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using Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy game engines
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Message: 4964
Author: andrewbroad
Date: 21/10/2005
Subject: Re: Manic Miner 3D / Piranhas
Manic Miner 3D
==============
>> http://games.paradum.com/games/miner3d/Alexandra wrote:
>I totally agree about it being too dark.
> I've never really liked the idea of 3D MM or JSW personally,
> though I have to say it does look pretty cool. But what is it with
> people these days and DARK colouring! Everything is so dark!
> I bought an indie game called Gish which is a pretty cool physics-
> based 2D platformer, and it has very dark graphics and tilesets.
> Really annoying!
>
> Gimme bright speccy colours ;)
Manic Miner 3D is a very impressive effort technically, and also has
a beautiful reinterpretation of the title-screen/Room 19 picture.
But it's very difficult to control compared with the exquisite game-
mechanics of the 2D original - at first you get the impression that
you're turning just by going forwards, and one misaligned jump can
have fatal consequences, especially with the air running out so
quickly.
The rotational control doesn't help - I would much prefer
directional control.
========
Piranhas
========
This puts me in mind of a Miniclip.com game called Piranhas:
http://www.miniclip.com/piranhas/mc_piranhas.htm
Piranhas is basically Manic Miner in isometric 3D (as opposed to the
`Freescape' style of Manic Miner 3D), and is much better in terms of
playability.
Piranhas has all the key elements of Manic Miner: 20 levels (each of
which has a name), platforms, static nasties, horizontal and
vertical guardians, crumbling platforms, conveyors, an air-limit
(and also an energy-limit, rather than one hit and you lose a life),
and keys which must be collected to open the portal to the next
level. I've even discovered three quirky features! :-)
On the other hand, Piranhas has the same block-graphics on every
level, and doesn't have platforms that you can walk through (unlike
Manic Miner 3D). In other words, all the platforms behave as wall,
including the conveyors and crumbling blocks.
Some of the later levels of Piranhas have more than one screen,
which can be navigated JSW-style. You have to collect all the keys
in the level to open the portal - not just the keys in the same
screen as the portal.
Piranhas has special blocks called metal plates - the opposite of
switches in Manic Miner in that they cause hidden blocks to pop up
out of the water. This makes it much more of a challenge to find the
best route through each level.
And, like so many of the Miniclip platformers, Piranhas allows you
to walk during a jump or fall. It also has special boots that you
can collect to walk faster or jump higher for a few seconds, as well
as top-ups for air and energy.
--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/spectrum/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/spectrum/willy/
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