Xye! The blog.

New level: Open ended

2012-08-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

It is time for a new level.

Open ended

This level makes use of the new bombs. It reminds me of oldie Kye in which there are many puzzles, you have to decide the order in which you solve them and a couple of them are more interconnected that it seems.

Xye level - Open Ended.zip

New level: Sorting

2012-03-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

And here we go, another level.

Xye level - Sorting.zip

New level: The insider

2012-03-24T16:53:00.003-07:00

Could it be right? Are we back on level season? Here is a new level that exploits a interesting idea. I hope is entertaining.

Download link - Xye level - The insider.zip

New level: The slow speed-run (For real) Also, disqus

2012-03-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

I am deadly sorry about posting the wrong level file yesterday. It should be fixed now.

I'd also like to mention that I have implemented disqus to this web page. Among other new things, should allow you to discuss the individual pages like "levels", "what is xye?" and the one about Kye. But the normal blog posts should support more login options and have more features.

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Old post:

It is time for a new level. This time I tried to find practical uses for the [+]/[-] or "toggle" blocks. They are quite an underused feature. [-] blocks are not pushable. And when you push a [+] block, all the [+] blocks of the same color become [-] blocks and viceversa.

This level pretends to be a race against the clock level, but you shall find that you will need more than just raw speed.

Download link: Xye level - The slow speedrun.zip

Xye 0.12.1 released

2012-03-10T22:15:00.003-08:00

It is basically a bug fix release. The most major feature is the ability to disable level-specified custom colors, so you can use a theme's color scheme in all levels. I guess that would be useful for those who really want to take advantage of the classic skin.

Besides of that, some bug fixes and levels that were already released in this site but is good to have in an official release.

Note that the XDG open directory specification change means that if you used Xye on Linux and had custom levels you will have to move them to the new location.

Changes in Version 0.12.1
- Added option to change white/colorless block color in a skin file.
- The default Xye color is closer to the pure green of old.
- The skin selector now allows you to disable the ability of levels to customize colors. You might like some skins better by keeping the same color scheme independently of the level data.
- The skin selector now shows the correct floor color if the skin modifies it.
- Fixed a crash that was related to microban.xsb in some systems.
- Fixed a bug related to magnets not behaving deterministically.
- Fixed the bug that caused the feature to remember the last played level not work in windows.
- In *nix, Xye will no longer use files at ~/.xye, but will instead use $XDG_CONFIG_HOME and $XDG_DATA_HOME to store configuration and custom levels/skins.
- Various text updates to messages in the official levels.
- 5 new levels have been added to the official levels file. However, these levels were already available in the web before.
- Including a new bonus level file.
- Some skin and interface visual tweaks.

So, do not forget to download it.

Level Pack: SuperJustin

2011-12-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Justin de Lucia (Superjustinbros) has just shared 17 new levels in a single level pack.

The pack starts by making its intentions clear. PuruPuruParadise will remind you of the first level of Kye 2.0, but with a Xye touch. You may try to get the star for a challenge.

You may get that vibe from other levels. Like Raft, which is reminiscent of Kye's do not be greedy trope, but does not avoid to use some of the new objects in unusual ways.

The levels tend to range from easy to intermediate. There are some levels which actually appear to be tutorials but not without some interesting bits. Murple Purple will introduce to you all the new purple objects.

Of course, Xye wouldn't be Xye without intricate puzzles that require good reflexes on top of it. Plumance is looking to be my favorite of the pack, get ready to play some catch.

And other 13 levels. Here is a download link with attached instructions:
Xye levels - SuperJustin.zip

Level: The disturbing case of the blended arrow puzzles

2011-12-06T06:57:00.000-08:00

This time we have a level that mixes together some small ideas for levels I had recently. The right side may feel a little forced. But I think this level should provide some time of wandering around having no idea what to do or in what order.

Xye level - disturbingarrows.zip

New level: Duels of fate

2011-11-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

As the predicted hiatus is near its end, let me post a new level.

It is just a level in which you have to deal with monsters. However, there is the added twist of taking advantage of the new purple timers. The last battle requires some scheming and reflexes.

Xye level - Duels of fate.zip.

Skins: Classic Kye and Xmas Kye appearance

2011-11-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

These skins used to be included in the game's distribution but not anymore in an effort to keep the main package completely free. They are skins that make the game look more like the original Kye versions.

Classic skin

The classic skin imitates Kye 2.0 as much as it can. Of course, new sprites had to be added but I tried to keep the style.
Xye skin - classic Kye.zip

Xmas Kye and Xmas Kye Jr skins

These skins are mostly the work of Justin De Lucia getting the sprites from those games and adapting them to make a Xye skin that looks as close as possible. Of course, there have to be exceptions because although the Xye equivalent of Kye Jr.'s ice block are yellow objects, we couldn't just rename yellow into ice for gameplay reasons. (Or could we?). Anyway, here is :
XMASKYESKIN.zip

How to install new skins.
You gotta find your personal res folder.
- In Windows, the res folder is just a subfolder of the one in which Xye.exe is.
- In Linux and similar, head to /home/yourusername/.xye/res

Extract the zips to the res folder. (The files themselves should be located in res, not in a subfolder of res.)

The future
Speaking of custom skins, take a look to this:

Xye 0.12.0

2011-10-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, really. Head to the download area to get it.

Major gameplay changes:
- A new block has been added, purple.
- Purple arrows and dot blocks are as fast as red arrows.
- Purple pushers are twice as fast as yellow pushers and bounce differently.
- Purple timers are like a mix between the green and red ones, explode a time after Xye activates them.
- Purple surprise blocks teleport Xye to their location if pushed.
- Purple gems do not exist, instead purple gem blocks are activated once you get all the stars in the level.

Other features:
- The listbox control has been made closer to the familiar idea in usual GUI environments. For example, it supports the mouse wheel and can have a scroll bar if necessary.
- Xye's default color has been changed to a less saturated green tone.

Official levels:
- Added two new tutorials.
- Updated the order of some of the levels.
- New levels: Complexity, puzzle, Chekhov's brick, Robot bot trouble and Swing bridge.

Updates to other level files:
- Phipps.xye: Changed the color scheme for the levels from problem.kye.

New editor features:
- Slightly more compatibility with level features.
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Bug fixes:
- Fixed the bug that made .Kye levels in the editor load with black walls, background and earth.
- Fixed bugs related to not being able to play the level's solution / a replay file in the first attempt when there is a saved game for that level.
- Other minor features and bug fixes.

The bad news are that I removed the classic and xmas skins as they were based on the skins from the non-open source games. They will both be uploaded soon to the website as a separate download.

New level: Enough with the magnets!

2011-10-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

It is time for a new level. I think. This level is about magnets, albeit mostly anti-magnets. Note however, that I think it is of the hard variety.

nuffmagnets.zip

New level: Pyramid treasure

2011-10-15T21:17:00.001-07:00

Another level pack by Aoitenshi. This is the pyramid pack. It has a history and a txt file with some subtle hints about what to do in the levels. It includes 8 levels.

As with action replay, the levels tend to require quick reflexes. Get ready to avoid plenty of fire balls. But they also have some puzzles. Some levels are mazes that you have to finish under a time limit.

Xye levels - Pyramid treasure.zip

New level: Avoid the fire and the flood

2011-10-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

It is new level time. This time we have a more arcade level in which you have to battle against the elements (after solving a small puzzle). If you press a switch, you risk getting shot by fire. If you do not, you risk becoming the victim of a flood. You will have to alternate the moves.

afirflood.zip

Xye 0.11.2 Released

2011-10-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Xye 0.11.2 has been released. Find it in the download area.

Updates to the official levels:
- Firestrikers: It is no longer impossible to get the gems after the star.
- Added new levels, for example: "Turn around", "Savage stuff", "So typical", "4x4-4" and more.
- Added a new tutorial.
- In total we now have 26 tutorials and 60 official levels.
- Removed kyeclone.xye. Instead Phipps.xye was added, which includes 44 many great Kye levels.

New editor features:
- Can place ground hints.
- Undo button is no longer disabled when recording a solution.
- It is now possible to change wall, earth and floor colors in a level.

Bug fixes:
- Fix compatibility with OS/X line breaks in xsb level files.
- Fix the bug that made the editor load teleporters as doors in .kye files.
- Fixed a bug that was causing random editor crashes.
- Fixed a bug that could make the game hang if a level was modified and saved data was incompatible.
- Fixed a crash that could happen when trying to respawn Xye in a full level. If that situation happens, you will lose the game, however.

There were tweaks and fixes to the skins. A 30x30 of the clean skin was also added.

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The way the editor can customize the level's color theme is precarious right now, but still easier than editing the XML directly. You will be asked to enter the color number in the hexadecimal format that is used in many places like HTML. There are whole sites dedicated to hex color codes, like this one: http://www.color-hex.com/ . And many painting programs will show you the hex code of the color you are picking. The next versions will improve the interface.

Note that the next version is likely to come much later in the year, unlike these last three updates that were close together and I think it will focus on aspects related to the level browser and a better interface for saving games.

New level: Escape from blob prison

2011-10-10T19:34:00.001-07:00

Time for a new level. This time it is your typical "deal with beasts" level. Featuring the blobs. We never have enough blobs, those pesky things. Prepare to face a blob brain.

Xye level - Blob prison.zip

Featured levels: Action replay

2011-10-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

It is time to start reuploading some levels that were initially in our (now gone) google page. Today we will talk about Eilang's ActionReplay level packs. We are talking about 24 levels in total distributed in 3 packages of 8 each.

Xye levels - ActionReplay.zip
If the name ActionReplay should is not a hint. Most of these levels include a solution movie, but knowing what to do is not going to be very useful as most of the levels are really about dexterity, like "Full Speed" pictured left which will make you really learn how to use the keyboard to gain full speed in an obstacle race.

That does not mean the level set is not without puzzles. Like the very original color puzzle we can see in Apostrophe (Pictured right).

It also contains more traditional (To the Kye 2.0 level of traditionalism) puzzles like "Stairs".

Finally, get ready to find some levels that are really about obscure aspects of Xye. Like Lucky, a level in which you will have to magically teleport 9 times. Do something wrong and you may even make the game crash. (Don't worry, I have already caught the crash bug and the next version a crash will no longer happen. You will lose the game though.)

New level: Defying gravity

2011-10-04T20:11:00.001-07:00

It is time for a new level. This is a quick puzzly with some implementation complications, specially near the end. Star challenge included for those who are particularly used to Xye trickery.

Xye level - gravity.zip

New level: Dungeon

2011-09-30T22:14:00.001-07:00

Sorry about that repeated level I wrongly submitted. Here is a level that is definitely new. Dungeon. Yet another level dedicated to the beasts, this is rare in that it actually uses the snake, and as part of a puzzle, no less.

dungeon.xye

Save the level at the levels sub-folder (windows) or /home/yourusername/.xye/levels (Linux and alike) in order to play it.

If you have made some levels and you think they may be worth sharing, do not hesitate to send them to me as an attachment. I might publish them here.

Xye 0.11.1

2011-09-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

It is mostly a release intended to be a quick bug fix for many bugs introduced in 0.11.0 when adding the ability to edit multiple levels in a single file to the editor. There are also some other , more shocking changes though:

- Fixed a bug that caused the editor to sometimes save wrong round wall data when saving files with multiple levels.
- The editor is once again able to rotate teleport objects.
- Fixed a bug that made the editor replace description and author of a level file when adding/removing levels from it.
- Fixed a crash when typing large words in input boxes.
- The editor can now load kye level files.
- The editor can now place hidden path squares.
- The editor can load and save ground hints from level files. Although there is no interface in place to create or edit them.
- The editor can now change the level number of a level in a level file.
- We decided to stop including kye.xye with the game's package. As those levels are from shareware Kye and it is probably best not to redistribute them. Instead, a new level file called kyeclone.xye is available, with 14 simple levels that try to explain some of the basic concepts from the original Kye.
- New official level: Forces that we are not supposed to control.
- In total, this version brings 15 new levels.
- Improved the way the game creates its window icon.

Go to the download area.

Xye 0.11.0 for windows: Download fixed.

2011-09-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

I am sorry about this, it seems there were connectivity issues while uploading the windows version of Xye 0.11.0 to sourceforge. It has been fixed.

Find it in the download area.

Xye 0.11.0 Released

2011-09-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

* A new, detailed game skin.
* Also a Kye Jr. appearance skin.
* The editor now supports level files with multiple levels.
* The editor can also import the levels from multiple level files.
* It is now easier to change object rotation in the editor.
* Minor bug fixes.
* New level: Take them out.

Head to the download area.

New level: Turn around

2011-09-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

All right, although the number of people that read this blog is still bellow 5, here is a whole new level: turnaround.xye. It is mostly about turner blocks. It has two star challenges, so if you want a new challenge , this is a good place.

To install it, place the file in the levels subfolder (windows) or /home/yourusername/.xye/levels (Linux and similar).

Update: This level has been modified a little. It should now be easier to solve it without getting the stars.

New level: Pluzze++

2011-09-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a new level. It is one of those pure puzzles exploiting a simple concept: Xye level - pluzze.zip.

Update: The bug that allowed a very easier than planned solution has been fixed. Special thanks to Justin De Lucia for discovering the flaw.

New level: Chekov's brick

2011-09-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a new level. It is really a low to medium difficulty problem with the addition of a couple of monsters. By the end you will probably need to figure out how to undermine a certain risk.

Here it is: chekhov.xye.

In order to play this file, save checkhov.xye to ( xye folder\levels\ ) in windows or /home/username/.xye/levels/ in Linux-like OS.

Let us open a blog for the game

2011-09-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

Some changes have been mode to the site. I have started a blog about the game so that it will be easier to share news related to it. I will also probably include new levels here until the level sharing place is up.

The old mailing list, well it went inactive and google removed the custom page feature. I have decided that the comments in this blog will be the place to opine about the game if you want to. Unless it is a bug report, then use the tracker or the email contact.