Craig McPherson
05-30-2001, 10:54 AM
Loki has just recently released their Linux port of MindRover. I'm really excited about this. I've only played the Demo of the game, on Windows, but I'm going to place an order for the Linux port ASAP.
If you haven't played MindRover before...
This game is far-out. It's bizarre. It's weird. It's COOL! It's best described as a "programming game," if you can imagine such a thing. The focus of the game is on assembling and programming little robots to perform various tasks, ranging from as simple as bumping into a table, to as complex as Deathmatching another robot with rocket launchers!
The assembly is the simple part: there are several different chassis (mostly vehicles, the full version might have walker robots and other types, but I dunno), and different pieces of equipment you can latch onto the chassis -- engines, sensors, steering devices, (heh heh) rocket launchers, you get the idea.
The programming is the involved part, and the real heart of the game. You know your task, and you have to program the robot to do it. Programming consists of linking various pieces of equipment together with logic code and setting parameters. Programming can range from a simple instructions like "If the front sensor sees something, fire the rocket launcher" (created by triggering the FIRE action of the rocket launcher whenever the "sees something" attribute of the sensor becomes TRUE), to complex stuff involving logic gates (XOR, OR, AND), counters, conditionals, etc. They're no typing or true "code" involved with this "programming" -- it's all done visually on an interactive diagram where you lay out your logic connections and gates. If you get really elaborate, your diagram starts to look more like the schematics for a 747.
Once you have your robot programmed, you just click the "Start" button -- and here's the kicker, the action is completely non-interactive. Programming the robot is the extent of your control over it: once the mission starts, it'll either succeed or fail (or get stuck in a corner until you terminate the mission) based on, and based ONLY on, the programming you gave it. If (when) your robot fails, you can pick up the programming right where you left off, tweaking it until you get it right. It's really the ultimate "brain game."
The Mindrover website is http://www.mindrover.com/ (which seems to be black-on-black at the moment... hmm). Loki's page on the game is at http://www.lokigames.com/products/mindrover/
You can buy it from Loki's online store, but I've heard that Tuxgames.com is generally a better bet. Amazon will probably have it soon -- they have all of Loki's other games. I've bought all my Loki games from Amazon in the hopes it'll encourage them to stock more Linux games.
Good stuff.
(BTW, does anybody else have Loki's port of Simcity 3000 Unlimited? I've been playing it a lot lately.)
If you haven't played MindRover before...
This game is far-out. It's bizarre. It's weird. It's COOL! It's best described as a "programming game," if you can imagine such a thing. The focus of the game is on assembling and programming little robots to perform various tasks, ranging from as simple as bumping into a table, to as complex as Deathmatching another robot with rocket launchers!
The assembly is the simple part: there are several different chassis (mostly vehicles, the full version might have walker robots and other types, but I dunno), and different pieces of equipment you can latch onto the chassis -- engines, sensors, steering devices, (heh heh) rocket launchers, you get the idea.
The programming is the involved part, and the real heart of the game. You know your task, and you have to program the robot to do it. Programming consists of linking various pieces of equipment together with logic code and setting parameters. Programming can range from a simple instructions like "If the front sensor sees something, fire the rocket launcher" (created by triggering the FIRE action of the rocket launcher whenever the "sees something" attribute of the sensor becomes TRUE), to complex stuff involving logic gates (XOR, OR, AND), counters, conditionals, etc. They're no typing or true "code" involved with this "programming" -- it's all done visually on an interactive diagram where you lay out your logic connections and gates. If you get really elaborate, your diagram starts to look more like the schematics for a 747.
Once you have your robot programmed, you just click the "Start" button -- and here's the kicker, the action is completely non-interactive. Programming the robot is the extent of your control over it: once the mission starts, it'll either succeed or fail (or get stuck in a corner until you terminate the mission) based on, and based ONLY on, the programming you gave it. If (when) your robot fails, you can pick up the programming right where you left off, tweaking it until you get it right. It's really the ultimate "brain game."
The Mindrover website is http://www.mindrover.com/ (which seems to be black-on-black at the moment... hmm). Loki's page on the game is at http://www.lokigames.com/products/mindrover/
You can buy it from Loki's online store, but I've heard that Tuxgames.com is generally a better bet. Amazon will probably have it soon -- they have all of Loki's other games. I've bought all my Loki games from Amazon in the hopes it'll encourage them to stock more Linux games.
Good stuff.
(BTW, does anybody else have Loki's port of Simcity 3000 Unlimited? I've been playing it a lot lately.)