BrokenFiction
Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj689znjxpg
http://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/Opus_Magnum/
I'm so in. Zachtronics might be my favorite dev.
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Opus Magnum - Zachtronics latest. Coming to Steam 10/19
- Thread starter BrokenFiction
- Start date
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj689znjxpg
http://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/Opus_Magnum/
I'm so in. Zachtronics might be my favorite dev.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Ah man, I've only had time to really dig into Spacechem. The rest of the Zachtronics stuff is on my backlog. 
Never tried spacechem, but I liked the 2 latest games. This one looks like an instabuy.
Edit: what's with Zachtronics and solitaire games? From the game page. http://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/Opus_Magnum/
Edit: what's with Zachtronics and solitaire games? From the game page. http://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/Opus_Magnum/
I speel my dreenk
Member
I very much hope that Zachtronics does well enough off their stuff to keep making these types of games forever. I'll certainly keep buying each and every one.
Ah man, I've only had time to really dig into Spacechem. The rest of the Zachtronics stuff is on my backlog.
You've got a loooong way to go - but it's a scenic route!
toythatkills
Member
I am scared of it and also buying it.
Caesar III
Member
this!
UcchedavÄda
Member
I've loved almost every single Zachtronics game so far, so this is going to be a day-one purchase for me. And it is probably going to wreck havoc on my attempts at finishing other titles from this year that I've already purchased. Oh well, those aren't Zachtronics games.
If anyone is looking for somebody to compete against on the high-score table, in this or in other Zachtronics games, then feel free to send me a friend-request.
I am also going to take a moment to shill for Silicon Zeroes, which is another great programming'ish puzzle game that came out not too long ago. Highly recommended, but unfortunately I haven't seen it getting a lot of attention.
If anyone is looking for somebody to compete against on the high-score table, in this or in other Zachtronics games, then feel free to send me a friend-request.
I am also going to take a moment to shill for Silicon Zeroes, which is another great programming'ish puzzle game that came out not too long ago. Highly recommended, but unfortunately I haven't seen it getting a lot of attention.
Looks great and definitely will be amazing game like rest of their output, but i'm more into their programming games.
I hope though, that they will release some game with higher level programming language, something that will focus more on loops, ifs, functions and data modification, not i/o management.
I hope though, that they will release some game with higher level programming language, something that will focus more on loops, ifs, functions and data modification, not i/o management.
I still have to pick up Shenzhen I/O, but I spent many hours in Spacechem and TIS-100.
I taught a high school intro to computer science course, and Spacechem was a game that I let the students play if they finished up their assignments early. Zach offers free Education copies which is extremely nice of him.
I taught a high school intro to computer science course, and Spacechem was a game that I let the students play if they finished up their assignments early. Zach offers free Education copies which is extremely nice of him.
eot
Banned
I liked SpaceChem (although complex programs got very annoying to debug), and I never thought I'd say this, but it feels a bit too much like work. I already do so much problem solving that activates the same part of my brain that I feel like time spend with those kinds of games would have been better spent on work stuff.
I'm stuck somewhere between "Awesome!" and "Why now??"
Absolutely.
truestatic
Member
Oh no. I'm still stuck on the laser tag scorekeeper in Shenzhen I/O. I love these games but I am not a clever man. The only Zach game I've been able to beat was Infinifactory.
That looks cool as hell though. It's like the most spacechem-ass game since spacechem, right? I think before this, Infinifactory was the nearest one he'd produced, but Infinifactory seemed vastly more approachable than the original Zach masterpiece.
That looks cool as hell though. It's like the most spacechem-ass game since spacechem, right? I think before this, Infinifactory was the nearest one he'd produced, but Infinifactory seemed vastly more approachable than the original Zach masterpiece.
The most addicting thing he's created is the solitaire in Shenzhen though.
Yep. I'll probably buy it anyway because fuck yeah Zachtronics.
More_Badass
Member
Zach knows his audience so well. Make it smaller, make it faster. Thats all you need to saw and show to make a Zachtonics fan hyped
This looks so much more my thing than TIS and Shenzhen. It looks like the complex Rube Goldberg loops of Spacechem + the different tools of Shenzhen
This looks so much more my thing than TIS and Shenzhen. It looks like the complex Rube Goldberg loops of Spacechem + the different tools of Shenzhen
More_Badass
Member
This seems like a new addition for a Zachtronics game
I wonder how the story will be presented. Maybe the items you create and who you create them for will reflect the progress of the narrative?
I wonder how the story will be presented. Maybe the items you create and who you create them for will reflect the progress of the narrative?
That's kinda how SHENZHEN I/O was doing it and it was interesting. Maybe they'll build on it.
Never played TIS or Shenzen, but Spacechem and Infinifactory were totally my jam. Since this looks in those wheelhouses I'm sure I'll love it. Also, like all these games I'll probably burn out super fast and never master it or beat the campaign, but I'll super enjoy it until that happens. Especially the parts where it is just honing the super simple puzzles down to their fastest/smallest possible variations.
More_Badass
Member
Ah ha, Zach is going back to his roots. The Codex of Alchemical Engineering was the Flash precursor to SpaceChem. You can play it and its much harder expansion here
http://www.zachtronics.com/the-codex-of-alchemical-engineering/
http://www.zachtronics.com/the-magnum-opus-challenge/
Nine years of game development and experience later
http://www.zachtronics.com/the-codex-of-alchemical-engineering/
http://www.zachtronics.com/the-magnum-opus-challenge/
Nine years of game development and experience later
I'm stuck on the Sandwich Maker. I'm sure I'll be able to get past it with enough thought.
I am day-one-ing this. There is nothing like that feeling of working on a puzzle, testing your solution and OH MY GOD IT WORKS AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA OOOOOOOooh fucking dammit what went wrong
Yes, I do get loud when my solutions work.
ashecitism
Member
Is he still at Valve?
Primate_Ryan
Neo Member
Oh yeeeeeeeeeees *orgasms*.
Spacechem is my favourite Zachtronics game (and one of my favourite games ever), and this one looks set to scratch the same itch. I love watching my solutions in motion.
But why release now? I'm currently downing in Switch games and Mario is just around the corner. On the other hand, I'll have quite a bit of free time starting next week.
Spacechem is my favourite Zachtronics game (and one of my favourite games ever), and this one looks set to scratch the same itch. I love watching my solutions in motion.
But why release now? I'm currently downing in Switch games and Mario is just around the corner. On the other hand, I'll have quite a bit of free time starting next week.
I have enjoyed every single Zachtronics game I've played so far. Absolutely going to play this.
Reminds me a lot of one of their pre-spacechem games I played years ago.
Yes! This one.
Reminds me a lot of one of their pre-spacechem games I played years ago.
Yes! This one.
More_Badass
Member
12 hours to go
Zachtronics is one of the few indie devs where I will buy anything of his as soon as it's available (the others being Supergiant, Jonathan Blow, Inkle, Klei, and Playdead); his games scratch that logical, methodical, creative, free-form puzzle-solving itch that nothing else quite scratches.
The thrill of most puzzle games comes from understanding and applying rules to carefully designed tests. Snakebird, Sausage Roll, Witness, etc are all in that mold.
Zachtronics' games asks you to understand and apply their rules and then asks you to use that knowledge to make your solutions better, smarter, smoother, more efficient. It's more than application, it's about mastery. Which I think is a rare reward for a puzzle game to offer. Toki Tori 2 does that as well, in its own way.
Zachtronics is one of the few indie devs where I will buy anything of his as soon as it's available (the others being Supergiant, Jonathan Blow, Inkle, Klei, and Playdead); his games scratch that logical, methodical, creative, free-form puzzle-solving itch that nothing else quite scratches.
The thrill of most puzzle games comes from understanding and applying rules to carefully designed tests. Snakebird, Sausage Roll, Witness, etc are all in that mold.
Zachtronics' games asks you to understand and apply their rules and then asks you to use that knowledge to make your solutions better, smarter, smoother, more efficient. It's more than application, it's about mastery. Which I think is a rare reward for a puzzle game to offer. Toki Tori 2 does that as well, in its own way.
More_Badass
Member
The good thing about Zachtronics puzzlers is that they feel less like rote puzzle solving and more like learning a language (literally in TIS-100 and Shenzhen). Experimentation, improving upon mistakes, testing and improving and trying ideas are all part of the puzzle solving.
I tried Spacechem and found it impenetrable, but I didn't give it a fair shake I think. I should try this game.
More_Badass
Member
How far did you get? I found it easier to grasp once I put all aside all the chemistry stuff and just saw it for what it was: a pseudo programming puzzler. Input, output, commands, etc.
Gosh it's been so long I can't remember, haha. Not more than a few levels. Now that I have some more indie game programming behind me I bet I can apply what I've learned a bit more into these kinds of games, as weird as that sounds.
TemplaerDude
Member
Oh wow, incredible, Zachtronics is definitely one of my favourite developers. This looks so beautiful, I love the open-ended nature of their puzzles.
This looks more like SpaceChem and Infinifactory and less like TIS-100 and Shenzen, so I'm in. That is, TIS-100 was too "raw" for me, whereas the layer of abstraction that both SpaceChem and Infinifactory have were perfect for me.
Though I probably won't jump in on early access.
Though I probably won't jump in on early access.
More_Badass
Member
Zachtronics early access means the full game + a few months of polish, improvements, and additions
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Spacechem 2, fuck yes
I was early access in Infinifactory and as I recall they added a bunch of QoL stuff before launch I wish I had had when I played it. So I'm waiting this time.
More_Badass
Member
Out now. $19.99, with a 10% first week discount
More_Badass
Member
This is the smooth mechanical precision of Factorio + cyclical processes of SpaceChem + device instructions of Shenzhen.
And it has very nice tutorial prologue to ease you in.
And it has very nice tutorial prologue to ease you in.
I'm super close to pulling the trigger today instead of waiting for a sale later, even though I haven't finished SpaceChem.
My one concern is that all the puzzles in the trailer looked very same-y. I know SpaceChem also had similar puzzles, but I felt like the backgrounds when things ran were different there at least. Are there different "playing fields" or something to mix the game up visually?
My one concern is that all the puzzles in the trailer looked very same-y. I know SpaceChem also had similar puzzles, but I felt like the backgrounds when things ran were different there at least. Are there different "playing fields" or something to mix the game up visually?