Amanita Design forum

That five-in-a-row BS puzzle just ruined what was until that point one of the most pleasant adventure experiences I've had had for a long time.
I don't want to resort to walkthroughs and cheating to get past it but that puzzle is needlessly hard and unnecessary. If I wanted to play board games, I'd find board games to play.
Perhaps I'm just a stupid low IQ individual but I finished many adventure games in my 15 years of gaming and when I can't beat that robot for the second evening now, I just don't want to get frustrated any more.
So I'm calling it quits. Too bad. It was a great game so far.
That's all. See ya.

Don't quit you fool! Just use a walkthrough and continue enjoying one of the most beautiful and best adventure games created in a long time. You are being silly to quit just because you can't solve the puzzles.  :D

The walkthrough won't help him...but there is a tactic (https://forum.amanita-design.net/index.php?topic=701.0.html) that might. ;)

Edit: Okay, he's said that he doesn't want to cheat, so here's one suggestion:

First, try and place two pieces so that they are next to one another in a horizontal row. Then try to make a diagonal row of two pieces, but place the rows so that they will be crossing at their respective third pieces, like this:
(https://p187.p2.n0.cdn.getcloudapp.com/items/JruqlyQ5/fourth.png?source=client&v=550e49e8ca2c4a41cc30faeb0eab8a45)




Now try and place a piece in the fifth spot, if you will, of each row:
(https://p187.p2.n0.cdn.getcloudapp.com/items/E0u46RO4/seventh.png?source=client&v=aa7240fb5cbdffbe1e248daeba57e982)




Then place the piece that is 'shared' by both rows. As you can see, the computer will only be able to block one of your rows:
(https://p187.p2.n0.cdn.getcloudapp.com/items/OAuWw2v0/eighth.png?source=client&v=062f9ec944b5c0997b2b462bf75b62ca)


 
That's pretty much it. Of course, you may have to block the computer at times, and this tactic won't work each and every time you try it, but I think it gives the player one hell of an advantage. Plus it's not cheating.

Thank you for the tip, Lamkin.
I saved your pics so if I ever do decide do come back and give it another go, I'll try it your way.
But for now, I'm taking a break; just can't be frustrated any more over something that a little bit of playtesting could have caught and nipped in the bud. But I guess that's the hidden price we pay for indie games.

In less time than it took you to register with this forum so that you might post your complaint you could just as easily have searched for the subject "five in a row" or "5 in a row" and you would quickly have found Lamkin's Gambit (http://machinarium.net/forum/index.php/topic,701.0.html) and solved your "problem". (it is, after all, a freakin' STICKY TOPIC here!)  "15 years of gaming".... pffft! :P

@Smradovi, I'm going to take a guess and assume that this game is very likely not the only thing which frustrates you to the point of quitting, so the problem probably doesn't lie with the game itself. ;)

but yeah, the "hidden price we pay for indie games" is the occasional gem like Machinarium once a while that doesn't feel the need to whore itself out to the Lowest-Common-Denominator with instant gratification sans any challenges beyond a visit to GameFAQs.com ::) Sorry, that was just my vent.