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Home/r/IndieDev/2025-07-12/#anomaly-game-typo-easter-egg
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Yes, you can also “open the noor”

r/IndieDev
7/12/2025

Content Summary

The post discusses an Easter egg in the game 'Anomaly' where typing 'open the noor' (a meme reference) triggers a specific response. The author explains their approach to handling player inputs, including typos and creative phrasing through custom handlers like 'CommandLogic'. Commenters critique the hardcoded implementation, suggesting better practices like using JSON for text management to avoid recompilation and ease localization. The author acknowledges being new to game dev and open to learning.

Opinion Analysis

Mainstream Opinion: Most commenters agree that hardcoding text strings is problematic, advocating for external data storage (like JSON) to simplify updates, avoid recompilation, and support localization. They emphasize industry best practices based on painful refactoring experiences.

Author's View: The creator defends the implementation as a deliberate Easter egg, highlighting their custom handlers (CommandLogic) that accommodate typos and synonyms. They acknowledge the critique but note it's a learning process.

Controversial Aspect: While most see hardcoding as inefficient, the author argues it's acceptable for specific Easter eggs. However, commenters insist even exceptions should follow scalable patterns.

Key Debate: Practicality vs. purity in code design - whether accommodating player creativity justifies unconventional methods, versus maintaining clean architecture for long-term maintenance.

SAAS TOOLS

SaaSURLCategoryFeatures/Notes
JSONNot specifiedData Interchange FormatUsed for storing and exchanging data externally

USER NEEDS

Pain Points:

  • Hardcoding strings leads to recompilation for every typo fix
  • Difficulty in localization and text management
  • Inefficient verb declaration (duplicate definitions)
  • Lack of centralized resource management (e.g., audio filenames)

Problems to Solve:

  • Need to avoid recompilation when updating text
  • Need efficient localization support
  • Desire to streamline command definitions
  • Centralizing resource references

Potential Solutions:

  • Use JSON or similar external files for text storage
  • Implement handlers for dynamic text management
  • Create a centralized class for resources
  • Use dictionary structures for command synonyms

GROWTH FACTORS

Effective Strategies:

  • Accommodating user behavior (e.g., accepting typos and goofy inputs)

Marketing & Acquisition:

  • Leveraging memes and easter eggs for engagement

Monetization & Product:

  • Building flexible input systems to enhance user experience

User Engagement:

  • Creating humor through accommodating typos and unexpected inputs
  • Community feedback during playtesting to refine features