20151111 AM Hours:
While trying to run an MS SQL-to-MySQL migration for the hundredth time, I decided to play Splice. However, it wasn't my first time playing, because I've previously played the Android version on my phone.
Setup: Screen: 2560x1440; Quality: Sexy (the only option)
Tips:
: Powers are used from inside out (see the white circle).
: Trial-and-error is important.
: For later levels, count the number of pieces that will be needed and compare it with how many pieces a trial gives.
: You don't always have to use all your moves (see Angelic Solutions).
: Typically the first level of each sequence introduces a new mechanic and the second level reinforces it (though no new mechanic was introduced in the fifth sequence). The mechanics introduced are splicing (1), duplication cells (2), extension cells (3), deletion cells (4), none (5), segmentation (6), and none (7).
Gameplay Log:
: 307 was a bit challenging. The solution was more asymmetric than the previous levels.
: 407 was also a bit challenging.
: 501 was harder than 502.
: My solution to 503 was unexpected.
: Holy! 504 was super challenging!
: 605 was okay. Perhaps about the difficulty of 307.
: 706 was interesting.
: These first seven sequences were completed in under one hour and fifteen minutes.
Gameplay Log Continued:
: E101 was very clever!
: E103 was too hard. I skipped it.
: I tried to return to E103 after completing E107, but it was no use. E103 has two duplication cells! And the number of possibilities increase by a lot. : Even if the solution was simple I was stuck in a box and so I skipped it for a second time.
: E203 was hard, but doable. The trick was to realize the right branch goes along the left.
: E301 took forever and I was not satisfied after completing it.
: E304, like E301, also took forever. Just a bunch of trial-and-error paired with pattern recognition.
: E306 was kind of neat. Though similar to E301 and E304, it was somehow more likeable - perhaps because it took less time to figure out.
: My solution to E307, perhaps like my solution to 503, was unexpected. I spent the whole time boxed into a certain way of solving it and finally tried a path that I thought would lead to nowhere. Boy was I wrong!
: I liked this one, E402. It was difficult, but enjoyable.
: E406 went through this weird process where through a lot of trial-and-error I arrived at the solution, but it was so random that I wouldn't be able to reproduce it.
: E407 was too hard and I eventually skipped it.
: Addicted, I revisited the only other uncompleted level (E103) and by chance I got it.
: Then I revisited E407, but gave up on it after about eight minutes.
[20181218 Edit]
20151111 Evening:
Today I have one more puzzle to solve and it was a pain in the neck. At first I tried to count the deduce the number of movements I would have available to me.
At first I figured I could spend the six moves by using one for a swap, three to complete the remaining positions, one to copy a piece, and then one move four some unknown. Then I tried to come up with a different set of assumptions.
After an hour (11:15PM-12:19AM) I got really excited because I had found the solution. But due to an unknown error on my part, an extra move was used and it gave me the impression that I didn't find the solution. After another twenty minutes, I was so frustrated that I went to YouTube and learned my solution was right after all.
Angelic Solutions:
Some puzzles have solutions which don't use all the possible moves - the game calls them Angelic Solutions (AS). A Splice icon appears in the lower left corner when a level loads to indicate an AS exists. Upon finding an AS, a Splice icon is displayed when hovering over the level during level selection.
Because the game doesn't indicate if a level has an AS from the level select screen, I use a FAQ which lists all the levels with an AS (instead of tediously loading each level one-by-one).
In any case, I started with the AS's for Epilogue 1. I stopped at E106 to sleep early.
[20151111][20181218 Edit]
20151112:
Today I continued through the list of levels with AS's and tackled the ones for which I had not yet found an AS.
Gameplay Log:
: An AS to 505 was a bit tricky.
: An AS to 706 was tricky, but luckily didn't take long.
: Returning to E106, what previously seemed difficult went by quickly. Nice!
: I thought of an AS to E107 but it turned out there was a small trick in recycling a component.
: I'm having the hardest time with an AS to E301. Let me try all the combinations.
: After E301 I had two more Angelic Solutions to determine and they were easy.
Steam Gam Time: 10.3 hours (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Casual, trial-and-error
+ Soothing music and color.
+ Good mix between easy and difficult puzzles. Some puzzles are much more visual for me.
Neutral:
~ Puzzles seldom can be worked backwards. Damn duplication cells!
~ Approximately 10 hours of gameplay (100%).
[20151111]
Comparison to the Android Version:
The Android version of Splice is not as pretty as the PC version, but contains the same gameplay. In addition to liking the graphics more, I like using the mouse more than the touch controls, because the mouse feels more responsive.
[20151111][20181218 Edit]
Recommendation:
I enjoyed Splice and would recommend it to anybody who enjoys playing puzzle games.
[20151111]
Splice (PC) (2012)
Relevant Links:
Splice (Steam Store Page)
Splice (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Splice (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
While trying to run an MS SQL-to-MySQL migration for the hundredth time, I decided to play Splice. However, it wasn't my first time playing, because I've previously played the Android version on my phone.
 |
| Activating the deletion cell (marked with an X) will complete this puzzle. |
Setup: Screen: 2560x1440; Quality: Sexy (the only option)
Tips:
: Powers are used from inside out (see the white circle).
: Trial-and-error is important.
: For later levels, count the number of pieces that will be needed and compare it with how many pieces a trial gives.
: You don't always have to use all your moves (see Angelic Solutions).
 |
| The white segment is being placed. Other valid positions are seen in gray. |
: Typically the first level of each sequence introduces a new mechanic and the second level reinforces it (though no new mechanic was introduced in the fifth sequence). The mechanics introduced are splicing (1), duplication cells (2), extension cells (3), deletion cells (4), none (5), segmentation (6), and none (7).
Gameplay Log:
: 307 was a bit challenging. The solution was more asymmetric than the previous levels.
: 407 was also a bit challenging.
: 501 was harder than 502.
: My solution to 503 was unexpected.
 |
| Close, but no cigar. |
: Holy! 504 was super challenging!
: 605 was okay. Perhaps about the difficulty of 307.
: 706 was interesting.
: These first seven sequences were completed in under one hour and fifteen minutes.
Gameplay Log Continued:
: E101 was very clever!
: E103 was too hard. I skipped it.
 |
| Segmentation mechanic: pieces can be torn of and left floating around. |
: I tried to return to E103 after completing E107, but it was no use. E103 has two duplication cells! And the number of possibilities increase by a lot. : Even if the solution was simple I was stuck in a box and so I skipped it for a second time.
: E203 was hard, but doable. The trick was to realize the right branch goes along the left.
: E301 took forever and I was not satisfied after completing it.
: E304, like E301, also took forever. Just a bunch of trial-and-error paired with pattern recognition.
: E306 was kind of neat. Though similar to E301 and E304, it was somehow more likeable - perhaps because it took less time to figure out.
 |
| Two right clicks away from solving the puzzle. |
: My solution to E307, perhaps like my solution to 503, was unexpected. I spent the whole time boxed into a certain way of solving it and finally tried a path that I thought would lead to nowhere. Boy was I wrong!
: I liked this one, E402. It was difficult, but enjoyable.
: E406 went through this weird process where through a lot of trial-and-error I arrived at the solution, but it was so random that I wouldn't be able to reproduce it.
: E407 was too hard and I eventually skipped it.
: Addicted, I revisited the only other uncompleted level (E103) and by chance I got it.
 |
| Success! |
: Then I revisited E407, but gave up on it after about eight minutes.
[20181218 Edit]
20151111 Evening:
Today I have one more puzzle to solve and it was a pain in the neck. At first I tried to count the deduce the number of movements I would have available to me.
At first I figured I could spend the six moves by using one for a swap, three to complete the remaining positions, one to copy a piece, and then one move four some unknown. Then I tried to come up with a different set of assumptions.
 |
| One of the more difficult levels. |
After an hour (11:15PM-12:19AM) I got really excited because I had found the solution. But due to an unknown error on my part, an extra move was used and it gave me the impression that I didn't find the solution. After another twenty minutes, I was so frustrated that I went to YouTube and learned my solution was right after all.
Angelic Solutions:
Some puzzles have solutions which don't use all the possible moves - the game calls them Angelic Solutions (AS). A Splice icon appears in the lower left corner when a level loads to indicate an AS exists. Upon finding an AS, a Splice icon is displayed when hovering over the level during level selection.
 |
| Hovering over the level reveals I already found an Angelic Solution. |
Because the game doesn't indicate if a level has an AS from the level select screen, I use a FAQ which lists all the levels with an AS (instead of tediously loading each level one-by-one).
In any case, I started with the AS's for Epilogue 1. I stopped at E106 to sleep early.
[20151111][20181218 Edit]
20151112:
Today I continued through the list of levels with AS's and tackled the ones for which I had not yet found an AS.
 |
| Solved with an Angelic Solution! (ANGELIC @ top) (Remark: POTENTIALANGELIC @ bottom) |
Gameplay Log:
: An AS to 505 was a bit tricky.
: An AS to 706 was tricky, but luckily didn't take long.
: Returning to E106, what previously seemed difficult went by quickly. Nice!
: I thought of an AS to E107 but it turned out there was a small trick in recycling a component.
: I'm having the hardest time with an AS to E301. Let me try all the combinations.
: After E301 I had two more Angelic Solutions to determine and they were easy.
Steam Gam Time: 10.3 hours (total game time)
 |
| Cool ripple effect. |
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Casual, trial-and-error
+ Soothing music and color.
+ Good mix between easy and difficult puzzles. Some puzzles are much more visual for me.
Neutral:
~ Puzzles seldom can be worked backwards. Damn duplication cells!
~ Approximately 10 hours of gameplay (100%).
[20151111]
Comparison to the Android Version:
The Android version of Splice is not as pretty as the PC version, but contains the same gameplay. In addition to liking the graphics more, I like using the mouse more than the touch controls, because the mouse feels more responsive.
[20151111][20181218 Edit]
Recommendation:
I enjoyed Splice and would recommend it to anybody who enjoys playing puzzle games.
 |
| Activating the extension cells (left) and duplication cells (right) will complete this puzzle. |
[20151111]
Splice (PC) (2012)
Relevant Links:
Splice (Steam Store Page)
Splice (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Splice (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
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