[img]http://i.imgur.com/Xffdc.png[/img]
[url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/92800]Steam Store page. $15.[/url]
[url=spacechemthegame.com]Web site![/url]
[url=http://collinarnold.net/zachtronics/SpaceChemDemo-1011-setup.exe]Windows Demo[/url]
[url=http://collinarnold.net/zachtronics/SpaceChemDemo-1011.zip]Mac Demo[/url]
[url=http://collinarnold.net/zachtronics/SpaceChemDemo-1011.tar.gz]Linux Demo[/url]
[b][u]FOREWARNING: THIS GAME HAS AN AWFUL LEARNING CURVE.[/b][/u]
SpaceChem is an addictive, design-based puzzle game about building machines and fighting monsters in the name of science and all things that hurt your brain like no fucking tomorrow from the maker(s) of Infinimer and the Codex of Alchemical Engineering, Zachtronics Industries.
This game is VERY annoyingly hard. and YES! You still can get your worthless TF2 items.
The player takes on the role of a Reactor Engineer working for SpaceChem, the leading chemical synthesizer for frontier colonies. In SpaceChem, you design reactors, pipelines, to get things assembled or disassembled and done. There's a lot of "worlds" which USUALLY (excluding first two, and last) contain a "boss" fight where you gain access to a few extra goodies like Control icons and Storage Tanks as well as some other misc. things, 3 "Research", 2 "Production", and a "Challenge" map.
In [b]Research[/b], you have 1 reactor and it's usually a simpler task.
In [b]Production[/b] and [b]Challenge[/b] maps you have up to a defined number of reactors, only specific reactors can be placed, and you have other misc. things to use like Recyclers to dispose of unwanted materials like atoms you don't need.
In [b]Boss[/b] maps, you have all of the above (following same rules as Production with reactors), Storage Tanks which are kinda useless except the first boss map, Control Icons which are like Flip Flops but you control when they redirect, and some other nead things to use like laser guns, particle accelerators, etc.
In [b]ResearchNet[/b] which is the user-created level database, there's some official ones and then you can show people your other levels as well. You can use it before or after the first level on Alkanost Station (there is only 2 more "worlds" after it including the final) but it is recommended after.
I'll start with the basics:
[b]Reactors[/b]
Reactors are your building block for production and research.
They contain 4 boxes, two inputs, two outputs. Sometimes they have bonders, sometimes they have sensors, sometimes they have fission / fusion lasers.
Reactors allow you to place icons.
"Icons" tell the 'waldos' which are what moves along the 'path' and executes the commands. There's a lot of them, available for two different colors Red and Blue (for each waldo).
[release][b]ICONS YOU USE! THIS IS WHERE THE ACTION HAPPENS.[/b]
[b]Grab / Drop, Grab, Drop[/b]
As the name says, this tells the waldo to pick up, drop, pick up only, or drop only an atom, or molecule. Selectable between the three.
[b]Start[/b]
Tells where the waldo starts and in what direction.
[b]Directional Arrows[/b]
These divert the 'path' the waldo follows.
[b]Bond +, Bond -[/b]
Tells the bonder icons (don't count for the level's final icon count which is for leaderboards, and determining skill level in ResearchNet (discussed later.) to do what the icon is - add or remove chemical bonds.
Bonds are illustrated as lines - sometimes you need double or triple bonds!
[b]In Alpha / Beta[/b]
Tells the input to input what the input's atom / molecule is - i.e. if Alpha's input is O=O (Double bonded oxygen), and a waldo passes an In Alpha icon, it will input a molecule of O2.
[b]Out Psi, Omega[/b]
Exact opposite of In icons. These tell the respective output (labelled in the grid) to take out the molecule or atom - in a Research it's the end of it, Production is a little more advanced.
[b]Synchronization[/b]
These tell the waldos to wait until the other color hits a sync. You will use double, triple, I've even used quad syncs to get things done - a double sync will tell the other waldo to go then stop itself - like a Red hits a double sync while a Blue waits, the Red stops at the second while the Blue goes off. Good for constructing molecules slowly.
[b]Rotation Icons[/b]
Tells the waldo to rotate whatever it's holding in the indicated direction.
[b]Fuse / Split[/b]
Tells a fusion / fission laser to fuse / split an atom. Has a given laser icon. These are pretty confusing at first.
[b]Flip - Flops[/b]
This one's kinda tough to explain
Basically, a Flip-Flop does nothing until a waldo passes over it a second time, which is when it diverts it to the direction it points in. Similar to the sensor redirect.
[b]Sensor Redirect[/b]
If a certain atom is over a sensor icon (like bonder and laser icons - don't count towards final thing, cannot be deleted nor added) then it diverts the waldo onto a different path. Useful when constructing macromolecules like glucose, etc.
[/release]
[release][b]Reactor Types[/b]
[b]Standard[/b]
Two in, two outputs, four bonders. Run of the mill stuff.
[b]Assembly / Disassembly[/b]
Limited reactors which you will probably not use past World 4.
Assembly have two inputs, one out.
Disassembly have one input, two out.
[b]Sensor[/b]
Contain a sensor icon and four bonders.
[b]Fusion / Fission[/b]
Contains a fusion laser / fission laser.
[b]Flip-Flop[/b]
The last three worlds have these. They vary, and they won't be labelled diff. but you can use flip-flop icons.
[b]Super-Bonder Reactors[/b]
Have 8 bonders.
[b]Other types you don't use in the main "story"[/b]
Large Output: has one output (Psi) that takes the place of the whole right half of the reactor.
Quantum Reactor: has a "tunnel" icon that teleports atoms to the other icon with the "Swap" command; in 63 Corvi and ResearchNet occasionally. Swapping breaks ALL bonds.
Teleporters: not a reactor, but is used in 63 Corvi - teleports single atoms to the other one. Only accepts single atoms, so you can't throw in a lob of Tungsten and have it come out one at a time.
[/release]
[b]Okay, Saza, sounds great...but what the FUCK is this supposed to look like at all[/b]
Here you go.
Media:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/6Y3zP.png[/img]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/2Cr5Y.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/SXf3Y.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/oEYlG.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/gWvv4.png[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/uyKHC.png[/IMG]
[img]http://cdn.steampowered.com/v/gfx/apps/92800/ss_a099da323c9996d7e336f968b657ce764d7795cf.1920x1080.jpg?t=1312217974[/img]
[img]http://cdn.steampowered.com/v/gfx/apps/92800/ss_be32a115f2b8b7febcda75485e2810ba6f70bec9.1920x1080.jpg?t=1312217974[/img]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1_w_-46rV0[/media]
Also features pretty catchy music.
-op will be updated as we go-
Got this in the last bundle and haven't touched it yet...
Almost scared to, I have no idea what to make of it. This sheds some light on it though, it seems pretty complex.
It's confusing as fuck at first and your first real production level will take you HOURS.
Like I said: learning curve = straight up
[editline]1st November 2011[/editline]
I have some levels that help with basic techniques like taking things apart, sorting things, taking apart and reassembling, etc if you guys need 'em.
[editline]1st November 2011[/editline]
also as I said in the title KOHCTPYKTOP is the hardest, scariest level you will EVER attempt besides the final one.
Oh so there is a thread for this.
Can I ask for help here? I need some sequencing tips. With flip-flops obviously.
Making variable routes. Simple flip flop makes something like this AB-AB-AB...
Now I found out how to create AAAB-AAAB-AAAB... but now I need AAB-AAB-AAB and most of what I tried ends up like AAB-AAA-AAB-AAA...
Any of you tried making such designs?
Try putting flip-flops not directly after another flipflop, but on the flipflop track instead.
This game is so fucking fun. But I stopped playing for a while and came back to that first production level with sensors, I can't remember anything :(
Still the best puzzle game.
[editline]16th February 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Saza;33065877]also as I said in the title KOHCTPYKTOP is the hardest, scariest level you will EVER attempt besides the final one.[/QUOTE]
What is it and why is it hard?
Also, reuse flipflops.
Here is a good example of that:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6j7fOu-BNI&list=PL76F2A4E8119E804E&index=9&feature=plpp_video[/media]
[editline]16th February 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=krail9;34723958]What is it and why is it hard?[/QUOTE]
It's one of the hardest levels.
[sp]http://localhostr.com/files/lzAhBSI/kohctpyktop.png[/sp]
[QUOTE=VistaPOWA;34723968]Also, reuse flipflops.
Here is a good example of that:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6j7fOu-BNI&list=PL76F2A4E8119E804E&index=9&feature=plpp_video[/media]
[editline]16th February 2012[/editline]
It's one of the hardest levels.
[sp]http://localhostr.com/files/lzAhBSI/kohctpyktop.png[/sp][/QUOTE]
It's no surprise I handled this level differently. And your flipflop use is of a higher level.
But my solution has less symbols and cycles actually. Brb recording.
[editline]derp[/editline]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55oIlUIXF2Y[/media]
Nevertheless, thanks for the tips!
This game is from the same people that made The Codex of Alchemical Engineering
that's rad
[editline]16th February 2012[/editline]
yeah making logic gates in KOHCTPYKTOP is really difficult
[QUOTE=Ordigenius;34729732]This game is from the same people that made The Codex of Alchemical Engineering
that's rad
[editline]16th February 2012[/editline]
yeah making logic gates in KOHCTPYKTOP is really difficult[/QUOTE]
It is indeed. You can probably find KOHCTPKYTOP online (the game itself, the level in SpaceChem is a tribute to it. It's fucking hard too.)
This game kept me busy for 2 weeks of pretty much all-day driving for my family vacation last year. Too bad the Steam Cloud didn't sync a save for an entire planet and the external hard-drive I was using got messed up.
Oh shit, they have 3 other games I've never heard of. Whelp, time to lose a month of my life.
Oh thank god their website just went down before I could get any of the games.
[QUOTE=theseltsamone;34730655]This game kept me busy for 2 weeks of pretty much all-day driving for my family vacation last year. Too bad the Steam Cloud didn't sync a save for an entire planet and the external hard-drive I was using got messed up.
Oh shit, they have 3 other games I've never heard of. Whelp, time to lose a month of my life.
Oh thank god their website just went down before I could get any of the games.[/QUOTE]
You think so?
[url]http://www.kongregate.com/accounts/krispykrem[/url]
also I thougth this game was already complex before the Pipes and Reactors
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=SPKxlYTauVk[/media]
I think it might be the time to stop before I go molecule-crazy.
[editline]24th February 2012[/editline]
What the hell is wrong with media tags?
Wow, this game is a bloody time-eater. I thought it looked boring at first, but it's a great mental challenge.
But damn if it doesn't get hard, even on just the demo.
yeah this game gets fucking nightmarish when you get reactors and pipes
I actually find production levels easier than research ones.
Production gives you way, way more freedom on how can you bend, bind, bond and fuse your molecules/atoms.
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