The worst part is arguably when you want to insert an instruction in the middle of a full tape - you have to drag-or-drop exactly in the middle. This is bizarrely limiting, as drag-and-drops are slow for how big the tapes for even simple solutions can get, and fixed keyboard shortcuts can be inconvenient to get used to. You have to drag-and-drop instructions onto this tape, which can be sped up using fixed keyboard shortcuts for the instructions. Unlike previous Zachtronics games, which intertwine the process of design and programming, Opus asks you to place objects on a grid and separately code their instructions on a large tape. Another issue with the UI is the actual programming part. None of these choices is particularly ideal, and I’ve had to shift between resolutions based on the puzzle itself. There are four options for screen resolution, resulting in weird compromises in how the game looks on the screen. If there’s one major criticism I’d throw at the game, it would be that of the UI. This allows for astonishingly fast solutions, and optimization here splits the very notion of a single cycle into fragments (i.e. Turns out there’s a glitch in the game that allows multiple glyphs to be placed on top of each other. One of the most bizarre custom metrics is that of Overlap. The secondary goal in these metrics is that of Cycles optimization. Other custom metrics are Height and Width, which look at how much space a solution occupies vertically and horizontally, respectively. This bizarre metric forces some surprising compromises at a design level, and coincidentally results in some of the most aesthetically-pleasing solutions. The first example is the SUM metric, which is just the sum of the Cost, Cycles, and Area score of a solution. The Opus Magnum community is a desperate hungry lot, and we craft numerous rich metrics to explore on our own. One of the other consequences is that of custom metrics, a surprisingly new phenomenon in Zachlikes. Now moving back to infinite space and power. The sheer power of Opus’ tools has resulted in every single campaign level being solved in at most 4 instructions, and Production puzzles are too few and far between to meaningfully challenge this metric. Finally, Instructions is relatively uninteresting as a metric. I’m certainly a fan of these eccentricities, but they do end up going against the spirit of infinitely running engines. On the other hand, the actual detection of the output is janky for an entire class of levels (infinite polymers), resulting in wonderfully bizarre solutions there. This surprisingly low requirement means that one can essentially “hack” their way into solving the puzzle before the machine crashes one moment later. On the one hand, Opus Magnum (usually) asks for 6 outputs to ensure completion of a puzzle. Cycles minimization can often result in massively exploiting the game’s output system. They both turn the game into a fascinating challenge in constraints, but the constraints are somewhat similar. Area and Cost, for instance, mirror each other a little too much. These primary metrics are among the better-balanced ones in the Zachtronics’ catalogue, but there’s still some criticism to be had. All this pokes directly at the heart of what makes the act of problem-solving so damn fun! There are four other games before this where I can baptize myself with fire if I so desire… Seeing them sharing their design in a beautiful and convenient manner. Seeing folks who have never played a Zachtronics game before brimming with satisfaction at their solution. The first is acknowledging the benefits of such openness with puzzle design and tool power. This disappointment has subsided over the years for two reasons. One of the core appeals of these games for me is being thrown into the wilderness and being asked to come out alive with the tools provided. I was certainly disappointed by this realization. It becomes more a matter of when, rather than if, one can solve a puzzle. The player has an astonishing amount of solving power at their disposal, unhindered by any form of space or instruction constraints. Part of this is a direct consequence of flirting with the infinite (or more like machine precision, which is practically infinite). Compared to the multistaged grandeur of late-game Infinifactory or the spartan ruthlessness of TIS-100, Opus Magnum is fairly easy throughout its runtime. Zachtronics’ veterans will almost immediately note the sharp decline in the actual puzzle-solving challenge here. This shift to a strongly appealing aesthetic fits inside a bigger push towards more accessibility.
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