Basic instructions

[sukayser]

I am new to Machinarium, which I am playing on my iPad (3rd generation, still on iOS 6). There is no menu bar, just a star which gives me access to a kind of safe with a spider game, a lightbulb, and a display of what is in the inventory. I can play the game, but the lightbulb doesn't go on when I tap it.

I would like to know: How do I save a game? How do I get stuff out of inventory to use, or does it just appear when needed? What is the lightbulb for? Is there a Help file? (I do have the walk through bookmarked, but don't want to look at it unless I am totally stumped.) Do I have to win the spider game before I can continue? Is there an FAQ for the game, or a Basic Instructions file?

So far my robot has his body and has swallowed the toy that the anteater is looking for. I am doing very badly on the spider game. I don't suppose there's a way to slow it down, or pause it?

Thanks in advance for helping.

[Lamkin]

There is no FAQ for the game. A few text instructions for playing the game are given while playing through that first level. (From where you say you are in the level progress-wise, you haven't seen all of the instructions yet.)
But to answer a few of your questions:

Q. How do I save the game?
A. Press the star to see the different menu items on the bottom of the screen. Notice that 'SAVE' is an option; press 'SAVE' and select one of the slots to save your game.

Q. How do I get stuff out of the inventory to use?
A. Press the star. Tap, hold, and drag an item out of the inventory; "drop" the item (by lifting up your finger) where you want to use it. (Note that an item becomes illuminated when it comes in contact with an area where it can be used.)

Q. What is the lightbulb for?
A. Once lit (it'll light up on its own), you can then tap on the lightbulb to get a hint; there is one hint per level.

Q. Do I have to win the spider game before I can continue?
A. Nope. You play the spider game in order to access a visual walkthrough for your current level. Also...
...apart from using those arrows to move up or down, you can press the round middle button to fire bullets from the end of your key in order to destroy the spiders that block your path:


And you don't even have to use those virtual buttons on the book to play the game—you can use those semitransparent buttons on the sides of the screen if you want:

[sukayser]

Re your suggestion to save: When I pressed  the star at the beginning, the SAVE option didn't appear. Maybe I had to do something to be worth saving! But the option is there now.

I've tried to drag out the toy to give to the anteater (or aardvark or whatever it is), but it won't come. I can drag it anywhere, but when I take my finger off, it pops back into inventory. Maybe I have to hold my finger down longer? or double tap? I've tried these, but maybe not well enough. Maybe I'm not putting it in the right place?

I did discover the shooting mode, and the side buttons for the spider game, but it goes too fast for me. I guess I'll have to practise. But I've gotten the walkthrough on my browser, so that's better than nothing.

Thanks for the help so far.

By the way, a Mac has no alt key, and none of the command, option, or control keys + p work to preview. Any hint for this?

[Lamkin]

Re your suggestion to save: When I pressed  the star at the beginning, the SAVE option didn't appear. Maybe I had to do something to be worth saving! But the option is there now.

Ah, okay. Yes, when the game first starts, you'll need to press either "Play New Game" or "Resume Game" to begin playing, then the 'SAVE' option will be there when you press the star.

I've tried to drag out the toy to give to the anteater (or aardvark or whatever it is), but it won't come. I can drag it anywhere, but when I take my finger off, it pops back into inventory. Maybe I have to hold my finger down longer? or double tap? I've tried these, but maybe not well enough. Maybe I'm not putting it in the right place?

You're not putting it in the right place; it'll pop back into the inventory unless you use it in the right place.

By the way, a Mac has no alt key, and none of the command, option, or control keys + p work to preview. Any hint for this?

The alt key for the Mac is the option key:


But Macs don't have a Preview Pane like in Windows.
If you're trying to preview an image file without having to open it, you can do that in a couple of ways:
1. You can right-click on the image file and choose Quick Look.
2. You can open the folder that contains the images, select them, and choose Quick Look from the window's toolbar.