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	<title>Comments on: Game Idea #5: Pack Rat</title>
	<link>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/</link>
	<description>A new game idea every week and other ramblings on game design from an upstart game designer.</description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:30:24 +0000</pubDate>
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 		<title>Comment on Game Idea #5: Pack Rat by: StGabe</title>
		<link>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-28</link>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2006 21:37:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-28</guid>
					<description>One thing that intrigues me about Tetris is that it has been proven that &lt;a HREF=&quot;http://arxiv.org/abs/cs.CC/0210020&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;most Tetris tasks are NP-complete&lt;/a&gt;.  It seems like that is an interesting metric because NP-complete problems are quite difficult from the metric of pure computation but can often be approximated well by the sorts of lateral thinking that us humans are capable of.  I wonder if a lot of addictive puzzle games involve NP-complete problems.  There are a few obvious counter-examples: Mahjhong and Bejeweled are both puzzle games that would be very easy for a computer to do but these rely more on visual skills rather than problem-solving.

Anyway, one thing about this game is that it is basically an instance of the &lt;a HREF=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapsack_problem&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;knapsack problem&lt;/a&gt; so it's very easy to show that for interesting enough pieces it too is a game based around an NP-hard problem.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[	<p>One thing that intrigues me about Tetris is that it has been proven that <a HREF="http://arxiv.org/abs/cs.CC/0210020" rel="nofollow">most Tetris tasks are NP-complete</a>.  It seems like that is an interesting metric because NP-complete problems are quite difficult from the metric of pure computation but can often be approximated well by the sorts of lateral thinking that us humans are capable of.  I wonder if a lot of addictive puzzle games involve NP-complete problems.  There are a few obvious counter-examples: Mahjhong and Bejeweled are both puzzle games that would be very easy for a computer to do but these rely more on visual skills rather than problem-solving.</p>
	<p>Anyway, one thing about this game is that it is basically an instance of the <a HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapsack_problem" rel="nofollow">knapsack problem</a> so it&#8217;s very easy to show that for interesting enough pieces it too is a game based around an NP-hard problem.
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 		<title>Comment on Game Idea #5: Pack Rat by: Devin Curry</title>
		<link>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-27</link>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2006 17:08:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-27</guid>
					<description>I dig &quot;Pack Rat&quot; the Mason Remix.  I think theres an element of purpose that is added by the truck drive.

You could have at least two versions. One called INFINITE, and another called CAREER for those that arent already completely mesmerized by the coolness of the packing game.  

There could be an extra meter that measures BALANCE that would effect the maneuverability of truck to add an extra level of skill required to be a MASTER</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[	<p>I dig &#8220;Pack Rat&#8221; the Mason Remix.  I think theres an element of purpose that is added by the truck drive.</p>
	<p>You could have at least two versions. One called INFINITE, and another called CAREER for those that arent already completely mesmerized by the coolness of the packing game.  </p>
	<p>There could be an extra meter that measures BALANCE that would effect the maneuverability of truck to add an extra level of skill required to be a MASTER
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 		<title>Comment on Game Idea #5: Pack Rat by: Mason Dixon</title>
		<link>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-26</link>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:02:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-26</guid>
					<description>Since the name is &quot;Pack Rat&quot; maybe the main character would have a pony tail.  i guess as you advance in level's your Moving company would get better and buy bigger trucks, and work for more expensive clients with more special items like fragile china.

i still kind of want a driving round after loading up the truck, to drive it to a new location.  I guess that ruins the simplicity of the Tetris portion of the game.  Still would be fun, especially with a really wobbly looking truck that would sway back and forth when the driver changes lanes.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[	<p>Since the name is &#8220;Pack Rat&#8221; maybe the main character would have a pony tail.  i guess as you advance in level&#8217;s your Moving company would get better and buy bigger trucks, and work for more expensive clients with more special items like fragile china.</p>
	<p>i still kind of want a driving round after loading up the truck, to drive it to a new location.  I guess that ruins the simplicity of the Tetris portion of the game.  Still would be fun, especially with a really wobbly looking truck that would sway back and forth when the driver changes lanes.
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 		<title>Comment on Game Idea #5: Pack Rat by: Patrick</title>
		<link>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-24</link>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:13:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-24</guid>
					<description>Thanks James!  Erin convinced me that it was good enough to post, so she gets partial credit for this one.  I was worried that no one likes moving (I know I don't), but I think the tetris-pieces-as-furniture keeps it lighthearted enough.  It's not like the game would make you look at old photos or throw out precious keepsakes.

You know, I'm not really too worried about people stealing ideas.  Everyone has their own ideas about what would make for fun gameplay, so they'd have to be pretty desperate to come take some of mine.  But if people are inspired by these ideas to do their own thing, then that's awesome.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[	<p>Thanks James!  Erin convinced me that it was good enough to post, so she gets partial credit for this one.  I was worried that no one likes moving (I know I don&#8217;t), but I think the tetris-pieces-as-furniture keeps it lighthearted enough.  It&#8217;s not like the game would make you look at old photos or throw out precious keepsakes.</p>
	<p>You know, I&#8217;m not really too worried about people stealing ideas.  Everyone has their own ideas about what would make for fun gameplay, so they&#8217;d have to be pretty desperate to come take some of mine.  But if people are inspired by these ideas to do their own thing, then that&#8217;s awesome.
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 		<title>Comment on Game Idea #5: Pack Rat by: James Craig</title>
		<link>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-23</link>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2006 18:16:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid>http://www.patrickcurry.com/thoughts/game-idea-5-pack-rat/#comment-23</guid>
					<description>I dig it. Best one yet... (Are you worried anyone's gonna steal your ideas?)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[	<p>I dig it. Best one yet&#8230; (Are you worried anyone&#8217;s gonna steal your ideas?)
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