Walkthrough © 2003 by Robert Gault
All pictures are the property of Heureka-Klett / Tivola
Physicus by Heureka-Klett
and marketed in the US by Tivola, is an excellent introduction into the physical
sciences while still being a beautiful and fun game to play. The dialog seems
aimed at young children but even with that, I found it quite enjoyable as
a Ph.D. chemist.
The game offers two installation choices, movie resolution and installation
size. The largest movie resolution fits an 800 by 600 screen. Full installation
is about 650Mb. Neither should be a problem with current systems and both
should be used, if possible, for best performance. Note that disk #1 contains
a .pdf file which duplicates your instruction manual in case of loss.
This walkthrough hopes to correct a major gripe I have with other walkthroughs
which give answers with no explanation. Many times if you follow a walkthrough,
you could not possibly deduce the correct answer using the information presented.
This one presents the logic behind all the puzzles, so you will never wonder
how I arrived at a solution. The game has few restrictions on the order in
which you explore and it is possible to solve puzzles before getting the needed
clues. This walkthrough does not take the fastest route but rather the logical
route so that no puzzle is solved before the needed clues are seen. Don’t
miss the joy of walking through the world of Physicus by following this walkthrough
too closely. Take time to sightsee!
GETTING STARTED
The game opens with a short movie which sets the scene for the player to save
an imaginary world by getting a massive rail gun to function restarting planetary
spin. The movie stops as you land your space shuttle at the edge of a village
dock. 
Go through the gate learning how the cursor works. Go forward to the building;
looking in all directions as permitted. Enter and explore. Note the device
on the table and pick it up. 
This is your laptop, an invaluable source of information needed to solve the
puzzles. It will become a permanent part of your view screen. Note the narration
toggle, the “return to game” off switch, and the learning cassettes. Try
out a tape or push the off switch. Note that the switch now says “on” and
is used to return to the learning cassettes at any time. The object on the
right side of the laptop in game mode is your inventory and will hold items
as you acquire them.
Back away from the table, two steps. You’ll immediately know what to do next.
Finish exploring the rest of the room. You won’t find anything to pick up
or use but will learn more about using your pointer.
FIRST PUZZLE – “pumping iron”
Leave the building and continue down the trail. Stop when you see the butterfly;
it likes to be petted. (Can you say Myst and Riven?)
Turn left and see two buildings. Start with the furthest one and see what
you can find. Hmmm, nice axe; shades of Riven. You should find a weight, mirror,
and document. Note that the weight and mirror are scanned into your laptop
inventory for future regeneration and use. Note that the scroll causes your
laptop to suggest two reading topics. Unless you know your physics, reading
indicated topic is a very good idea; now and elsewhere in the game.
Try to determine what the pictured device might be (you will find it later
in the game) and what the boiling point of water is. Hmmm, let’s see there
are units of Fahrenheit, Centigrade, and isn’t there one more?
Go to the second building. Look carefully around the first floor. What is
the label on the big machine? What are all those weights doing here? What
is the red/green rod?
When you get a close-up of the large machine, you will see a handle (control
knob near the “k”) and what looks like a ruler. Try moving the handle to the
right and learn about mechanics. Note that the weights can be picked up only
after moving the knob. Place the 30kg weight at the end of the ruler and
watch what happens. Why it’s a stamping press. Note the location of the pivot
point. What weight will exactly balance the 100kg anvil of the press and
where should the weight be placed?
Go up stairs and explore. Looks like a furnace with a scale and an ignition
switch. If you want, you can experiment using the 2kg weight in your inventory.
But first you must find how to turn on the furnace. Perhaps a gas supply?
You will find out later the correct size weight you will need for a future
puzzle. If you experiment now, make sure to retain the new weight for re-melting
and stamping if needed.
Leave the building, go back to the path, turn left, and walk through the arch.
Darn those flies, shoo, shoo!
GETTING INTO THE VILLAGE
The Elevator
When you can, look
up. What is that cage swinging in front of the windmill? Could it be a lift?
Take the path that leads towards it. Open the control box. Note that you can’t
just click on the handle but must drag it down.
Looks like something is missing. Note the flashing red bar? That indicates
you will need to regenerate something from your inventory and use it here.
Learn about electricity and see that a resistor or wire is missing. What
value should these resistors be anyway? There must be a clue somewhere else.
Now go to the nearby building. Can’t get away from the controls? Well don’t
leave the box open; it is dangerous!
The Winery
Drat, the front
door is locked. Maybe there is a side entrance. Go around to the right.
What’s that sign? Hmmm, 3040 watts at 4 amps. See the picture, it’s for the
elevator! Better check my laptop about amps and watts.
Let’s see there is an 18kg wine barrel blocking an opening to the basement,
suspended by a block and tackle. I can pull it up now but the keg comes down
when I let go. There are three support ropes, so just how hard do I need to
pull to raise the keg? Better check my laptop.
Looks like a horseshoe magnet at the end of the rope. The ends of the magnet
are red and green. Maybe that means the red and green rod in my inventory
is a bar magnet. Now if I can find an iron weight of the correct size to
attach to the magnet it could keep the keg suspended while I go into the
basement.
The Funny Building
with an Anchor
Climb up the bridge
to the building. I hope it is stronger than the bridge in that Indiana Jones
movie. On the way, look at the sun symbol. That’s an odd place to have an
electrical circuit but it doesn’t seem to do anything. Better learn about
light and shadows from my laptop.
Uh oh, this bridge is swaying! To quote a line from “Amber – Journeys Beyond”,
“I think I’m gonna be sick!”
Drat, another locked door. Let’s look at that porthole. Say that is exactly
like the boiling water drawing! Hmmm, it also looks kind of like the pins
in a tumbler lock. You know, your normal front door key lock. Something’s
missing and these pins look like my bar magnet. Now if I just drag it up to
that third section. Exactly, the pins are pushed up by the magnets just as
if a key were pushing up the pins. Now if I can only remember the boiling
point of water and put the magnets in the correct places.
Go inside and up the stairs. Go past the telescope and look out the window.
Try looking into the viewing end of the scope. Boy is that blurry! Something
must be wrong with the optics. Let’s look. Open the cover over the word Galilei.
Could this be Galileo’s actual telescope? No, must mean it is the same type
of scope. Now what type of lens should be used here? Surely not the simple
lens that’s here because when removed the image is improved. Maybe a better
lens can be found later in the game. What does my laptop say?
What’s in that box on the wall by the door? Say that looks like the missing
elevator part. At least it is a resistor.
Let’s see what is at the bottom of the stairs. Hmmm, it’s too dark to see
anything. But there's lots of light coming into the top room. If I could
somehow get that light to shine down here. Let’s go back up stairs. Say doesn’t
that look like a mirror holder (check inventory), and it’s right in the beam
of sunlight. That’s just what I needed and it’s even pre-aimed to shine down
the stairs. Take a look.
Another 2kg weight. Is 4kg enough to support the wine keg?
Using the Elevator
Go back to the elevator
control panel and open it. Now I needed, oh yes, 4 amps at 760 volts flowing
through the two resistors so the total resistance should be …. Well if you
get it right the test button indicator will
be green.
Let’s take a ride! Looks like that door will need a key. Let’s go up the walkway
since we don’t yet have the key. The door is unlocked so go inside.
What’s that by the door, a picture of a house and a light switch? It won’t
stay on. Guess there is no power. Look around anyway, specially back in the
corners. Why another 2kg weight! Surely I now have enough weight to support
the wine keg. Let’s go to the stamping press to make a weight for raising
the winery keg.
Making the Weight
and Raising the Wine Keg
Raise the stamping
press anvil. Drop your weights in the hopper
on the second floor. Turn on the furnace remembering
to first turn on the gas valve behind the furnace. Use the lever to drop
the molten iron into the press. (The game is flawed here because while lead
would melt under these conditions iron won’t but lead is not magnetic. So
pretend that iron will melt in this type of furnace.) Back downstairs, push
the lever to stamp the molten metal into a weight. There is instant cooling
so raise the anvil and take the weight. Ok, back to the winery and put that
weight onto the magnet. Don’t forget that
the weight just balances the keg so you will still need to pull on the rope
to raise the keg. Now what can we find in the wine cellar?
In the Wine
Cellar
There is a lamp
with a pull switch but it does not light. Now where did I see another switch?
Is that garlic hung to keep away vampires or to improve the quality of the
wine? There’s a ladder but I can’t get through the trap door. However, there
is a key I can take. Say wasn’t there a switch up by the windmill? I bet
that supplies power for this house, if I can just get the power turned on
at the windmill. Go back to the lift, but on the way turn right at the opening
in the fence and take a little walk. I can see a small village. Now if only
the drawbridge was down over the stream. Oh well, back to the lift.
Turning on the
Power
Drat, I have to
set the resistors every time I want to call the lift. Hmmm, now that I have
a key, maybe it will fit the door to the windmill. The lock looks pretty
rusted but the key just fits.
Looks like a millstone for grinding flour. There is also a sliding latch to
engage or release the millstone. For now, let’s leave
it engaged and go upstairs. Start the windmill with the lever, go downstairs
and look at the gears turning. Notice the turning rod going through the wall.
Now go to the power room at the top of the walkway. Well, there is the rod
going into the power room and now it is turning. Go inside and see that the
generator is now running. Go to the voltage panel and see that there is 3200v
coming from the generator. Can’t tell what is going out because the meter
is broken but the transformer has three tap points 4000, 2000, and 1500 turns
on the secondary and 1000 turns on the primary. So, what will the output
voltage be? Also, the windmill is driving the millstone and that is certainly
going to decrease the output of the generator. Let’s go back to the windmill,
disengage the millstone, and see what voltage will be produced under those
conditions.
Now the input is 5500v. We don’t know yet what will be needed but we were
told the rail gun needs lots of power. So let’s leave the millstone disengaged.
Now go to the light switch by the door and turn it on. With the generator
running, the switch will remain in the on position. The picture next to it
is definitely the winery, so the ceiling lamp in the cellar should turn on.
Lowering the
Drawbridge
Now you could go
back to the winery and explore the cellar after turning on the ceiling lamp,
but it is better to save some time taking a more indirect route. Go to the
door near the voltage control panel. Open it and go through. Oh boy! This
was clearly not meant for foot traffic but if we are careful we should be
able to climb down without falling. Turn right and go through the gate. We’re
inside the village walls by a back route! Now let’s lower the drawbridge
and go back to the winery before exploring the village.
Winery Part
2
Still can’t get
through the trapdoor. Some nice wine kegs but the taps won’t open. What’s
that back in the far corner where we came in? Try to turn on the lamp. Drat,
the battery went dead! Can’t read the book but you can and should take the
battery. Ok, back over the drawbridge into the village.
INSIDE THE VILLAGE
There is no best
route for exploration, but in hindsight, there are some routes that make
more sense than others.
I'm All Charged Up
Start by going through
the large door with the red button past the well on the right. Stop at the
table with the voltmeter. Do we have anything in our inventory to be used
here? If so, what happens after switching on the device? Look at the big gate. We’ll need a key
for this.
Return past the well to the stairs under the wooden walkway. There is a door
that won’t open but turn to the right and rummage in the trash can. You scrounged
a mallet!
Jail Break
Now go back to the
well and look inside. Climb down the ladder. You won’t get far without turning
on the lamps. What’s in the box on the wall? Could be a game bug but although
there is no indicator of inventory usage here, a battery will fit nicely.
Ah, that’s better, the lamps are on. Walk to the end of the passage. Good
thing you found the mallet! Gee, I always thought you were supposed to break
out of prison not into one! Go in, turn around, and look at the opening you
made in the wall. Wish I’d seen her before putting a hole in her middle.
Read any good stories lately? Got anything in your inventory that will substitute
for a match? Need to study your optics? Who started ringing those bells? Oh
my aching ears!
You can look around outside your cell but won’t find anything so go upstairs.
Start by unlocking the outer door (middle) and then explore the other two
rooms.
One is a darkroom with a red safety light turned on. You will see the safety
bulb as you leave the room. I wonder what the pictures would look like in
normal light.
The second room looks like the main office. Search the desk and find something
important. A lens was stolen by an Italian pasta?! Well if we can find the
lens, maybe the telescope will work. Turn around and search the case files.
(Looks like a scene from the 11th Hour.) Try to access the case files by
pointing at the small black dots at their bottoms. Nice mug shots of the
production crew. Ah well, such is vanity.
The other case file describes the door code for Pasta’s house, but what does
it mean? It looks like the guts of a loudspeaker with the sound wave flowing
down a rod. But what is the material? While we will never know, let’s guess
and hope that it is the material used as an example in the cassette on acoustics.
The Optics Shop
Leave the prison
and turn to the right. You will see a store at the far end below the ramp
to the windmill. The store has a large window. Go there and see from the
items in the window, it is an optics shop. Go to the door and try to open
it. This could be a game bug for it certainly is not a puzzle but rather
a speed test. Match the lens images as fast as possible to get three correct
in a row. If your reflexes are not fast enough, it is better to skip an image
than click too late on the correct image.
Look at the broken display case by the door. Must be where Tor T. Eloni nabbed
the lens. Go behind the sales counter and see what you can acquire. Look at
the bell jar; touch it. You will come back for the jar contents later. Leave
the shop and go back to the prison darkroom. You should be able to do something
with the safety lamp now. Now re-examine the photos
in a new light.
It Takes a Thief
Go back to the alley
where you found the mallet and examine the door
to the lens thief’s home. Go inside and check out the place. Lenses are the
least of the items that this guy steals. Be sure to get a close look at the
bowl of fruit. That painting looks familiar, so take a better look. Use the
info from the police photo lab. Now that you have
the missing lens, leave the village and return to the observatory telescope.
I'm Not a Peeping Tom!
With the lens hanging
over the scope, touch the cover to put the lens in place. Now look through
the scope; crystal clear! Move the scope around (takes some practice) and
look for what seems to be a door lock. Remember what you see.
Don't Force the Lock
Now go back to the
village, through the door with the red button, and go to the door at the
far end of the slate path. Use the key found in the prison officer’s desk
to open the lock panel. Time to learn something about mechanics. Note that
one character is covered. Recall what you saw through the telescope on the
backside of this door and that the characters can be both numbers, letters,
or math operators. You will need the right half of an equation
here.
Once through the gate, turn around to see the clue obtained with the telescope.
When I first played the game, I had not found the extra lens and had to deduced
the code was an equation. Of the possible equations mentioned in the laptop,
the one you found seemed the best choice. The gate opened for me without the
telescope clue.
Explore the seaside compound checking for unlocked doors and note the one
with the sun symbol. Try to start the second generator. Oops, the lever broke
off!
Sun Spots
There is one unlocked
door at seaside. Once inside, stop to look at the planet / moon map on the
wall. Note the position of the lamp, i.e. sun. Unfortunately you can’t get
a closer look. Move further inside and study the sun and planet table. Something’s
missing. Remember the bowl of fruit? The sun looks just like the door symbol.
Is this guy studying eclipses or is this a door lock? Try placing the moons
as shown by the wall plaque. You will know when you get it correct. If wrong, just press the red button and try again.
Leave this room, return to the sun door, and enter. Strike the tuning fork.
Nice, let’s take it!
Fishing for Clues
Now go to the dock
and look for a message in a bottle. Now this is not quite fair as you are
playing Physicus not Chemicus. Still, carefully study the cassette on mechanics from your laptop.
Crank Up the Heat
Return to the optics
shop and test your reflexes again. Put the tuning fork next to the bell jar,
and play a tune. I hope I don’t have to pay for damages! Take the crank you
may want to be cranky. Leave the shop, turn right, go around the shop to the
right, and through the gate. That must be the observatory on the hill. Before
looking through it, walk forward as far as you can out onto the dock. Climb
the ladder and look into the tank mounted on top a third generator. It’s
filled with ice (and I thought this village was in the hot part of the world;
SCRIPT CHANGE!!) and there seems to be a pipe stuck in the ice that could
be useful. Climb down and continue to the end of the dock. Now if I could
just point the mirror at the tank of ice. I knew I liked being cranky!
Go inside the generator and turn towards the boiler. Don’t miss the fact that
you can look up from this location. Might as well fire up the boiler. Turn
around and examine the voltage panel. Record all possible voltage settings.
Go back outside, up the ladder, and get the pipe. Now go to the observatory.
STARTING UP
THE RAIL GUN
Get the Rail Gun Instructions
Climb the observatory
stairs and look at the door. The button opens the door, the handle opens the
panel. Time for the density of chlorine and don’t
forget the comma (should be a decimal point but the game was made in Europe.)
Enter, climb the stairs, and look at the messageat the
back of the room. Let’s see, V=I*R and we need 5,000,000 watts at 125 amps.
We still need more information in order to set the voltage transformers. Hmmm,
what’s this about colors? One green triangle for the windmill, two for the
fish, and three for the seaside generator, but only one colored bulb will
light at one time on the generators. Don’t tell me you haven’t tried pushing
the colored generator buttons?
Ok, turn around and look at the big service panel by the window where you
can see the rail gun. Turn it on and see that two of the generators are working
but the third (seaside) is still off. Well, you can start that with your new
lever, a.k.a. pipe. Hmmm, the amperage is too high. Try adjusting it. (There
is a script writers bug here because you should be able to turn the knob.
Instead you touch the resistors.) I see, V=I*R. So what total voltage and
resistor value will we need to get 125 amps? Study electricity with your laptop,
find the equation for power, and calculate the needed
voltage. You will have to turn on the third generator, see what voltages it
can generate, check all possible voltage combinationsthe
three generators can produce, and set them to the needed total. Notice the
test button. Try it at any time to check if you have the correct settings.
But there is still the issue of the color settings. Now here is a major
script flaw in the game. Color settings are given for the windmill, fish,
seaside, and observatory. No color is associated with the rail gun. Logically
that must mean that the color for the rail gun is white or black. The colors
on the observatory panel are additive (cyan, magenta, yellow) while those
of the generators are subtractive (red, green, blue). The diagram must be
the colors for the observatory setting since the fish and seaside have multiple
colors. Logically it must follow that the generator and observatory colors
should be matched so that they add to either white or black which is sent
to the rail gun. No way! Just pick a random color or the same color for each
generator and match it in the observatory. For simplicity make all the generators
the same color so you won’t need to remember three different settings.
Set the Transformers
Now go start the
third generator and adjust the three generators for correct transformer turns and select a color. That
will take you a fair amount of time; I’ll wait for you.
It's Show Time!
Go back to the observatory
and enter the correct settings on the control
panel. Since this will lead to the endgame movie, you may want to save the
game at this point so you can wonder around to see any sites you missed benefit
of all doors being unlocked.
FINAL SCRIPT COMPLAINT
If you have thoroughly studied mechanics on your laptop, you should have come
to the following conclusion. The rail gun could not possibly impart enough
energy to the projectile to restart planetary rotation without disintegrating
the projectile. Still all in all a very enjoyable game.
****
P = V*I therefore V = P/I or 5,000,000/125
= 40,000V
Since the windmill and fish can only generate voltage in units of tens, that
means the seaside must generate 10,400V as the other two values end in 5 but
the total must be 40,000. So windmill and fish must total 40,000 – 10,400
= 29,600. It is not hard to see that windmill must be 22,000 and fish 7,600.
For a transformer Vo = Vi * Turnso/Turnsi
so the settings will be:
Seaside 8000 turns
Windmill 4000 turns at 5500V
Fish 5000 turns. Since this gauge is not broken you can see directly what
the output voltage is.
If the position
of the knob is not clear, the resistor is 320 ohms.
