A Shocking First Look

March 20, 2013

Remember the Electromagnetism game I’d been showing off before? I had some basic, basic images that I posted, such as this one:

OMG that’s pretty!

But the game is no longer just boxes.  No!  There are patterns, shading, shapes… *AND* a brand spanking new character, seen here for the first time:

Coming soon* to computers near you

Oh my goodness, an octopus?  That shoots sparks?  He must have an interesting back story.  I want to know more.  Was he driven into action by an electric eel?  And for that matter, how can he do the Right Hand Rule if he doesn’t have a right hand?  Whoa.

In any case, as a quick review, this ‘Shocktopus’ runs and jumps around his world (like, say, Mario or Super Meat Boy).  The twist is that he can change his electric charge at will.  If he’s positively charged, he’ll repel from positive platforms — getting flung high into the sky.

The levels are looking a bit different, too.  The bland squares have been replaced by less-bland squares (aka programmer art):

I use the term ‘programmer art’ loosely…

Just filler art, mind you.  For instance, the octopus will not be going after bananas — I don’t think.  But hey, who knows?

I’ve also been working on non-art related parts of the game.  The physics simulation (and it is, in the vein of Velocity Raptor, a true simulation) has been improved.  It now includes not only point charges and magnetic fields, but also conductors.   If your character goes into a hollow conductor, for example, he’ll be shielded from outside electric fields (namely, it’s a Faraday Cage).

A bunch of progress, but still a long way to go.  Stay tuned for updates about the Electric Shocktopus.  And, lest I forget, stay tuned updates on the other games I’m working on, too!

-Andy