"In nature, nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed." — Antoine Lavoisier, Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (1789)

"In nature, nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed." — Antoine Lavoisier, Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (1789)

Temperature

In Alcyone, temperature is one of the most critical factors impacting every aspect of the game. As the temperature shifts, the state of each molecule cell changes, which in turn alters their vertical positions on the grid. While you always start at standard ambient temperature (25°C), the temperature changes dynamically based on your actions and can be strategically controlled.

Three States

Every molecule cell transitions between three states—gas, liquid, and solid—based on the current temperature.

  • Solid: Occurs when the temperature drops below the molecule's melting point.

  • Gas: Occurs when the temperature rises above the molecule's boiling point.

  • Liquid: Occurs when the temperature sits between the melting and boiling points.

This state dictates how cells arrange themselves within a column: gases float to the top, solids sink to the very bottom, and liquids rest on top of solids.

In the real world, buoyancy is determined by density. However, for intuitive puzzle gameplay, Alcyone ignores density and sorts cells purely based on their physical state.

Each molecule cell features a visual thermometer at the top. Based on the current temperature, two dots indicate that specific molecule's unique melting and boiling points.

Look at the example figure above: The current temperature is 27.3°C. By observing the gap between the current temperature bar and the lower dot (the melting point), you can visualize exactly how much the temperature must drop (e.g., a decrease of -27.3°C) to freeze the molecule into a solid.

Temperature Shifts

Temperature shifts are a direct consequence of your gameplay. Synthesizing or reacting molecules immediately alters the temperature, which may cause the molecule cells to change their states.

The rules for temperature shifts are straightforward:

  • Gas: Synthesizing a gas lowers the temperature; reacting a gas raises it.

  • Liquid & Solid: Synthesizing them raises the temperature; reacting them lowers it.

The scale of the temperature change increases with the molecule's molecular weight. However, because this is calculated on a logarithmic scale, the temperature will not fluctuate too drastically or unpredictably.

In reality, whether a chemical reaction absorbs or releases heat (endothermic vs. exothermic) is determined by each compound's standard enthalpy. Since tracking the exact standard enthalpy for every single compound is practically impossible—and would make the puzzle mechanics overly chaotic—Alcyone uses this simplified system to keep the gameplay elegant and intuitive.