Crazy Machines
| Crazy Machines | |
|---|---|
| developer | FAKT software |
| Publisher | Novitas Publishing / Oetinger Interactiv / Viva Media / Application Systems Heidelberg / dtp entertainment |
| First title | Crazy Machines - The Inventors' Workshop (2004) |
| Last title | Crazy Machines 3 (2016) |
| Platform (s) | PC ( Windows ), Macintosh (partly), Nintendo DS , iOS , iPod touch , Wii |
| Genre (s) | puzzle |
| Version overview | ||
|---|---|---|
| Crazy Machines | ||
| Game version | Available at | |
| 1.00 | Crazy Machines - The inventor's workshop | |
| 1.12 / 1.13 | Crazy Machines - New Challenges | |
| - | Crazy Machines (Macintosh) | |
| 1.13 / 1.14 | Crazy Machines - The Wacky Contraptions Game | |
| 1.20 / 1.21 / 1.22 | Crazy Machines - News from the laboratory | |
| - | Crazy Machines - The totally crazy tinkering fun | |
| - | Crazy Machines - Gold | |
| - | Crazy Machines 1.5 - More Gizmos, Gadgets and Whatchamacallits | |
| Crazy Machines 2 | ||
| Game version | Available from | |
| 1.00 | Crazy Machines 2 (German version) | |
| 1.01 | Crazy Machines 2 (German version) with patch | |
| 1.02 | Crazy Machines 2 - Back to the workshop | |
| Crazy Machines 2 - Gold | ||
| 1.03 | Crazy Machines 2 (English version) | |
| - | Crazy Machines 2 - Add-on (English) | |
| - | Crazy Machines 2 - Liquid Force Add-on | |
| 1.04 | Crazy Machines 2+ | |
Crazy Machines ( CM ) is a series of mind computer games that FAKT Software GmbH has been developing since 2004, initially for the PC, and later for other platforms as well. As with The Incredible Machine , the games have to solve puzzles in the form of physics experiments.
overview
The individual levels, called experiments here, consist of an arrangement of fixed and self-placeable components. They have to be sensibly combined into a kind of chain reaction in order to fulfill a task ( Rube-Goldberg machine ). Thanks to the realistic physics engine and the selection of changeable elements, crazy constructions can be built. Children in particular can recognize complex relationships in this way and literally learn through play. Often the target is very simple (e.g. “light the candle”), but the solution is tricky. For example, a lightbulb must first be supplied with electricity and then light the wick of the candle through a burning glass. The components from u. a. The optics , electrics and mechanics categories include, for example, wind turbines, balls, candles, solar cells and New Year's rockets. A level editor enables you to create your own experiments, which can be combined into a laboratory and exchanged on the Internet.
Game versions
Crazy Machines
All versions of Crazy Machines can be played independently of each other. Labs are not cross-version compatible and can only be used in the game they were created with.
The inventor's workshop (early 2004)
In 2004, The Inventors' Workshop was published. The 3D graphics and a powerful physics engine set it apart from similar games such as The Incredible Machine , Professor Tim and Incredible Challenge . There are puzzles to be solved in 102 experiments. Approx. 60 components are available for this. Due to the level editor, a small fan base quickly formed, which still exchanges experiments and laboratories with one another today. A junior laboratory with 51 rather simple experiments was made available for free download some time after the full version was released.
In addition to the full version, there is a free demo version with 7 playable levels. In addition, the magazine c't published a special version with 45 experiments and the Toggo CleverClub published a special version with 30 experiments. The demo and special versions do not contain a level editor and you can only play with the included laboratory. The experiments of these laboratories are not included in the full version.
New challenges (end of 2004)
New challenges also appeared in 2004. The new of the 70 components now include a. a gravity generator, a robot and a zeppelin. The game also contains 103 new experiments and a revised level editor. After a while, a junior laboratory for this version, this time with 40 experiments, was offered for download free of charge.
In addition to the full version, there is also a free demo version with ten exclusive (i.e. not included in the full version) experiments. Furthermore, the Toggo CleverClub released a special version that contains the first 30 experiments of the full version.
Crazy Machines for Macintosh (2005)
The Mac OS version (Mac) of Crazy Machines contains all experiments (approx. 200) and components from "The Inventors' Workshop" and "New Challenges". The level import of PC versions allows the use of existing laboratories on the Mac. This version appeared in 2005.
The Wacky Contraptions Game (2005)
Also in 2005, the publisher Viva Media brought out this English version for both the PC and the Macintosh. However, this does not contain any new levels, only the translated 205 experiments from The Inventors' Workshop and New Challenges . Laboratories created by the user with this version are compatible with the German version Neue Challenges and vice versa.
News from the laboratory (October 2005)
News from the laboratory appeared in October 2005. In addition to 101 experiments and an improved level editor, the innovations include 12 components (over 90 in total), including a paddle wheel, a toaster and a timer. In addition, for the first time in this game there is a bonus part (a grouse dummy) that is not available from the start, but is only unlocked when you make progress in the main laboratory. Together with a patch that mainly fixed various graphic problems, a junior laboratory was also provided for this game, but this time it only contained 20 new experiments.
The free demo version contains 10 playable experiments that are not included in the full version.
The Level Pack 2006 , a laboratory with 33 new experiments created by the developers as an add-on , has been available since March 3, 2006 . It can be ordered as a download version from the official internet shop or as a CD version from retailers. An installed full version of News from the Laboratory is required for use .
On April 6, 2007, the ComLab appeared , a free laboratory created as a project by the community of players with 96 new experiments of similar quality to the official experiments, but with a significantly higher level of difficulty overall.
The totally crazy tinkering fun (September 2006)
Released by Oetinger Interaktiv as a hybrid CD for Windows and Mac OS X. The game contains 101 new levels with spoken task texts, all of which are not that tricky and are therefore particularly suitable for preschool children. In addition, there are 11 new components such as jump frog, hammer wheel, building blocks, etc. Instead, 13 other components such as the gravitational machine and the electrical resistance have been left out, as their functionality is difficult for very young players to grasp.
Gold Edition (March 2007)
In mid-March 2007, under the label PepperGames , a compilation of all the games of the Crazy Machines series previously published by the publisher Novitas was released. This not only contains the three original games The Inventor's Workshop , New Challenges and New from the Laboratory , but also all the additions that have been offered over the years, some free of charge and some against payment (all experiments in the demo versions, all junior laboratories and the above mentioned level pack 2006). This edition was supplemented by a package of 33 new experiments that are included exclusively in the Gold Edition. There is also various bonus material on the CD, e.g. B. the Crazy Machines screen saver, various mobile phone ring tones and preview images and videos on Crazy Machines II .
Crazy Machines 1.5: More Gizmos, Gadgets and Whatchamacallits (May 2007)
Similar to The Wacky Contraptions Game , this edition, which was again published by the US publisher Viva Media , does not offer any new experiments, but rather the English translations of the games Neues aus dem Labor and Der total verrückte Töpfelspaß . With the release of this CD, all previous games in the CM series are now available in both German and English.
Crazy Machines II
Crazy Machines II (October 2007)
The official second part, written in cm² for short , comes up with a greatly improved graphics and physics engine ( PhysX ). In contrast to the previously published parts, the game is not a mere further development or addition to previous versions, but a project created from scratch. In addition to a large number of previously unknown elements, the new features also include an online area through which players from all over the world can publish, download and rate experiment packages. Also new is the fact that the game is based on a modular concept and that the developers will be adding additions such as B. can latch new parts directly into the existing surface. It is planned to provide both free and paid add-ons.
A demo version has been available since October 10, 2007. The full version was announced for October 15, 2007, but could be obtained from various online and direct dealers from October 12, 2007.
Crazy Machines II won 1st place in the category Best German Youth Game 2007 at the German Developer Award .
Back to the workshop (March 2008)
On March 15, 2008, the first expansion for Crazy Machines II appeared , which, in addition to additional experiments, also contains new components for the editor. In contrast to the games of the CM1 series, this is actually an add-on in the usual sense: the extension cannot run independently, but rather hooks into the main version and adds the new elements. The experiments of the extension are considered by gamers and critics to be considerably more difficult and complex compared to the experiments of the basic version.
Crazy Machines 2+ (November 2008)
This version is distributed by Nvidia and corresponds to the retail version of Crazy Machines II . In addition, it contains the shower head as a new component, with the help of which physically correctly simulated water can be used in your own experiments. A laboratory with 20 water experiments is also included. Crazy Machines 2+ is currently only available as a download version: On the run by Nvidia gaming portal nZone the whole game is offered and the games portal Steam , it can be used as extension called Liquid Force Add-on are acquired, the main game is also provided via Steam bought has been.
Crazy Machines DS
At the end of March 2008, the manufacturer announced a version for Nintendo DS , which went on sale in autumn 2008. The construction of the experiments done by touch screen -Input. In addition to a level editor and some new or changed components, there is also a new game mode in which it is less about solving puzzles and more about reaction and skill. Crazy Machines DS won the German Computer Game Award in the category of best mobile game in 2009 .
Crazy Machines 2 for DS / DSi
In October 2009 the 2nd part of Crazy Machines appeared for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi with new components and over 170 experiments.
Crazy Machines iPhone
This version for iPhone and iPod Touch appeared as the second console version in spring 2009 . As with the DS implementation, the free elements are placed using a touch screen. There are 50 experiments in total, which are very similar to the experiments in the Puzzle category from the DS version.
Crazy Machines Action for the iPhone
The 2nd Crazy Machines part for the iPhone Crazy Machines Action , which was released in December 2009, contains 60 new puzzles. The game principle is the same as in the action games of the DS implementation.
Crazy Machines for Nintendo Wii
In the version for the Wii , which came out on August 13, 2010, in addition to the single player mode , a multiplayer mode is also included for the first time , in which you can play against each other or in a team.
Crazy Machines Elements
Crazy Machines Elements is actually just a port of the Wii version to the PC. This time the developers have completely dispensed with the speech output. After a while, Crazy Machines Elements was also released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (available in their download shops). The game was released on March 25, 2011.
Web links
- Official websites: Crazy Machines I series , Crazy Machines II , Crazy Machines DS / iPhone / Wii
- Developer website: FAKT Software
- Publisher's websites: Pepper Games , Viva Media , Oetinger Interaktiv , Application Systems Heidelberg , dtp entertainment
- CM Fanpage : A community portal on which experiments for CM1 can be published and solutions are available for all official laboratories.
- Demo of Crazy Machines 2+ with 20 exclusive PhysX experiments: Nvidia Graphics Plus Power Packs (download page: English, demo: multilingual)
Individual evidence
- ↑ based on the famous formula E = mc² from Einstein's theory of relativity
- ↑ German developer award
- ↑ Assessment of the expansion to Gamona
- ↑ Crazy Machines DS: Crazy experiments on the go - report on demonews.de from March 31, 2008
- ↑ Best Mobile Game: German Computer Game Award - German Consulate General Bordeaux