Zero/Sum Sean Kearney On the eve of discovering a mathematical cure for cancer, your mentor, Professor Claire Liddy, is murdered. Fortunately… TouchArcade Rating: Free Buy Now Watch Media DetailsOn the eve of discovering a mathematical cure for cancer, your mentor, Professor Claire Liddy, is murdered. Fortunately, before she died, the Professor was able to erase many of the plus and minus signs with her bloody hands, saving the cure from falling into the hands of her killers. Now it is up to you to fill back in the missing parts of the equation and resolve your professor's cure. It's up to you to cure cancer -- AGAIN! (It's a comedy). FEATURES - A completely UNIQUE and ORIGINAL puzzle game! - Puzzle gameplay that will make you feel and look SMART! - A thrilling, 80s ACTION MOVIE-inspired storyline! - Full motion video GREEN SCREEN cinematics! With REAL human ACTORS! - NO mention of CANDY or CUPCAKES or sweets of any kind in the story at all! - A variety of different puzzle types and mechanics to keep things FRESH (melting puzzles, number puzzles, and so much more)! - A Daily Challenge Mode featuring 10 NEW puzzles EVERY DAY! - Time Trial mode - try to beat your best time on RANDOM PUZZLES! - Completely INDEPENDENTLY developed and published! (Support your local punk band)! I ignored my newborn child to make this game, please ignore yours to play it!* *Note: I worked on the game every night after my son fell asleep, there is nothing more important to me than being a father. That being said, this game is a CLOSE second. Like neck and neck, really. Information Seller:Sean Kearney Genre:Puzzle Release:May 16, 2018 Updated:Jul 03, 2018 Version:2.0.6 Size:1.0 GB TouchArcade Rating: User Rating:Unrated Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel curtisrshideler Well-Known Member Patreon Bronze Jul 30, 2011 3,097 25 48 Male Video Producer/Editor Texas http://twitter.com/curtneedsaride #2 curtisrshideler, May 16, 2018 "I ignored my newborn child to make this game, please ignore yours to play it!" Hahaha! My wife and I have our hands full with a one-month-old child! So... I should probably pick this up now, right?! thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #3 thatfoolsean, May 16, 2018 Between making this game and playing Mario Odyssey, it’s a wonder my son gets any attention at all! Seriously though, I’ve been playing a lot of mobile games, especially during late night feedings and sitting next to my kid while he slowly falls asleep in his crib. iPhone gaming is truly meant for parents! congrats on the new baby, it’s really a helluva a lot of fun being a parent! thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #4 thatfoolsean, May 16, 2018 I Made This Weird Game, Ask Me Anything! Im an open book! No question will be turned down! Duke12 Well-Known Member Oct 25, 2013 1,021 43 48 #5 Duke12, May 16, 2018 Pineapple on pizza? curtisrshideler Well-Known Member Patreon Bronze Jul 30, 2011 3,097 25 48 Male Video Producer/Editor Texas http://twitter.com/curtneedsaride #6 curtisrshideler, May 16, 2018 My wife's favorite is pineapple AND black olives on a pizza. I've learned to adapt. And yeah, parenting has been great! It's taking quite a bit of time getting used to it though. But, I guess it'll keep changing. I'm just glad that mobile gaming is where it's at right now because it really does help! And I swear our son is really digging Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest music now. So... how did you get your actors? Friends and family? Or did you have to hold auditions and such? (I ask as someone who has had to both hold auditions and go on auditions). thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #7 thatfoolsean, May 16, 2018 Ask Me Anything! Yeah, sure! Why not! thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #8 thatfoolsean, May 16, 2018 I still haven’t gotten used to it, but it’s a blast! As for casting, it was a mix of friends. Most of the cast was made up of people I either was (or still am) in an improv group with. The villain, however, was found on NowCasting I believe, a website for casting small projects like this. My friend Aris, who shot the cinematics, as well as the main trailer, had experience working on tv shows, and he helped me figure out the whole casting process through the site. curtisrshideler Well-Known Member Patreon Bronze Jul 30, 2011 3,097 25 48 Male Video Producer/Editor Texas http://twitter.com/curtneedsaride #9 curtisrshideler, May 17, 2018 Awesome! Yeah, NowCasting is great. Ive got a few auditions through it I think. Now, the big question. Why the sum of zero?! Ive been having fun figuring out ways to make a zero sum with dates, especially as our due date approached for our son. I stinkin love little math problems like that. So when I saw this was releasing, I was stoked! thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #10 thatfoolsean, May 17, 2018 You're the second person to tell me that they do that with dates, I never have, but that's really clever! I originally had the idea of adding plus and minus in between numbers to try and reach a predetermined sum that wasn't always zero. While I was building a prototype of that idea, my friend Jake Anderson (a very talented Game Designer in his own right, he's working on Exiles of Embermark right now, a mobile Action RPG) very matter of factly said, "You should just always make the numbers have to reach zero". That sounded way easier to explain, and led to the name "Zero/Sum", and then to the wackadoo story, so I never ended up even prototyping the other way, opting exclusively for this one. sugimulm Well-Known Member Aug 28, 2010 2,457 46 48 The last time zone for iOS game releases :( #11 sugimulm, May 17, 2018 I suck at math, but this looks very intriguing thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #12 thatfoolsean, May 17, 2018 I promise you, I am terrible at math as well, and I MADE this game, so I promise, it looks harder than it is! The goal of it was to create something that was easy to solve, but looked difficult, so you could feel incredibly smart when you completed it. And you could look smart in front of other people. It's essentially a "self esteem creation machine"! badmanj Well-Known Member Mar 16, 2009 1,886 24 38 Software developer Reading, England http://www.underground-collective.com #13 badmanj, May 17, 2018 Frustrating - very frustrating. I play mostly on the go, so to find I can complete 9 out of 10 puzzles in an area only to then open the app again and find I have to play that entire area again including having to sit through the non-skippable cut scene... Cant be doing that. Any chance devs could make this carry on from where I left off? Please? Cant be playing this otherwise... Jamie fring Well-Known Member Patreon Bronze Jul 26, 2017 52 3 8 USA #14 fring, May 17, 2018 I confess to pre-ordering this game purely based on the app description recommending that I ignore my kids to play it. While my girls are no longer newborns, I distinctly remember searching for just the right F2P, single-handed mobile game that I could play while "caring" for them. Anyways, I'm definitely enjoying the game. I think the time-trial mode works better for me than the story mode. In story mode, I find myself just sitting and slowly thinking through the solution, then inputting it (so as to maximize my stars). With a timer, I feel the time-pressure a bit more and do more solving as I go, kinds of things. When I got to the timed section in the story mode, it was kind of weird, because what I would do then is that I would get it to the point when things are nearly solved, then, if I had any wrong moves, wait for the timer to fail me before then doing it properly. In summary, I think the stars in story mode don't have quite the right reward/replayability that was desired. I haven't finished story mode yet, but I'm through the broken AC level. Good work and the story is definitely making me laugh. curtisrshideler Well-Known Member Patreon Bronze Jul 30, 2011 3,097 25 48 Male Video Producer/Editor Texas http://twitter.com/curtneedsaride #15 curtisrshideler, May 17, 2018 Oooh, even though I do like the story bits the first time I play through it, it would be nice to have a skip option in the corner. And I wondered how the save system worked. I left off right at the beginning of a chapter, so I didn't know if it would save mid puzzle or not. A save state or save option or auto save after every puzzle would be helpful! thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #16 thatfoolsean, May 17, 2018 Yup! That's a completely rational issue to have, and I can't believe that I missed it! I'm starting work on the update tonight, and "Skipping Cutscenes" and "Saving Puzzle Position" are at the top of the list! Should have something submitted soon! thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #17 thatfoolsean, May 17, 2018 Thanks for the preorder! It feels good to know that my crazy description and trailers connected with someone! I'm so happy that you're digging the game too! I think I have a solution that will stop you from intentionally failing Timed Puzzle to maximize your stars, basically allowing you to restart a level from the Pause Menu, and I'm going to try and get it in the first update! As for one handed games to play during late nights up with the baby, "King Rabbit" was my jam for the first few months! thatfoolsean Active Member Patreon Bronze May 30, 2013 35 0 6 Game Designer / Writer / Friend Los Angeles, CA #18 thatfoolsean, May 17, 2018 Yup! That is a good call for sure! Starting on a fix tonight, hope to have an update that addresses it soon! sugimulm Well-Known Member Aug 28, 2010 2,457 46 48 The last time zone for iOS game releases :( #19 sugimulm, May 17, 2018 Haha! Will definitely check this out then idislikejordan Well-Known Member Jan 7, 2018 78 24 8 #20 idislikejordan, May 18, 2018 I had difficulty at first figuring out how to play, but I explain it out here. This game is rad. ColeDaddy likes this. (You must log in or sign up to post here.) Show Ignored Content Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next > Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Password: Forgot your password? Stay logged in
"I ignored my newborn child to make this game, please ignore yours to play it!" Hahaha! My wife and I have our hands full with a one-month-old child! So... I should probably pick this up now, right?!
Between making this game and playing Mario Odyssey, it’s a wonder my son gets any attention at all! Seriously though, I’ve been playing a lot of mobile games, especially during late night feedings and sitting next to my kid while he slowly falls asleep in his crib. iPhone gaming is truly meant for parents! congrats on the new baby, it’s really a helluva a lot of fun being a parent!
My wife's favorite is pineapple AND black olives on a pizza. I've learned to adapt. And yeah, parenting has been great! It's taking quite a bit of time getting used to it though. But, I guess it'll keep changing. I'm just glad that mobile gaming is where it's at right now because it really does help! And I swear our son is really digging Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest music now. So... how did you get your actors? Friends and family? Or did you have to hold auditions and such? (I ask as someone who has had to both hold auditions and go on auditions).
I still haven’t gotten used to it, but it’s a blast! As for casting, it was a mix of friends. Most of the cast was made up of people I either was (or still am) in an improv group with. The villain, however, was found on NowCasting I believe, a website for casting small projects like this. My friend Aris, who shot the cinematics, as well as the main trailer, had experience working on tv shows, and he helped me figure out the whole casting process through the site.
Awesome! Yeah, NowCasting is great. Ive got a few auditions through it I think. Now, the big question. Why the sum of zero?! Ive been having fun figuring out ways to make a zero sum with dates, especially as our due date approached for our son. I stinkin love little math problems like that. So when I saw this was releasing, I was stoked!
You're the second person to tell me that they do that with dates, I never have, but that's really clever! I originally had the idea of adding plus and minus in between numbers to try and reach a predetermined sum that wasn't always zero. While I was building a prototype of that idea, my friend Jake Anderson (a very talented Game Designer in his own right, he's working on Exiles of Embermark right now, a mobile Action RPG) very matter of factly said, "You should just always make the numbers have to reach zero". That sounded way easier to explain, and led to the name "Zero/Sum", and then to the wackadoo story, so I never ended up even prototyping the other way, opting exclusively for this one.
I promise you, I am terrible at math as well, and I MADE this game, so I promise, it looks harder than it is! The goal of it was to create something that was easy to solve, but looked difficult, so you could feel incredibly smart when you completed it. And you could look smart in front of other people. It's essentially a "self esteem creation machine"!
Frustrating - very frustrating. I play mostly on the go, so to find I can complete 9 out of 10 puzzles in an area only to then open the app again and find I have to play that entire area again including having to sit through the non-skippable cut scene... Cant be doing that. Any chance devs could make this carry on from where I left off? Please? Cant be playing this otherwise... Jamie
I confess to pre-ordering this game purely based on the app description recommending that I ignore my kids to play it. While my girls are no longer newborns, I distinctly remember searching for just the right F2P, single-handed mobile game that I could play while "caring" for them. Anyways, I'm definitely enjoying the game. I think the time-trial mode works better for me than the story mode. In story mode, I find myself just sitting and slowly thinking through the solution, then inputting it (so as to maximize my stars). With a timer, I feel the time-pressure a bit more and do more solving as I go, kinds of things. When I got to the timed section in the story mode, it was kind of weird, because what I would do then is that I would get it to the point when things are nearly solved, then, if I had any wrong moves, wait for the timer to fail me before then doing it properly. In summary, I think the stars in story mode don't have quite the right reward/replayability that was desired. I haven't finished story mode yet, but I'm through the broken AC level. Good work and the story is definitely making me laugh.
Oooh, even though I do like the story bits the first time I play through it, it would be nice to have a skip option in the corner. And I wondered how the save system worked. I left off right at the beginning of a chapter, so I didn't know if it would save mid puzzle or not. A save state or save option or auto save after every puzzle would be helpful!
Yup! That's a completely rational issue to have, and I can't believe that I missed it! I'm starting work on the update tonight, and "Skipping Cutscenes" and "Saving Puzzle Position" are at the top of the list! Should have something submitted soon!
Thanks for the preorder! It feels good to know that my crazy description and trailers connected with someone! I'm so happy that you're digging the game too! I think I have a solution that will stop you from intentionally failing Timed Puzzle to maximize your stars, basically allowing you to restart a level from the Pause Menu, and I'm going to try and get it in the first update! As for one handed games to play during late nights up with the baby, "King Rabbit" was my jam for the first few months!
Yup! That is a good call for sure! Starting on a fix tonight, hope to have an update that addresses it soon!
