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The aim of the Molecool game is to gain as many
points as possible. You gain points by moving your Atomic man around the
game board catching atoms, by building molecules and by answering questions.
Once you have clicked the [Enter the game]-button
(or the Molecool-icon on your desktop), you will have to wait a few seconds
while graphics etc. are loaded in. This is followed by a pretty cool introduction
before you end up in the Match-making Room:
In the Match-making Room you log yourself in
and look for someone to play with. You have to be two, three or four participants
to play Molecool. You can either create a game with your own choice of educational
content and difficulty level – or you can participate in a game someone else
has already created.
How to log in:
The first thing you have to do is to log in with
your first name, surname and class. You can choose if you want to use a password
or not. For each square you complete, you can press Enter or click on the
next square with your mouse to continue. When you have finished, click the
[OK]-button or cancel with the [Cancel]-button.
If this is the first time you log in, you will
have to confirm that you want to register a new user. If you have been logged
in previously, you just have to fill in the password or click [OK].
How to create a new game:
If you want to create a new game, you will first
have to click on the [Create game]-button above the Molecule-cards. A dialogue
box will appear and you have to select the educational content of the game.
By clicking on the dropdown menu you can choose an alternative. You also
have to decide how long you want the game to go on and choose a difficulty
level. (The difficulty level will only influence the technical parts of the
game: How much time you get in the different parts, how many paths you will
move along on the game board etc. Your choice of difficulty level here does
not affect the questions in the game.)
When you are satisfied with your settings, you
click the [OK]-button and your game will immediately turn up in the “Waiting
games” list. Remember you cannot start the game until you have been joined
by at least one other player. Maximum number of participants in a game is
four. When one or more players have signed in to your game, you can click
the [Click here to start]-button to start the game. If your game is not ”fully
booked”, you will get a ten second countdown to allow other players to sign
in before the game starts.
How to participate in a waiting game:
All waiting games are displayed in the Match-making
Room. To participate in a waiting game you have to click on the green [Join
in!]-button. Your nickname will then appear in one of the name squares. Please
note that the game cannot start until the player that created the game decides
to do so. (See “How to create a new game”.)
How to leave the game:
If you decide that this is not a game you want
to play anyway, you can leave the game by clicking the [Cancel]-button before
the game starts.
How to log off/Quit Molecool:
If you wish to log off Molecool, you select [Log
off] in the Options in the top left corner. You will then return to the Log
in screen.
If you wish to quit Molecool, select [Quit] in
the Options in the top left corner. You will then quit the game and come
back to the Molecool Website or your desktop screen. You can also use the
standard Close windows button to quit the game.
How to play Molecool:
Once you are through the Match-making Room the
fun begins! You are now about to catch atoms, build molecules and answer
chemistry-related questions.
Time and scores:
To the right of the game board you will see a
time column that tells you how much time is remaining of the entire game.
This is displayed in minutes.
For each turn, the player gets limited jumps
AND a limited amount of time before the next player takes over. You may click
on the [Next player]-button to give away your turn, and you save both the
time and the jumps for your next turn.
For each atom you catch, you gain points. But
there are no big scores until you start building molecules and answering
Double or Quits questions. Your scoreboard is in the top right corner and
if your scores are displayed in green, it means you are in the lead! You
can also see a little square that tells you how many extra jumps you have
gained.
When time is up, the player with the highest
score is the winner.
How to catch atoms and Magic-cards:
There are six different atoms on the game board:
hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine and sulphur. You catch an atom
by clicking on it. Your Atomic man then jumps towards it and shoots it with
his energy ray. The atom disappears from the game board and is placed in
your Storage bin.
You must clear your home area of atoms before
you can enter the main board. In the main board you move around freely. If
you jump into one of the corner wells, you reappear in the diagonally opposite
corner – and can continue the hunt for atoms there.
Sometimes you will see small rotating cards on
the game board. These are Magic-cards giving you extra jumps or more time.
You win Magic-cards the same way that you catch atoms but you do not score
any points in addition to the bonuses you gain. The Magic-cards are placed
along with the Molecule-cards.
When all the atoms are caught and all the molecules
are built, you get a new game board.
How to build molecules:
You gain points by catching atoms, but it is
only when you start building molecules your score really takes off!
You will see six Molecule-cards bottom right
on the screen containing either the chemical formula or the name of a molecule.
This information determines which molecules you must build out of the atoms
you have caught. But before you can build one of these molecules, you need
enough atoms for that particular molecule in your Storage bin.
You build the molecule by moving the exact amount
of atoms for that particular molecule from your Storage bin into your Factory
before double clicking on the Molecule-card you wish to build. If you have
moved the right amount of atoms into your Factory, the molecule becomes a
thee-dimensional model. You can rotate this model with your mouse. By studying
the models, you may have an advantage when you enter the quiz session. And
of course, you gain points for each molecule you build. The bigger the molecule,
the more points you gain from building it.
If you do not have the right amount of atoms
for a molecule in your Factory when you click on the Molecule-card, it will
disappear – and you lose the ability to build that particular molecule.
All about the Super Double or Quits quiz session:
It is during the Super Double or Quits quiz that
you can obtain the big scores – or lose them! All depending on your knowledge
and creativity…
By the end of each game, you automatically enter
the Double or Quits quiz session. However, it can be a clever move to jump
into the well in the game board center in the course of the game. Once you
have built one molecule you are welcome to enter Double or Quits.
In Double or Quits you first have to choose a
difficulty level for your questions. Choose a number on the top of the screen.
1 is the easiest and 3 is the hardest. The higher the difficulty level, the
more points you gain if you answer correctly.
The questions are displayed in a window above
the multiple answer alternatives. You answer by clicking on the lever that
“controls” the answer you think is right. If you have chosen the right answer,
you will see a green flash and hear the “winners sound”. If you have chosen
the wrong answer you will hear the “losers sound” and the correct alternative
will flash on the screen.
Do not forget that you have limited time. If
you think for too long, you lose the opportunity to score any points.
Would you like to have a chat?
During the game you can chat with your opponents.
On the left, beneath the game board you will find a small Text box that constantly
displays facts, messages etc. while the game is running. This box can also
be used for chatting. Underneath the Text box you will find a square you
can use for writing short messages to the other players. When you press enter,
your message will appear in the Text box above, so that all players can see
it. If you are playing with pupils from foreign countries, you can either
use English – or write your message in the local tongue if you are especially
proficient in that language.
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