Line Rider
Line Rider is a Flash game originally created for exam purposes by Boštjan Čadež, a Slovenian university student, and became an Internet phenomenon in October 2006. In the week ending on 16 October 2006, it was the seventh quickest gaining keyword in Google.[1]
The basic concept is to draw one or more lines with the mouse on which a small character with a sled can ride. The game includes a physics simulation, which means the track must be sufficiently smooth to prevent the character from falling off the sled. The author has said that he prefers the description 'toy' to 'game' as there is no goal to accomplish.
In spite of its simplicity, many complicated tracks have been created, which include loops and other stunts. The game is now popular for its scenery created by its advanced users. Some tracks are even set to music and include hand-drawn scenery such as mountain slopes and trees. Tracks are typically shared by uploading a video to web sites, such as YouTube or Google Video.
Linerider has also recently been on the front page of Yahoo! (featured on November 9, 2006), gaining even more publicity. It was only November 8, 2006 that it had been downloaded for its one-millionth time from deviantart.
Imitations
Several copycat or hacked versions of the original game have been made. Some of these, like Line Flyer, (which rides on a BMX bike) alter visual elements of the game, while others alter the programming to make playing the game easier. Others include Jeep Flyer,(who drives a Jeep), Line Boarder,(who snowboards) and Chair Flyer, (who uses a Power-Chair). Some neither try to make it easier, or change the graphics alone. The legality of these versions is questionable. Čadež had called these actions theft in his news post on deviantART and planned to prevent hacks in future versions of Line Rider. Some of these include different functions, such as: Change the colour of lines, draw Straight lines, and an eraser.
Techniques
Even without options incorporated into the game, several people have discovered how to create straight lines in the Beta version of Line Rider. This can be done by first right clicking with the mouse, then left clicking at the place you want the straight line to end. This technique is quite effective, but may be slow.
Version History
Beta
The original version of Line Rider was released on 23 September 2006. Line Rider beta uses a very limited tool set. A pencil tool is used to draw lines, a left to right stroke forms floor lines, while a right to left stroke forms ceilings. It also includes a trash can icon to erase your current track. The beta includes the ability to save tracks and reload them later.
Update: No official version name
The new version of Line Rider was scheduled to be released on 24 October 2006, but the creator lost several days' worth of work and the release has been delayed to a later date. On 23 November 2006, Boštjan Čadež made a comment on his DeviantART page that the update will be released sometime in December. Anticipated additions in this new version include:
- Eraser
- Straight line drawing
- Line snapping
- Three types of lines - regular, accelerating and scenery
- Zoom
- Flag that tags the location of line rider during simulation to aid track editing
- Bug fixes
- Hack prevention
On Monday, December 3rd, an unofficial update was released with several new features including: erase, accelerating lines, zoom, and flags. Although some believe the original is better, both versions are available at the website where the update was made, http://www.linerider.ca
References
- ^ "Google Press Center: Zeitgeist Archive". Retrieved 2006-11-26.