Abxtract Tractx
About Abxtract Tractx
Do you think Abstract Art is too simple to be considered art? Try reproducing all 6 iconic abstract paintings in the very puzzling Abxtract Tractx!
How to play
Controls
Your goal is to reproduce on the left-hand side canvas the abstract painting shown on the right-hand-side.
Stepping towards a coloured square will launch a straight line of colour onto the canvas all the way up to the frame.
Undo
Press Z or (undo) to undo a move.
Restart
Press R or (restart) to restart the level.
Level selector
Opening the selector menu
Press L or the LevelSelector.
Picking levels in the selector menu
Directly
(tap) or (click) the level name.
Type the level name
Start typing the level name and the cursor will move to the correct level. Press (enter) to confirm.
Type the level number
Alternatively, you may type the level number with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. Press (enter) to confirm.
Arrow keys to move
Press (left) or (right) to move between levels. You may also use ↹ (tab) or ⇧↹ (shift+tab). Press (enter) to confirm.
Closing the selector menu
Pressing Esc or L will close the menu without changing level.
Fullscreen
Toggle Fullscreen by pressing F or (fullscreen).
Hints
Request a hint by pressing H or (hint), but use them sparingly to preserve your standing, shall you enter Hall of fame!
Music playlist
Toggle the music playlist by pressing M or ♫ (music).
Leaving the current tab or window will also pause the playlist, but it wll resume automatically when appropriate.
Credits
Abxtract Tractx by Pedro PSI , 2018.
Abstract Artworks
All abstract artworks, listed chronologically below, are in the public domain (see Wikiart page link).
| Year | Author | Title | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Vanessa Bell | Abstract Painting | Wikiart |
| 1915 | Kasimir Malevich | Black Square | Wikiart |
| 1923 | Theo van Doesburg | Study for Composition XXV | Wikiart |
| 1922 | Paul Klee | Separation in the Evening | Wikiart |
| 1927 | Sophie Taeuber-Arp | Projet pour l'Aubette | Wikiart |
| 1930 | Piet Mondrian | Composition in Red, Blue and Yellow | Wikiart |
Music
Background (Classical) music .
| Track | Author | Year | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Planets - Op. 32 - Venus - The Bringer Of Peace | Gustav Holst | 1914 | Public Domain |
| Bassoon Sonata - Op.168 | Camille Saint-Saens | 1921 | CC-BY 3.0 |
Game Engine
Made with Puzzlescript and Game Bar!
Special thanks
Lucas (Le Slo), William Hu (TheGreatEscaper), Personman, Ili Butterfield (Chz), Marcos Donnantuoni and Matthew VanDevander for early positive feedback and/or for suggestions about the game synopsis; Elyot Grant for spotting other polishing opportunities.
F.A.Q.
What does the name Abxtract Tractx mean?
Abstract Tracts refers both to the vast canvas areas (tracts) to become abstract art, and to the colourful lines (also tracts) connecting different areas in each painting. The Ss were replaced by Xs to represent the intercrossing of paint lines - so often a byproduct of the game mechanics.
How is Abxtract Tractx unusual?
Both its purpose, to spark curiosity for abstract art and classical culture in an entertaining way, plus the option to draw from the history of art rather than from a purpose-made fictional world are unusual.
Similar games are thus rare: for instance, Leo Lefebvre's and Sacha Chouery's Paisible après midi au fil des toiles (thanks Ili Butterfield (Chz) Chz for the tip).
Which criteria guided the choice of artists and artworks?
The most important criterion for inclusion was the availability of at least one public domain artwork (per artist) that would broadly fit in the abstract category (e.g. Neoplasticism, Suprematism, Abstract Expressionism...). Critically, each artwork had to make a good puzzle, so those with very complicated details or too many colours were excluded. Also, due to the game mechanic and low resolution, right angles were preferred to obliques, and no curvature could be added. So, for instance, Rothko, Pollock, O'Keefe, Delaunay or Kandinsky couldn't be included.
Why are there differences between the original artwork and its depiction in Abxtract Tractx?
Most differences arise from the low-game resolution and by the limited colour palette (common to all paintings, chosen for simplicity). Canvas size was limited so it wouldn't be tedious to traverse by the player. Also, brush strokes and other tridimensional paint features were not considered.