Fantastic Contraption
If, like me, you spent countless childhood hours pining for expensive motorized Lego, Capsela, and Erector sets, the aptly named Fantastic Contraption will be right up your alley. You begin each short, two-dimensional level of this impressive physics-based puzzle game with an unlimited amount of five basic components: three wheels and two connectors, each with different properties, that you may assemble any way you choose. Your goal is to build a small machine that will drag, push, drive, or otherwise propel a single object into an end zone.
The first few levels don't require much creativity, and some basic physics know-how will get you through them in no time. It won't be long, though, before you're forced to think way outside the box. You'll be building what look like tiny robot vehicles, with specialized parts that allow them to climb steps, catapult over gaps, and negotiate piles of rubble. The inevitable "Eureka!" moments are immensely satisfying, and you may find it hard to resist the urge to refine successful machines into more efficient and aesthetically pleasing contraptions.
Sign up for an account, and you can save and share your machines online for free. You could easily while away an hour just browsing other users' mind-boggling creations. If you're willing to drop $10 for the full version you can also build, share, and play user-created levels.
Fantastic Contraption is a great example of how rewarding in-game construction can be, especially in a community setting. It's the same principle employed by upcoming titles like Little Big Planet and Spore, just on a much smaller, much simpler scale.
If you'd like to suggest a free browser-based game for Act Casual, send a link and description via our contact form.
Print
Delicious
Digg
*snickers* Expensive motorized erector.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
BF2142 Stats
You would see that.
XboxLive: Fly GWJ | PSN: The _Fly | Blog: Lowspec | Twitter
I can't think outside the box.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
This abomination didn't win on Junkyard by climbing the scenery so much as completely and utterly annihilating it.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
World of Goo also taps into that shared construction vibe, in a more linear, gooier way. I really like this new trend in user-created and shared playthings. It's very good for imaginative indie developers with modest budgets. Just make a good playroom and the community will find it.
Steam ID: http://steamcommunity.com/id/nyles
Website: http://banditosbanditosbanditos.typepad.com
Favorite puzzle: Grim Fandango -- the metal detector
This beautiful monstrosity originally resembled nothing more than a drunken buffalo. The spirit is still there. It somehow managed to plod its way up all those stairs.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
Up the hump is pissing me off... I want to beat the hump... beat the hump... NM
WOW: Bounce
I had good luck building a catapult on the one level where you have to get from one side to the other with all air in between... however it failed me later on up the stairs
WOW: Bounce
Up the hump I build a ramp that would roll into place and then a small car that would drive up it FTW! The hard one is freaking Big ball. Plus I have already wasted many a minute on this game.
Xfire: Pharacon
Tempest says: "A team hat doe snot communicate and talk to each other about what the next move will be is going to lose."
Good lord this game is awesome. It's the unlimited components that make it great, so you can be as outlandish as you like.
XBLive: Ruckus
I had to share this for level Awash: The Shoveler. It takes forever but it shovels well.
Edit: Holy crap. Handling is insane. I can't believe I beat it.
Back and Forth
This game's managed to eat through my entire day.
(Link fixed)
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I have separated wheat from chaff, and discovered the most kickass contraptions in a forum scour:
Animal
Giant revolving thing
Continuous catapult (MUST SEE!)
Most complex device in the history of time
XBLive: Ruckus
I managed to waste good chunks of my day playing with this. And I still haven't created anything particularly interesting, though my tank (http://fantasticcontraption.com/?designId=31322) made short work of the stairs. Well, except for that one stumble.
xbox live: casktapper
steam: casktapper
Mr Crinkle, your last 2 links are the same.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
Quintin, your handling and shoveler are the same link.
My Handling solution was rather elegant, but I didn't save it. I'll see if I can replicate it.
Fletcher wrote:
Oh goodness, this thing of mine was inspired by the Animal above, but it's nowhere near as elegant, and it takes ages to get to its destination (2 minutes 11 seconds, to be exact) ... and yet watching it is inspiring. It's like the little engine that could. Also it has toes! Needs them in fact, it doesn't work without them, which is creepy.
Fixed.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I've given up for now on Unpossible.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I couldn't recreate my nice design on Handling (it involved 2 connected purple to the right of the goal piece and three connected yellow to the left, but I couldn't get the placement right trying to duplicate it)
But I bring you my first solution to Handling and The Conveyor Belt of DoomTM
Edit:
I see your Shoveler and I raise you a Tunneler!
Fletcher wrote:
Searching the forums found me some really slick and elegant solutions to Unpossible that make my attempts seem so horribly clumsy that I feel greatly shamed.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
Check out the Green Soultions-- if these don't get your goat, nothing can.
And some of my not-so-environmentally conscious solutions:
Spring Truck
Pendulum
ConveyorNinja
The Great Machine
Loop Garoo
The Gimp
The Bully
Caterpillar
Bridges
*Doom-a-pult was one of my favorites but is lost now :,(
I'm sure most of these aren't very original, but I came up with most of the on my own, so I'm still sort of proud of myself.
dhelor wrote:
Is there something I'm missing about the powered wheel objects? It seems like a lot of people get a hell of a lot more push out of them than I do.
WoW Blackhand Alliance
70s: Nukanatrix (M), Braun (P), Boreali (War), Heckfire (Lock), Jergen (Pal), Erissar (D)
Grumbar - 65 Hunter
It's possible to link them together mechanically to get more torque than you'd get from one by itself. For example, take two wheels and link the right edge from circle A to the right edge of circle B, then the tops, bottoms, and lefts (or maybe just the tops and bottoms). Anything you attempt to do with circle A is now helped by the power of circle B.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I beat it without looking at other people's contraptions, but now that I've gone back and looked at others', there are so many "why didn't I think of that" moments. I also didn't know about the torque idea, but that makes a whole lot of sense.
Here are my solutions to a few:
Handling
Down Under
Unpossible
This game had the highest squee factor I've felt in a long time.
XBox Live: Croutonic | Bungie.net: Croutonic
Bacon is like monkeys - it makes everything better. - Bagga
Here are some good ones I've seen.
Paper Boy
Diving Touchdown
Flick
Green Back and Forth
Violin Bow
XBox Live: Croutonic | Bungie.net: Croutonic
Bacon is like monkeys - it makes everything better. - Bagga
This game has just been eating up my time at work. Here are a few of mine:
Awash
)
Climber
Unpossible
Big Ball
Junkyard (I wanted to do this one the hard way
I have a few more good ones I made at home that I might add later.
Edit- found another one
Handling
I tried to make a walker, but I ended up with a retarded bull that still made it through.
I call it Mad Cow.
XBox Live: Croutonic | Bungie.net: Croutonic
Bacon is like monkeys - it makes everything better. - Bagga
Okay, I finally beat Unpossible:
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=64108
Fedaykin98 wrote:
I love when it flips over part way through then starts crawling up the pile on it's back, backwards. =)
WoW Blackhand Alliance
70s: Nukanatrix (M), Braun (P), Boreali (War), Heckfire (Lock), Jergen (Pal), Erissar (D)
Grumbar - 65 Hunter
I'd made one contraption I (not so) affectionately called "horse with Downs".
Fedaykin98 wrote: