Press Release
For : Creative Heuristics Ltd, P.O. Box 21 390, Christchurch 8142, New Zealand
Contact: Dr Nicola Ward Petty (64) 3 980 0901 or 64 3 364 2190
For immediate release
Rogo is the new kid on the increasingly popular puzzle block. Though designed originally for pencil and paper, Rogo has made the touch world of iPhone its own. Rogo will soon be played on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in subways, in waiting rooms, and even in classrooms in the US, Japan and China as well as in its home town of Christchurch, New Zealand. Rogo is completely new and original, a mixture of a maze, word-search and sudoku, with an innovative and intuitive interface. Appealing and easy to learn, Rogo is solved by drawing a loop of a designated length, avoiding obstacles and adding up numbers to collect points.
Each Rogo puzzle has a unique solution, which has been generated and tested using a special computer algorithm designed by Creative Heuristics Ltd. The idea for Rogo comes from the outdoor sport, rogaining, which involves using a map and compass to design and travel around a large area in a given amount of time. The mathematics behind it comes from the field of Operations Research. Doctors Shane Dye and Nicola Ward Petty, senior lecturers at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, are the directors of Creative Heuristics, and inventors of Rogo. They have developed Rogo for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in just over a year.
Trials of Rogo have shown it to be popular among school children of all ages, and right through to senior citizens wanting to keep their brains active. A test group of 12 year old pupils enjoyed the challenge of the paper-based version, saying, “It makes me focus hard on them, but in a relaxed way and you laugh when you are frustrated!”, “they are challenging but fun and make you think”. Maths teachers use paper Rogos to help students develop numeracy and problem-solving skills.
The app has been programmed by Bruce Webster, recently of the University of Canterbury, who saw the project and was keen to flex his programming muscles on something new. “Bruce has brought his own brilliance and originality to the game play that takes it out of being simply a converted paper-based game, and into a category of its own.” comments Nicola. The graphics are original and a little quirky, and the background music has been provided by friends and relatives. Photographs of handmade paper provide backgrounds to the different sets of puzzles.
For those who do not own an iPhone or iPod touch, there are daily puzzles on the website, www.rogopuzzle.com, and Creative Heuristics is exploring publication options. Creative Heuristics Ltd has many other ideas in the pipeline; Rogo is only the beginning. Creative Heuristics plans to become internationally known for innovative, high quality puzzle and game design and educational software applications. Their mission statement is to “Have Fun, Make Money and Do Good.”
