Re: [tuxracer-devel] Course precisions

[Steve B. <sjb...@ai...>]

Jules Bean wrote:

> Have a 'par' time, as Steve says.  Score 1000 points for completing
> the level 'on par'. Otherwise, score 1000*[par/actual time], so 'half
> par' (which probably shouldn't be possible) gives 2000
> points. Alternatively, square or cube the [] portion to give slightly
> more reward for speed.
> 
> Then, the bonus points.  It's not clear to me all the things we'd
> want, but some ideas:
> 
> 100 points for finishing the level in the air ('cos it looks cool)
> 
> Points for *long* periods of being airborn - perhaps for each period
> of being airborn for longer than 0.5 seconds.

Well don't we have to have 'damage' scored on Tux for hard landings,
hitting trees and stuff - and perhaps for scooting over rocks at high
speed? (That's hard on your feathers you know!)  That makes for somewhat
contradictory requirements...I think a better way to reward long 'air
time' is using tricks (see my comments below).
 
> 100? points for never using the paddle key

I don't think you need to do that - if you have to resort to paddling,
you've already lost so much time that you'll get a bad time score.
No need for a double penalty.
 
> Other bonuses might have to wait until we have 'special trick' keys.

Yep!  The (excellent) 1080 snowboard game on Nintendo 64 has that -
and it's nice because they reward small numbers of points for doing
basic tricks - but MUCH more points for doing them in combinations in
quick succession while in the air.  I guess that's incentive for
getting long 'air time' - you can fit in more tricks in one 'combo'.

Doing the same trick twice in a row doesn't constitute a combo in
1080...and if you fall off the board on landing, your score for
that set of tricks is zeroed.

We might also want to consider 'bonuses' on the track:

 * Goodies you can hit to get a temporary boost of speed.
 * Things that repair your 'damage'.
 * Things that score bonus points.
 * Perhaps things like teleporters that take you to some other
   place on the track (better *or* worse).

This may be controversial - but I would like to propose that
we aim for a common 'style' for such things between Tux Racer
and my Quest for Herring game. (And "Tux-Kart" which may be my
next effort).  It would help the world of Tux-based games to
establish a set of common themes like that.

For example, I have 'spinning herrings' in different colours
(Silver for a points bonus, Gold for a major prize, Red for
a random-ish special effect, Green for bad things you'd want
to avoid.  I use small spinning Tux icons for 'extra lives')

This is a common thing to do in video games.  The Nintendo
'Mario' games are like this - in ALL Mario games, a spinning
coin is for points, a mushroom is an extra life and so on.
This makes it easier for a player to pick up a new game
and get instant satisfaction without needing to consult
a manual.

> Personally, I'm not too bothered about needing to 'finish' one track
> before going on to the next, although perhaps this should be at the
> course designer's option --- so some tracks are grouped into
> sequences, and some aren't.

I think it's important to give players a REASON to beat the game.
We aren't offering cash prizes - but the ability to 'get onto the
next level' is a powerful force to get people to keep playing until
they beat the 'par' time.  If all the courses are instantly accessible,
people will visit each one quickly and have seen all that the game
has to offer before they've even mastered one level.

You'd want to make it EASY to 'open up' the first few levels - but
make things increasingly hard right up to the end.

If we end up with a LOT of levels (as seems likely), then grouping
them obviously makes sense.

Obviously there needs to be an undocumented 'backdoor' for developers
to be able to skip on to whatever level they want to test.  My Tux_AQFH
game uses a password you can type in during the game to enter 'cheat'
mode in which you don't take damage and can skip on to any level without
meeting the prerequisites of that level.

-- 
Steve Baker                  http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
sjb...@ai... (home)  http://www.woodsoup.org/~sbaker
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