https://www.outbrick.site/blog/category/game-craft Stories from the Game craft shelf of the OutBrick Journal. en Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://www.outbrick.site/assets/icon/icon-192.png https://www.outbrick.site/blog/category/game-craft https://www.outbrick.site/blog/block-blast-plus-vs-outbrick https://www.outbrick.site/blog/block-blast-plus-vs-outbrick Compare Block Blast!+ and OutBrick by their actual mechanics: placing shapes to clear lines, sliding bricks to exits, and choosing how to pay. Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft puzzle games block sort puzzles game design player habits mobile games Colourful OutBrick bricks and characters arranged around a phone on a dark geometric background https://www.outbrick.site/blog/outbrick-iphone-duo-player-ideas https://www.outbrick.site/blog/outbrick-iphone-duo-player-ideas Would you want OutBrick adapted for iPhone Duo? Explore possible inner and outer screen experiences, then tell us what would make play worthwhile. Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft game design player feedback iphone accessibility puzzle games Colourful OutBrick bricks and two brick characters arranged around a phone on a navy grid https://www.outbrick.site/blog/sokoban-vs-sliding-block-puzzles https://www.outbrick.site/blog/sokoban-vs-sliding-block-puzzles Learn how Sokoban pushing differs from glide-to-stop block puzzles, with practical examples of corners, access routes and temporary stopping points. Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft puzzle games sliding block puzzles game design problem solving block sort puzzles OutBrick phone and colourful bricks against a dark background with geometric pathways https://www.outbrick.site/blog/history-of-sliding-block-puzzles https://www.outbrick.site/blog/history-of-sliding-block-puzzles A post office in New York, an 1880 craze, a famous puzzler’s false claim and a parking-lot puzzle from Tokyo: how sliding blocks became a classic. Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft history of sliding block puzzles 15 puzzle Klotski Rush Hour puzzle A classic 15 Puzzle tray with the 14 and 15 swapped, beside a real OutBrick board on iPhone, with Bloo and Sprout https://www.outbrick.site/blog/verifying-2000-sliding-block-boards https://www.outbrick.site/blog/verifying-2000-sliding-block-boards A pathfinding result is only the beginning. Here is how we replayed a clear for every OutBrick board against the same rules the game uses. Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft game development puzzle design pathfinding quality assurance sliding block puzzles A real OutBrick sliding-block board with colour and glyph cues, shown alongside the game’s block pieces https://www.outbrick.site/blog/apple-vision-pro-puzzle-games https://www.outbrick.site/blog/apple-vision-pro-puzzle-games Comfort, gaze and pinch, windows versus immersion, seated play and legible pieces: what makes a puzzle game work well on Apple Vision Pro. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft Vision Pro puzzle games Apple Vision Pro games visionOS game design Three floating rounded windows showing a real OutBrick board and two brick-built villages against a soft violet sky, with Vio and Sprout below https://www.outbrick.site/blog/apple-watch-puzzle-games https://www.outbrick.site/blog/apple-watch-puzzle-games Glanceable boards, fingertip-sized pieces, the Digital Crown, haptics and standalone play: what makes a puzzle game work on Apple Watch. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft Apple Watch puzzle games games for Apple Watch watchOS game design An illustrated watch frame around a real OutBrick board on an indigo brick ground, with Bloo and Poppy on either side https://www.outbrick.site/blog/colour-in-game-interfaces https://www.outbrick.site/blog/colour-in-game-interfaces What colour psychology can and cannot tell game designers, why contrast matters more than hue, and how to make coloured pieces readable for everyone. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft colour in games game design contrast colour vision A real OutBrick board of coloured bricks on an iPhone, between Moss in his tool belt and Flurry in a striped bobble hat https://www.outbrick.site/blog/dynamic-difficulty-adjustment https://www.outbrick.site/blog/dynamic-difficulty-adjustment Many games quietly tune themselves to your skill. What studies say about adaptive difficulty, why it can leave players overconfident, and the case for asking. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft dynamic difficulty adjustment difficulty design player agency game design An iPhone showing the OutBrick weekly leaderboard, between Flurry in a striped bobble hat and a winking yellow Zippy https://www.outbrick.site/blog/game-feel-and-juice https://www.outbrick.site/blog/game-feel-and-juice Juice is the extra feedback that makes a tap feel good. Studies with thousands of players show it helps, up to a point, and then starts to hurt. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft game feel juicy design game design feedback A real OutBrick board on an iPhone between Moss in his tool belt and Vio in headphones, with floating bricks on a navy brick wall https://www.outbrick.site/blog/game-tutorials-that-teach-without-telling https://www.outbrick.site/blog/game-tutorials-that-teach-without-telling A study of 45,000 players found tutorials only paid off in complex games. What research says about teaching through play, hints and the first hour. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft game tutorials onboarding game design learning games An iPhone showing the OutBrick Journey map at Button Factory, between Flurry in a bobble hat and Bloo with his watch https://www.outbrick.site/blog/games-like-tetris https://www.outbrick.site/blog/games-like-tetris Simple rules, a board you can read, fair difficulty and a short loop: what makes block puzzles endure, and how to judge any game like Tetris. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft games like Tetris block puzzle games puzzle design Tetris Studded bricks in red, yellow, teal, violet, blue and green falling towards a real OutBrick board on an indigo ground, watched by Bricko and Zippy https://www.outbrick.site/blog/procedural-puzzle-level-generation https://www.outbrick.site/blog/procedural-puzzle-level-generation Procedural generation can make endless puzzles, but a board that is merely solvable is not a good one. How generators work, and where they fall short. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft procedural generation puzzle design game development sliding block puzzles A real OutBrick board on an iPhone, with Poppy holding a star-tipped wand on one side and Moss on the other, among floating bricks https://www.outbrick.site/blog/how-to-solve-sliding-block-puzzles https://www.outbrick.site/blog/how-to-solve-sliding-block-puzzles Work backwards from the exit, find the move that makes space, count before you commit. A designer’s method for sliding block puzzles that look impossible. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft sliding block puzzles sliding puzzle strategy how to solve puzzles puzzle tips Real OutBrick boards on an indigo baseplate, led by a colour-blind board with glyphs, while yellow bricks slide out through their gate and Bricko looks on https://www.outbrick.site/blog/loot-boxes-ethical-monetisation https://www.outbrick.site/blog/loot-boxes-ethical-monetisation Loot box spending is consistently linked to problem gambling. What the studies show, what makes monetisation predatory, and a fair test for any game. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft loot boxes monetisation ethics in games mobile games An iPhone showing the OutBrick Journey map at Cloud Carnival, between a winking yellow Zippy and a red Bricko https://www.outbrick.site/blog/relaxing-puzzle-games-what-makes-one-calm https://www.outbrick.site/blog/relaxing-puzzle-games-what-makes-one-calm Soft colours are not enough. Move limits versus clocks, fair lives, and games that never interrupt you: how to tell if a puzzle game will stay calm. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft relaxing puzzle games puzzle games without timers calm games game design Three arched windows in an indigo brick wall showing real OutBrick villages, Lavender Hills, Firefly Wetlands and Cherry Blossom Town, with Flurry and Sprout on the sill https://www.outbrick.site/blog/game-audio-feedback-player-experience https://www.outbrick.site/blog/game-audio-feedback-player-experience Sound changes how immersed, tense and competent players feel, and music can even bend their sense of time. What the research shows, and how to design for mute. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft game audio sound design feedback player experience An iPhone showing the OutBrick Journey map in Cherry Blossom Town, between Moss in his tool belt and a winking yellow Zippy https://www.outbrick.site/blog/what-makes-a-puzzle-fair https://www.outbrick.site/blog/what-makes-a-puzzle-fair Hard is not the same as unfair. What research on challenge and failure says about the puzzles players trust, and the ones they quit in frustration. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft puzzle design difficulty design failure in games game design A real OutBrick board on an iPhone, flanked by Moss in his tool belt and Sprout with a seedling on top, against a navy brick wall https://www.outbrick.site/blog/why-we-get-attached-to-game-characters https://www.outbrick.site/blog/why-we-get-attached-to-game-characters Players admire, worry about and miss game characters. Research on attachment, parasocial bonds and cuteness explains why, and what designers owe players. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Game craft game characters mascots player attachment game design A real OutBrick board on an iPhone between Vio in headphones and Peach with a little peach on top, against a navy brick wall https://www.outbrick.site/blog/kinder-difficulty-curve https://www.outbrick.site/blog/kinder-difficulty-curve Challenge should stretch the player’s attention without making the relationship with the game feel brittle. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft difficulty design flow accessibility A rising path of small puzzle boards with easy and challenging stepping stones https://www.outbrick.site/blog/papers-please-meaningful-friction https://www.outbrick.site/blog/papers-please-meaningful-friction How a game can turn a repetitive action into a moral question—and why the best friction asks the player to decide, not simply to wait. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft Papers, Please meaningful friction ethics in games systems design A stark desk with stamped papers, a queue, and a single warm light suggesting consequential choices https://www.outbrick.site/blog/tetris-simple-rules-infinite-variation https://www.outbrick.site/blog/tetris-simple-rules-infinite-variation A look at constraint, rhythm, and the endless variety inside a very small ruleset. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Game craft Tetris puzzle design rules Colorful geometric toy blocks descending toward a clean grid