Sprocket Rocket
You want to go to the moon, don't ya? Of course you do, who doesn't? Unfortunately, taking a trip to visit the man in the moon isn't quite the same as running to the corner store for a gigantic soda and a bag of chips. Nope, if you want to play a round of golf in the Sea of Tranquility, there are scant few options available to you. You could go through the grueling academic and physical rigors required to be a bona fide astronaut. If that seems a bit too much like work you might try becoming a billionaire and just buy a rocket and a crew to man it for you. Or, seeing as how billions of dollars don't just drop from the skies, you could always team up with your old pals Wallace and Gromit and help them collect the cogs they need to modify their rocket propelled egg in Aardman's new physics puzzle advergame, Sprocket Rocket.
The famed man and dog duo of clay are at it again, this time with their very own rocket propelled ship. The only problem is that it's not exactly ready to leave Terra Firma for more celestial destinations just yet. That's where you come in. Lying about Wallace and Gromit's special flight lab are sixty special cogs that they need to repair and upgrade the rocket for the upcoming lunar launch. Granted, this is easier said than done. If collecting the cogs was going to be easy, they wouldn't need you to do it.
Use the [arrow] keys to pilot the rocket from room to room in the test flight complex. If you get lost, or simply want to jump quickly from one room to another, use [M] to bring up a map of all the rooms you've already visited before, and simply click on the room of your choice to zip there. Soon enough, you'll notice there are cogs that are simply impossible for your rocket ship to reach as is. That's when you get at the heart of the gameplay. You'll first need to find one of the large square ports that lets you edit the ship (they'll open when you fly past them). When the shutter goes up, hit [E] to enter edit mode where you are greeted with a blue print view of the ship. Now, using your mouse, simply draw whatever kind of attachment you think you need to overcome whatever obstacle you're currently focused on. Need a hook? Draw a hook, how about a harpoon? Go for it. You're pretty much limited only by your imagination. Once the attachment has served its purpose, simply drop it by hitting the [space] bar.
Initially, you can only affix the attachments to the ship using a sturdy kind of glue with little give. But as you collect more cogs more methods of attachment become available, including a free swinging hing, a fast spinning motor, and a slow but strong torque motor as well. Once the latter two methods are attained, any time you build a tool using them you can rotate your attachment using [Z] and [X]. Think you got the perfect tool to dig the cogs out of the ball pit in B3? Need help with the crazy cage on F6? You can even share tool templates with your friends using a simple code system available in the edit ship screen.
So don't be afraid to get creative here because your imagination is your only limit, even as we work to make sure the sky is not. Will you have what it takes to collect all the cogs and secure yourself passage to the moon?
Analysis: Despite being an advergame, Sprocket Rocket delivers on just about all fronts, from unique and engrossing gameplay to high end production values. The good folks from Aardman studios that have kept us entertained for three decades manage to set our creative juices flowing freely even as they offer up treats for the eye and brain alike.
What makes Sprocket Rocket work is that it strikes the perfect balance between player freedom, and structures, limits, and goals. If you tip the scales too much towards player freedom, then the game becomes not so much a game as a directionless sandbox or a webtoy. Let the scales lean too far in the other direction, and you start to inhibit the creativity of the player which is where the soul of this game lies. Sprocket Rocket threads the needle in giving you creative control over designing the tools, but reigning this in by providing you clear goals and restricting you to creating only one piece machines. As such you are presented with a finite number of problems, but the ways in which you solve them are near limitless.
The level design does a magnificent job of supporting this concept of balance by ensuring that many of the challenges you face have open ended solutions. Granted there are plenty of stages with one fairly obvious solution where your only real task is creating the tool you need properly, but these are supplemented with plenty of stages where a number of different approaches could get the job done. The other aspect about level design that makes Sprocket Rocket just a pleasure to play is the fact that it appears to cater to a broad range of skill levels. From fairly easy to headache inducing, there's plenty of rooms that cater to all comers. And the code based tool sharing makes it fairly easy for friends to help each other out, particularly on the hardest levels where just figuring out what kind of tool to use can seem an insurmountable task.
Not only is Sprocket fun to play, but it's easy on the eyes and ears as well. The graphics, though not particularly flashy, are clean and attractive and do a good job of establishing that experimental flight lab feel. Meanwhile the music is fun, stirring, and about what you would expect from a Wallace and Gromit adventure of this magnitude. It can also, thankfully, be muted when you grow tired of it. Speaking of the duo, Wallace pops in now and then to offer you some words of encouragement now and then, or to just whistle at you if you're taking your sweet time. Actually, the whistling might be Gromit. I can't tell.
Unfortunately, if you were looking for Wallace and Gromit to feature heavily in this game, you'll be disappointed. Despite top billing, the beloved claymation stars do little but offer a few quotes and sound effects from time to time. Another sticking point some may have is that this is in fact an advergame. To be fair, though, this is not so much an advertisement posing as a game as it is a really fun public service announcement to raise awareness for England's Intellectual Property Office. To that end you will come across a number of signs that discuss intellectual property law as well as offering tips on how to protect your own intellectual property, but none of this is as ubiquitous as, for instance, having a hero plastered in logo laden paraphernalia whilst passing gratuitous product placement billboards every five seconds.
In truth, my only real complaint about Sprocket Rocket is that there isn't enough. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of levels that will keep everyone short of certified mechanical engineers busy for a while, but that doesn't mean I can't still want more, does it?
Great puzzle game, gets the cerebral cogs turning. Mine need oiling :)
Pretty awesome game (Aardman's good!), although it does seem that a few too many of the puzzles can be brute-forced (the green nut, for instance), and a simple long spear can solve about 2/3 of the puzzles. Overall though, a fun game.
Hmm, the rocket looks pleasantly familiar. :-D No mention of cheese whatsoever though.
I can't get past screen 2! Either there's something fishy afoot, or I'm way more stupid than I thought. I collect 2 cogs on each of screens 1 and 2, but then what? Where to go, what to do?
scrub that. I'm on screen 3 and I am certifiably more stupid than I thought...
Why do the E and R have to be right next to each other? I work for like ten minutes on a puzzle, then go to edit my ship to finish it, but I press R instead of E. *cry*
Does the game save your progress? I can't find a save button.
Oh, wow....uh, if you look at the map you lose your tool. ??? That's weird.
It's stuck on the loading screen; it keeps opening it up.
Actually there is a reference to cheese in the game. If you look closely to the one of the wheels in the final room you'll see it.
Any help on F6?
nevermind about help on f6 but if you need help then try to use this:
4+Jk4+Ln4uJkAgA=
(click the Load ship design button when you edit your ship[make sure there is nothing on your ship!!!!]and paste that code)
i need help w/ d1 and e7 please... thx
I found a bug.
I got the second cog in the large gear room (sorry, closed game and don't have grid coordinate) and rather than push my way back around the cog to get out I hit the map button to select another room. My map was full of completed rooms that I've never been to and I couldn't escape out of that screen, nor could I click on anything. I eventually closed and reopened the window but about half of my game progress was lost, not interested in doing it over again. Bummer.
This game is just so damn good. I visit this site everyday and it's been ages since the last time I had so much fun with a flash game.
I agree about the effectiveness of brute force, but the harder puzzles make up for it. E8 gave me trouble.
Solution: "The spoon" http://yfrog.com/5zsolvhj
You can use the "back" of the spoon to push the ball towards you, then the tip to pick up the ball in the opposite direction and carry it to the top.
Other cool construction games:
- Fantastic Contraption
- Crazy Machines/Incredible Machine
Finally! I beat the game! Didn't know you had to actually follow what it said in the background, it wouldn't launch
this game would be awesome if it weren't for the untapered hole on d9 thats impossible to get the stick into and the balloon pachinko level where the balloons simply don't seem able to hit the cogs, even after getting all of them in the hole... Thus I give it a 2 out of 5, really promising, but ultimately broken.
E9 rather...
D1
er, just run into the blue block with your ship till it squeezes through. Then you have to exit the right side and come back. No tool necessary...
ok, never mind e9 is possible. B4, still broken. 2 cogs simply wont fall no matter how many balloons hit them.
nice game. Just beat it.
D1:
Just hit it hard again and again.
@fattywads: D4:
you need to do it again and again until all the cogs fall down.
Great game was bored at work for a few hours and was a great way to pass time I beat it all with no help too which is awsome usually each game I do on here I get stuck and need some help but this was fun and u could say a little challenge most of it could be done with a lever like a fork lift that was wedge shaped and u could move it around with the torch wrench but still made u think a little too
In the room where you have to knock the cogs down with balloons, the balloons have to hit them from the sides to knock them down. It took me several tries to get them all but it is possible. In my opinion that's the worst room in the game.
For the rooms where you have to move piles of objects burying cogs, this works fairly well even though it may take a while.
4+Li5efj4+Xj4mICAA==
IT broke AGAIN! XC. Just when leaving lab.
I think it might be because I entered lab with high speed.. I'll report. 3rd AND LAST time.
VERY Good game otherwise.
Finished.. luckily progress wasn't gone this time. (unsure why it bugged before though).
E7
4+JiZ2Rj5OLl4mICAA==
I also think that it is the most difficult one.
missing only f5, f7, x2 and e9... any help?
thoroughly enjoyed that:)
Excellent game! Absolutely fun, and challenging enough to get me thinking without being frustrating--the only frustrations I experienced were from my own mistakes, and I was always able to see how close I was to success, which kept me trying again and again until I got it. Truly one of the best games I have ever found on this site.
E9:
42TmZuYW4eLhFOFkZgIA
F7:
4+Hk4Wbg5uFkAgA=
(use it as a scoop for the balls, then as a pokey to push the purple slidey thing back and forth)
can use the F7 design for X2, and E9 i just muddled through so don't really have a suggested design for you :)
Found another bug.
I tried hitting the "M" key while over a garage (where it was expecting me to hit the "E" key) and the game locked up.
For balloon levels,
if you put the balloons thru 1 by 1...doesn't work that great. Put 4 or 5 thru at once with sth like this:
4+LiYRNmE2LnZefh4OUU4hTm4uHi5uTiYgIA
It'll be much quicker.
Just for fun =D
DcyJAQMhCAAwTpTfB2X/WdsMEDNlHtQAsAF2BCZSUe0CBvVZV1Y1tOZfYXRXj1h7Xn/8evY9pkxfkZK0/dAam1Ju3HksRuDGpIpad6/w4xmvrqe5TT36rKrsyD+VRcUHC7MVrDaHs1n7AQ==
I can't get the game to end. I've put all of the supplies in the ship.
I've entered the rocket hole. Nothing. I've waited.
I've sat my ship in the opening. Waited. Nothing.
Now I've closed the browser. Still nothing, but at least I'm not expecting it.
haha the game was good, if not a little frustrating, up until the NO ENDING. How did you all get it to end? Is "dock" a control I don't understand?
what about the middle one in D1, its impossoble!?
@lukemoss: There's more than one way to enter any room.
Warp to that room from the map. You'll end up in the center.
Really addictive, even though I solved almost all of the puzzles with the same tool - essentially a pointy stick. Some of them (the green wheel springs to mind) didn't even require a tool, and some of them would take considerably longer if you do it in the prescribed fashion. Still, cool concept.
*Jacob*: Once you've gotten all the supplies in, when you enter the rocket, it should take off. That's the ending. It then goes back to the map screen, and you can find any IPO facts you missed, go to any of the rooms again, or wipe your progress and start again.
The puzzles were challenging but not impossibly so, the level of creativity and freedom was just right, and the game overall was pretty fun. :D
This was pretty fun. Nice style, fairly nice ship editor (though I really wished for (a) a way to get back another copy of a tool I'd just discarded, and (b) a way to delete points other than in the order I placed them). The only major drawback is, as others have said, a pointy stick solves most puzzles. But nonetheless, solid and fun.
This game reminds me of Bob Came in Pieces!! Really cool! :D
here's an easy e8.
4+Li5hbm5uHi4eBj52Ln4mICAA==
FINALLY I FINISHED IT
Thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyable. Absolutely LOVED it!
Just the right level of difficulty, and fun enough to hold your interest and keep you going. Cheers!
D3, anyone? It's the one with the Octoblock... finished all of them except that one
Any walkthroughs please?
What am I doing wrong? I can't modify my ship. I draw the shape outlined for me in the first visit to the bay, hit "done" (esc), the "patent pending" stamp shows, and then I'm back in the room but without any modification to the ship. However, if I copy/paste someone else's design code then THAT sticks.
I'm an idiot, but how do you get past Level A5? I can't seem to get it out. ):
Being that I'm an evil advertising guy, I have to take up the point in the review regarding advergames. While the reviewer used the phrase "Another sticking point some may have is that this is in fact an advergame" implying that this is a complaint possibly held by a vocal majority and one which he believes does not apply wholly to the game in question, I think ample separation between the idea of an advergame and what the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has done here should be drawn.
Using games to promote products and services isn't anything new, and certainly the ability to rapidly produce a fairly large quantity of sub-par, pathetic games has been dramatically accelerated by the interweb; however, this is not the case here.
Both the IPO and Aardman should be praised for enlisting talented designers and developers to promote their cause in such a high quality fashion. Are there companies that could be criticized for attempting to use games to spin or manipulate the person playing into a product purchase? Absolutely. (BP making a "Clean the Oil-Soaked Pelican!" or perhaps "Plug the Leak!" for instance). Nevertheless, corporations possess a large cache of resources, and if more of them choose to support talented game designers for their projects, we shouldn't be so vocal in protest. Are a majority of advergames pointless and drivel? Yes. Is the support of game designers and the occasionally brilliant showing such as this worth it? Personally, I side with the affirmative.
@Deniisee
That's what she said.
@Deniisee
Use a ship like this:
4+Li5OIU4eLm4mIGAA==
Then give it the spin type, and go down the top chute. From there you should be able to nudge it. If it doesn't quite reach, do a big spin the release it, and it should carry itself into the cog and hit it down.
How do you do E2?
I truly enjoyed this game. There aren't too many engineering games like this, and this one is really fun! For some reason, the ship I was controlling kind of reminded me of XJ1, probably based off the spherical shape.
I have to give this game 4 out of 5 stars, however. It is pro-copyright, and I personally loathe copyright law. They just limit free sharing of information. I just need to wait to enter politics, that's all.
But this is overall a great game. 4/5 stars.
how do you complete E6
Using this I got X2 supplies in two scoops
4+JiZ2Rj5OLl4mICAA==
(if it doesn't work try using: 4+JiZ2Rj5OLl4mICAA)
help with f4???
surely one of the best phuzzle games ever? Awesome game! Once you know what the blue signs are going to pop-up its easy enough to avoid them. Or use them as a break far all that arrow pressing. I share the same critisms that too many levels can be solved with a sharp pointy thing...plus on the last level my tool kept on getting stuck IN the roof -a bug it think- and i would have to restart. Very annoying after the 5th time it happened...
i need help with level c4. i have every sprocket except the one on c4. some one give me a spoiler.
helps alot on B3 you have to have torque but her you go
4+LiYmRg5GTiFBYR5hLi4mICAA==
that should help jut im stab manipulate than move
For those of you having troubles propping up the obstacle in E7, here's the perfect tool for it:
4+Lm4WRg4OLg4OLi5Obk4uLiZgIA
To use it, poke the piece upwards and then turn the tool around until it touches the ledge, then drop it. If done correctly the piece won't move and you can wedge the ship in the space.
Hope it helps. ^^
Here is a nice tool for E7 for those of you having trouble wedging the piece in place.
4+Lm4WRg4OLg4OLi5Obk4uLiZgIA
To use it, turn it upwards and lift the piece, and then turn it around some more until the bottom part comes over the ledge. Drop it and it will hold the piece in place and you can squish your way through the opening.
can anyone post a code for help on f4? i really cant figure it out
try this for f4:
4+ISFBDg4+fj4mICAA==
c2 is killing me! Any help is appreciated!
I completed the game! I did it with no help! It was a bit easy in my opinion.
C2
4+LiYuBk4OQCUgA=
Gently push the cog upward on the left side of it until it falls to the side you want it to fall. Quickly drop the object and get to the place the cog will drop.
@*Jacob* go into the window that you just loaded the supplies in.
Best B3 tool ever!
4+Li5xIS4efh4xYU4eXm4uXgZhFh52bjYRZh4+LiYgIA
need help on E2
Need help moving ball in C1
Best C1 ship ever
4+Li4uHm5uHi4RHh4eXm4eTh4GEXYeNi4+JiAgA=
DcIBEoAgCARAQASEzMz+/9ZuZ5ngAxKSF0RFH1BTu8HC4oLIyKysGjV8+kTvqy/sbbeNjQ8fZJIf
spiral!!!
My ship went into a hidden room.
Use my following tool for the E2 level:
4+Ji5GLk5uHiYeNhBQImRiZGNm42bk4uLiYA
You need to use it with the torque device otherwise it won't help.
4+Ji5eMQYufj5OMU4uL4+Ji5GLk5uHiYeNhBQImRiZGNm42bk4uLiYAjFuLh4xXi5ePm5uJiAgA=
B4
any one know the shape for c5?????
oh yea any one needing balloon ones i got a solution.
4+Li4hXhFeLh5uHmFOIU4eDi4OJiAgA=
Hey can anyone help with the IPO facts I've gone to every room twice and can't find the one I'm missing.
Can Someone help me with a5?
I did E2 with this design:
BcEJCgAwCAMwWI+5Ivr/3y5JLAgXxaLlFw2HjcZ6k/MB
on torque
--
You just clam the yellow block between the scissor and press z once (just a bit) and then I just pulled it out, no problem =)
Fun but Hard! I still give it 5 stars though
Er ... 'mushrooms' lol
All of which goes to show there is not much in life that cannot be achieved with aid of a
sharp stick and a touch of torque
I found the answer to E9! put the thing in the whole and then make a tool that will fit in the hole and poke the thing hard.
oops, spoiler alert!
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