Armadillo Run
Encyclopedia
Armadillo Run is the title of a transport puzzle
video game created by Peter Stock. The game is currently in version 1.0.6, and is only legally available from the Armadillo Run website.
) to the blue goal (a "Portal") by creating a structure using various materials that, when activated, will get Armadillo to the goal while keeping within a sometimes strict budget. The gameplay can be described as a mix of Bridge Builder
and The Incredible Machine, and is certainly inspired by Rube Goldberg
. Its creator, Peter Stock, cites Bridge Builder
and Stair Dismount
for the construction and dynamic natures of the game, respectively.
Every level begins with the Armadillo, the goal, various nodes and, most of the time, some pieces which cannot be moved. The larger nodes are fixed in place; these are indestructible, and are used as mounting points. The player has access to rope
, metal bars, metal sheets, cloth, rubber, elastic and rockets as machine building materials. The player can also change the tension of most of the components, as well as setting a timer for some of the components to break. In some levels, certain features or materials are not available. It is up to the player to ensure the structure gets the Armadillo to the goal within the budget for that level, and holds it there for five seconds.
Each material has a cost associated with using it, and the player has a certain amount of money to use for each level. If they create a structure that gets the armadillo to the goal, but costs more money than the player has for that level, the player will fail that level. Because there is a virtually unlimited number of solutions for each level, players are encouraged to try to come up with the cheapest way possible to finish the level.
Armadillo Run also has a level editor, and encourages players to share their levels with each other through the Armadillo Run website. Players can also share their solutions to levels through the website, so that if they are truly stuck, they can see how others have completed that level and attempt to complete it with more money left in the bank.
Players can also create levels where the viewer does not need to edit anything (and sometimes cannot.) These levels display ingenious ways to complete the level, with everything from simulated rollercoasters to abstract car chase sequences, and show extensive use of the game's physics engine.
puts its average review score at 88%. It also earned a Gold Award from Game Tunnel, and an 88% from PC Gamer
UK.
It was also nominated for the 2007 Independent Games Festival
for both the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and Design Innovation awards.
Transport puzzle
Transport puzzles are logistical puzzles, which often represent real-life transport problems.-Description:In transport puzzles you move persons and/or objects through a given landscape. As in rearrangement puzzles, no piece is ever lost or added to the board...
video game created by Peter Stock. The game is currently in version 1.0.6, and is only legally available from the Armadillo Run website.
Objective
The aim of the game is to get Armadillo, a yellow basketball-like object (a stylized representation of a rolled-up armadilloArmadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
) to the blue goal (a "Portal") by creating a structure using various materials that, when activated, will get Armadillo to the goal while keeping within a sometimes strict budget. The gameplay can be described as a mix of Bridge Builder
Bridge Builder
Bridge Builder is a series of computer games developed and published by Chronic Logic. Bridge Builder is the first in the series, followed by Pontifex, Pontifex 2 , and Bridge It. The object of each game is to construct a bridge which a train may cross over, given a limited budget and available...
and The Incredible Machine, and is certainly inspired by Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg
Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor.He is best known for a series of popular cartoons depicting complex gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. These devices, now known as Rube Goldberg machines, are similar to...
. Its creator, Peter Stock, cites Bridge Builder
Bridge Builder
Bridge Builder is a series of computer games developed and published by Chronic Logic. Bridge Builder is the first in the series, followed by Pontifex, Pontifex 2 , and Bridge It. The object of each game is to construct a bridge which a train may cross over, given a limited budget and available...
and Stair Dismount
Stair Dismount
Stair Dismount is a computer game originally made by Jetro Lauha of tAAt. It is a puzzle game where the goal is maximising the 'damage' done to a 3D stickman figure; the player causes damage by applying a force to the figure to make it fall down a staircase.The stick figure's falls are...
for the construction and dynamic natures of the game, respectively.
Gameplay
The main game has 50 "normal" levels to complete, and several bonus levels if the player has enough money to unlock them.Every level begins with the Armadillo, the goal, various nodes and, most of the time, some pieces which cannot be moved. The larger nodes are fixed in place; these are indestructible, and are used as mounting points. The player has access to rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
, metal bars, metal sheets, cloth, rubber, elastic and rockets as machine building materials. The player can also change the tension of most of the components, as well as setting a timer for some of the components to break. In some levels, certain features or materials are not available. It is up to the player to ensure the structure gets the Armadillo to the goal within the budget for that level, and holds it there for five seconds.
Each material has a cost associated with using it, and the player has a certain amount of money to use for each level. If they create a structure that gets the armadillo to the goal, but costs more money than the player has for that level, the player will fail that level. Because there is a virtually unlimited number of solutions for each level, players are encouraged to try to come up with the cheapest way possible to finish the level.
Armadillo Run also has a level editor, and encourages players to share their levels with each other through the Armadillo Run website. Players can also share their solutions to levels through the website, so that if they are truly stuck, they can see how others have completed that level and attempt to complete it with more money left in the bank.
Players can also create levels where the viewer does not need to edit anything (and sometimes cannot.) These levels display ingenious ways to complete the level, with everything from simulated rollercoasters to abstract car chase sequences, and show extensive use of the game's physics engine.
Reception
The game has been well received by reviewers; MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
puts its average review score at 88%. It also earned a Gold Award from Game Tunnel, and an 88% from PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
UK.
It was also nominated for the 2007 Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
for both the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and Design Innovation awards.
External links
- Armadillo Run Official Website
- Postmortem writeup at GamasutraGamasutraGamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
- Review at Fun-Motion