Well, it seems that Mr Parker creates some very strange contraptions – the latest of which is a steam powered, table top sound synthesizer (above)! The small kit engine is connected to a brushless 8 phase AC motor, and generates a sine wave. Visit his site for an mp3 of the low frequency sound that it generates. Read for the trials of trying to find coal in the desert, and just how bad esbit tablets smell. (They are pungent, I’ll give them that.) Over and above the steam synth, if you take a look at the rest of his site, it seems Mr Parker has been creating several other strange instruments. I couldn’t possibly call someone I don’t know, a mad inventor, but the creations are quite eccentric! (via Make)

Good grief it’s pretty, isn’t it? You should see it’s brothers and sisters over at Roger Wood’s Klockwerk site. Multitudes of clocks made from found and scavenged pieces, collected over time and then magically put together when the moment is right. I’m not sure I’ve seen many other modern creations that say Steampunk quite as elegantly.

While there are many beautiful clocks (and some are for sale, though out of my price range right now) I have done the unforgivable and picked favourites. The Jules Verne Wall Clock (above), the Jules Verne Under Glass, and the Clock on Iron Wheels. Whimsical Steampunk artifacts at their best (I think they even tell the time, too!)

Broken Gears is a pen and paper RPG created by the roleplaying group at Cambridge Uni – and they’ve written it up (the complete system) and uploaded the Creative Commons liscenced PDF for all to read and use.

Now, theirs is a slightly different flavour of Steampunk – but Steampunk it is. The year is apparently 2052, but the world is still surrounded by steam engines, air ships and difference engines (a la Babbage). You can read more of the background yourself, but it seems to be a combination of post-apocalyptic and Steampunk, with the British Empire still in existance and the world struggling to recover from a terrible, technology lead war.

I’m sure I’m not doing it justice, and I can’t say I’ve played it myself yet – but I’ve had a quick read and the background information seems very nicely Steampunk. Even the flavour text that the document opens on, has a lovely tale about the Difference Engine in the Tower of London called Erasmus. Sounds like fun to me.

So, from one Steampunk game on the PS2 to another – this time a film tie in to the rather beautiful, but unsatisfying anime film, Steamboy. Now again – this is not a game that I have played, but I’ve tried to read up about it, and the press aren’t saying terribly nice things. The basics – it’s a 3rd person action platformer – which means death defying jumps, and baddies to battle. The good: It’s graphically ok, our main character is the main character from the film, and we’re running around the mechanical depths of a steam powered, Victorian era castle. There seems to be pipe-based minigames, and your main ‘tool’ is a steam venting device which will give you your attack, and your double jump. Also, collecting goodies will let you unlock media related to the film – concept art and stills, etc.

The (apparent) bad: The controls are supposed to be horrible to use – with character inertia and your attack causes you to get thrown backwards – invariably off a high platform. The level design is also purported to be less than top notch.

Personally, I think I’ll be avoiding this one. Which is a shame because everything Steamboy could have done so well. The film, the game – both reeking with potential and let down. Maybe I just wish it had done better. sighs

(Screenshot taken from IGN – here’s their preview and screenshots.)

Recently out in the US, and previously known as Bumpy Trot in Japan (and as yet unnavailable in the UK, bah), Steambot Chronicles is a PS2 role-play game. Now, I’ve not played this yet – but reviews seem to be fairly favourable.

The plot concerns the plight of a young man called Vanilla who washes up on a beach with his memories gone. In standard console RPG fare, you move from area to area, talking to people, making friends and doing tasks for people. But that’s not the important part – the important part is that you do a lot of your travelling, through this rural-industrial era landscape, in a Steampunk mech-walker. That’s right – capped mechanics take spanners to these ‘Trots’ and tinker with them at your behest.

Combat seems to be done in the ‘Trot’ vehicles, with various items in the world to be blown up (I mean really, what’s the life expectancy of a barrel these days?). I don’t know much more about it than this – but the Steampunk-ness is surely attracting me to it.

For more information the following sites can help with screenshots and information:

GameSpot: Steambot Chronicles

IGN: Steambot Chronicles

So, I’ve been reading up about cogs and gears – partially so I can connect up my little engine to something, and partly because it’s just generally interesting to learn about. I’ve discovered the various kinds of gears, what they’re used for, what a gear ratio is, how a pendulum clock works, and then played with The Incredible Machine a little, so I could have a go of the gears and belts. For those who may not have encountered The Incredible Machine, it’s a puzzle game that seems greatly inspired by both the game Mousetrap, and Heath Robinson-like devices (or Rube Goldberg, if you’re from that side of the pond). I thought I’d add the links here for the various pages I’ve been to – in case you to would like to learn more about gears yourself. How Stuff Works: How Gears Work

How Stuff Works: How Gear Ratios Work

How Stuff Works: How Pendulum Clocks Work

The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions (demo download)

I apologise for the shoddy photograph, but it was all I had at the time. Anyway – you can see that I put the embroidered cogs (from my earlier pillowcase prototype) onto a skirt. This was my plan, and I’m glad it worked!

Just a couple of notes – the skirt is a linen/polyester blend, and as such stretched a little on the embroidery ring. In future I’ll look for pure linen or cotton to minimise this. I only did three little cogs, because the larger cog I did on my test took so long, and I was impatient. The final effect is a bit underwhelming, I fear, but there’s nothing to stop me from adding more cogs as and when the fancy takes me. Maybe I’ll have them tumbling down the skirt in a cascade!

I’ve recieved a couple of nice comments about the cogs – mostly from people surprised that I’d actually done them myself, and not bought the skirt like that. Which is a nice backhanded compliment.

Possible future plans involve adding more cogs, and/or doing some abstract steam/smoke patterns on a white article of clothing (possibly that top). However, that’s not quite as defined in my head as the cogs were.

So I got my comic a day or so ago, and I’ll admit – I’m not a comic reader, generally. In fact, other than a flutter with the Sandman graphic novels a while ago, I’ve never really bought comics at all. So, this was new to me, and maybe what I’ll comment on is the usual for comics.

I loved the premise: Transformers in the Industrial Revolution? Turning into steamtrains? Sign me up instantly. It started a little slow, I thought, but then got up to speed, introducing a couple of characters – both Transformer and Human. They seem to have fallen into the old trap of using famous Steampunk-real characters in their story which is fair enough. But generally, we discovered the two factions again, were introduced to a few characters, and then – nothing. It ended. Ok, so maybe I’m used to more and comics are usually like this – but I felt that they’d stopped it before I could get my teeth into it. And then there was some random story fragment at the back of the comic. That too may be standard comic fare, but it wasn’t what I’d paid for. shrugs Verdict: The art was pleasing to the eye – the machines in particular kept me happy. I’d complain about the shortness more than anything, but I’ll keep an eye out for the next one. Part of me would rather just wait for a collection in the future to ensure that there was enough to chew on.

Steampunk Score: 7/10

Previous posts about Hearts of Steel

Transformers: Hearts of Steel #1 (update) Steampunk Transformers

Oh, what a glorious webpage The Museum of Retro Technology is!

Pages about our old friend the Monowheel (monowheels through the years, up to current time monowheels, and a link to an American gentleman who will build you one custom for several thousand dollars), Steam Powered Bicycles, Ether Engines (no, really!), Diwheels, Analogue Mechanical Computers, Curious Clockwork, Insane Gearwheels, and so very much more.

Sir, if I were wearing a hat (and it wasn’t my big floppy one) I’d take it off to you. It’s a marvelous collection of the more interesting technology from the 1800′s onwards! Gentle reader – go there now! If only for the monowheels!

So, it seems that to great lack of fanfare or noise, Transformers: Evolution, Hearts of Steel has actually been released. I’m not sure if they don’t want you to buy it, or something, but the official webpage of the publisher almost denies its existance!

But despite that, after reading that it actually had been released, on their forum, and eventually finding someone who sold it (searching their online shop seems to result in no help either) I found a copy on Ebay. So, the above comic (which is Cover Type A – for a better look, see here) is steaming towards me, hopefully as I write this.

Initial reviews are promising, but I’ll do a full review once it’s in my little hands. Really though – IDW Publishing, your new Steampunk Transformers were advertised on blogs across the world, and you seem to be doing your best to make it hard to purchase. Please, do yourself a favour and make it easy to get.