We've fixed a bug that has been plaguing the game since it's very inception - the occasional and rare "joints break apart on their own" bug! Special thanks to Spike for spotting that we hadn't fixed it (for the third time) and his efforts in helping us narrow things down. We couldn't figure out how to reproduce it, though, and we thought we were back at square one... Until we happened to find and reproduce the bug during a live stream! If you've ever wanted to know what it looks like to hunt down a mind-bending bug, we've stored a copy of the video in the youtube archives. It's not our best production work but it's an accurate representation of game programming in general - hours of hunting down a single line of code that sometimes, maybe, produces bad results. For the curious, it all had to do with how long you held on to a snap on the end of a stick combined with a weird engine glitch. We never reproduced it because we never held onto the sticks long enough! Contraptions were more likely to break apart the more thoughtful and pondering your playstyle was. v1.1.4 should now be available for everyone on the default branch. Happy contraptioning!

[ 2016-08-16 01:37:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

We've fixed a bug that has been plaguing the game since it's very inception - the occasional and rare "joints break apart on their own" bug! Special thanks to Spike for spotting that we hadn't fixed it (for the third time) and his efforts in helping us narrow things down. We couldn't figure out how to reproduce it, though, and we thought we were back at square one... Until we happened to find and reproduce the bug during a live stream! If you've ever wanted to know what it looks like to hunt down a mind-bending bug, we've stored a copy of the video in the youtube archives. It's not our best production work but it's an accurate representation of game programming in general - hours of hunting down a single line of code that sometimes, maybe, produces bad results. For the curious, it all had to do with how long you held on to a snap on the end of a stick combined with a weird engine glitch. We never reproduced it because we never held onto the sticks long enough! Contraptions were more likely to break apart the more thoughtful and pondering your playstyle was. v1.1.4 should now be available for everyone on the default branch. Happy contraptioning!

[ 2016-08-16 01:37:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fantastic Contraption is surreal building game for Vive VR. Create life-sized machines as tall as you can reach, then send them whirling, flinging, and trundling off to solve puzzles on the other side of a floating island. Your task is simple: get the squishy purple ball to that goal off in the distance, or above you, or on the other side of that gap. And your tools are elegantly minimalist: spinning wheels and stretchable rods. But the solutions are endless, and there are no right or wrong ones.

We've designed this game from the ground up for room-scale VR. Come immerse yourself in a strange skybound archipelago and befriend Neko the photosynthesizing cat. Build contraptions with your own two hands, life sized and as big as horses, right there in front of you. Play with the physics, juggle pieces, throw darts, and feel another world all around you.

Features:

• Challenging puzzles. 50 official levels that range from cakewalk to what-the-hell-this-is-impossible-right-tell-me-this-is-impossible. But guess what, it IS possible. I think.
  
  
• Infinite solutions. Working cars, tanks, catapults, conveyor belts, walking creatures or minimalist structures that use only gravity. Design for elegant simplicity, or build a rattling pile of junk that just barely makes it to the goal. Whatever.
  
  
• Building with your own hands. Movement so simple and natural you'll forget you're holding controllers. Need a wheel? Just pick it up. Want a longer rod? Just grab an end and stretch. It's like playing with children's blocks, except they're bigger than you are.
  
  
• Noble ancestry. Fantastic Contraption is the VR evolution of Colin Northway's 2008 2d browser game, played by millions and still playable for free. But don't be fooled, this new game is WAY different.
  
  
• Full 3d audio and music. Actually, this game has no music. What it does have is musical instruments. Except you have to build them. Well... you'll figure it out.
  
  
• Surreal and beautiful landscape. Hey guy, chill here awhile, why don't you just lie down in the grass and just listen to the sky whales singing? You'll totally forget the dystopian present and the 300 sqft windowless cube you now live in. Who needs sunlight? VR.
  
  
• Neko the toolbox. Yes, your toolbox is alive, and he's kind of a green cat blimp thing powered by pink farts. He doesn't seem to mind when you pull off one of his tails or yank a pin out of his head. They grow back pretty fast, so I guess it's okay...
  
  
• Online sharing. Venture bravely into the dark world-within-a-world to load contraptions made by your friends and also some random people. Marvel at the crazy crap they came up with. Then narrow your eyes and say: I can beat this. I can do better.