the is more on the conceptional level. how do different games handle gravity transitions particularly between perpendicular, and inverted direction?
(going from standard gravity direction to a Wall/ceiling as ground)
I have seen: (this list is not exhaustive, but example driven, if there is an example that does something differently the please reply with it and the “how it looks”)
Gravity Rush: the player can given an amount of a regenerating resource, and line of sight to a surface set the new down or “Fall” direction in the 3D environments. gravity at least for the player stops for an animation to play while the character re-orients, and then gravity takes effect in the new direction.
VVVVVV: at any time the player can instantly invert the gravity direction instead of jumping. where this is a 2D game this is just flipping the Y/Z direction of the gravity, and is an instant swap, where the character doesn’t animate.
Manifold Garden: FPS perspective at any time the player can swap gravity direction between any of the single component unity vectors. gravity freezes for all movable entities, and the swap shows the world rotating quickly around the player before turning gravity back on.
Super Mario Galaxy: many environments are surface driven with a defined origin point that can override the surface, but more abrupt changes are collider driven, with a short rotation animation,
Many “Indie” 2D games: either point at wall, or press a “rotate in direction button” to instantly set the gravity in that direction, and the world instantly rotates to that direction.
right now I am working on a 3rd person over the shoulder game with gravity mechanics, and am considering how to handle the more abrupt transitions between gravity orientations. Where the angle between the gravity vectors is not on a smooth curve (not dealing with acute or high obtuse angles at this time, but some systems will handle these better)
my thoughts are:
have the player be able to more directly influence the new vector similar to Gravity Rush, or Manifold Garden where it is the player that determines the swap point.
- the animation length feels super important but also this level of freedom limits design space for more challenge level things without some kind of “no no surface”
Collider driven with rotating swaps when entering similar to Mario Galaxy.
- these kind of colliders would need some kind of distinction, so the player knows when they are entering them, but floating arrows feels “gamey”, and relying on colors is a “great for 95%” kind of thing. if clear probably the most communicative, while removing color as a more granular direction tool
the “simplest solution” put a bunch of surface driven transitional surfaces (quarter/half pipe segments and in corners 8th of spherical hull)
- this has high clarity, but maybe the most limiting on level design, maybe as an introduction to the mechanic, or before I give free reign of the ability.