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Have you tried Infinifactory (3d FPS ala Portal + assembly lines)? I loved Big Pharma and its not exactly the same, but it felt like the same parts of my brain were working on it.

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I think Infinifactory is mind-blowingly amazing on many levels - an epic triumph of game design. The components are few and simple, but provide enormous combinatorial possibilities. There's a logic-language and aesthetic that emerges, that includes the very things patio11 mentions: input ratios, timing, and pipeline issues. The puzzles are sequenced so that each level is initially shocking, but gradually yields to the player's contemplation and experimentation. I think I've had more pure delight from this game than from any other.

I liked TIS-100 a lot too, and Infinifactory is kind of like a visuospacial, high-production version of it.

> The components are few and simple, but provide enormous combinatorial possibilities.

Zachtronics in general seems to be pretty great with this.

I remember playing 'KOHCTPYKTOP - Engineer of the People' years ago, and loving it. I've also really enjoyed SpaceChem, Infinifactory, and TIS-100. All around very interesting and challenging games.

Currently working my way through this and it's awesome. The simplified 'transistors'are more like relays but since I want to build a relay computer some day, that's perfect. :D

I have not yet, but will put it on my list for after Lent. Thanks for the recommendation.

You would enjoy pretty much all of the games by Zachtronics, including Infinifactory. They're all puzzle-oriented though, as far as I know, rather than sandbox.

Seconding Zachtronics; TIS-100 is an amazing game.

It's hard to call TIS-100 a "game", it's more "fictional, slightly gamified IDE"

Potato, potato. :)

Hmm, it might not be "full sandbox", but they are... flexible puzzles, which can be solved in various ways with different tradeoffs or optimizations.

I think that distinguishes them from other kinds of puzzle-games where you're hunting for "The One Predefined Secret" to make your solution.

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