Oh hey, I made space!

February 15, 2013 11:24 AM

Alchemy, sort of. Happy Friday!
posted by likeatoaster (38 comments total)

I got as far as grass and then quit. This seems appropriate. I win!
posted by cjorgensen at 11:42 AM on February 15, 2013

Hey, this is fun! I was beginning to think the hints were all bullshit because I didn't have any of the elements they were showing.

I've got diamonds. Not sure what to do with them...
posted by bondcliff at 11:43 AM on February 15, 2013

Hints? There are hints? I made glasses and a gun and the atomic bomb and atmosphere! And sound. It seems mostly guess work now.

Kind of neat, actually!
posted by jillithd at 11:47 AM on February 15, 2013

Spoiler for one ingredient but so awesomely well said!!!
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:50 AM on February 15, 2013

If you're unsure of anything listed on the cheats page you can click any item to see how it was formed, and then track backwards on that item's component items, and so on.
posted by komara at 11:51 AM on February 15, 2013

Is this a new version of DoodleGod?
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:56 AM on February 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

ha ha ha! I made a nerd.
posted by jillithd at 11:57 AM on February 15, 2013

This is delightful.
posted by restless_nomad at 12:15 PM on February 15, 2013

I dropped the atomic bomb on a city and nothing happened. Lame.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:15 PM on February 15, 2013

How come the dog is liquified?
posted by bondcliff at 12:24 PM on February 15, 2013

I made an omelette!
posted by restless_nomad at 12:24 PM on February 15, 2013

I made Darth Vader! This is a good place to stop because I probably have work to do.
posted by axiom at 12:27 PM on February 15, 2013

Well. I like the mechanic but it is 95% of the time fucking about trying to make something new happen. Like a badly designed adventure game, except with RSI.

The last straw was when, I dragged water, fire, earth and air onto my wizard and I did not get an Avatar.

I mean that's just fucked up right there.
posted by seanmpuckett at 12:48 PM on February 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

What's the difference being indicated between the white glow and red glow around objects? Why would plankton have a red glow?
posted by Thorzdad at 1:04 PM on February 15, 2013

Ooh, I wonder if red glow things are end-products - that is, nothing more could be made from them. I was actually just grumping to myself that I wanted an indicator for that, but hadn't noticed the glows.
posted by restless_nomad at 1:14 PM on February 15, 2013

How babby is formed?
posted by spacewrench at 1:35 PM on February 15, 2013

We had an FPP two years ago for an almost identical game with slightly different art.
posted by Nomyte at 1:38 PM on February 15, 2013

How babby is formed?
I dropped a house on humans and got a family.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:38 PM on February 15, 2013

There's 360 elements and they allow only two ingredients, so that's 360^2 combinations which is 129600. If you could test one per second, which is reasonable with a mouse or tablet, that's about 36 hours so you could do it in a week of 8 hour work days.

However, not all elements can be used in combinations. Let's guess that half of the elements are "final" and can't be used, although I don't know if that's the case, but it moves us forward. So that's 180^2 combinations instead, a much more reasonable 9 hours.

So, with dedication and a really comfortable mousing device, you could solve it in a long day!

It requires some concentration in that you must maintain a discipline to make sure that you replenish the elements in your test grid if they are used up, otherwise it would be easy to miss a combination.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:10 PM on February 15, 2013

9 hours sounds about right. I've been playing fairly steadily since this post went up, and I've hit 149.

I am increasingly convinced of my red=final product theory. I haven't disproved it yet, anyway.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:20 PM on February 15, 2013

Red does equal final product.
You can also turn them off so they don't appear in your list.
Just click on the gear in the background for these options.

Also, engineer plus chocolate = willy wonka.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 2:40 PM on February 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

I MADE A FUCKING UNICORN.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 4:36 PM on February 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Just this guy, y'know: " Also, engineer plus chocolate = willy wonka."

Are you sure you're not playing Pixel People?
posted by IndigoRain at 5:49 PM on February 15, 2013

Sorry but storing data on my computer costs 10 cents per kilobyte.
posted by Twang at 5:52 PM on February 15, 2013

Am I the only one who was distracted by the blinking text at the top of the screen? I couldn't really enjoy the game with the text constantly changing in the corner of my eye.
posted by zixyer at 6:47 PM on February 15, 2013

This game fucks with my literal-mindedness real hard... like why can't I make a woodduck out of a tree + duck or Wood +duck... yet statue + bird = pigeon.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 7:25 PM on February 15, 2013

I liked playing on the iPad a bit more than on the PC, although there are several "fun items" that are only available on the desktop version. Like Nerds candy.

Cold Lurkey, I think there's a "suggest" feature.
posted by IndigoRain at 12:02 AM on February 16, 2013

Yeah, Willy Wonka is only on the desktop version, which installs with some sort of odd app store thing? I guess?
So I don't know if it is worth actually installing it. I think (from memory) that there are 60 or so extra combinations on the desktop one.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:33 AM on February 18, 2013

I am pretty sure I have been playing this game for two years, but I don't remember exact times. Anyway, I will spend about a weekend getting all the elements done and then do a celebration dance. In about a month or two a few more elements are released and then I just erase all my progress and do the whole thing over again.

BTW I am super sad that I didn't make this post. I always assume cool stuff has been here already - maybe I should start checking to be sure.
posted by tkappleton at 8:43 AM on February 18, 2013

Ok, I've got 341 out of 360 and I can't seem to get anywhere else. The hints aren't helping because anything that comes up is something I already have. Is there some sort of master list of elements somewhere. Seems if I know what I need to get I might be able to get there easier.

Yes, I'm cheating. I don't care. I just need to finish at this point.

There are fabulous prizes when I get to 360. Right? RIGHT?
posted by bondcliff at 12:46 PM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

I gave up right around then, after spending half an hour clicking through hints hoping to see something I didn't have yet. (They don't want to give out a list because then you wouldn't be refreshing the ads as much!)
posted by restless_nomad at 12:52 PM on February 19, 2013

To clarify, some things, like sandpaper or glasses are just literal combinations (sand + paper, glass + glass) and then some are conceptual airplane = bird + metal. That's what's fucking with me. My literal combinations don't work, and I'm not always on board with their more conceptual ones.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 8:30 PM on February 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Sandpaper! 347.

Thanks!
posted by bondcliff at 8:46 PM on February 19, 2013

Did you get the fireplace and chimney? Those were particularly non-obvious, I thought. (Campfire + house - fireplace, fireplace + house = chimney)
posted by restless_nomad at 8:49 PM on February 19, 2013

I did. I just go bone also, which wasn't obvious to me but then it made perfect sense.

Bird + whatever does a lot, as does house, sand, and a few others.
posted by bondcliff at 8:54 PM on February 19, 2013

Metal + EVERYTHING. All the monster ones are awesome, too.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:56 PM on February 19, 2013

Glasses + a couple of things.

My favorite so far is sushi.
posted by bondcliff at 9:00 PM on February 19, 2013

Since the post I'm at 125/360! I'm finding it very clever!
posted by TangerineGurl at 8:10 PM on March 4, 2013