Zachtronics Industries
Zachtronics Industries
With the launch of the new ZI website, the old ZI website was moved to http://thesiteformerlyknownas.zachtronicsindustries.com (where you are right now). Comments are disabled and there will be no new posts. Unless you are looking for strange, old Zachtronics Industries stuff, you probably want to visit http://thesiteformerlyknownas.zachtronicsindustries.com instead!
Welcome to the future!
I’m glad to see that you guys are excited about SpaceChem, because I know that I am! To answer a few questions from the comments:
– As payjack points out, this game looks an awful lot like a real indie game, which I assume means you suspect that it will cost money. Which would be the correct thing to assume! While we’re not 100% sure on the price point at the moment, it will definitely be available sometime in the next few months, on some sort of digital distribution platform and/or for purchase on my site, for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
– Okay, so maybe this isn’t a question, but as we get closer to launch I’ll be counting on you, my dependable Extreme Fans, to let the rest of the world know about SpaceChem. You can start by joining the mailing list and/or following the SpaceChem twitter (@spacechemgame) so that you hear all the latest news as it becomes available.
– Unfortunately, I do not think that SpaceChem’s physics implementation will be powerful enough to support self-interpreters. Don’t let that get you down, though, as the game is puzzling enough despite limited molecular interactions!
If you have anything else you’re dying to know about SpaceChem (or Zachtronics Industries, or anything else) feel free to ask in the comments. Welcome to the future of Zachtronics Industries!
I’m just going to leave this here…
More information coming soon…
Other Peoples’ Games, Part Two
I got an email this morning from a fan of a new-ish flash engineering game, Tile Factory, suggesting I tell you guys about it.
Tile Factory is an engineering game by Jonathon Duerig that involves factories and tiles. From what I’ve played the gameplay feels like a mix of Manufactoid and Factory Balls, but without the Lua of Manufactoid or the random trial and error of Factory Balls. That’s a compliment, by the way.
Manufactoria
Who here likes my “engineering” games? Everyone? Excellent! Because I have something that you may like!
GO PLAY THIS GAME. RIGHT NOW.
And then go vote for it with 5-stars because this fellow is close to winning the weekly prize!
What is this? It’s a flash game called Manufactoid Manufactoria by a Nicholas Feinberg of mysterious origins. And it’s a proper game for engineers, about nothing less than finite state machines (and possibly more complex computational machines, as I haven’t beaten the game yet) in the guise of robot testing equipment. It even has charming flavor text and auto-save. Why are you still reading this? Go play this game!
EDIT: Yup, I see something that looks like a Turing machine. Incredible!
A Modest Protocol Proposal
Although it appears to have gone over some heads, the last post, Internal Developments, was intended as satire. Perhaps not enough of you have experience in production environments where XML is used like a glorious aether that ties everything together. Fortunately, I think we can spin this into something more informative.
As it turns out, I didn’t even write that abomination, nor the cryptic “release memo” that accompanied it. It was written by my friend and colleague Keith, who also wrote the prototypes for the shaders in Infiniminer and may be collaborating with Zachtronics Industries in the near future. Consider him the Senior Protocol Architect for Asset Interchange Formats.
Internal Developments
ORIGIN: ZACHTRONICS INDUSTRIES / WEST / ADVANCED GRAPHICS TECHNOLOGIES LABORATORY
RE: GRAPHICAL ASSET INTERCHANGE CONVERSION TOOL PROTOTYPE
DISTRIBUTION: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PUBLIC
DIRECTIVE: RELEASE TEXT FOLLOWS
DIRECTIVE: REPRODUCE VERBATIM
The Advanced Graphics Laboratory, a division of Zachtronics Industries, is pleased to announce that a recently developed internal tool has been approved for release to the public! This is a very exciting time for the Advanced Graphics Lab, as this marks the first public release of an internal tool from our lab.
We at the laboratory hope that you, loyal ZI consumer, can apply this compelling new standards-based technology to your own problems with as much success as we have here in the lab.
Sincerely,
[[IDENTIFER REDACTED; EMPLOYEE ID=2308]]
Senior Protocol Architect for Asset Interchange Formats
ATTACHMENT: gfx_ichg_tool_alpha2.zip
DEPENDENCY: Python 2.x
DEPENDENCY: Python Imaging Library
STABILITY: EXPERIMENTAL
DIRECTIVE: END RELEASE TEXT
WordPress!
In case it’s not obvious, I’ve switched my site over to WordPress! Expect a proper template sometime in the next few days.
Zachtronics
MOLEK-SYNTEZ
Use the MOLEK-SYNTEZ to create small molecules with various pharmacological effects from the comfort of your small Romanian apartment.
Eliza
Eliza is a visual novel about an AI counseling program, the people who develop it, and the people who use it.
EXAPUNKS
The year is 1997. You used to be a hacker, but now you have the phage. You made a deal: one hack, one dose. There’s nothing left to lose… except your life.
Opus Magnum
Master the intricate, physical machinery of the transmutation engine— the alchemical engineer’s most advanced tool— and use it to create vital remedies, precious gemstones, deadly weapons, and more.
SHENZHEN I/O
SHENZHEN I/O: BUILD CIRCUITS. WRITE CODE. RTFM.
TIS-100
TIS-100 is an open-ended programming game in which you rewrite corrupted code segments to repair the TIS-100 and unlock its secrets. It’s the assembly language programming game you never asked for!
Infinifactory
Infinifactory is a sandbox puzzle game. Build factories that assemble products for your alien overlords, and try not to die in the process.
Ironclad Tactics
Ironclad Tactics is a fast-paced, card-based tactics game set in an alternate history Civil War – with steam-powered military robots!
SpaceChem
SpaceChem is an obscenely addictive, design-based puzzle game about building machines and fighting monsters in the name of science!
ZACH-LIKE
ZACH-LIKE is a book of behind-the-scenes design documents from Zachtronics. Although we’re sold out of physical copies, a free digital version is available as a PDF.
Zachademics
All Zachtronics games are free for public schools and school-like non-profit organizations.
Newsletter
Sign up for the Zachtronics newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news about upcoming and released games.
About
Zachtronics is the game development division of Alliance Media Holdings. In the pursuit of clandestine R&D objectives, Zachtronics releases games from time to time, with information here. Enjoy!
Podcast
On the Zachtronics podcast we go behind the scenes of how indie games are made and interview other game developers.
Contact
Send us a message if you have any questions, comments, or requests related to Zachtronics games.
gamin
Недавно мою голову посетила идея написать небольшой обзор игрушек от Zach’а, но, по причине природной лени, я эту идею забросил. И тут Gyt в пятничном обзоре упомянул замечательную игру SpaceChem от Zachtronics Industries. “Это – знак!” – подумал я и все же сел писать обзор.
Все ссылки ведут не на сами игры, а на страницу разработчика, с которой игру можно скачать или запустить (если flash). Просто потому, что так просил сам разработчик.
Итак, знакомьтесь, Zachtronics Industries, которая делает, на мой взгляд, исключительно недетские игрушки.
Начнем, как водится, с конца. Точнее с самой первой и самой старой игры.
В этой игре вам придется выступить в качестве “народного инженера” одной несуществующей страны. И с помощью всего пяти инструментов создавать нечто вроде полупроводниковых микросхем, отвечающих заданным характеристикам. К концу игры автор обещает нам объяснить, при чем здесь коммунизм. Я, честно говоря, до конца еще не дошел и поэтому ничего объяснять не буду 🙂
В комплекте с игрой идет неплохой туториал, который объясняет основные принципы. Знание английского языка, естественно, обязательно. Знание хотя бы базовых принципов работы p-n-p и n-p-n транзисторов приветствуется.
2. The Bureau of Steam Engineering (Бюро Паровых Конструкций, flash)
В этой игре мы создаем паровых роботов, после чего отправляем их сражаться с противником. У каждого робота есть:
- Два паровых котла (круглые штуки внизу справа и слева)
- Два слота под оружие (справа и слева)
- Движитель (он же ходитель, вверху в центре)
- Приседатель (вверху, чуть правее ходителя)
- Рычаг управления (увы, всего один, справа внизу)
Внутреннюю начинку робота мы можем создавать сами.
Робот на скрине совершенно неподвижен, неуправляем и не умеет приседать. Зато он бодро стреляет сразу с двух рук и его вполне достаточно, чтобы выиграть самую первую битву 😉
В общем-то суть игры сводится к созданию идеального дизайна, который подходит ко всем условиям. Одна беда – как только тебе кажется, что такой дизайн найден – следующий противник либо оказывается сильнее, либо появляется какое-либо ограничение, которое делает создание “идеала” невозможным.
3. Ruckenginur II (Reverse-инжиниринг в Рок-н-Ролл стиле, .NET 2.0, 12 Мб)
Просто отличная игра. Игра в Хакера, чем-то напомнившая мне по духу Fate. Только взламывать тут надо не компьютер, а загадочные китайские (судя по иероглифам) девайсы. Мультиметр в зубы и вперед.
У этой игры есть одна беда – она очень короткая, всего 4 уровня. Как только ты научишься пользоваться всеми инструментами и войдешь во вкус – она уже кончилась. Однако у нее есть продолжение.
Еще 5 уровней. К сожалению нет общей сюжетной линии. К тому же на некоторых уровнях я ловил глюки. Но, все-равно, очень и очень вкусная игра.
5. The Codex of Alchemical Engineering (Кодекс Алхимического Инжиниринга, flash)
6. The Magnum Opus Challenge (еще 15 уровней того же самого, flash)
Непосредственный предшественник SpaceChem. Из набора манипуляторов и хитрых устройств (кальцинаторы, дупликаторы, трансмутаторы, объединяторы и пр.) создаем алхимические рецепты из заданных элементов. Действия манипуляторов программируются.
Интересно, но скучновато. SpaceChem мне понравился больше.
