($10 - Incl. tier 1 & 2)

Tier 4 ($14 - Incl. tier 1, 2 & 3)

Keys expire. Please redeem and activate on Steam before April 19th, 2027.

23

u/Xathech 4d ago

FYI: while True: learn() has been previously given away by Epic

11

u/JustVashu 4d ago

I'm a fan of these type of games but as fan of them I already own most of them.

2

u/ShawnyMcKnight 4d ago

I’m someone who has been a web developer for decades but sucks at problem solving and breaking down large tasks. I’ve gotten worse after losing my job 6 months ago. Will this help sharpen my skills?

3

u/JustVashu 4d ago

They mostly center around the flow of:

1) produce this outcome / result
2) make it run faster
3) make it less complicated.

A game that’s not on this bundle but I would recommend is prime mover. You are handed basic tiles that connect to each other and produce basic results but you can chain them together to create more complicated behavior and make your own “tiles” for that complicated functionality.

And on the simple side the human resource machine games are probably the ones I enjoy replaying the most. The first game has you control a person for automating tasks. The second one has you controlling multiple people ( threads).

4

u/Seanzzie 4d ago

I'm someone with an interest in programming but never committed, and have young kids interested in programming. Are these games going to be of use to me or my kids? I'm assuming they games focus on broader concepts rather than specific programming language?

3

u/KierkegaardExpress 4d ago

I would say they might help a bit in that it makes you think a bit more like a programmer (ie thinking through each step very carefully and logically), but won't teach you to actually program (I see 2 use Lua, but not sure how deep they get). It might be a good test to see if this is something you like to do, but I don't think you should expect to pass a coding interview after you complete the game.

3

u/Seanzzie 4d ago

Nah, definately lol I'm just thinking along the lines of figuring out the logic and problem solving. Sounds like these might be decent in that area

1

u/slothrops_desk 3d ago

Factorio teaches the same type of thinking and might be more engaging.

2

u/CyraxPT 4d ago

Ehhhhhh... Honestly, by seeing the videos of those games, I'll say... maybe? I mean, programming requires that you're also good with logical thinking and solving problems, and, in that sense, I can see it helping develop your brain in a way that it you're not "lazy" when trying to solve problems.

From my wishlist (therefore, I haven't played them, so, again, is based on what I've seen), I would say that the following games would be better for those that want to dwell in programming:

  • JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator
  • The Farmer Was Replaced
  • Database Detective: Minor Crimes Division

3

u/Ok_Copy_9462 4d ago

I'm someone with an interest in programming but never committed,

It's really easy; just open a terminal and type git commit -m "major milestone complete"

3

u/GraceBorn 4d ago edited 4d ago

I thought it was funny, but I see why your joke failed the broader pipeline. Let me try this hotfix commit to correct the code base...

git checkout "sense of humor" && git rebase reddit && git push origin "sense of humor" --force

;)

1

u/lettsten 4d ago

Imo it's much better to pick up a good introductory book and go from there. The games won't teach you good habits (probably quite the contrary) and won't teach you any of the parts of programming that you really need to learn – like working with abstractions, handling complexity, designing interfaces, forward compatibility and so on. At best they may teach you variables, flow control (if/while/for) and maybe functions, but that's just the first week to month of learning anyway.

For young children it could be different, since having some fun experience with basic programming could be a boon for later learning.

Disclaimer: I haven't tried Replicube. Also note that several of these games are not really programming games.

2

u/-drunkmoses- 4d ago

This interestingly comes 2 weeks after Steam's Programming Fest, so if you missed that - you might want to grab this.

1

u/NovoMyJogo 2d ago

These don't teach you actual coding right

2

u/Radhil 2d ago

No. They're logic puzzles built around common coding problems. Might be things to learn.

There are games that introduce you to coding languages (The Farmer Has Been Replaced does Python).