SkyCoaster 3d

Discussion in 'iOS Apps' started by Rohan Dalal, Feb 13, 2009.

  1. tosui

    tosui Well-Known Member

    Aug 26, 2008
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    It's not a video or pre-recorded, but it plays back like one (in that you don't interact with it once it's running). It's a simulation created randomly each time you run a new track or change a setting.

    The speed does change if you set it to (in the settings - acceleration). So it will slow down a lot when going up long climbs, and will speed up increasingly when going down long spirals, which is kind of fun!
     
  2. PointOfLight

    PointOfLight Well-Known Member

    Dec 29, 2008
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    It's not actually a video. The coaster is randomly generated and then rendered on the fly. There's no interaction with the coaster, if that's what you're getting at.
     
  3. brighteyes74

    brighteyes74 Well-Known Member

    Dec 20, 2008
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    might pick this up today sounds ok and i love rollercoasters
     
  4. ziconic

    ziconic Well-Known Member

    Feb 13, 2009
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    Hey everyone,

    We're the developers behind SkyCoaster 3D -- thank you so much for all the kind words and constructive feedback!! We are definitely committed to growing the app and adding more and more features over time. We are putting the final touches on the deep space panorama as we speak. :)

    Feel free to ask us any questions about the app. I can post a "behind-the-scenes" writeup of how the roller coaster simulation works, if there is interest.

    Again, thanks so much for your support!
     
  5. salsamd

    salsamd Moderator
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    Nov 1, 2008
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    Please do. Thanks.
     
  6. dannys95

    dannys95 Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2008
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    hey. have u thought about a track editor? it would be much better than how it is right now (kinda random). and please do post details.
     
  7. superbad

    superbad Well-Known Member

    Nov 6, 2008
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    You need to stalk me?
    is this a game or an app?
     
  8. brighteyes74

    brighteyes74 Well-Known Member

    Dec 20, 2008
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    Harrow , England
    please post a behind the scenes write up would be cool,
     
  9. GatorDeb

    GatorDeb Well-Known Member

    Feb 1, 2009
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    Bought it and I'm addicted to watching the little spin. Gave myself a headache.
     
  10. ziconic

    ziconic Well-Known Member

    Feb 13, 2009
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    So here goes. Apologies if it comes across as somewhat dry. :)

    The roller coaster track consists of multiple segments, each of which is described using a mathematical function. We have a bunch of rules for deciding how to add a new segment to the previous one so that the final track is fun to ride. When you adjust the sliders on the main page, you influence the probability that certain types of segments get chosen. The track is done when it is long enough and we have a way of connecting smoothly back to the starting point. We then smooth the track out so that there are no kinks or rude bumps along the ride.

    Oh yeah... as we lay down the track, we need to make sure it doesn't collide with itself. :)

    Next step is to figure out which way is up. This is going to depend on whether you are looping, corkscrewing or making a really sharp turn. We bank the track depending on how fast you are turning and how sharp the turn is. Pay attention to this the next time you go down a long spiral. As you pick up speed, you start tilting more and more. (We figure all this out before the ride begins, in case you were wondering.)

    Last thing I'd point out is that we had to make the 3D rendering wicked fast. An average track would have about 20,000-40,000 triangles (and even more in version 1.1 when you turn on the cross-beams connecting the rails). During the parts of the ride where you can see a huge chunk of the track, we needed to make sure that the framerate remains high. Turning off higher quality reduces the number of triangles by almost 50% for the parts of the track that are not directly in front of you. We found a way to do this quite seamlessly -- see if you can spot the difference. (Thanks Tosui for pointing out the impact on battery life!)

    Re: a track editor -- I think making one that is actually easy to use will be super hard, given the small screen size. How about the ability to tweak a randomly generated track? In that you start with a random track, and then you pinch and pull it until you get something that you like?
     
  11. tosui

    tosui Well-Known Member

    Aug 26, 2008
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    Welcome to Touch Arcade!

    You should add your twitter info to the listing: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?threadid=2021

    Other than adding the struts to the track & the deep space - which sounds very cool! - what's in store for future updates? Care to share, or gonna leave us in suspense? :D
     
  12. dannys95

    dannys95 Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2008
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    umm....... a bunch of games have track editors........so it should not be a problem. do something like slotz; where u select the tracks in the side; and then tap next. u choose turns and stuff.

    i guess that other idea is good too. but a track editor is much better imo.
     
  13. tosui

    tosui Well-Known Member

    Aug 26, 2008
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    So, if the parameters/probabilities of a track are stored before actually running the track, could you have a "save track" option that simply records those specific values for later replay? (And maybe a screen shot showing the track as a reminder?) If all you're storing are the values, this should be a tiny file, right?

    Just an idea.
     
  14. ziconic

    ziconic Well-Known Member

    Feb 13, 2009
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    I was thinking, roller coaster tracks have to be long and complex to be fun to ride. If you had to build one piece by piece, it will take a really long time to come up with something good. Maybe a better approach would be to somehow allow you to trace out a 3D curve with your finger, and we turn that into a track?

    What do the rest think?
     
  15. dannys95

    dannys95 Well-Known Member

    Sep 29, 2008
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    i dont think that might work out to well. how about a online editor? users could create the tracks online (which will be better than a editor on the idevice) and then they could be uploaded to a server. the levels should not be too big; so downloading and storing should not be a problem.
     
  16. superbad

    superbad Well-Known Member

    Nov 6, 2008
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    You need to stalk me?
    looks like a great APP by the way! will download it soon enough.

    maybe you can add other coasters so we see other peeps riding the tracks as well?!
     
  17. ziconic

    ziconic Well-Known Member

    Feb 13, 2009
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    Yeah saving and replaying the track is easy (but building a file management UI is not very fun). It will definitely be in a future release. :)
     
  18. ziconic

    ziconic Well-Known Member

    Feb 13, 2009
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    We've been thinking about it. If we do draw in the roller coaster car, we're going to have to give up some of the physically impossible tight turns. :)
     
  19. PointOfLight

    PointOfLight Well-Known Member

    Dec 29, 2008
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    Indiana, USA
    I was thinking about the front part of the car myself, but if it means giving up some flexibility on twists and turns, keep the twists! Also, I like your idea about a base track that you can "pick and pull". I think that would be an easy to use and cool interface.
     
  20. BoiledGoose

    BoiledGoose Well-Known Member

    Just downloaded and ran through a few tracks. Great idea for an app and well implemented.

    I'm not sure why but I've always been a huge fan of roller coaster videos, and the randomness of the track design in this is much better than any video.

    I don't even think it needs a track editor, I kind of like changing a few settings and letting it magically generate a "ride."

    The only request I would have is the ability to turn off the music and turn on a roller coaster track sound, to add that extra bit a realism to the already awesome physics.

    Overall, great job!
     

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