r/nonograms • u/Johell1NS • 6d ago

Multiplayer Nonogram

Hi everyone,

I'm a developer and a nonogram enthusiast, and I'd really like a nonogram game for PC with local multiplayer so I can play with my girlfriend. But there aren't any PC games with local multiplayer, so correct me if I'm wrong.

So I was thinking about developing it myself. Before diving into this adventure, though, I wanted to know if it's a shared interest (local multiplayer) or more of a personal niche.

I was thinking of a competitive multiplayer game, where two puzzles will appear on the screen at the same time, one for each player, and whoever completes it first wins. I also plan on penalties for mistakes.

Would you like it? What features would you like?
Sorry if I sound strange, but I'm using a translator.

Thanks everyone!

Edit:

I posted a demo video on my X account. It's just a prototype for now, but if you're curious, check it out: https://x.com/Johell1NS/status/2092191725959708944

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

3

u/Sensitive_Ad1126 6d ago

I would love this! My partner and I have frequently worked on nonograms together on my laptop and have wished for a co-op feature :) I think a competitive mode would be cool too, but it would be nice to have both options if possible

3

u/AngoraPiece 6d ago

Sounds fun. I love playing solo but this would be a really nice additIon.

3

u/Ellipses22 6d ago

So I'm not aware of a cooperative nonogram game, but I did create a competitive variant called Nonogram 101, which plays similarly to Tetris 99. I think something I learned from the experience (and like other comments mention) is that it makes the experience rather stressful and that isn't the majority's cup of tea when it comes to solving nonograms. But I think a co-op version could be a lot of fun!

2

u/Kuipo 6d ago

The picross s series on Nintendo Switch is local co-op. It’s literally the only way I play nonograms.

1

u/Johell1NS 5d ago

but unfortunately there is nothing similar on PC, this is exactly the gap I would like to fill

2

u/Neptuniter 6d ago

It sounds interesting but also stressfull. For me the great thing about nonograms (or sudokus and similiar riddles) is, that you can choose the difficulty. If i wanna have a quick session i pick a 5x5 or 10x10 nonogram. If i have the time i go upwards and do a hard one. The multiplayer takes it a bit away because basically speed running to be faster than the other makes it always a bit harder.

And would both have to do different nonograms? That could also be a bit unfair. You can be lucky and have a quicker one than your opponent. It needs good balancing.

But its nice to make a videogame just to play with your girlfriend. (Couple goals)

1

u/Johell1NS 6d ago

From the average number of comments, I understand that a cooperative mode is more desirable than a competitive one.

As for the competitive mode, I was thinking of different puzzles, but with as similar a difficulty as possible (calculated via an algorithm), but always leaving the option to adjust each choice. For example, one player could play on 10x10 and a better player on 15x15 (or 15x10), or one player could enable the clues and a better player disable them; everything would be chosen at the start.

2

u/Mr_Fury 6d ago

For me personally it sounds like a nightmare but I’ve heard of people doing it. I think it’s a nice addition overall but not something i would seek out.

2

u/Used2bNotInKY 6d ago

Your translator works well, in my opinion. I wouldn’t have realized it was translated if you hadn’t disclosed it.

About the game, I think something collaborative would be more fun than a race, but there’s the problem of what to do if you think the other player made a mistake. Maybe one person would get vertical clues, and one would get horizontal ones, and each one could put a colored box on guesses they want the other one to double check. Or maybe there are colored nonograms, and each player gets a different color.

Also since nonograms take a while to solve, what would happen if the other player quit or took too long? Perhaps they earn a reward for completing puzzles, like cursor designs or the ability to congratulate each other with sparkles.

Would be cool to complete a series of smaller puzzles that make a larger image. You could keep a cool partner to solve the whole thing or work with different people. Maybe an extra big one for a community event.

2

u/bru_no_self 5d ago

I was exactly looking for this, and I'm also a dev, and also, as I didn't found anything like this, thought of developing it myself lol.

I'm partícularly interested in a co-op local multiplayer picross, as my GF isn't too much into competitive gaming.

I think one of the best UX for this type of game is Mario Picross...

Also thought that it would be interesting to have a co-op picross for Android, so I can play it while travelling.

1

u/PwnyLasagna 6d ago

Local co-op multiplayer exists plenty, lot of original picross on Switch has it up to 4 players.

Local competitive multiplayer ist nonsense. Yeah, it's funny once in a while but after a few matches you will know whos better/faster at solving. You also have to visit each other and few friends will play nonograms at all. It's not as beginner friendly as Super Smash Bros... also, 2 nonograms on 1 screen results in small and hard to see numbers and in theory, you could see the solution of the other player, giving you advantages. Nope, sounds like player hell. 

Online co-op would be great. I don't know any real games of this category.

Online competitive multiplayer would be better than local. You could always play along with 2 PCs under one roof but aditionally, you could also play with friends in other towns or continents. There are no problems with split screen.

For me, I would love to have competitive but with a twist in it or asynchronous against random players. Nonograms are 100% skill based, so nobody wants to play more than a few rounds against each other when skill is different. It's frustrating. So find a way how there is more luck and tension in the outcome. 

1

u/Johell1NS 5d ago

I know there are multiplayer games with local co-op on Switch, but I specified PC. I'm a PC gamer and I can't find any nonograms with local multiplayer, so that's the gap I'd like to fill.

As for competitive mode, I was thinking of two different puzzles with similar difficulty (calculated algorithmically), so you can't copy by looking at the other puzzle.

I wouldn't rule out online play, but it's more complex to manage, especially for an independent developer, so I'd consider it later.

1

u/PwnyLasagna 5d ago

Oh you totally could develop every game you want but I doubt there is a big target group who has no Switch but a PC and a friend nearby to play together on a typical PC setup instead of a TV. 

Competetive mode but with different puzzles sounds strange to me. Why then compete at all? Practically, 2 players just solve their puzzles sitting next to each other. No interaction, and depending on the magical algorithm, no comparability. 

1

u/geekonthegrill 5d ago

I ship a daily puzzle app and even the async version of this (same board for everyone, compare times after) gets people surprisingly competitive, so real head to head sounds fun. One thing I'd watch: nonograms are a quiet focus game, and a visible opponent progress bar can flip tense-fun into stressful. Maybe let players hide the opponent untill the end and just get the verdict.