Can You Master the Challenges of Fantastic Contraption II?

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The discussion revolves around the second version of the game "Fantastic Contraption," which introduces new features like magnets and additional challenges. Players are tasked with building devices to transport a red object into a designated goal zone using limited components. Participants share their creative solutions and designs, showcasing various contraptions through links to their designs. The community engages in discussions about the physics of the game, with some expressing frustrations over its mechanics, while others highlight the fun and creativity involved in solving the challenges. The use of magnets has sparked particular interest, leading to innovative designs like a "magnetic repulsion gun" and attempts at creating perpetual motion devices. Overall, the thread emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving within the game's framework.
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Some of you may remember when we played around with version one of this game a while back, well now there is a version two with added features (magnets as components for one) and new challenges.

It can be found here:

http://fantasticcontraption2.net/

For those not already familiar with the game, the object is to build a device using the parts at the top of screen that will get the red object into the red "goal" zone. Extra kudos for using the fewest possible parts or getting the object to stay in the goal.

For example, here is a solution that I came up with for the level "Catch":

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350340
(click "play" and then "start" in the upper left corner to see it in action.)

Another challenge is to come up with a creative way of accomplishing the objective.
Here, I made a Magnetic repulsion gun to knock the object into the goal:

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350342

Give it a try yourself, and share your "contraptions"
 
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Hurkyl said:
My solution to "Catch" was to throw something to knock the red wheel. Here, I've redone it in an extra-showoffy way:

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350368

VERY nice!
 
Ah, you reminded me of some of my contraptions from the first one. Here was a tour-de-force that a couple of us collaborated on: (you will want to zoom out all the way)

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=2915429

I haven't managed anything truly silly yet in the new one.
 
Hurkyl said:
Aah, that's what I wanted to do, but couldn't figure it out!

I wound up with a more brutish solution, which I've reproduced:
http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350528
(my original was a little better than this)

Hey, if it works, it works! My first version was a lot clumsier. once I got the kinks out of it, I was able to trim it down

I just finished this one: It's Barrel Roll with the added bonus of keeping the ball in the goal.

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350601
 
Seems like the game is fun. Does it have some physics that is counter to reality? If there is, then its the most frustrating part for me.
 
  • #10
I_am_learning said:
Seems like the game is fun. Does it have some physics that is counter to reality? If there is, then its the most frustrating part for me.

No need to be frustrated , the game is based on reasonably precise real world physics.
 
  • #11
Janus said:
Hey, if it works, it works! My first version was a lot clumsier. once I got the kinks out of it, I was able to trim it down

I just finished this one: It's Barrel Roll with the added bonus of keeping the ball in the goal.

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350601
That's cute. Too bad you couldn't knock that other block down just for general principle and get a sweep. :smile:


I looked at that one again, and I finally managed two things I've been wanting to do: make an infinitely looping solution, and actually use magnets to make a latch:

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350740

(I really want make a latch on twirling that wraps around the land locks together, so that the contraption doesn't fall off, but I haven't managed it yet)
 
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  • #12
Great. I just wasted two hours on this.
 
  • #14
  • #15
Hurkyl said:
I looked at that one again, and I finally managed two things I've been wanting to do: make an infinitely looping solution, and actually use magnets to make a latch:

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=350740

That's neat!

(I really want make a latch on twirling that wraps around the land locks together, so that the contraption doesn't fall off, but I haven't managed it yet)

Maybe something like this?

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=351053
 
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  • #23
BobG said:
Bombard - doesn't stay in goal, but sometimes that's a good thing. http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=351301
For extra credit, see if you can manage to get the red piece to pass through the start area after your contraption starts falling to its doom, for a boomerang badge!


Janus said:
Oh, and if you like the rocket, you'll love this:

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=351417

for a clean sweep.
Hah, that's hilarious!

I think what your latest batch of designs has really shown me is that I still don't understand how to use magnets effectively. :)
 
  • #26
Janus said:
This one is about as clean as you can get:

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=351648
Yah, I went browsing after posting my solution and saw it. Well, mine is clean and has at least one piece!

I wonder if I can use that sweeping idea with my clean solution...
 
  • #28
Hurkyl said:
Yah, I went browsing after posting my solution and saw it. Well, mine is clean and has at least one piece!
The extra annoying part is that I tried (unsuccessfully) to do that -- on robotic block. It didn't even cross my mind to try it here.
 
  • #29
Not my most elegant design, but on Gantry I managed to drop the third rectangle between the other two. (I also learned that the entire thing is the goal piece -- it's not enough to just get the rectangle in)

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=351719
 
  • #30
Hurkyl said:
Not my most elegant design, but on Gantry I managed to drop the third rectangle between the other two. (I also learned that the entire thing is the goal piece -- it's not enough to just get the rectangle in)

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=351719

At first, I wasn't sure what all the water rods on the right were for. I thought about using bracing for the verticals but wanted to see if I could do it without them.

Here's a different method for lowering the target onto the pillar:

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/index.php?designId=351704

I know what you mean about the goal piece. my initial try failed because I didn't take that into account.
 
  • #31
Janus said:
At first, I wasn't sure what all the water rods on the right were for. I thought about using bracing for the verticals but wanted to see if I could do it without them.
If I had another week to work on it, I might try to drop the piece more cleanly in the middle without having to rely on supports. I'm not entirely sure it's possible, though; at best it would be a very tight fit.

I confess that I sometimes enjoy contraptions that unfold. And that method was by far the most convenient way I could find to get the wooden bits where I wanted them.
 
  • #32
Hurkyl said:
If I had another week to work on it, I might try to drop the piece more cleanly in the middle without having to rely on supports. I'm not entirely sure it's possible, though; at best it would be a very tight fit.

I confess that I sometimes enjoy contraptions that unfold. And that method was by far the most convenient way I could find to get the wooden bits where I wanted them.

Here's what I came up with in the way of supports and dropping the piece between the pillars. I know that it is not exactly necessary to have the pick up to go out and back, but It was just one of those things I want to try.

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/index.php?designId=351758
 
  • #33
Janus said:
Here's what I came up with in the way of supports and dropping the piece between the pillars.
Okay, I admit those are better supports than mine. :-p



Edit: I thought I had an 8 piece solution, but alas I have confirmed that
2 * {Rectangle width} + {Rectangle length} > {Goal width}​
:frown:
 
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  • #40
Janus said:
Okay, I just had to post this one.

A crackpot's dream brought to fruition : A perpetual motion drive using magnets(no powered wheels):

http://www.sparkworkz.com/fc2/?designId=356871
Hehe. :smile:

It got stuck after a few trips so I tried to add a new piece to help -- and boy is that design unstable. It must've taken a lot of tweaking to get it to make as many trips as it did!



Oh, new free level!
 
  • #41
Hurkyl said:
Oh, new free level!


It took a lot of tweaking to get my first, and only successful solution for this one to work!
 

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