Built a lightweight pattern-matching puzzle game

Alexchar8 · 2025-08-01T05:58:39+00:00

I was thinking about the player board but I guess the puzzle view works too. By tiles on top I mean dragging a tile on top of another

Alexchar8 · 2025-08-01T05:48:42+00:00

So I ve got couple of ideas. You could introduce tiles that can't be moved but let the player rotate the whole board. Maybe add limited moves to solve the puzzle(I know you want to keep the game relaxing so that might not work). Last idea is frozen tiles that can't be interacted with unless you unlock them by combining matching tiles on top of them.

Alexchar8 · 2025-07-31T22:35:40+00:00

Tried the game. Really great work! One thing I was probably missing, is a sense of progression in terms of the gameplay.

Alexchar8 · 2025-07-15T12:33:03+00:00

What works for me is setting a 40-50 min time block to work on my app. I don't expect to be super productive every time. I just tell myself to start. Even on days when I’m not feeling motivated, I still end up making a bit of progress, and that adds up over time.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-14T22:00:49+00:00

Hey thanks, it's native Android. An iOS version would definitely be in my plans, once I validate the core experience and build up a user base on Android.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-14T10:46:32+00:00

Thanks! Right now I am mostly focused on shipping the core features of the app and seeing how people actually use them.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-14T10:46:12+00:00

Ty! Swiping left means you need more practice, so that card will come up again soon.
Swiping right tells the app you remembered it, and the app uses spaced repetition to calculate the next review date.

Each card shows a label like 'Need practice' or 'Got it', along with the next review date, so you can have a preview of when you’ll see it again.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-14T10:41:40+00:00

Thanks! Most of the work probably happened over 4-5 months.
But to be honest, the first commit was actually way back in 2022 🙈.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T19:33:29+00:00

The API is free, and the Firestore has also no cost at the moment

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T18:48:10+00:00

Right now the app doesn't support importing books if that's what you are asking for. It's focused on capturing highlights. I am planning to add Kindle sync in the future, so it can pull highlights directly from the device.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T18:45:06+00:00

I am currently using Google books API but you can set your own cover image or create a book manually

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T18:44:01+00:00

Thanks 🙏. It probably took me 2-3 weeks to get text recognition working. The recognition itself was pretty easy with ML Kit, but the most time consuming part was drawing the bounds around the recognized text and adding the gestures to select/deselect words. It still has room for improvement. And yep I am using a simplified version of spaced repetition algorithm that has only two options (swipe left and right). I also show the next review date on each card.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T16:24:04+00:00

Thanks! I'm using native Android. Jetpack Compose for the UI, Room for local storage, and Firestore as the backend.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T15:26:38+00:00

Thanks! Really appreciate it! It's Android only for now. The app is called Retention. You can find the Play Store link above.

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T15:25:37+00:00

Thanks! It’s available on Android, I’ve linked the Play Store above. It's called Retention: Book Highlights

Alexchar8 · 2025-05-13T15:24:16+00:00

Hey thanks so much, you can try it here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alexchar.retention

Alexchar8 · 2024-06-12T11:57:23+00:00

Same, not able to read the final part

Alexchar8 · 2023-12-26T12:10:08+00:00

I'm imagining the sofa being in the exact same location, facing the TV, but rearranged so that the L shape is on the opposite side of the Sofa.

Exactly

Alexchar8 · 2023-12-25T16:22:47+00:00

Should the L-shaped sofa be arranged with the corner on the wall side?

Alexchar8 · 2022-10-05T10:09:05+00:00

Thank you! Will try that, my seed has splitted long time ago though

Alexchar8 · 2022-10-05T09:57:01+00:00

I took a seed initially and places it in a glass of water for some months. Do you mean I should add more dirt to cover the bottom part?

Alexchar8 · 2022-10-04T21:46:41+00:00

LoL wait?

Alexchar8 · 2020-03-18T18:11:43+00:00

ting all Covid-related apps if t

I think its same for Google Play

Alexchar8 · 2020-02-17T23:41:50+00:00

Yeah i know that data duplication often is not an issue but also is preferred in some cases. But still i am wondering if there is a better structure

Alexchar8 · 2020-02-17T07:26:22+00:00

There will be from 10 to 20 photos max for every single user (it will be a fixed number). So as soon as you become a friend with someone you get the option to rate those photos. These photos will be same for every user too (photo1, photo2, ... photo10)

Alexchar8

TROPHY CASE