The Alchemist's Apprentice

Haha, Anyways, I tried this game before, and I kinda stunk at it... anyone know good recipes. I always make some goop or something like that.

Well the game in theory looks great. Love the idea of some mathematical puzzle tailored to look like alchemy.

In practise....

Eat goop apprentice monkey boy!!

Heh, once you figure it out, it's kinda easy. But it's fun :)

I figured out how to make the shrimp cocktail and the sugar, but that's not really helpful, is it?

BTW, where are these hilarious references that were mentioned? I must be oblivious to them.

Finally!!

Spoiler for lead:

1 Mercury + 1 Silly Putty + 2 Gunpowder

Ok found 2

Mmm, same, so far i've only managed to make a shrimp cocktail...woopie?

1 part eye of newt, 1 part rat and 1 part silk

This is the second time I have had a go at this game, and I still think it is impossible! Grrr!

This game is really easy once you figure out the relation between a couple of key elements (I hope I don't screw up this spoiler tree... if I do, someone please delete it so it doesn't ruin things for others):

Obviously, each item you're asked for has certain "attributes" listed in the recipe book (shiny, plastic, metal, etc.).

Each item in the ingredients book has its own "attributes" as well.

When you add an item to the cauldron, there's a number with up and down arrows next to it.

Those numbers actually MEAN something.

If you check through different items, the numbers vary - some go up to 3, some go up to 4, etc.

The number doesn't refer to how much of an item you want to add.

Where in the game can you count a number of things associated with the items?

That's right - the ingredient book has those "attributes" for each ingredient.

So how does the list of attributes relate to that number?

Perhaps the attributes are in order, and that number corresponds to the attribute in that position. Example:
If one of the items is described as "The cheese is soft, made of food and is shiny," then "soft" would be 1, "food" would be 2, and "shiny" would be 3. (There isn't any cheese in the game, I just made up an example.)

Still don't get it?

Try reading the required attributes for the recipes, and look for the same attributes in your list of ingredients.

Then combine the ingredients and adjust the number so it reflects the correct attribute that your recipe calls for (using the exmaple above, if you needed "shiny" you would add the cheese and move the number to 3).

Yey I figured the game out! Really neat idea.

After completing all three recipes is that all? No "congratulations" or sth?

Cute, fun game! The abrupt ending was a bit of a disappointment, though.

Hmm, maybe it was just me, but none of the links actually went to the game. I had to go to the authors site and find it there. Don't know if we overloaded the website, or if its because I'm on a Mac with Safari or what. Oh well, at least I found it.

Dreamhost is down (again). I've moved all the files to a backup server in the meantime. The links should be functional again.

Has somebody already mentioned the creative name of "your loving master"?
"Herr Ananas Wurstwagen" is German.
Herr = Mister
Ananas = Pineapple
Wurst = Sausage
Wagen = car / cart
Wurstwagen might refer to a hot-dog stand?

If you notice, the master's red mark is a picture of... maybe a pineapple riding a sausage cart? Or a turnip on a skateboard.

In regards to the game it was simple once figuring out the key. I had hoped for a "YOU WIN!" or "Congratulations" or a "Great Work Apprentice." Otherwise cute game.

Hey!

I'm glad someone noticed "Herr Ananaswurstwagen." Actually, Ananaswurstwagen, though it could be rendered, "Pineapple Sausage Cart/Vehicle" is using the word "wagen" as in "automobile."

It's a silly inside joke. You see, I have Tourette's Syndrome - a neurological disorder which, among other things, makes me randomly blurt out strange non-sequitirs as my brain sends crossed signals to my mouth. One of the frequently recurring vocal tics I have is saying the word, "Pineapple-sausage-mobile" over and over again.

When I was studying German in College I whimsically thought of how you would say "Pineapple-sausage-mobile" in German and the closest I oculd come up with was "Ananaswurstwagen." I've never claimed to be an expert in German so that might not be right :P

Sorry for the no-ending. I made this for the contest based off of the click-drag-type model, which returns you to the menu almost immediately after you finish the game, so I thought that's what I was supposed to do. I can always stick a more satisfactory ending on the version on my website when I get around to it.

Also, I've been thinking about making a sequel to this game, a more level-based challenge where the core mechanic is no longer a secret and the trick is to find out how to use what you've got to make things based off of limited resources. Does that sound like a cool idea?

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback!

Sincerely yours,
Lars A. Doucet

Yes, that actually sounds like a great idea. Once I figured out HOW to play the game, it was too easy. Playing it about 5 times, i never ran into a situation where I could not complete all three recpies.

Lars,

That's exactly the suggestion I made to turn this game from a time-waster to a brainteasing strategy game. I'll look forward to playing it once you have it done!

Nifty game!

I definitely think this has potential as a multi-level puzzle game with different challenges. To that end, here are a few suggestions for tweaking the interface to increase usability:

1. Put the list of things you need to make in a corner where you can always see it but it's not in the way.

2. Have single-clicking on any target or ingredient automatically open the appropriate page of the appropriate tome, perhaps also in a sidebar.

3. Perhaps have the tome also have an index by attribute, so you can click on "shiny" (in an item description) and see a list of all shiny things... maybe this would make it too easy?

4. So, have the tome start out blank — when you start a new game, the association of attributes to items is randomized. You have generous quantities of a small initial selection of ingredients, and you have to experiment to figure out what their attributes are. Indeed, the attributes aren't named, so you have do decide what you want to call whatever it is that toadstools and ball bearings have in common!

Of course, now I'm talking about a whole new game. ;-)

ive figured out most of the recipes, but for the life of me, i cannot figure out the ball! can anyone tell me the ingredients for ball? and it is ALWAYS a listed product to make no matter how many times i restart the game lol

rae - for ball try:

(4) gun powder; (4) mercury; and (3) silly putty

Okay this is all I found, I'm new to gaming so still don't get the explaination of key to this game - could be that my dull job has turned brain too moosh hence the name. Anyway this is all I found so far:

CODFISH = 1Croc + 5 Mold + 1 Seaweed. SHRIMP COCKTAIL = 3croc + 1toadstool + 1 seaweed. SANDWHICH = 3CROC + 4 TOADSTOOL + 1 SEAWEED ALSO SHRIMPCOCKTAIL = 3croc + 4 FD + 1 Seaweed SUGAR= 1 Gunpowder, 1 Baby Powder + 1 Fairy dust WHATSit = 1chick, + 1unpowder + 1 sugar LEAD = 1 Mercury+ 1 Silly Putty + 2 Gunpowder

Hey! this game is fun!

But is there a secret way to make unobtanium? :S

"The ball lives *within a deep forest*." Could this be a reference to the game of the same name reviewed on this site?

i got

shrimp cocktail=1 chick +1 rat+1 seaweed pants=1 baby powder+1 silk+1 mold codfish=1 duck+1 toadstool+1 skunk

that's all so far

I liiiiike this game!

anyone on unobtanium?

i've gotten how to play this finally.
heres how to do some stuff.

gumbo: 3 mercury, 2 sillyputty, 2 glue

Fregetable: 3 seaweed, 1 crocodile, 3 gunpowder

those were some of the harder recipes to make.
there are several ways to make a recipe, you just have to look.

the alchemist's name is awesome
im takin german this year, but i havent learnt much at all

Das ist nicht richtig.

How do you make a puppy dog?

Cool game, took me a while to figure it out. I didn't really understand kingfrogger's explanation! Sorry.
I found this to help, it's not really a spoiler but you may prefer not to us it. It's just a table of all the ingredients and recipes all in one place...

INGREDIENTS

Chicken      - Soft, Meat, Light

Duck         - meat, dark, noisy

Croc         - moist, dark meat

Seaweed      - moist, dark plant

Rat          - meat, stinky, dirty, dark

Skunk        - stinky, meat, dirty

Gunpowder    - powder, dark, dry, shiny, noisy

Baby powder  - light, powder, soft (not babies)

fairy dust   - shiny, powder, light, soft

Mercury      - metal, shiny, goop, round

Silly Putty  - soft, goop, plastic, moist, noisy

Glue         - sticky, goop, light, plastic

Mold         - plant, goop, moist, dark, stinky, dirty, sticky

Toadstool    - soft, dry, dirty, plant

Eye of Newt  - moist, round, dark, meat

Silk         - soft, light, shiny

Sulpher      - stinky, powder, dirty

Ball Bearing - round, shiny, metal, dark, sticky



RECIPES

Ball            - round, shiny, plastic

Pants           - soft, plant, light

Sandwich        - moist, meat, plants

Lead            - dark, soft, metal

Puppy Dog       - meat, soft, dirty

Pineapple       - plant, moist, sticky

Mud             - dark, sticky, goop

Gold            - soft, shiny, metal

Sugar           - light, shiny, powder

Dynamite        - powder, noisy, shiny

Egg Plant       - Dark, Shiny, Plant

Fredgetable     - plant, moist, dry

Codfish         - moist, stinky, meat

Shrimp Cocktail - Soft, Moist, Meat

Gumbo           - goop, goop, goop

Whatsit         - softy, sticky, stinky

Unobtanium      - cannot be obtained

Agaglop         - everything else!

Well Scott, When a mummy dog and a daddy dog love each other very much...

skunk crocudile and duck make fish ( 1 of each)

i made a puppy!

Excellent game, but WHY? Why, why, why is there no unobtanium? Must try harder. If anyone knows the arcane lore of making unobtanium, you are hereby promoted from Apprentice to Supreme Lord of Alchemy. POST! I'm dying here. *pulls hair out*

this is a great game!Try making a new one that is easier!Ibeat it with no spoilers!yay me!

whooooo hoooooo!!!!!

I dont understand once i use one thing i cant use it again and i have 2 things that need the same ingredient

I believe there is more than one ingredient that fits any of the descriptions, so that two end-products won't require the same ingredient.

er...i found a

puppy recipe lol?

i might tell

ok ill tell

crocs+sumthin+sumthin

i forgot the rest lol...

found sandwhich...

3 or 4 newts+3 or 4 colony+seaweed (3)

I got gold....this game is so hard!

gold is 1 part chick,1 part feary dust, and 1 part murcury

ok well to make a shrimp cocktail is one croc one rat and one silk

i made mud =)))

Some people have noticed that Herr Ananas Worstwagen means Mister Pinapple Hotdog Car. If you look at the stamp on the letter, it pictures a pineapple floating above a hotdog on wheels.

pants:

3chicks, 4seawead, and 3baby powder.

Yes! Great idea, if you do another version of the game you should make it with levels getting harder as you go so you may have to combine things that you have made to make new things etc.

SOMEONE TELL ME IF UNOBTANIUM IS OBTAINABLE!

Or atleast work on making it, i know i am!

I need help !!!

i need to use mercury for ball but i already used it on gold!!!

somone plz help me

THX

I got codfish-

Its skunk,duck,crocodile

Found a secret.

On the rubber ball, put your mouse over "within a deep forest"

does anyone know how to make DYNOMITE.read this to get how to make pants with different ingreadiants:
spoiler please tell me please spioler

OMG, I was looking for a good spoiler for YEARS. And it turns out the best one is one at the beginning. Really may attention to the definitions. And there position in the list. And think outside the box =))

For those who are still dumb enough:

The position of a certain quality for the ingredient defines the number of times it should be used to get this very quality in the thing you're making. So to take "moist" from a crocodile use it 1 time =))

its sorta boring once you no what your doing

I HAVE DESCOVERED THE SECRET! the number is the number in the recepy! for example, the crocodile says, moist dark and meat in that order, if you need dark, you would put in 2!