Just want a little input on this game idea, constructive please. Title: "SYNAPSE" Genre: Puzzle Players: Single and Versus(Maybe) Platform: PC would be the most practical, but any would do. Objective: gain as many points as possible by completing a "Synapse." Playing Field: are a 9x9 Hexagonal grid, with a single "Node" in each parcel. Key Words: - NODES: are the central cores of each parcel. Unless they are special they will have anywhere from 1 too 6 "Axons" connected to them and a single side of the parcel. Some Nodes will be different and allow for different points and reactions. - AXONS: are the little connectors that branch out from the Nodes. When an Axon from one node touches an Axon from another Node it will create a connection or a Synapse. - CAPS: are single Axon Nodes. - SYNAPSE(complete): are when you make a full connection using the Nodes. This is done by creating a full loop with connecting Axons. There are other ways to do this with some of the special Nodes. Controls: when playing with a mouse all you must do is Right or Left click to rotate the Node once to the right or left. You cannot do this unless the move places the Node into a connection with another or it still holds one or more previous connections. Synapse Reactions: - LOOP: Once a complete Loop Synapse is made all connecting Axons that form the loop will vanish, the others will remain. - STRING: some Nodes only have a single Axon they are called Caps. If 2 Caps are connected by any number of Nodes they will create a string. If a string is connected to a Loop it will also vanish and give extra points. If a single Cap is connected to a Loop it will also vanish along with the connection. If there are no Axons left on the Node the Node will vanish. All Nodes above this point will fall down into place and new Nodes will fall into the empty spaces at the top. Losing: if there is no way to make a Loop without breaking the rules above you will lose and not be able to gain any more points. --- Hope the game makes sense, it has been some trouble to do a test models because of the level of processing. It was inspired by the classic Jewel games that are floating around the net and Cell Phones. A few things im debating are as follows... 1) Creating Loops should remove all included Nodes and their Axons, allowing for more Nodes to drop in. 2) Strings should complete and Vanish like Loops. 3) Focusing more on Strings instead of Loops. Making Caps rare and necessary for completion, and the destruction of Axons will generate Caps over time. 4) What kind of Special Nodes could there be? Want to hear what you all think, any questions will be answered in a timely fashion.

Sounds like a good, well thought out idea. I'm not sure if you're going for the "think it through completely before you start clicking" type puzzle game, or the "frantically click all over and you have a pretty good chance of winning" type. The jewel games you mentioned usually fall into the second category, but your description sounds closer to the first category. If you are trying for the second category, make it easier to remove nodes from the board(probably by implementing (1) and (2)). Maybe have two gameplay modes, one like you described, with (1) and (2) included(this will cover category two), and another with a predefined configuration of nodes and axons, with no new nodes falling from the top, and the goal is to remove all nodes from the board(this will cover category one).

I can only think of one type of special block. It looks like a bomb(or something else associated with destruction), and when you click on it, it starts a chain reaction down all the axons connected to it, destroying every node it is connected to.

Haha, i thought i deleted this post, but now im glad i didnt thanks to the info.

The reason i tried to delete the post was because there was one element of the game play that i deviated from that i promied myself from the begginging...

I have found that many of the popular Puzzle Games have quick or instant gradification, like in your second description. The ones that have people turning off the systems or moveing to another site are the ones that have you clicking over and over in a trial and error attempt to win.

I wanted a quicker game so i decided to change this up a little making it so that you will make a Complete Synapse when connecting any two Caps, this will speed up the game.

If the post dies i will post a revision in the future with the more updated rules and information, thanks for the input.