Ten milestones, one lesson each.
Where the game and the method meet. Each milestone says what changed and what we learned from it.
First playable
What changed
A written rule contract and plain rule classes produced an eight-arrow board you could clear.
What we learned
Keep the rules apart from the screen, so they can be tested without one.
Arrows with tails, and a proof
What changed
Arrows gained bent tails, and a solver began proving that every puzzle can be finished.
What we learned
Removing an arrow can only free cells, so you can never get stuck by playing.
Arrows that unwind
What changed
Arrows became continuous lines that leave along their own path instead of sliding off.
A catalog and Level Select
What changed
Eight hand-built puzzles, a Level Select menu, Replay and Next Puzzle.
What we learned
A menu that looks right can still leave a keyboard player with nothing selected.
The analyzer and the 2/5 playtest
What changed
An analyzer measured each board's structure, and six experiments hit every target.
What we learned
A human rated them 2 out of 5 for challenge. Structure is not what makes a puzzle feel hard.
Open Move and the player contract
What changed
“Show Me an Open Move” arrived, with a score cost and no limit on use.
A canvas bigger than the screen
What changed
Zoom, pan and Fit Puzzle, by mouse, keyboard and gamepad.
What we learned
The puzzle should define the world; the screen is only a window into it.
Six experiments
What changed
Six hand-built experiments with long, bent arrows, and an audit of the project's own rules.
What we learned
They gave a vocabulary, not a recipe. And a rule you don't audit is a wish.
The Reference Knot
What changed
One level composed by hand through three versions and played to the end by its designer.
What we learned
Green checks were not enough, and one tester is not outside validation.
This showcase
What changed
The game in a browser, the story beside it, and a way to tell us what you think.
What we learned
What independent players make of it is the next thing to find out.