Shock Switch is a "Panel del Pon" like, and as someone who over-played variants of those games in my youth I found it easy to get the achievement (the precise versions being Pokemon Puzzle Challenge for the GBC and Puzzle League for the DS). Though, I don't have precise time on how I got the achievement because it was ready for me to claim on June 8th despite my not really played Shock Switch much since I was a newbie in 2016.
I tried playing it again after achievements were added, and, yes, I notice the jank. Naively, I would think that it would be easier to play the game with mouse and keyboard controls than a controller, but in Shock Switch I end up mis-clicking way too often. I think it is because, on the console games, the cursor is locked to the blocks you are about to swap until you move the Dpad to change it, and it remains there even if more blocks get pushed in from the bottom so there is no ambiguity over which blocks will get swapped when you click. This is much better than what SS has, with the cursor following the mouse exactly making it difficult to know what will happen when you click while the blocks are constantly moving. Things I end up doing in Shock Switch that never happened to me in Puzzle League: I click on some blocks I intend to swap, but I didn't move the mouse far enough so I ended up clicking the blocks next to them instead. Or, I try to make a move but the blocks behind me have "slipped" and I clicked on the blocks under them instead. This is not a good experience, and it's made worse by the time pressure. So, despite the fact that I got a high enough score at some point in the past that qualified for the achievement, even I, someone who has played these kinds of games for probably dozens or hundreds of hours, struggle a bit. I don't know the best solution for these problems with a mouse-based control scheme, but it's definitely a problem that staff should consider addressing if they're going to maintain the game long-term (though, question for FR players who have been around even longer than I have: have they EVER updated the code for an old Fairgrounds game? I don't just mean adding new puzzles to Jigsaw or Tidal Trouble, I mean updates that change how Fairgrounds games play at a code level).
One other thing I remember from the console PaneldelPon-likes I played in the past is that those games had a puzzle/training mode, where they encouraged the player to learn how to set up chains and combos in a more controlled situation (no time limit or new blocks coming in from the bottom). Furthermore, they also contained more modes, such as a "battle" mode in which you had to make lots of chains and combos to progress, not just outlast the timer (and were also way more fun, from what I recall). This tiny HTML5 clone of the game with only one mode is a mere shadow of the experience and I don't blame people for having a hard time with it.
TL;DR: Shock Switch is a bad clone of a good puzzle game, and is missing needed features in the controls as well as a puzzle/training mode.
As far as guides go, if you have a gamepad and are not opposed on principle, try emulating Pokemon Puzzle League or Pokemon Puzzle Challenge (Game Boy Color or Nintendo 64), or, if you don't want it to be Pokemon-themed, Puzzle League for the DS. All three of those are more complete games that play better than Shock Switch and can teach you how to execute chains and combos better for high scores.
I actually still have my old hard copy of Puzzle League, I remember playing it for HOURS on end as a kid. Yet, shock switch feels so dull in comparison, maybe because there isn't a versus system in it.
Oh man, I had Pokémon Puzzle League for the N64 and feel like nobody else ever played that game lmao. I loved it, it was definitely better made than Shock Switch!
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Re: Thoughts on Shock Switch achievement?
(Anonymous) 2023-07-05 01:01 am (UTC)(link)I tried playing it again after achievements were added, and, yes, I notice the jank. Naively, I would think that it would be easier to play the game with mouse and keyboard controls than a controller, but in Shock Switch I end up mis-clicking way too often. I think it is because, on the console games, the cursor is locked to the blocks you are about to swap until you move the Dpad to change it, and it remains there even if more blocks get pushed in from the bottom so there is no ambiguity over which blocks will get swapped when you click. This is much better than what SS has, with the cursor following the mouse exactly making it difficult to know what will happen when you click while the blocks are constantly moving. Things I end up doing in Shock Switch that never happened to me in Puzzle League: I click on some blocks I intend to swap, but I didn't move the mouse far enough so I ended up clicking the blocks next to them instead. Or, I try to make a move but the blocks behind me have "slipped" and I clicked on the blocks under them instead. This is not a good experience, and it's made worse by the time pressure. So, despite the fact that I got a high enough score at some point in the past that qualified for the achievement, even I, someone who has played these kinds of games for probably dozens or hundreds of hours, struggle a bit. I don't know the best solution for these problems with a mouse-based control scheme, but it's definitely a problem that staff should consider addressing if they're going to maintain the game long-term (though, question for FR players who have been around even longer than I have: have they EVER updated the code for an old Fairgrounds game? I don't just mean adding new puzzles to Jigsaw or Tidal Trouble, I mean updates that change how Fairgrounds games play at a code level).
One other thing I remember from the console PaneldelPon-likes I played in the past is that those games had a puzzle/training mode, where they encouraged the player to learn how to set up chains and combos in a more controlled situation (no time limit or new blocks coming in from the bottom). Furthermore, they also contained more modes, such as a "battle" mode in which you had to make lots of chains and combos to progress, not just outlast the timer (and were also way more fun, from what I recall). This tiny HTML5 clone of the game with only one mode is a mere shadow of the experience and I don't blame people for having a hard time with it.
TL;DR: Shock Switch is a bad clone of a good puzzle game, and is missing needed features in the controls as well as a puzzle/training mode.
As far as guides go, if you have a gamepad and are not opposed on principle, try emulating Pokemon Puzzle League or Pokemon Puzzle Challenge (Game Boy Color or Nintendo 64), or, if you don't want it to be Pokemon-themed, Puzzle League for the DS. All three of those are more complete games that play better than Shock Switch and can teach you how to execute chains and combos better for high scores.
Re: Thoughts on Shock Switch achievement?
(Anonymous) 2023-07-05 01:53 am (UTC)(link)Re: Thoughts on Shock Switch achievement?
(Anonymous) 2023-07-05 01:54 am (UTC)(link)Re: Thoughts on Shock Switch achievement?
(Anonymous) 2023-07-05 03:36 am (UTC)(link)Re: Thoughts on Shock Switch achievement?
(Anonymous) 2023-07-05 04:51 am (UTC)(link)