| The Incredible Machine | |
|---|---|
 The Incredible Machine 3.0 | |
| Genre | Puzzle |
| Developers | Kevin Ryan Dynamix |
| Publishers | Dynamix Sierra On-Line |
| Creator | Kevin Ryan |
| Platforms | MS-DOS,3DO,FM Towns,[1]Windows,Macintosh,iOS |
| First release | The Incredible Machine 1993 |
| Latest release | The Incredible Machine 2011 |
The Incredible Machine (TIM) is a series of computer games in which players create a series ofRube Goldberg devices. They were originally designed and coded by Kevin Ryan and produced byJeff Tunnell, the now-defunct Jeff Tunnell Productions, and published byDynamix; the 1993 through 1995 versions had the same development team, but the later 2000–2001 games have different designers. All versions were published bySierra Entertainment. The entire series and intellectual property were acquired byJeff Tunnell-founded PushButton Labs in October 2009.[2] PushButton Labs was later acquired byPlaydom, itself a division ofDisney Interactive, so as of now the rights are held byThe Walt Disney Company.
A new game by Jeff Tunnell, calledContraption Maker, is the spiritual successor to theIncredible Machine series. It was produced by Spotkin Games, a company founded by Jeff Tunnell, and features the same developers of the originalIncredible Machine. The game was released through Steam for Windows and OS X on July 7, 2014.[3]
The general goal of the games is to create a series ofRube Goldberg devices: arrange a given collection of objects in a needlessly complex fashion so as to perform some simple task, such as "put the ball into a box" or "start a mixer and turn on a fan". Available objects range from simple ropes and pulleys toelectrical generators,bowling balls, and evencats andmice to humans, most of which have specific interactions with or reactions to other objects: for example, mice will run towards nearby cheese, and light sources placed next to amagnifying glass will ignitewicks. Levels have a set of fixed objects that cannot be moved by the player, and the player must solve the puzzle by carefully arranging a provided set of objects around the fixed items. There is also a "freeform" option that allows the user to "play" with all the objects with no set goal or to also build their own puzzles with goals for other players to attempt to solve.
Notably, the games simulate not only the physical interactions between objects but also ambient effects like varyingair pressure andgravity. Theengine does not use arandom number generator in its physics simulation, ensuring that the results for any given machine aredeterministic.
The series includes four core games and a "Toon" spin-off, with multiple iterations published of the earliest titles:
A compilation calledThe Incredible Machine Mega Pack was released in 2009 onGOG.com for Windows. It includedThe Even More Incredible Machine,The Incredible Machine Version 3.0,Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions, andThe Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions.
The Incredible Machine, the first game in the series, was originally going to be developed byElectronic Arts for theCommodore 64 in 1984, but Dynamix worked onArcticfox for theAmiga instead and work did not start onThe Incredible Machine until early 1993. Kevin Ryan programmedThe Incredible Machine, in nine months, on a budget ofUS$36,000 (equivalent to about $78,361 in 2024).[4]The Even More Incredible Machine is an extended version with 160 levels, about twice the original, and has more parts.
The Incredible Machine 2 introduced new levels, an extended assortment of parts, a new interface, significantly improved graphics, sounds, and music, and two playerhotseat play. It improved on the "freeform" mode, allowing players to create completely playable puzzles by defining not only the participating parts, but also the set of circumstances under which the puzzle will be considered "solved". In terms of gameplay, this version provided the biggest addition to the series, and subsequent updates were basically only ports of the game to newer operating systems with updated graphics/sounds and sometimes new puzzles, but no new parts.
The Incredible Machine Version 3.0 (1995), on some releases titledProfessor Tim's Incredible Machines, contains the same levels asThe Incredible Machine 2, but with an improved interface and extra features like CD music tracks.
Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions was released in 2000. As a full 32-bit Windows 95 game, it has new 800x600 resolution graphics.[5] Although it has a few new levels, the majority of them are levels fromThe Incredible Machine 2.[6]
Even More Contraptions (2001) started a service allowing players to share their homemade puzzles using a service called "WonSwap".Even More Contraptions also came with aPalm Pilot version of the game that contained its own unique set of parts and puzzles suited for a small screen.
Released onGOG.com,The Incredible Machine Mega Pack includesEven More Incredible Machine,The Incredible Machine 3 (contains all levels fromThe Incredible Machine 2),Contraptions, andEven More Contraptions.[7]
Released on theiPad in 2011, the game has 64 levels (and 45 more as in-app purchases). It features a similar three-star system asCut the Rope.[8]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | The Incredible Machine Version 3.0 70.00%[9] Return of the Incredible Machine Contraptions 78.33%[10] The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions 76.00%[11] The Incredible Machine (2011) 65.00%(iOS)[12] |
| Metacritic | 71/100(iOS)[13] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 8.4/10(Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions)[14] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 90%[15] |
| Gamezebo |   (iOS)[16] |
Neil Harris reported inComputer Gaming World in 1994 that showingThe Incredible Machine to an engineer friend caused "a chain reaction that brought productive work to a halt at a major naval yard".[17]
IGN describedReturn of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions as "a vintage blend of educational and entertainment software at their finest".[14]
By 2000, the series had sold over one million copies.[18]
During the4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences honoredReturn of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions with the "PC Family" award.[19]
The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions was included in the 2005 edition ofHoyle Puzzle Games as a bonus game.
A mobile phone version was developed by Mobile Interactions Group and published byVivendi Games Mobile[20] in 2006.
A new game was announced for a download release onXbox Live Arcade, but was later canceled.[21]
The Incredible Machine Mega Pack (which includesEven More Incredible Machine,The Incredible Machine 3,Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions, andThe Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions) was published byPlaydom and released onGOG.com on October 1, 2009.[22]
The Incredible Machine foriOS is the first version in the series to be developed and released by Disney for the AppStore. This revamped version contains new art, sounds, and levels, as well as a redesigned user interface. Disney releasedThe Incredible Machine on June 8, 2011, atE3 in Los Angeles, CA. The app has been retired from the app store as a decision made by Disney.[23]
In 2013, Tunnell began the work on a new game, calledContraption Maker, which is billed as a "spiritual successor" to theIncredible Machine series. Kevin Ryan and Brian Hahn, the other two developers on the original game, worked onContraption Maker as well, along with other developers at Spotkin, a video game development company started by Tunnell.[24][25][26]
Contraption Maker features improved "HD" graphics, and has a robust physics engine. The game features over 200 official puzzles and over 100 different parts. It also has Steam Workshop support, so users can create and share their own puzzles.[27][28]
The game was first released onSteam through its Early Access program on August 28, 2013.[29][30] Throughout its time in the program,Contraption Maker had 6 Alpha releases, adding features such as multiplayer and copy-and-paste, new parts, and new puzzles, followed by a Beta release in May 2014. The final (1.0) release was made in July the same year, andContraption Maker left the Steam Early Access program.[3]
