CRUMB Circuit Simulator

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CRUMB Circuit Simulator is an intricate game that allows players to design and simulate electronic circuits. With a user-friendly interface and a wide range of components, it provides an engaging and educational experience for electronics hobbyists, students, and professionals. The game also offers a testing and debugging feature to help players identify and solve issues in their circuits.

Genres & Tags

Simulation

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 306 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

stability7 negative mentions

Great for testing and experimenting with circuits without the hassle of physical components.
The 3D interface is intuitive and allows for easy placement of components, making it enjoyable to use.
Offers a solid foundation for beginners to learn about electronics and circuit design.

The simulator is currently limited in terms of available components and features, making it less suitable for complex projects.
Frequent bugs and crashes hinder the user experience, leading to frustration during use.
Lacks comprehensive tutorials or guidance for new users, making it difficult for beginners to get started.

gameplay
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this educational game is criticized for its lack of engaging elements, with users noting that it can become boring, especially for those unfamiliar with Arduino Nano. While the visual representation and interface are praised, the absence of tasks, accomplishments, or interactive gameplay loops limits its educational value and overall enjoyment. The wiring mechanic is highlighted as a strong point, offering flexibility, but the game would benefit from additional features like workshop support and customizable mechanics.
- “This educational game is a great experience for gameplay, serving as a replacement for traditional software in learning.”
- “Great work on the visual representation and view control, which matches most CAD systems for mechanical design. I find the interface to be clean and simple.”
- “The wiring mechanic is awesome - super flexible.”
- “Gameplay: 5/10 (could get boring if you are not very familiar with Arduino Nano).”
- “There are zero gameplay elements.”
- “It certainly hasn't got anything for you to really complete, no tasks (not even for learning) nor accomplishments (even in the most sandbox of sim games you still have gameplay loops, something that is simply not in the scope of this game).”
stability
7 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and instability issues that make it feel incomplete. Many feel that the developer has abandoned the current version in favor of a sequel, leading to frustration over what they perceive as a poorly functioning demo. Overall, the consensus is that the game suffers from significant technical problems that detract from the experience.
- “It's buggy, unstable, and incomplete.”
- “Developer seems to have abandoned this in favor of working on a sequel - which I'm keen to see when it comes out but can't help feeling like I've paid for a buggy demo so the dev can go off and make the full version.”
- “As a programmer myself, I would be ashamed to release something this buggy.”
optimization
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the application shows promise with great models and lighting, but users report significant performance issues, particularly with CPU consumption and the handling of analog circuits. While recent updates have improved stability and added features, the software remains resource-intensive and may not deliver real-time performance, especially for complex tasks. Users are hopeful for future enhancements as the product evolves.
- “Edit: since using crumb, the amount of consistent fixes for performance and additions is great.”
- “I feel as though this product will gain features in time, but not really much performance.”
- “But it's also the most CPU-consuming simulator I've ever used; anyway, it's recently published, so developers may improve the performance for this app in the future.”
- “However, the rotary switch on the power source is hard to modify, and it significantly impacts the performance of the GPU.”
- “This is okay for TTL and basic oscillators, but any kind of analog circuit performs terribly; I wouldn't call it powerful or real-time.”
- “But it's also the most CPU-consuming simulator I've ever used. However, since it's recently published, developers may improve the performance for this app in the future.”
graphics
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with users praising the nice 3D visuals that enhance the experience, particularly in recreating environments like an electronics lab. While some reviewers noted that the graphics may appear somewhat incomplete, they still contribute positively to the overall gameplay experience.
- “The 3D perspective and nice graphics make it a unique experience for me, digitally revisiting the electronics lab.”
- “I will say that the game is done well, the graphics are good, and the functions are logical.”
- “The positive, however, is that the graphics are nice (if they seem somewhat incomplete), and none of the issues I've mentioned are serious enough to detract from the experience.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the simulator tedious due to a lack of quality of life features, numerous bugs, and cumbersome controls, which collectively make building large circuits a frustrating experience.
- “The simulator is lacking a lot of quality of life features, making it really tedious to build large circuits.”
- “There's a lot of bugs, and the controls are a little tedious.”
- “If you're a misclicker like me, you'll find this very annoying and tedious.”
story
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is met with mixed feelings; while players appreciate the excitement of building complex components like the jam-1 CPU, they express frustration over missing critical items and the limitations of tooltips that hinder the understanding of the narrative behind the gameplay mechanics. Overall, the narrative experience is seen as engaging yet hampered by usability issues.
- “I was excited to go build the JAM-1 CPU from James Sharman, only to realize that mission-critical ICs are missing!”
- “Placing the breadboard was a mission of its own, but I figured it out, and then you can add power strips to the side of the breadboard. Cool!”
- “I was excited to go build the jam-1 CPU from James Sharman, only to realize that mission-critical components are missing!”
- “Many tooltips cannot be resized, which is very annoying when there's a legitimate short story in the manual for operating a part inside that panel.”
- “Placing the breadboard was a mission of its own, but I figured it out; then you can add power strips to the side of the breadboard, which is cool.”