Monday, June 04, 2007
The Physics of Line Rider
Line Rider, but one university professor couldn't help but analyze the physics of the addictive Flash game.
Where a virtual world like Second Life takes an inconsistent approach to how objects behave, in Line Rider you can pretty much tell how a rider is going to move along a track, which makes it possible to tease out what's going on behind the scenes.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQlnpjYDA4xoIAkocXeVI40-xnWYo1Ck3hVgRBj8L-nQ_SuVXHw9R4XscdfcwrGqA8z7yhQdSSRsjf0aYAIrPWFaQMdCjEN2iEeXS8UL9o4cOP8ayOSrLzPsZGER0Mf8VCKRA/s400/line+rider+physics.jpg)
So what are the physics of Line Rider?
Or just play the game.
Normally, thinking critically about a game isn't high on your to do list, especially one like
Where a virtual world like Second Life takes an inconsistent approach to how objects behave, in Line Rider you can pretty much tell how a rider is going to move along a track, which makes it possible to tease out what's going on behind the scenes.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQlnpjYDA4xoIAkocXeVI40-xnWYo1Ck3hVgRBj8L-nQ_SuVXHw9R4XscdfcwrGqA8z7yhQdSSRsjf0aYAIrPWFaQMdCjEN2iEeXS8UL9o4cOP8ayOSrLzPsZGER0Mf8VCKRA/s400/line+rider+physics.jpg)
So what are the physics of Line Rider?
- Based on the length of the sled, the line rider is apparently a 5 year old boy (3.7 feet tall).
- There is no air resistance in this world.
- There is no friction on horizontal surfaces, and on inclined surfaces, friction behaves inconsistently.
Or just play the game.
Labels: Technology