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Geek Culture / Looking for inspiration - physics game

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Ric
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 15:20
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Hey chaps.

I'm planning on making a physics stacking/balancing game, and am trying to think of some ideas. The basic idea is you stack blocks to make a tower without letting it fall over.

The concept isn't a new one though (see for example Flash games like 99 Bricks, Poiser, Super Stacker etc.) so I'm trying to think of something which has some originality.

Maybe some of you creative people here have some clever ideas?



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Oolite
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 16:05 Edited at: 13th Mar 2009 16:09
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The only thing i can think of off the top of my head is gooey or bouncey physic boxes, but this has been done.
Maybe you should have different shapes that fall from the top of the screen. You have to position them in a straight line across the floor to get rid of them, else they will stack up to the top and you will lose.
Might catch on.

EDIT: one of the extra games on wario wii was where you had to tilt the wii-mote to correspond with a surface on screen. Shapes would fall from the top and you had to adjust the surface to keep them balanced without them slipping off. It was good fun, check it out if you can.


I'll finish them whenever i can be bothered.
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Ric
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 16:16
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Quote: "Maybe you should have different shapes that fall from the top of the screen. You have to position them in a straight line across the floor to get rid of them, else they will stack up to the top and you will lose."


Nah - that would never catch on.

I did think maybe instead of plain old boxes, they could be different chunks of a building like a castle, so you might have an archway, a door, a tower, a gun turret, etc...., and you build a castle from the different elements and get as high as you can before it topples. Or maybe it has to withstand canon fire without collapsing. Any other ideas?

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Oolite
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 18:39
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Quote: "Or maybe it has to withstand canon fire without collapsing. Any other ideas?"

That sounds pretty decent actually. I could imagine having to build the castle in a certain amount of time to withstand a number of cannonballs per level, you could even throw in different themes for the levels/worlds that exist in the game. Maybe even going through time, from building castles to space fortresses. Options for multiplayer aswell, with one person being the cannonball/laser gun operator and the other being the castle builder. The only thing i'm worrying about now is who would go first, it might be more fair to have the cannonball operator shoot first and the other player(obviously oblivious to where the other guy is firing) still builds his castle and then let the simulation run. All physics based obviously. You could even have an underwater castle level where the physics act differently to everywhere else.


I'll finish them whenever i can be bothered.
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Ric
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 19:04
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Underwater castles - now that something I never would have thought of. Cool idea!

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Diggsey
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 19:09
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What about tetris, with physics

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Ric
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 19:35
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It's been done already: http://www.kongregate.com/games/WeirdBeardGames/99-bricks

I'm trying to do something a little more original than tetris anyway!

I was thinking, as one idea, having a castle (2d) with windows, and through the windows you see various characters (prinesses, maids, damsels in distress, etc.). The aim would be to build a stack of blocks (of different shapes and sizes to make it more tricky) upto the window without it toppling over, in order to rescue the princess or whoever. Maybe once your tower is high enough, you can plop the princess on the top of it, and then destroy the bricks one by one (using magic of course!) to gradually lower her to ground level. If the tower isn't stable enough, the princess falls off and - well - dies I guess.

What do you think of that idea? Fun or dull?

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Virtual Nomad
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 19:58 Edited at: 13th Mar 2009 20:07
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Quote: "What about tetris, with physics"

was gonna suggest that, too, then thought of some snags. by the time i made the graphic to demonstrate, i saw the response and link to 99 bricks response. i'll show the graphic anyway since i took the time to create it. and, really, i don't like how 99 bricks "solved" the issue (the game isn't very fun ).



as far as the princess idea, i like it. but, instead of lowering her by destroying blocks, i'd add triangle pieces and allow her to slide/climb down as far as she can (once you've reached her balcony so she can safely begin her decent), adding pieces to further her rescue (and, allowing her to only drop/climb down 1 "block" height). by the way, triangle pieces added to introduce a 2nd kind of physics. sliding/gravity beside the weight-distribution aspect.


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Robert F
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Posted: 13th Mar 2009 21:00 Edited at: 13th Mar 2009 21:01
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Try the game World of Goo. Its not really stacking blocks, but it does deal with physics. Its really addictive. Some of the levels you do have to stack "Goo Balls" really high.


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Jeku
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Posted: 14th Mar 2009 00:27 Edited at: 14th Mar 2009 00:28
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How about having wind with constantly shifting direction and speed. The only controls you have is to rotate the ground in a circular motion. So, if the wind is blowing from the top left corner you want to rotate the tower in the opposite direction to keep the stack from blowing over. Meanwhile new pieces are floating down to the ground.

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Ric
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Posted: 14th Mar 2009 01:36
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Wind is a good idea, especially to make it harder in later levels. So is idea of letting the princess slide down triangular sections.

Good suggestions - thanks.

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gbark
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Posted: 14th Mar 2009 02:23 Edited at: 14th Mar 2009 02:25
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There's a game on the 42 Classics/Clubhouse for the Nintendo DS that consists of stacking blocks on a teeter-totter like platform. You have to keep stacking up a tower (or any pattern you like really), but if you go offbalance and the platform spills any blocks off, you lose.

Maybe you could do something similar, and even have different varieties. For example the fulcrum of the platform might be off-center in some levels, or you could stack teeter-totters on top of other teeter-totters that itself is balancing on a giant ball rolling around a world full of ramps and gravity-wells, which lies in a universe where gravity changes constantly and matter whizzes in and out of existence in a chaotic pattern.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 14th Mar 2009 18:01
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Jenga - Drunk Edition (ahh memories...)


What about stacking differently shaped blocks to extend to a particular goal. Points awarded for using the fewest number of blocks and not having any fallen over blocks.

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Xenocythe
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Posted: 14th Mar 2009 18:14
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I've got a pretty narly idea.

You have to stack a tower, in the center of the screen.

But, on either side, you are playing a sort of slow motion PONG game. Your paddle can be moved vertically right next to the tower on both sides to hit the ball. The ball bounces off the floor, and off the wall, and maybe even off the cieling. Then it comes right back to your tower. From both sides. So your stacking a tower and playing a game of pong on both sides of the tower. If either pong ball misses your paddle, it hits your tower- possibly crashing it to the ground.


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