The Incredible Machine 2 is a contraption puzzle game about making missing pieces work inside a larger machine. Most puzzles are less about one brilliant guess and more about reading the goal, spotting the broken link, and testing how small parts transfer motion, heat, power, light, weight, or timing.
Use this guide as a solver approach, not a list of exact answers. The best habits carry across tutorial, easy, medium, hard, workshop, and head-to-head play: inspect each part, test one change at a time, and treat failure as a clue about what the machine is trying to do next.
Essential Tips
1. Start From the Final Goal
Before moving anything, identify the final event the puzzle wants. A ball may need to leave the screen, a balloon may need to pop, a machine may need power, or an object may need to arrive in a specific place. Once you know the end, work backward to the last missing push, pull, spark, drop, or signal.
2. Use the Tutorial Puzzles as a Parts Lab
When a part is unfamiliar, do not force it into the current puzzle blindly. Tutorial puzzles are built to show named pieces in controlled situations. Spending a minute there can teach what a laser, plug, pulley, timer, or animal does more cleanly than ten random attempts in a harder puzzle.
3. Read the Handles Before You Test
Part handles are not decoration. They show whether a part can be flipped, stretched, programmed, locked, inspected, or returned to the bin. If a piece seems useless, check whether it has a size, flip, or programming handle that changes its real job.
4. Make One Change Per Run
TIM2 machines can fail because of distance, angle, speed, timing, weight, power, or a blocked path. If you move three parts before pressing start, you may not know which change helped. Adjust one part, run the machine, watch the first failure, then revise.
5. Think in Transfers
Every working machine transfers something. A falling object transfers weight. A rope transfers pull. A belt transfers rotation. A flashlight transfers light. A plug transfers power. A candle transfers flame. Name the transfer you need, then choose the part family that can carry it.
6. Confirm Electric Connections Visually
Electric parts only help when they are actually connected to a usable power supply. Place the outlet or generator setup first, add the powered part after it, and look for the plug connection before assuming the device will run.
7. Treat Lasers as Signals and Tools
Lasers can do more than point at a target. They can activate color-matched plugs, bounce off angled mirrors, combine through mixers, pop balloons, and light fuses or candles. When a laser appears, ask whether it is meant to power something, ignite something, or create a timing gate.
8. Keep Belts and Rotating Parts Close
Belts connect rotating parts, but they cannot stretch forever. If a motor, gear, conveyor, or converter looks correct but refuses to connect, the placement may be too far away or poorly aligned. Move the rotating pieces into a compact chain before testing clever layouts.
9. Use Ropes for Direction Changes
Ropes and pulleys let a downward pull become a sideways trigger, a lifted bucket, or a delayed release. Before adding more explosive or powered parts, check whether the puzzle simply needs a pull routed through a pulley or tied to a moving object.
10. Respect Timers and Weight Changes
Some parts are built to delay action. A toaster, egg timer, leaky bucket, programmable ball, or slow-moving chain can create the moment that makes everything line up. If a machine almost works but fires too early, look for a timing part rather than a bigger impact.
11. Watch the First Broken Link
Do not watch the final goal every run. Watch the earliest point where the chain stops making sense. If the first ball misses a switch, later parts are irrelevant. Fix the first broken link, then move one step later in the chain.
12. Expect Precision Without Panic
Some TIM2 puzzles care about small placement differences. That does not mean every failure needs a new idea. If the chain is logically right but slightly late, weak, or off angle, nudge the same part before abandoning the plan.
Part Families
| Family | What to Look For | Good Habit |
|---|---|---|
| Motion | Balls, animals, conveyors, fans, vacuums | Predict where moving objects go before adding more pieces |
| Pull | Ropes, pulleys, buckets, baskets, cleats | Route force around corners instead of forcing a direct hit |
| Rotation | Motors, gears, belts, converters | Keep rotating links close and test direction early |
| Power | Outlets, switches, generators, solar panels, plugs | Confirm the device is connected before judging its behavior |
| Light | Flashlights, lava lamps, mirrors, magnifiers, lasers | Ask whether light should trigger, ignite, bounce, or power |
| Fire | Candles, flint, rockets, fuses, explosives | Trace the safe path from ignition to final effect |
| Timing | Toasters, egg timers, leaky buckets, programmed objects | Delay the chain when parts arrive too soon |
| Containment | Boxes, baskets, tanks, pipes, walls | Control where objects can land, roll, or escape |
Solver Checklist
| Question | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| What is the final event? | The final goal tells you which part of the chain to build toward |
| Which pieces are fixed? | Locked or fixed parts usually reveal the intended path |
| Which pieces are movable? | Movable parts are the puzzle’s vocabulary |
| What transfer is missing? | Motion, pull, rotation, power, light, fire, or timing usually explains the gap |
| What happens first? | The earliest failed event is the best next fix |
| Is a part adjustable? | Flip, size, and program handles can completely change a piece’s use |
| Is timing the real problem? | Correct chains can still fail when a trigger arrives too early or too late |
| Can a simpler chain work? | Extra parts may be decoys or alternate tools, not required pieces |
Power and Timing Basics
Power puzzles often fail quietly. A fan, toaster, mixer, can opener, or motor may look placed correctly while doing nothing because its supply chain is incomplete. Check the supply first: outlet, switch, generator, solar panel, or laser-activated plug. Then check whether the powered part visibly connects.
Laser puzzles add another layer. Color matters, mirrors matter, and interruptions can matter. A beam may be useful because it reaches a plug, bounces into a new angle, combines with another beam, or lights a fuse. When a laser section fails, test beam path before moving unrelated physical parts.
Timing puzzles reward patience. A leaky bucket can change weight over time, an egg timer can push after a delay, and a toaster can become a delayed bump. If the machine has the right chain but events happen in the wrong order, solve the clock before solving the layout.
Workshop and homemade puzzles use the same habits. Build a complete chain, remove strategic pieces, lock the fixed setup, then test the puzzle like another player would see it. A good custom puzzle teaches the missing transfer without requiring the player to guess invisible intent.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
-
Do not ignore the final goal - Random part placement wastes time when the goal already points to the last required effect.
-
Do not skip the info handle - A quick part description can reveal a behavior that is easy to miss by sight alone.
-
Do not move many pieces between runs - Changing too much hides the reason the machine improved or failed.
-
Do not assume an electric part is powered - Look for the connection and check the supply path before redesigning the puzzle.
-
Do not treat lasers as simple pointers - They can power, ignite, bounce, mix, interrupt, and trigger other pieces.
-
Do not stretch belts across a messy layout - Put rotating pieces close enough to connect before fine-tuning the rest.
-
Do not use extra parts just because they are available - Some pieces are decoys, backups, or alternate paths.
-
Do not abandon a correct chain after one near miss - Small placement and timing tweaks can matter.
-
Do not forget gravity and pressure in custom puzzles - Physics settings change how fast objects fall or move through air.
-
Do not copy habits from later games without checking - TIM2, Version 3.0, Contraptions, and Even More Contraptions overlap, but they are not identical targets.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Goal Reading | Work backward from the final event |
| Handles | Inspect flip, size, info, and programming options |
| Testing | Change one part per run and watch the first failure |
| Transfers | Identify whether the missing link is motion, pull, power, light, fire, or timing |
| Power | Place and confirm the supply before judging electric parts |
| Lasers | Check color, mirror path, plugs, ignition, and interruptions |
| Timing | Use delayed parts when good chains happen too early |
| Precision | Nudge logical solutions before replacing them |
Did this answer your question?
Your feedback helps keep the useful answers visible.Sources
5 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for The Incredible Machine 2.
Next answers
Community notes0
No community notes yet.
Sign in to contribute