Gravity

[Fahnn]

So, I have an idea for a game that I think could be quite interesting. Unfortunately it's way beyond my programming skills, so I thought I'd just put it out there in case anybody else thinks that it's a good idea and would like to give it a try. I think it's quite original, but it's possible that it (or a variation of it) has been done before and I've missed it.

Basically it would begin as a fairly straightforward platform game. Left, right, jump, you know the score. But subsequent screens would change, or more particularly, the direction of gravity would change. So instead of gravity pulling downwards, it could pull upwards, or to the left or right, or maybe even into a random point on the screen (but your character would always be pulled feet-first, so if gravity is working upwards, you'd be walking on the ceiling and so on). Each new screen would change to ensure that you would never know what was coming. I think it could make for some interesting gameplay mechanics, especially if - to take it even further - you could actually change the direction of gravity mid-game. If the rooms were cleverly designed, it could be made that changing the direction of gravity would be essential to completing certain sections of the game. And to take it even further, the gravitational force might also have to be changed in order to complete certain tasks (or just to make them easier, or harder).

Any good, do you think? I'd love for someone to actually do a version of this.

[Ralf]

There are already some games on Zx Spectrum already which involve walking in the ceilings etc. Could be called "gravity change" games, I guess.

Check for example:

Gravibots:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=30087

Flipping Horace:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=27098

[Fahnn]

There are already some games on Zx Spectrum already which involve walking in the ceilings etc. Could be called "gravity change" games, I guess.

Check for example:

Gravibots:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=30087

Flipping Horace:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=27098

Interesting, not seen those before (I'm a bit out of touch with anything since about 1988). Although, to be honest, I kind of knew that the concept would have been used by now. But neither really does what I want, I'd like the idea to be taken far further. I suppose it would mean more of a puzzle game than a platform game. Definitely needs a bit more consideration, I think.

[Alessandro]

Maybe what you thought about is more similar to Toofy In Fan Land?

[R-Tape]

So instead of gravity pulling downwards, it could pull upwards, or to the left or right, or maybe even into a random point on the screen

I think it's a great idea. I've had a similar one before, building on the likes of Gravibots, Toofy and Heartstealer 2—adding a left/right* gravity switch would really open things up. Level design would be everything.

* or even a Vector element.

It's very do-able, whether AGD or coded from scratch. If you can code you own pronography management game, you can do this!

[bobs]

Gravity flips also feature many levels of the second Gem Chaser game

https://bobs-stuff.itch.io/gem-chaser-2

It’s not the only mechanic in the game though, as it’s also combined with colour changing, doors, escalators (etc). Take a look at the walkthrough below:

[media]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Yt2mHHnd0[/media]

[Ralf]

I'm a bit out of touch with anything since about 1988

That's a common case for a man returning to the Speccy scene You should really browse the archive for newer games.
Spectrum never died and new games were done each year. They are often inspired by modern Flash games etc. So
if there was some fashionable gaming idea in recent years, you have a serious chance to find it on Spectrum.

Actually modern Spectrum games are often better than classics from the 80s. Of course unless you are an old nostalgic
who believes nothing better was ever made after Jet Set Willy

[Fahnn]

Maybe what you thought about is more similar to Toofy In Fan Land?

I was envisaging something more like a Manic Miner/Dynamite Dan style, where you would still only have a limited jump height from the surface that you happen to be on, but this looks really interesting as a variation.

Gravity flips also feature many levels of the second Gem Chaser game...

And this looks even more interesting! I think I definitely need to play this one. I promise that I'll pay a decent amount as I'm still a bit guilty that I seem to have a copy of Splattr (which I think is an absolutely amazing game) that I somehow got for free, and that ain't right.

I'm a bit out of touch with anything since about 1988

That's a common case for a man returning to the Speccy scene You should really browse the archive for newer games.

I definitely should. So much superb stuff seems to have been released in the years I've been off the scene. It's going to be fun to catch up with it all. If anyone has any special recommendations, that would be great! Although I should start a new thread for that, always best to keep things organised.

[Joefish]

Mario Galaxy had some clever side-on sections where arrow patterns on the background would indicate changing gravity directions (up, down, left or right). It would have challenges like trying to stay on a moving L-shaped platform as it passed through the different regions.

You could also try a 2D circular version of some of the planetoid leaping sections of that game. Have circular planetoids to run around, with maybe circular chunks of platform around it. Each attracting centre should have a maximum radius of influence, outside of which you free-float until you pass within range of another. Each can also have a different strength, so if two overlap they can compete or cancel each other out.

A circular solid body shouldn't be too hard to do. Circular platforms around it might be tricky to draw or handle the collisions for - not sure if it would be best to work out platforms mathematically, or using image pixel collision. I guess it could work a bit like Lemmings, where you simply use one pixel at the character's feet for collision detection.

[Fahnn]

You could also try a 2D circular version of some of the planetoid leaping sections of that game. Have circular planetoids to run around, with maybe circular chunks of platform around it. Each attracting centre should have a maximum radius of influence, outside of which you free-float until you pass within range of another. Each can also have a different strength, so if two overlap they can compete or cancel each other out.

A circular solid body shouldn't be too hard to do. Circular platforms around it might be tricky to draw or handle the collisions for - not sure if it would be best to work out platforms mathematically, or using image pixel collision. I guess it could work a bit like Lemmings, where you simply use one pixel at the character's feet for collision detection.

Great stuff, but I'm afraid that sort of thing is way beyond my abilities at the moment. I never knew that about Lemmings, interesting stuff. That's a game I played endlessly back in the 1990s. I was at university in Dundee, funnily enough, and when I finished, I applied for a job at DMA Design doing music (which I was churning out at the time). Didn't even get an interview, though.

[Ralf]

I never knew that about Lemmings, interesting stuff. That's a game I played endlessly back in the 1990s.

So there are two uf us already I also spent hours with Lemmings playing it on my first PC AT with proud VGA card

Actually there are Lemmings for Spectrum too but I discovered it only later through emulation. They are ,well... okayish, I guess.
They have all the features of the original game but I just couldn't stand the graphics. I suppose I could even live with the monochrome
display if it wasn't just ugly.

[Fahnn]

I never knew that about Lemmings, interesting stuff. That's a game I played endlessly back in the 1990s.

So there are two uf us already I also spent hours with Lemmings playing it on my first PC AT with proud VGA card

Actually there are Lemmings for Spectrum too but I discovered it only later through emulation. They are ,well... okayish, I guess.
They have all the features of the original game but I just couldn't stand the graphics. I suppose I could even live with the monochrome
display if it wasn't just ugly.

I had it on the Amiga; it was such an amazing game, I'd play it for hours on end. One of the few games I actually got really good at!

I too didn't actually realise there even was a Spectrum version until quite recently. I've only seen play-throughs on Youtube but as you say, the monochrome graphics just don't look very inspiring if you're used to the 16-bit versions (although I don't suppose that anyone knew how to do it any other way back then). I should play it anyway, though. Even though it doesn't look so good, I guess the gameplay should be much the same? Really good game mechanics (which Lemmings certainly has) should be able to overcome sub-par graphics, after all.

[Ralf]

I guess the gameplay should be much the same?

If I remember correctly Spectrum has limited number of lemmings on the screen, compared to 16 bit versions. 20 or 30 while there could be 99 on better platforms. Also not all levels are present.

But apart from that the gameplay is the same - floaters, blockers, builders...

[Joefish]

You could get it on the Game Boy, but at least that had sprites.

As for collision detection, it makes things easier if you can simplify things down to a point, or just a line, instead of a rectangular area.
Another simple example is Bubble Bobble. If you look how the main characters jump around, the game only cares about where their feet can go. It only has to collision-check the bottom row of the sprite, for a transition from empty space to a block, to stop you moving left/right or falling down. You can run along a platform even if your dragon would bump his head on the blocks above. It also allows just a single block type to be both jump-up-through and a solid obstruction left/right if it's a continuous wall with no gaps. And if it's a continuous wall above you, you can jump up in front of it, but if there are no spaces in it, then it won't let you 'land' mid-wall, you just fall down again to the gap+platform you jumped from.