Michal Marek MacHeist is a project founded by John Casasanta, Phillip Ryu and Scott Meinzer. It is basically a competition and its rules are very simple. As part of the project, various tasks (so-called "heists") are published on the Macheist.com website, in which absolutely everyone can participate. Successful solvers get the opportunity to download various games and applications for the OS X operating system for free. In addition, by solving individual tasks, the contestant gradually gains the right to a discount on the purchase of a large package (the so-called "bundle"), which will appear during the course of this spectacular project.
What is MacHeist?
The first MacHeist took place already at the end of 2006. At that time, a package of ten applications with a price tag of 49 dollars was played. After completing each challenge, $2 was always deducted from the prize, and contestants also received individual smaller apps for free. The first year of MacHeist was a real success, with around 16 discounted bundles sold in just one week. The package at the time included the following applications: Delicious Library, FotoMagico, ShapeShifter, DEVONthink, Disco, Rapidweaver, iClip, Newsfire, TextMate and a selection of games from Pangea Software, which included the titles Bugdom 000, Enigmo 2, Nanosaur 2 and Pangea Arcade. MacHeist was also of great importance to charity. A total of 2 US dollars was then distributed among various non-profit organizations.
However, the ambitious MacHeist project did not end with the first year. This event is currently in its fourth year, and two smaller competitions for the so-called MacHeist nanoBundle have taken place over the past years. The entire project has so far raised over $2 million for various charities, and this year's ambitions are even bigger than ever.
McHeist 4
So let's take a closer look at this year's edition. As we have already informed you in an earlier article, MacHeist 4 runs from September 12. This time, individual missions can be completed on a computer or with the help of appropriate applications on iPhone and iPad. I personally chose to play on the iPad and was extremely satisfied with the gaming experience. So I'll try to describe to you how MacHeist 4 actually works.
First, it is necessary to register for the competition, during which you have to fill in classic data such as e-mail address, nickname and password. This registration is possible either on the project website MacHeist.com or on iOS devices in an application called MacHeist 4 Agent. This application is really useful and forms a kind of starting point for participation in the whole project. Thanks to it, you will be perfectly informed and you will always know what is new in the competition. In the MacHeist 4 Agent window, you can easily download individual missions, which always have their own application.
The moment you register, you immediately become a so-called Agent and can start playing. The MacHeist project is really generous to its contestants, so you will receive your first gift immediately after registration. The first app you get for free is a handy helper AppShelf. This app normally costs $9,99 and is used to manage your apps and their license codes. The other two applications can be obtained by installing the aforementioned MacHeist 4 Agent. This time it's a tool Paint It! for converting photos into beautiful paintings, which can usually be purchased for $39,99, and a five-dollar game Back to the Future Episode 1.
Individual challenges are gradually increasing and currently there are already three so-called Missions and three nanoMissions. For players, it is advisable to always start with the nanoMission, because it is a kind of preparation for the classic mission with the corresponding sequence number. For the completion of individual missions, contestants always receive an application or game for free, as well as imaginary coins, which can later be used when purchasing the main bundle of applications. The composition of this package is not yet known, so we can't help but keep an eye on MacHeist.com. In all previous years of the project, these packages contained very interesting titles. So let's believe that it will be the same this time.
The apps and games you earn by completing tasks can be found on MacHeist.com under the Loot tab. In addition, links to download your winnings and the relevant license numbers or files are sent to the email address you provided during registration.
The individual missions that are part of MacHeist are colored by a good story and follow each other. However, if you are only interested in a certain application, the challenges can also be completed individually and on the jump. For impatient players or for those who just don't know how to do certain tasks, there are plenty of video tutorials available on YouTube, and everyone can get free apps. I recommend MacHeist to all lovers of similar puzzle games and I think patience really pays off. Most of the applications that the player receives for their efforts are worth it. Besides, the feeling of satisfaction after solving a challenging puzzle is simply priceless.
nanoMission 1
As I mentioned above, individual tasks can be downloaded and completed either on a computer with the OS X operating system or thanks to an application designed for iOS. This year's first nanoMission consists of completing puzzles of two different types. In the first series of these puzzle games, the point is to direct a beam of light from the source (bulb) to the destination. Several mirrors are always used for this purpose and there are many obstacles in the way that must be moved in any way possible. In the second series of puzzles, it is necessary to combine the given objects in different ways and achieve their transformation into a different target product.
nanoMission 1 will certainly not take too much time and will surely entertain puzzle game lovers. After completing this challenge, the reward again follows, which this time is an application NetShade, which provides anonymous web browsing and normally carries a price tag of $29.
Mission 1
The first classic mission takes us to an abandoned but very luxurious mansion. Lovers of steampunk will certainly find something to their liking. This time too, many more or less demanding logical games are prepared for us in the beautifully graphically processed estate. In the house you will also find the two types of puzzles that we tried in the first NanoMission, so you can immediately use your newly acquired experience.
All contestants will surely be pleased with the generous rewards that are being prepared again. Right after starting Mission 1, every player gets a five-dollar helper Calendar More. After completing the entire mission, everyone will receive the main reward in the form of a game Fractal, which normally costs $7, and a utility for managing, hiding and encrypting sensitive data called MacHider. In this case, it is an app with a regular price of $19,95.
nanoMission 2
Also in the second nanoMission you will encounter two different types of puzzles. In the first series of tasks, you have to move various geometric shapes and assemble them into a larger shape that you are prescribed. The movement of individual parts is again prevented by various obstacles, and the game is all the more interesting. The second type of task is coloring the squares on the game board in a way that you deduce from the numerical key on the edges of the playing field.
The reward this time is a program with the name Exchange, which can convert video to various formats. A big advantage of this application is the intuitive and simple control using the well-known drag&drop method. Permute normally costs $14,99.
Mission 2
As in the previous mission, this time you will find yourself in a big time or estate and by solving individual puzzle games you unlock different doors, chests or locks. The experience gained while solving the nanoMission, which precedes this mission, will come in handy again and will make solving the whole task much easier.
After unlocking the last lock, three wins will be waiting for you. The first of them is PaintMee Pro – a tool of a similar nature, as the aforementioned Paint It!. Even in this case, it is a very solid and expensive software with a regular price of $39,99. The second winning application is NumbNotes, software for clearly writing down numbers and conveniently performing simpler calculations. The regular price of this useful tool is $13,99. The third prize in the sequence is a five-dollar game called Hector: Badge of Carnage.
nanoMission 3
In nanoMission 3, you face two more types of puzzles. The first type is assembling figures from painted wooden cubes. In the case of the second series of puzzles, it is then necessary to insert various symbols into the grid in a way that somewhat resembles the style of the popular Sudoku.
For successfully completing this nanoMission, you will receive a handy tool Wiki. This $3,99 app is a great way to expand your iTunes music library. Wikit can nestle in your Menu Bar, and when you click on its icon, a window with information about the artist, album, or song that is currently streaming from your speakers will pop up. This data and information comes from Wikipedia, which is what the very name of this handy mini-application suggests.
Mission 3
In the last mission so far, we continue in the same spirit as before. The application can be found in a small chest right at the beginning of the game Bellhop, which will help you with hotel reservations. The app environment looks really nice, it has no ads ($9,99). Additionally, after completing Mission 3, you will receive a very popular and useful tool called Gemini, which can find and delete duplicate files on your computer. Even Gemini is normally $9,99. The third and final reward for now is another ten dollar app, this time a music conversion tool called Sound Converter.
We will keep you updated on any news in this year's MacHeist, follow our website, Twitter or Facebook.
Too bad there is no app for iOs :(
Cool, great thing I didn't know about it at all! I'm going to download it now, thanks! :)
We are glad that the article made sense :)