And because I’m a sucker for this stuff, when you’re moving a component around in the design view, extension cords dangle with real physics, which was good for an extra point on the score in my personal tally. It really feels less like a game and more like some sort of insane design tool. The components are along the side, sorted into appropriate tabs, and everything can be moved around as though this was just another drafting program. Contraptions are built in a window with various options and menus along the top it, as well as along the top of the screen. Contraption Maker practically gives you a gadget-centric operating system. The focus of the alpha is the contraption creation, so UI is extremely important, and I must say I’m impressed. This sort of stuff is going on in my head all the time. In its current state, Contraption Maker is a little light on characters, though you do get a little animated man named Tim (heh, Tim, I see what they did there) and a cat. The primary platforms look like struts from a Lego Technics kit, there are jack-in-the-boxes, spring-loaded fists, and balls of all sizes and elasticities. Everything is bright and colorful, and the various components trend toward things that would be at home in a toybox. In keeping with the zany tone of the game, the graphics are decidedly cartoon flavored.
Contraption Maker, after a single glimpse, was clearly the return of the game that targeted the my madcap engineering instincts. I fondly remember going over the house of a friend (now a fellow BrainLazy staffer) to build ridiculous machines that would make Rube Goldberg proud. The Incredible Machine was a favorite of mine back when I first started messing with computers. The coverage below is intended to provide a general impression of the game in its present state, and may or may not apply to the finished game. The opinions expressed below pertain to a piece of software in Alpha (Build 1) state, and may deal with features which are in an incomplete or prototype form. Thousands of Workshop submissions are already waiting to be played.This article contains coverage of a preview build of Contraption Maker. Share your puzzles and creations with the world through the Steam Workshop.
Currently multiplayer is only in the Maker Lab, there is no cooperative puzzle solving yet.
Up to 8 players can build together in real time. Play online with friends to build contraptions together in the Maker Lab. Easily share and play other mods in the Steam Workshop. Or start with a published mod and use the Maker Lab to make a new level. Create custom game types using all of the the Contraption Maker parts and physics as a base. Javascript modding is built directly into the game. Build as much as you can to bring your computer to its knees. There's no part or size limitation to what you want to make. Use the layered background tool to create settings for your contraptions to exist in, and then animate them to add some life. More than 100 parts ranging from gears and dynamite to bears and cats are at your disposal. Enter the easy to use Maker Lab to make your own puzzles or random contraptions. Fix broken contraptions with specific parts you are given to accomplish goals like turning on lights, opening fireworks factories, and throwing birthday parties for crocodiles. Enjoy hours of puzzle solving with over 200 official puzzles and countless community submissions. Steam Workshop integration allows you to share your creations with the world. Over 200 official puzzles, and a whole bunch of community creations. Everything you loved about the original game is back and improved with a new physics engine, high definition art, new parts, and even online multiplayer. Solve puzzles involving ridiculous chain reactions full of hamster motors, trampolines, alligators, cats, and so much more. Buy it and get a copy for a friend to build together! ** The team that created the original Incredible Machine® is bringing all of the Rube Goldberg craziness to the modern age.