Posted by terabytest 10/24/2024
Even after all these years, that experience still feels a bit surreal to me. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who connected with the game, whether in small or significant ways, and for the stories shared along the way. Some people expressed how they were going through tough times and found some comfort, however small, in playing 2048.
At the start of last year, I wanted to breathe new life into the game as it was starting to show its age. I quit my job last October to work on 2048 full time and spent a year building this new version (the original took just 5 days!). I wanted to pay tribute to what made 2048 great while modernizing and polishing the experience.
The idea of adding powerups came when Prime Gaming and I connected to see if we could create a special version of 2048 for their members, with some exclusive extras. Some of those powerups made it into the main game, though there’s still a Classic[3] mode just like the original for those who prefer a more hardcore experience. The old site is also still online[4].
2048 is now my full-time focus, and I’m excited about the ways it can keep improving. I wanted to share this update with the community where it all began, both for a bit of nostalgia and to hear your thoughts and feedback!
Thank you all so much!
— Gabriele
[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7373566
[2]: https://medium.com/@gabrielecirulli/2048-success-and-me-7dc6...
HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7484106
I'd actually built an AI for Threes some time earlier (https://github.com/nneonneo/threes-ai), although (perhaps unsurprisingly) the 2048 AI turned out to be a lot more popular.
The timing is pretty funny too - I was on a flight just two weeks ago that featured 2048 as one of the in-flight games, so I played it myself for a bit, got to 2048, then got my AI to get me to 4096 - and promptly crashed the whole app! Your implementation, even though it took just five days, was remarkably robust and fast and has held up really well all these years - real props to the great job you did.
I guess now I'll have to update my AI for all the powerups you've added to the game :^)
2048 has impacted our species. Seriously.
I can assure you from an objective, subjective, authoritative, personal, and collective position: your game has saved many people their sanity, entertained millions, saved/wasted billions, inspired untold people into math, web dev, and game design.
But most importantly, people didn't quit "mindless/thankless/frustrating/demeaning" jobs because their mind was _just_ adequately stimulated by your creation to continue to justify coming to work the next day.
Not demanding enough to command full attention (until we get a 4096, then nothing else matters), but 'choring' enough (in the most charitable sense) to keep people from finding a more or less demanding time-fill, likely compromising their jobs.
Jobs that help others, in an exponential way, sometimes.
Even if this was an isolated incident, I can tell you, you will forever be top 5 (hyper) viral games by a solo developer.
If a butterfly can cause a hurricane, 2048 could just as easily be the reason we survive the next filter, for all we know.
You helped me help others help others. And you deserve to know that.
BTW: I always blocked your ads (no offense, just cognitive stuff).
Drop a donation link somewhere, please.
# of llamas = log2(original number)
https://people.csail.mit.edu/ebakke/twothousandandfortyppaca...
Thanks Gabriele, what a fantastic game you have made.