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Finding Official Solutions to Puzzles

By Sam's Dear Old Dad

Stuck on a puzzle with no solution to be found? This is the guide for you!

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Created by

Sam's Dear Old Dad
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Category: Maps or Levels, Secrets, Walkthroughs

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

22 Jul, 2014 @ 7:05am

19 Feb, 2018 @ 2:49pm

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Guide Index

Overview

The Solution

Comments

The Solution

Before you start reading this, you should only consult this guide if you are absolutely stuck on a certain puzzle.

A large thanks to Stupidity on vm for illustrating the file paths in Linux.

Contraption Maker is a fantastic game, but sometimes a puzzle can prove too challenging. And because it is relatively new, it is difficult to find online solutions. (Believe me I know). However, each and every puzzle has an official solution which - through the magic of game file editing - can be discovered. The 10 steps below show how do to this on a PC, a Mac should be fairly similar but with a few subtle differences. Linux is also explained.

Step 1:
Memorise the name of the puzzle you are confounded by.

Step 2:
Open your home drive, in my case (C). From there follow this path:
Program Files (x86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/ContraptionMaker/assests/levels/official/game
Or on Linux, ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/ContraptionMaker/assets/levels/official/

Step 3:
Find the file that shares the name of the puzzle you are stuck on.

Step 4:
You will notice there is more than one, select but do not open the file that ends with ".cml". This is the actual puzzle.

Step 5:
Copy this file then navigate back to the "ContraptionMaker" file.

Step 6:
From here open the "levels" file and paste the copied cml file there.
Or on Linux, ~/.config/spotkincm/contraptionmaker/levels/

Step 7:
Launch Contraption Maker and open the Make section.

Step 8:
Click on the load icon. (It looks like a folder).

Step 9:
If all has gone to plan, the official puzzle should be there, open it.

Step 10:
Notice there are extra parts in the play field and if you run the puzzle it solves itself! This is the official solution to the puzzle, take a screenshot and find the puzzle again in Play mode and solve it. You're done!

NOTICE

You should not post derivatives of these puzzles on the workshop as the ownership belongs to the original developers, you may get in trouble. You have been warned.

Finally as I said earlier use this guide as a last resort, keep trying, it feels so rewarding when you have your "aha!" moment and the puzzle becomes solvable, Thanks for reading and don't break your game.

9 Comments

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Sam's Dear Old Dad [author] 19 Feb, 2018 @ 2:51pm

@Stupidity on vm: Thanks very much, I'll add the info and acknowledge you :) Completely forgot I made this :P

Stupidity 19 Feb, 2018 @ 1:37pm

Just a heads up: on Linux custom contraption files are saved in

~/.config/spotkincm/contraptionmaker/levels/

and the official contraptions are in

~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/ContraptionMaker/assets/levels/official/

Ronald Brain 30 Apr, 2016 @ 7:56am

@MiraKHall: The hints are provided on Easy and Medium puzzle, they are just not there on Hard / Expert one. Even original TIM won't give you any hints at all.

@Sam: For now CM uses direct hints - they tell you on the Puzzle Goal and put annotations on the playfield directly. This works, but doesn't have the advantage of on/off toggleable like original TIM

wildgoosespeeder 23 Apr, 2016 @ 12:48am

Now that I played more puzzles:

* Light the Menorah - Didn't know to pop the paper balloons.
* Two Pumpkins, To Go - Puzzle neglects to tell you that there is a certain spot the pumpkins need to be besides the box. Also unusual pulley mechanics.
* How the Cat Stole Christmas Never learned or knew to counter the gear rotation.

wildgoosespeeder 22 Apr, 2016 @ 6:11pm

Zombie Airstrike :

My head hurts. Truly deserving of being organized into Pretty Much Impossible . This one is the most frustrating to solve. It's the only one so far I had to cheat to solve the puzzle. So much precision, timing, and keeping track of many laser beams. The rest of the difficult puzzles were not all that difficult or I found a strange alternate solution. Lasers, mirrors, refractors, and laser mixers are not my favorite parts to work with, especially in the fashion found in Zombie Airstrike .

FatChicckPlays 15 Feb, 2015 @ 11:26pm

@Sam Agree.

Sam's Dear Old Dad [author] 15 Feb, 2015 @ 11:06pm

@MiraKHall. The title of this guide says it all really, but I know what you mean, maybe they could bring back hints like the original TIM?

FatChicckPlays 15 Feb, 2015 @ 10:40pm

Darn, I was hoping for clues rather than an outright cheating TT_TT

Malrog 5 Feb, 2015 @ 5:40am

Much obliged - I needed this to work out Light The Menorah!

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