[XiaNaphryz]

Just did the two reactor challenge on 5-4:Falling. This is the most insane reactor I've ever constructed.

I was lazy and just used 3 reactors:









EDIT: Heh, just looking at the screenshots I can already see easy efficiency improvements I can do cutting path lengths back. I remember just wanting to get through the level as I had to go do something.

[XiaNaphryz]

That second reactor pic kept bugging me, so I quickly went in there to clean it up a bit. Saved a bit on cycles and symbols but only by a tiny bit, but it's cleaner damnit!

[vermadas]

Either I've encountered a weird bug or I'm just being obtuse.

This is from level 7-2: No Stomach For Lunch:

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/57...0A0F8EA780DC8/

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/57...012C72B070D02/

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/57...8FA127083E559/

When I try to double-bond my carbon atoms it says max bonds.

Edit: Nevermind. Think I figured it out. The three H atoms are counting against the bond limit.

[XiaNaphryz]

With the current Steam sale, I expect more activity in this thread soon! ;)

[Toma]

If anyone has questions how to play, ask away. It is rewarding to learn this game and doesnt take as long as you might think at first.

[Vinci]

Just like to say that my wife and I both love this game and we spend way too much time trying to beat one another's designs. Taking forever to make our way through the title because of that, but it's damned fun. Brilliant game.

[Starwolf_UK]

I'm trying the demo now. I'm kind of getting the love. It reminds of me why I hate computer programming so much in the sense a lot of is poorly explained leaving the end user frustrated as to why nothing works. Then when you finally figure you wonder why it took so long to figure out. Its not what I'm used to from the outset with a game.

[Scalemail Ted]

I just picked this game up. :)

[toythatkills]

If anyone has questions how to play, ask away. It is rewarding to learn this game and doesnt take as long as you might think at first.

Can you recommend three easy levels to get the Steam achievement for today?

I'll get round to 'em all eventually, just want to get that out of the way!

This game is so ace. Make sure you take the tutorials really slowly and understand everything that you're doing as you're doing it, it's all very simple but it seems like if there's one process you don't completely get, the whole game gets a hundred times harder

[Toma]

Can you recommend three easy levels to get the Steam achievement for today?

Well, the problem is that they use techniques which arent explained to you in the beginning. I'll give you an example of the oldest Research Net level, the other two regarding Tunnels should be possible then if you understand the first :)

The later research net levels use more complicated methods, so you might want to stick to the oldest (first) 3.

Research Net Level: Tunnels 1
http://i55.************/11l2cld.jpg

Research Net Level: Tunnels 2
http://i56.************/fau0qp.jpg

Research Net Level: Fission 1
http://i51.************/2449rfa.jpg

DONT click the link if you want to solve all of them alone.

[toythatkills]

Figured as much, cheers! I guess I'll play through as far as learning about tunnels, then give 'em a go. I assume that'll be enough :)

[Toma]

Figured as much, cheers! I guess I'll play through as far as learning about tunnels, then give 'em a go. I assume that'll be enough :)

Yeah....well... about that... That might take you 10-20 hours. If you are not in a hurry thats fine though ;)

[toythatkills]

Yeah....well... about that... That might take you 10-20 hours. If you are not in a hurry thats fine though ;)

Haha, oh... Maybe I'll just give that a miss for today then!

[Toma]

Haha, oh... Maybe I'll just give that a miss for today then!

You can do those achievements until the end of the sale though :) Dont worry, you got time. Or just use the first example I posted and learn from that, should give you enough knowledge to do the other 2 levels alone and get the ticket.

[toythatkills]

You can do those achievements until the end of the sale though :) Dont worry, you got time. Or just use the first example I posted and learn from that, should give you enough knowledge to do the other 2 levels alone and get the ticket.

Noooooo there'll be no cheating!

I've got time, some learnin' is afoot!

[Toma]

So you dont know what SpaceChem is about? Trust us, your fellow Gaffers, on this recommendation and grab the Demo. I'll teach you how to play.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The most basic premise is that you got a molecule as Input to the left side, and need to transform it so you can output it like you can see on the right.

In the first level, called "Of Pancakes and Spaceships" you got "O=O" as an Input and "O=O" as the output. How convenient! You dont even need to transform it, just find a way to transport it to the right side. We'll get to transforming later, also ignore the blue line at the bottom for now.

So whats left is the red "Start" and a circle around it. The Start indicated where that circle, called Waldo, is going to start. Big deal. However it doesnt do much, since you didnt gave it any orders yet. To solve this basic levels you need to know the 4 most basic structure with which you can program orders to Waldo:

Arrows: Those change the line Waldo is running on. Play around with giving Waldo different directions.

IN ALPHA: The playing field is divided into 4 parts. A,B, Psi und W. A and B are on the left side, meaning those are the fields, where you will receive input. Psi and W are on the right, meaning you need to output there. If you put the IN ALPHA in the way of the red Waldo, you will get your INPUT into the ALPHA section of the playing field.

GRAB/DROB: Now, if you only have the input done, your Waldo doesnt do much about the molecule that just appeared. Change the arrows so that Waldo is able to touch the Molecule that will appear, and put a GRAB/DROP there. This way he'll take the molecule and carry it with him. If you want to put it down, simply use another "GRAB/DROP" in the output zone.

OUT PSI: After you dropped the molecule in the output zone, you still need to tell the game that the output is ready. Looking through your tools, you'll see that the red Waldo got a tool for that. If you put it somewhere, the game will try to output all the molecules and atoms that you prepared in the corresponding output zone.

Now just make your Waldo running the same line again, and you are good to go :) Also take notice that you need to have the whole molecule inside the Output zone and not just a part of it.

Short:
Input Alpha, Grab, Drop, Output Psi

Congrats you solved the first level!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The other tools, which werent used in this level but are still available are easily explained:

Rotate Molecule: Try it out yourself, put it on the Waldo line after it grabbed the "O=O", this will be used later to make your arrangements of atoms fitting to the molecule you want to produce

Sync: If the red and the blue Waldo both have a sync in their way, they'll stop at their respective sync, waiting for the other Waldo to reach theirs. This way you can easily make both lines run parallel if you need them to.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Something else worth mentioning is the act of "Transforming" or Bonding/Unbonding, how its called in this game.

Imagine the "O=O" you got as input, but instead of having "O=O" as Output, you are required to output simply "O". For this you'll get in levels where you need them "Bonders". These are gray shades in the background that you can move around. You'll notice what I mean.

If you let your Waldo carry the "O=O" molecule to 2 Bonders, you can "unbond" them with the tool "Bond -" if both atoms are each over a Bonder. That would give you "O-O" for the moment. Since you'll need "O" however, either let it run through the bonders again, or make a second set up of bonders somewhere else. You'll figure this out on your own :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, hope that helps for starters!

[jaundicejuice]

Edit: I somehow posted int he wrong thread. Awesome.

[TheExodu5]

Wow...it's criminal that this game has been so overlooked. I'm hooked. Most original and satisfying puzzle game I've played in a long time. :)

[vermadas]

Playing this game for the Steam sale ticket made me remember how much fun this game was. I got up to level 7-5 and banged my head against the wall repeatedly. I was so thoroughly spent that I watched a youtube solution. Then I felt like I had cheated myself out of the satisfaction of solving it on my own. I ended up playing other games for a while.

I might make my increasingly large backlog suffer a little more and tackle the ResearchNet assignments. Then I can eventually return to my nightmare that is level 7-5 (with the solution mostly forgotten).

[The Technomancer]

Installing now...

[SapientWolf]

Wow...it's criminal that this game has been so overlooked. I'm hooked. Most original and satisfying puzzle game I've played in a long time. :)

It's intimidating as hell, and the demo tutorials could be better. Some of those solutions look like someone's homework. But I love puzzlers so I'll prolly pick this up.

[elektrixx]

I tried the demo but got bored reading the introduction.

[Archie]

This game makes my head hurt in a good way.

[TheExodu5]

It's intimidating as hell, and the demo tutorials could be better. Some of those solutions look like someone's homework. But I love puzzlers so I'll prolly pick this up.

The beauty is that the interface is so easy to work with, and testing iterative solutions is not difficult at all. You just keep reworking and tweaking your design until it fits nicely. :)

It's a lot like The Incredible Machine, in that sense.

[ultron87]

Holy pants I love this game.

I knew that being a programmer was either going to make me love or hate it. I love it.

I just got to the first multi-reactor puzzle and am calling it a night.

[SalsaShark]

Yeah im a believer now

Toma got me into it, will be spending some time on this one

[The Technomancer]

[Castor Krieg]

I need to jump right into it, played the demo till the time you got two reactors going, for some reason the output was not getting through. But this is one blast of a game, worth every penny. You will be making your kids play this game.

[toythatkills]

I need to jump right into it, played the demo till the time you got two reactors going, for some reason the output was not getting through. But this is one blast of a game, worth every penny. You will be making your kids play this game.

My mind was blown at that point. I really liked the puzzles then all of a sudden I was playing a puzzle game within another puzzle game.

GOTY.

[Toma]

My mind was blown at that point. I really liked the puzzles then all of a sudden I was playing a puzzle game within another puzzle game. GOTY.

At least the puzzle GOTY ;) I need to get you all to buy Frozen Synapse later, make your judgement after that :P

Nah, hard to compare these games, both are great Indie Games and the developers very much deserve some attention and money. Hope there will be a few more to pick it up.

[Corto]

I will just pester some of my USA GAFers Steam friends so they can gift it to me to take advantage of the strong euro. I'll join you guys in a few hours...

[Toma]

I just realized that in my 200 people Gaffer friends list, 20 people bought the game in the last 9-10 hours.

Good guys!

[Meatpuppet]

I just realized that in my 200 people Gaffer friends list, 20 people bought the game in the last 9-10 hours. Good guys!

Agreed, the game is phenomenal. My only regret is that I don't really game that much these days so have only sunk a few hours into it. Still, it's by far my favorite puzzle game since Meteos

[Toma]

Agreed, the game is phenominal. My only regret is that I don't really game that much these days so have only sunk a few hours into it. Still, it's by far my favorite puzzle game since Meteos

Yeah I didnt play through it yet for the same reason. I only played the challenge levels and havent played this game for months. But yeah, this isnt necessarily a game that you need to play hours on end. I can perfectly get back to it to play a level after a long break.

I didnt even "unlock" Research Net yet >_> Shit this game is meaty.

[amdnv]

Whoever is currently playing this game, could you add me to your Steam list? I want the leaderboards to have more entries.
ID is amdnv

[Toma]

Whoever is currently playing this game, could you add me to your Steam list? I want the leaderboards to have more entries. ID is amdnv

I couldnt add you,

try adding me instead:

Steam ID: TomaLexiFix

[Corky]

HNNGGHH my lord this game is good! It really scratches that part of my brain.

[Davidion]

HNNGGHH my lord this game is good! It really scratches that part of my brain.

It does. and while I haven't gotten much further than the 2nd world, it's a pretty satisfying game and I'm glad I have it in my collection.

[The Judge]

I'll be adding a bunch of you guys too for the leaderboards.

My Steam ID is vic1013

[DMPrince]

well just don't play the game after midnight half asleep lol.

[vermadas]

I'll throw mine into the mix. SteamID: vermadas

My stats on many of the lower levels probably suck, as I never went back and refined my efficiency after completing many of them. I've done lots of the challenges though!

[Sportbilly]

well just don't play the game after midnight half asleep lol.

I did that last night (yesterday morning) while half-pissed and ended up dreaming of waldos endlessly going round and rotating and bonding molecules. Fantastic game.

[F0NZ]

Just fooled around with the demo and I am hooked. Pulled the trigger on the summer sale special, installing as I type. Feel free to add me Steam ID: AlRod.

[The Technomancer]

Damn, my solution seems woefully inefficient. Any pointers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=OoopvDjJyWE

[RoaringHawk]

Been stuck on the last mission on Danopth (Nothing Works) for a while.

Anyone can add me on steam: RΣD

[vermadas]

Damn, my solution seems woefully inefficient. Any pointers? http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=OoopvDjJyWE

Don't be afraid to move the bonders. For this one in particular, I would recommend you line them up like this:
O-O-O-O (or vertical)

Also, keep in mind H has a max of 1 bond, so while you are triple-bonding the carbon you don't need to worry about putting too many bonds on the rest of your molecule.

[Confidence Man]

Damn, my solution seems woefully inefficient. Any pointers? http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=OoopvDjJyWE

Try grouping the bonders together in a way that lets you assemble more efficiently, and whenever possible place them directly on where the atoms spawn so you do less moving around.

Here's how I did it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=uhEwOFPofuU

Steam ID: Confidence_Man

[The Technomancer]

YOU CAN MOVE THE BONDERS! THATS RIGHT! AUUUGH!

[toythatkills]

Mind blown. Again.

[TyrantGuardian]

This game. Just completed the second "Planet" in the regular play mode, and my mind just keeps exploding every second level.

I cannot believe how mind-bending this is without ever having you resort to random brute forcing of solutions, unlike most other puzzle games I've played. It really does pay to just think harder. Completely unique and definitely one of the better games I've come across.