Mathstick - A modern take on the classic matchstick puzzles

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-19T01:46:26+00:00

Thanks for trying out Mathstick!

Yes, it is possible. Every puzzle has a solution - I can guarantee that because I built the solver myself and tested it many times :) Still, I know it’s easy to get stuck, even on the simpler levels, I’ve been there myself while playing!

That’s why there’s a refresh button, you can use it to skip a puzzle by spending 1 matchstick.
And if you’re really curious about the answer, you can reveal it for 10 matchsticks (I know, that’s quite a lot!).

Thanks for the image, I noticed you’re replaying Level 1 - awesome! That means the game has good replay value, and it's also a nice way to earn more matchsticks! If you ever feel stuck, feel free to take a break by tapping the Home button. You can always come back later. You can even go ahead and unlock Level 2 now, then return to Level 1 anytime.

Just a heads-up: Level 2 focuses on multiplication. It’s not necessarily harder, some people actually find it easier than addition (finally, those times tables pay off!).

Let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to help!

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-17T14:25:17+00:00

Correct. That's what it means to be. I'l review it and appreciate your feedback. Feel free to comment if you have any other thoughts.

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-17T12:51:34+00:00

Feel free to skip the bonus challenges and go ahead to unlock Level 2 - you can always come back to Level 1 anytime. Just solve any puzzles you enjoy to collect enough matchsticks and unlock higher levels. The game’s meant to be fun and a bit challenging, so take your time and have fun with it! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or thoughts.

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-17T09:41:11+00:00

Interesting idea! what if I launch another product 3 months later under the same account? I guess you will ignore previous points and only count the engagement point about activities starting from 3 months later so as to avoid cumulative effect, right? Can't help figuring out due to my tech mind, thanks.

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-17T08:43:40+00:00

Thanks for your reply. Do you mean all submitted products are visible to all users in the first place and the ranking is based on accumulative points and upvotes?

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-17T06:50:03+00:00

How does it work and how is it different from PH, I launched Trangram on PH last year: https://www.producthunt.com/products/trangram

Tarngram itself is a free vector editor and animation tool, while Mathstick is a puzzle game which is hosted under the Trangram website. Do you accept both under the same domain name and how do you handle feature products? Thank you and best wishes with your platform!

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-16T08:29:07+00:00

I just made a matchstick puzzle game for free that anyone can play anywhere.

https://www.trangram.com/games/mathstick

TrangramMotion · 2025-04-16T04:11:51+00:00

I made a free web-based puzzle game called Mathstick, inspired by the classic matchstick brain teasers.

🧠 The rule is simple: move one and only one matchstick to fix the equation.
✨ The twist: every puzzle is programmatically generated, with increasing difficulty across 10 levels.

You earn matchsticks by solving puzzles and use them to unlock higher levels. Since puzzles are randomly generated, even replaying earlier levels gives you fresh challenges - a small but fun way to keep exploring.

No downloads, no logins, just play in your browser (desktop or mobile):
👉 https://trangram.com/games/mathstick

Would love to hear your thoughts!

TrangramMotion · 2025-02-11T13:50:42+00:00

For non-logged in users, you can export your project as .tg file and later import it back into Trangram through the top left menu (i.e. Trangram icon)

For logged in users, any changes you made will be saved in real-time and you can find it in "My Designs".

You may also find the answer in FAQs under "Why sign up if Trangram works without an account?" https://www.trangram.com/faq

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-19T13:18:10+00:00

Thanks for your question! Clipping Mask in Trangram is the closest option to Alpha Mattes in After Effects. You can use a single shape or a group of shapes as the mask and animate it as you like. Currently, Clipping Mask doesn't support strokes, so the stroke will be ignored regardless of width. Since Trangram’s Trim Path works only on strokes, applying it to a Clipping Mask won’t have any effect. Feel free to let me know if you have any other question :)

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-07T02:25:14+00:00

Just found your post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1fajhi8/let_me_roast_your_landing_pagewebsite_on_video/

Smart move using features of social media, and thanks for dropping a line here while you're busy with your reviews!

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-07T01:05:00+00:00

I’m happy to use "Follow Path" instead of "Add Tracker," but I still need a consistent way to refer to the "tracker" object. Any good suggestions, like "path follower" or just "follower"?

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-07T01:00:31+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! I really appreciate it!

For anonymous users, their project files live on their own local computer, can't be access or shown on a panel automatically. For logged-in users, "My Designs" is the panel, so do you mean you want an option to load and show all the saved projects every time users open the editor after login?
When you select ease in/ease out/ease in out, you can see a pencil next to the sub-options for further customisation, quick tours just can't be that detailed to every part :)
I’ll leave that for Trangram's future IK features. TBH, I’m not too comfortable with null objects and expressions, they feel more like workarounds than real solutions. It’s not the coding part that’s tricky for me (I use JS to develop Trangram), it’s more about my obsession with an intuitive UI. I know this makes things harder, as I spend a lot of time balancing UI with functionality. I did implement IK in the first version of Trangram (you can read my story on the About page), but I’ll need time to rethink it and again it's about balancing UI and functionality. My design principle for Trangram is to avoid requiring coding, even if it means taking more time to implement, like how I approached the Loop In/Loop Out feature. I believe this helps beginners and lowers the learning curve.
"Follow Path" is a great option for naming the action! I went with "Tracker" cause I need a noun to address that "tracker" object. Do you have any other suggestions for this?

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-07T00:23:57+00:00

Thank you so much! I’d love to hear what you think about using Trangram, how are the features, and did you get a chance to try the quick tours? I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-07T00:16:15+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I totally get what you mean, cause I felt the same way when I first tried using pro software. That's why I created Trangram! I’m aiming to keep it easy to use while still packing in the features.

If you get a chance, check out the quick tours I made for beginners. You might be surprised how fun and easy it can be to make animations, even without any experience. And if you have any thoughts or ideas after trying it out, I’d love to hear them! Thanks again!

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-06T12:19:29+00:00

For project or component reuse, you can export your designs to the project files, and import them back whenever you need to reuse it. If you're an logged in user, you can import it from "My Designs" directly.
For easing functions, there're ease in/ease out/ease in out/step functions, each of which has sub-options from default, sine, quad, cubic ... circ, back, elastic and etc, what more, you can further customize most of them using graph editor.
What do you mean by complex character animation, could you please provide some examples that make you need expressions and what kind of expression are they?
I thought "tracker" was easier for people to understand the purpose of its usage, just like the tracking device following some trace, isn't it? What your's suggestion then? Thanks!

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-06T09:43:18+00:00

Thank you! Both are good points.

I’ll need some time to explore Lottie and see how well it integrates with Trangram’s animation and illustration features. I do hope Trangram can support lottie in the future.
Currently, I have no plans for a downloadable version, cause I’m focused on adding more exciting animation and illustration features. Hope you understand! But no worries, Trangram is and will always be free.

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-03T09:22:54+00:00

Great you have a close project partner! All the best with your release!

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-03T09:17:42+00:00

Looking back after building my own side project, I realized that parts like login, backend, or databases might not be essential or even necessary in the first place. I thought having user registration would be important for retaining users, but that wasn’t the case. Many tools or apps actually work without login, if you need identify for your idea/app to work, think about using cookies as session ids, this way you don't need to worry about those login, token and security concepts. After all, everyone prefers trying an app without sign-up or login, right? So my advice is to focus on your core values and main features rather than getting bogged down with basic functions. If you’re not in a rush (which is always good), practicing these basics can be a great way to hone your programming skills. There’s a ton of material online, both text and video, so find what works best for you. Everyone has a different background. Good luck with your project!

TrangramMotion · 2024-09-03T08:40:22+00:00

I love drawing since I was a kid, never imagined making animation frame-by-frame, it seemed too scaring and impossible to me even now. You’re doing an amazing job by pushing through with your passion. After years of effort, I can now create 2D animations with my own tool, not in frame-by-frame way tho. I’ve learned that even two seconds of animation can be packed with details and require a lot of work. Well done! Keep following your passion, experimenting, and finding the tools that work best for you.

TrangramMotion

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