Dev builds puzzle game rule through four failed fixes before it finally works

A developer working on a puzzle game called Traceroute documented the iterative process of implementing a single path-completion rule in their third devlog. The rule required that clicking through a color's endpoint should stop the path there and mark it as complete, but the first three attempts each solved only part of the problem while hiding the next flaw. Early fixes addressed the path not stopping and a misrouted rejection animation, but the stop turned out to be cosmetic, with no underlying lock preventing further path extension. The real solution was freezing the entire path upon reaching the endpoint, which also immediately raised a new design question: what if the locked path was unintentional. This directly led the developer to build undo, redo, and clear functionality as necessary consequences of the freeze mechanic rather than optional features.