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Message: 4033

Author: Alexandra

Date: 27/03/2004

Subject: Re: more than the sum of it's parts ( off topic :P )

 

> > 38 - the magic faraway tree. text book example of a room that
> > looks asif it's more than the sum of it's parts (i.e. a room where
> > even a trained eye cannot or is tempted not to break down the room
> > straight away into it's composite and repetetive elements -
> > something i get a lot as a JSW/MM fan and a mind with a love of
> > spotting patterns).
>
> I'm not quite sure what you mean here, as "more than the sum of its
> parts" is really a meaningless buzz-phrase that's in vogue at the
> moment (and I hope it dies out). How can anything ever be more than
> the sum of its parts?

In Cold Harsh Reality, it's impossible, but because reality is
constructed in our minds, CHR is subject to human interpretation.
Certain rooms in JSW pimp of "Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ramp,
Conveyor", whilst others gell into a cohesive atmosphere which
is "more than the sum of it's parts". It is a somewhat subjective
thing. If you've ever experimented with mixing music you'll have
witnessed this phenomenon first-hand. You can mix two sounds together
and one sound, which may be atrocious (or exceedingly dull) on it's
own when solo-ed, "vibrates" against the other beautifully in the mix.

In JSW this phenomenon can be achieved by, basically, what you said
next:

> Do you mean that the components interact to produce a good

technical

> challenge, or that the elements combine to make it visually
> attractive or atmospheric?

Primarily I was thinking in visual terms, though I think the same
things apply to gameplay. A typical way you can create the illusion
of "more than the sum" is by having block designs which, when placed
next to eachother, coincide and create new patterns - either with the
same block being tiled or by different blocks being placed next to
eachother. Another way is to make the blocks similar in colour or
shape, to blur the visual boundaries between them. This isn't the
case in the room in question though, it just has a good 'atmosphere'.

 

 

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