RE: Vector programming

G'day Clay and folks,

Seems to me like Clay uses "score" like most games use "fuel". When game
play doesn't include "refueling", then the game designer just uses a timer
to restrict play.

Ripoff may have some elements of similar game play. Instead of "running out
of points", you run out of fuel pods in the center of the screen. And while
you have to make due with whatever's left over from before (just as in
Clay's game play), Ripoff does not give you extra fuel pods as a reward for
finishing the wave.

Ripoff doesn't have lives. However just like Clay's game play, dying
returns the player to a starting position after a short delay.

                Steve Ozdemir
                sozdemir@att.com

ps - Star Hawk did have that pirate ship that attacks your score reducing it
by 800, but this is a bit different from Clay's game play.

-----Original Message-----
From: Clay Cowgill [mailto:ClayC@diamondmm.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 1999 9:26 AM
To: 'vectorlist@lists.cc.utexas.edu'
Subject: RE: Vector programming

> Then why do they insist on burying 800 different "secret moves",
> using
> rediculous button combinations, inside the games? :) (Oh, right - that
> comes under the "taking the dollar every 30 seconds" part.)
>
Yep. Simple controls "set the hook", then the 8-bazillion point progresive
combos "reel 'em in" with endless continues and
impossible-to-kill-on-a-quarter bosses... :-)

Hey... I just had a different idea for game scoring. I dunno if it's unique
or not, so someone tell me if you've seen it before. Let's say it some
kind of vector game (what elese? :-) and with a definate goal-- clear out
toxic waste from a series of levels or something (doesn't really matter).
At the beginning of the game (and the begining of each level) the player is
awarded X number of points to the score. The score then starts counting
down until the level is cleared. If the score reaches zero the player loses
a life, but gets to start the level over with a new starting score. (The
player can also die from game interactions too though, so zero-score isn't
the only thing that kills you.) When the next level starts the player gets
more points, but if he takes *too* long the countdown will continue eating
into the previous level's points too. So in effect game "scoring" is just
based on speed and efficiency of clearing a level. Might work well for a
puzzle game or something.

(Ok, I don't know what prompted that idea, but what the hell... I just
figured out that the reason my Thursday conference call doesn't seem to have
anyone in it is because it's only Wednesday. Going to be one of those
days...)

-Clay
Received on Wed Oct 13 15:30:22 1999