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***** The Watchmaker *****
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What Is It?
The Watchmaker was originally designed to be a clock mechanism simulator.
Later, it turned out to be a unique, real-life puzzle.
Why?
Reason: I needed one, searched the apps, couldn’t see anything, even close.
It took almost a year to come up with the Watchmaker.
Designing a single thumb navigation, leaner screens took most of the time.
Simulation checks, gear sets, mechanism icons, help systems all required lots of attention.
A Simulator
Heart of the simulator is always a single ticking gear.
Every other gear is directly or indirectly driven by it.
Gears are to be inserted at several pins, layered on top of each other.
They drive each other, either through the cogs or by attachments.
Difficult?
Difficulty level of the Watchmaker may not be appropriate for the casual puzzle solvers.
It is a real-life puzzle, and some puzzles are really hard.
It is in the nature of watchmaking, it requires lots of calculations and patience.
To overcome this and help you start going, a manual is prepared.
A video tutorial is there to help you understand the navigations.
Solutions are given away for several puzzles.
Design
A minimalistic approach is followed.
Screens are exceptionally clean and nothing comes between you and the mechanism.
You can solve using a single thumb, many actions are automatic.
The Watchmaker comes with sound effects and music, which make things more realistic.
Solutions
Since its a simulator, it doesn’t force you to a single solution.
As long as the objectives are met, your solution will be accepted.
Many of the watches actually have more than one solutions.
The Watchmaker checks your solution from different perspectives.
If it detects a problem, cause of the trouble is reported immediately.
In the end, if it works here, it is expected to work in real-life.
Intellectual Requirements
Basic math is required, especially ratios, like 1/3, 2/5 …
Its a multi-step puzzle. Positive side, it helps you solving.
Negative side, a mistake in one of the earlier steps.
What do you get in the end?
Each time you solve a puzzle, you will have your own clock ticking.
When an objective is met, it will correct itself using the system time.
I did my best to prepare some beautiful dials (clock faces). Hope you like them.
Questions before the purchase:
Do I prefer easy or hard-to-solve puzzles?
(Some puzzles will take hours if not days)
Is it a plus to get something useful when you solve it?
(You will get real, system corrected watches on your phone)
Is it a plus if it is from real-life?
(It helps you understand what is going on in a clock mechanism)
Any last words…
If you are a watch enthusiast,
If you like hard-to-solve puzzles,
If you are interested in real-life problems;
The Watchmaker might be the treat.