Auszeichnungen '11
Rope!
von BSc Ivo Havranek
„Rope!“ is a 2.5D Rope ´n´Run for up to 4 players. Players can use their ropes to move, swing and puzzle through a paradoxically flat galaxy. They compete while collecting goodies but are also forced to work together to solve all the problems in their way.
The storymode is restricted to 2 Players who obtain the roles of a nameless robot and a flower who flew from their workingplace in the fabrics of the THP Company to a small planet called eden. There they can life in peace and harmony OR decide that this is all boring and start a relationship questioning journey to their own origin. With more than 2 players you best start the „king of Rope“ Mode, in whom you race through ladders of stars, satellites and asteroids until only one player is left and can truly call himself „King of Rope!“
We wanted to create a game that provides player coop interaction that has never been seen like this before. After deciding to use a swingrope as the main gamefeature, the possibilities to let players interact with it emerged spontaneously. Build a trampolin, catch other players and help them on their way through the level or hinder them by blocking their way. We wanted players to have a resembling experience that we had when multiplayer was most of the time in front of one screen like Mario Kart 64 or Goldeneye, to name the classics. Games are more fun when you can use your ellbows, thats what we say.
The inspiration for the optical design was mostly taken from the idea of the medium internet peeling away more hierarchically working media like television and newspapers. The Rope was a metaphor for the connection between single individuals, which helped them to communicate and empower themselfs. The enemy, the corporation working in the background of the gameworld, was set as the opponent, the television. Unfortunately the game didnt evolve far enough to really tell this to the player. Also the context of the game, being made as a university project, became part of the inner structure. The two main characters reflect the two faculties multimediaart and multimediatechnology of our university, from where the art and the programming team came from. Being forced to work together and also compete and fight for ones own ideas while having a higher goal in the back of our head after university time.
