SpaceChem is cheap, amazing

[westyfield]

I'm sure many of you already have it, and have noticed, but SpaceChem is currently £3.05 on Steam, until the end of today's deals. If you haven't bought it, buy it.
I didn't get it when it came out due to it being the winter exam season, and then forgot about it until today.
In the last half an hour I've gone from head-scratching confusion to defeatism, to desperation, to disappointment, to yells of delight, quickly followed by anguished bellowing. Five minutes ago I was back at the yells of delight stage when I finally completed a complex production quota.
It's really, really good - well worth the measly three quid (about five dollars?) they're asking, and you don't need to know anything about chemistry to get along.
Here's Quinns extolling Spacechem's virtues, in case you haven't read it.

[Lilliput King]

With research net and the DLC there is now more than enough content for a hundred hours of tricksy fun. I too can't recommend it enough.

[vinraith]

It is solidly brilliant. I'll note, for anyone so inclined, that purchases direct from the developer do register on Steam. When Steam's price is $5 and the dev's is $15 I can't exactly blame you for buying direct from Steam, but when the sales over, if you're feeling conscientious, you don't lose anything by buying direct from Zachtronics, and it does keep them from losing Steam's 30% cut. For such an awesome (and massive) game, even $15 is a complete steal.

[Veracity]

No, SpaceChem is work somewhat tenuously dressed up as a video game. It must be very good, though, because it's at least compulsive and sometimes quite entertaining, regardless. And yes, researchnet looks enormous and terrifying. Leaving it alone until I've unlocked it legitimately now, though - just used the bypass for a quick look and because I wanted the free stuff token.

[z999]

I really wanted to buy it but it was pretty expensive for a budget gamer like me, but I'm out of money on my single use credit card which means I can't buy it till sunday :(

[Vexing Vision]

I also bought it on Steam. This is utterly brilliant.

I will, after the sale, also purchase the DLC although I'm not sure I'll ever manage to finish the regular campaign. Not for lack of trying though!

[laneford]

Fixed the thread title for you;

Spacechem is cheap, amazing, and bloody difficult.

[Vexing Vision]

I just finished planet 4, and indeed, my brain is feeling more powerful by the minute.

I think the gorgeousness of SpaceChem puzzles are that I feel like I am solving the puzzles MY way. Way too many puzzle games are just "find the one proper solution", where here I'm given a handful of tools and notes and get to play with them.

Does anyone know similar puzzlers? I can think of Lemmings (and whatever the one with the Caterpillars was called) and Incredible Machine, although the tools there were very limited and often there also was only one "right" way to do this.

[Peter Radiator Full Pig]

Brilliant game, was going to buy it again for my other Steam account, but didnt know this offer was a one day thing.
Only problem for me was that level with the silos, world 3 i think. Puzzlers should either be action orientated, or cerebral, no mixtures. That level did a horrible ob of explaining the new token you got.
Gonna look up, see what this DLC is.

[vinraith]

Brilliant game, was going to buy it again for my other Steam account, but didnt know this offer was a one day thing.
Only problem for me was that level with the silos, world 3 i think. Puzzlers should either be action orientated, or cerebral, no mixtures. That level did a horrible ob of explaining the new token you got.
Gonna look up, see what this DLC is.

Non-Steam copies activate on Steam, just go to "activate a game on Steam" and plug in your serial. Poof, free Steam copy.

[tomeoftom]

It's <i>sooooo</i> good.

[dadioflex]

Swift counter-point. This is a shoddy elitist game that will keep 90% of players locked away from what they paid for. It's not a hippy-dippy indie game, it's a painful reminder of the 80s. Discuss.

Please note I'm not saying it's a bad game. Just affirming that it's a game most people will bounce off. Am I wrong? Am I?

[tomeoftom]

Yes, because its difficulty is precisely the point and the fun. It's teaching you "programming hurts your brain" and it's teaching you to love that hurt.

Not sure how serious you are, but I <i>would</i> have some concern for anyone who bought it impusively thinking it was a "regular" puzzle game. Not much, though, because it's really the customer's fault for not reading at least one review.

[Anthile]

I don't know. I bought it in the Steam sale and while I like the concept, it really feels like work after some time. It's just like my electrical engineering classes all over again!

[Schaulustiger]

I think the gorgeousness of SpaceChem puzzles are that I feel like I am solving the puzzles MY way. Way too many puzzle games are just "find the one proper solution", where here I'm given a handful of tools and notes and get to play with them.

You know what the worst thing is? With you in my friends list, after each level I get a comparison between you and me and my solution is *always* worse than yours, both in cycle times and used symbols. This truly feels terrible. "Hey, you solved it, but look at that other guy, he's waaaay smarter than you."

:(

[Lilliput King]

I think most players would get their money's worth from Spacechem even if they don't unlock all the content, because there's such a ludicrous amount of it.

It's also worth keeping in mind that 'most people' bounced off portal. There's no point making games that attempt to satisfy that fictitious construct.

[President Weasel]

Even if you didn't get Spacechem in the cheap deal, I still suggest you buy it. It's properly good.

[MD!]

I got it from the developer a while back, and noticed that it went on sale very soon after. Despite being remarkably stingy, I didn't feel even a flicker of annoyance, because it's just that good.

[Hydrogene]

You know what the worst thing is? With you in my friends list, after each level I get a comparison between you and me and my solution is *always* worse than yours, both in cycle times and used symbols. This truly feels terrible. "Hey, you solved it, but look at that other guy, he's waaaay smarter than you."

:(

If you want a lousy spacechem player to compare yourself to, you just have to add me to your friends ! ;)
I'm [EG] HydrogeneH2 on Steam

[Vexing Vision]

You know what the worst thing is? With you in my friends list, after each level I get a comparison between you and me and my solution is *always* worse than yours, both in cycle times and used symbols. This truly feels terrible. "Hey, you solved it, but look at that other guy, he's waaaay smarter than you."

:(

Huh, I haven't seen that feature! Either I'm farther in than my friends-list, or for some reason I deactivated this. I'm only compared against the rest of the world, but I understand your pain - I was so proud that I got one of the earlier production lines done in 800 cycles, then I checked the results and saw a blip at 500 which made me a little bit sad.