![]() ![]() Each reactor has up to two input and up to two output quadrants, and supports two waldos, red and blue, manipulated through command icons placed on the grid. The primary game mode of SpaceChem depicts the internal workings of a Reactor, mapped out to a 10 × 8 regular grid. In SpaceChem, the player takes the role of a SpaceChem Reactor Engineer whose task is to create circuits through which atoms and molecules flow with the aid of waldos to produce particular batches of chemical shipments for each level. SpaceChem was incorporated into some academic institutions for teaching concepts related to both chemistry and programming.Ī SpaceChem program requiring the player to make titanium oxide and zinc oxide using titanium, zinc, and oxygen, and deliver the completed molecules to the appropriate quadrant on the right Reviewers found the game's open-ended problem-solving nature as a highlight of the title. The game has since been ported to other computing platforms and mobile devices. ![]() Though it was initially rejected for sale on the Steam platform, Valve later offered to sell the game after it received high praise from game journalists further attention came from the game's release alongside one of the Humble Indie Bundles. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows at the start of 2011 via Zachtronics' own website. SpaceChem was the developer's first foray into a commercial title after a number of free Flash-based browser games that feature similar puzzle-based assembly problems. In the game, the player is tasked to produce one or more specific chemical molecules via an assembly line by programming two remote manipulators (called "waldos" in the game) that interact with atoms and molecules through a visual programming language. ![]() The first half of this two-part conversation jumps into the design philosophy that Zachtronics uses to design educational games, the challenges of creating games that incorporate programming concepts, and Zach's thoughts on games and learning.SpaceChem is an indie puzzle game developed by Zachtronics Industries, based on principles of automation and chemical bonding. In the second half, we transition to some details about his studio’s upcoming game (Ironclad Tactics), lessons learned from SpaceChem, and how the studio is adjusting its process accordingly, especially with respect to tutorial design. MP: What's interesting to me is that the mechanics seem fairly well married to the educational content. Zach: We use MDA: Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics. The idea is that when you make a game, all you're doing is implementing mechanics, right? But the interaction of those mechanics and how players work creates dynamics – let me give an example. In TF2, they have a mechanic called random crits. Sometimes you'll be firing and all of a sudden shiny, magic bullets will start coming out of your gun that do tons of damage, especially at long range. On its own, it means nothing it's just a mechanic. Is it good or bad? I don't know, it's just a mechanic. But in practice, it has this effect that… well typically, you go into an encounter in TF2 and the player who's better will win. Sometimes it also depends on class balance. The dumbest pyro against the best spy-the spy is going to die. Like if you have two heavies against each other, the better heavy will probably win- unless one of them gets random crits. So there’s this chance that the worst player will come out ahead just because of this random thing. So that’s the dynamic: sometimes players who are not good can win in a situation where they should have lost. ![]()
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