Shenzhen I/O Look

Channel:

TroZ

Subscribers:

909

Published on October 9, 2016 5:02:46 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guKkV13ZqPo

Game:

Shenzhen I/O (2016)

Duration: 48:00

315 views

5

Today I taking a look at a game that just entered Early Access on Steam called Shenzhen I/O. It all about creating cheep electronics by taking simple processors and programming them to do what need to be done.

Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/504210
Homepage: http://www.zachtronics.com/shenzhen-io/

The game is by Zachtronics, who also made Infinifactory and SpaceChem which I've played on this channel. They make puzzle type games that don't have a single set solution, may solutions are possible, and this one is no exception.

You are a new employee at a company in Shenzhen, China, a center for the manufacture of cheep electronic items, having move there from your country because we love of building electronics. Story it sold through emails and other things that appear on your desktop in game. There seem to be a bit more going on that it seems, as one email asks you to make a new signal tester because the previous one was 'smashed'. The emails also provide you new projects to work on from your boss, such as making that signal tester.

The actual puzzles have you picking out micro-controllers (made up for this game) and putting them down on the products broad, and connecting them to inputs, outputs and to each other if more than one is needed, and to other components that the product might need.

Once everything is hooked together, you need to program them! This is the core of the game. The language is a made up, but realistic assembly-like language with only a handful of instructions. these let you read the state of inputs and set outputs, do simple math and pause execution until the next input.

When you think you have a solution, you can run it line of code at a time against test input if you want, or you can got time step by time step, or run it 'real time' against a verification test. At the bottom, inputs and expected outputs are shown for each time step, and any deviations from the expected output of your circuit are highlighted in red.

Like most Zachtronics games, you are graded against other players. Any working working solution allows you to move on to the next puzzle, but your solution is compared against other players for component cost, and power used (statements executed).

Even though this is technically Early Access, this looks and plays like a completed game. If you have any interest in programming, or putting together electronics, I'd recommend that you check it out.

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