E-Motion
Encyclopedia
E-Motion is a strategy
video game developed by The Assembly Line
in the late 1980s. It was published as The Game of Harmony in the United States
by Accolade, and as E-Motion by U.S. Gold
elsewhere. It was available for Amiga
, Amstrad CPC
, Atari ST
, Commodore 64
, DOS
, ZX Spectrum
, and Game Boy
. The Spectrum and Game Boy versions were developed by The Code Monkeys.
The player controls a round spacecraft
, and must work to clear all globes from the screen within a time limit. The playing field wraps around at the edges, so a globe or the ship travelling off the left edge (for example) will re-appear on the right. Globes come in three different colors, and those of the same color
will disappear when they collide, whereas differing-colored globes will produce small pods, of the third color. Pods can be collected for more energy, but if they are not picked up quickly, they will turn into globes. There are 50 levels of increasing difficulty. On some levels, elastic
bands connect certain globes, or even attach the player's ship to one or more globes. Destroying a globe will remove any elastic band attached to it. In other areas, barriers block the movement of the player and the globes. On difficulty settings above "easy", the globes are somewhat volatile. If they are not cleared within a certain time of their appearance, they will explode and damage your ship. If your ship loses enough energy, it is destroyed.
There are two kinds of bonus levels, both containing only pods, not full-sized spheres. One bonus level has yellow and blue pods, both of which can be collected, but only blue pods earn points. Collecting a blue pod causes a yellow pod to turn blue. Another bonus level has blue and red pods. Collecting a blue pod earns points, while collecting a red pod ends the bonus level immediately. In addition there are hidden bonuses available during the game - for example, completing a level by not rotating right earns extra bonus points.
The player's spaceship is operated by polar
control, as in Spacewar!: moving the joystick
left or right rotates the ship, and pressing the Fire button makes it thrust in whatever direction it is facing. The game's distinguishing feature is its realistic model of kinetics. Objects colliding with each other change their speed and direction in a realistic way, and the elastic bands affect movement in a realistic way too.
The "E" in the title of E-Motion stands for Einstein
, and he appears in cover art and advertisements. There is a sequel, Vaxine, a more complex 3D
shooting game which featured a similar ray traced graphical style to E-Motion.
Image:Game of Harmony screenshot.png | Screenshot of the DOS version
Image:E-Motion title screen.gif | Title screen for the ZX Spectrum version of E-Motion
Image:E-Motion screenshot.gif | Note the use of shapes instead of colours on the ZX Spectrum in order to avoid colour clash
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
video game developed by The Assembly Line
The Assembly Line
The Assembly Line was a British video game development company which created games for the Atari ST, Commodore 64 and Amiga systems. Recognised for the quality of its programming, it mostly created 3D action or puzzle games...
in the late 1980s. It was published as The Game of Harmony in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Accolade, and as E-Motion by U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
elsewhere. It was available for Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, and Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. The Spectrum and Game Boy versions were developed by The Code Monkeys.
The player controls a round spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
, and must work to clear all globes from the screen within a time limit. The playing field wraps around at the edges, so a globe or the ship travelling off the left edge (for example) will re-appear on the right. Globes come in three different colors, and those of the same color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
will disappear when they collide, whereas differing-colored globes will produce small pods, of the third color. Pods can be collected for more energy, but if they are not picked up quickly, they will turn into globes. There are 50 levels of increasing difficulty. On some levels, elastic
Elastomer
An elastomer is a polymer with the property of viscoelasticity , generally having notably low Young's modulus and high yield strain compared with other materials. The term, which is derived from elastic polymer, is often used interchangeably with the term rubber, although the latter is preferred...
bands connect certain globes, or even attach the player's ship to one or more globes. Destroying a globe will remove any elastic band attached to it. In other areas, barriers block the movement of the player and the globes. On difficulty settings above "easy", the globes are somewhat volatile. If they are not cleared within a certain time of their appearance, they will explode and damage your ship. If your ship loses enough energy, it is destroyed.
There are two kinds of bonus levels, both containing only pods, not full-sized spheres. One bonus level has yellow and blue pods, both of which can be collected, but only blue pods earn points. Collecting a blue pod causes a yellow pod to turn blue. Another bonus level has blue and red pods. Collecting a blue pod earns points, while collecting a red pod ends the bonus level immediately. In addition there are hidden bonuses available during the game - for example, completing a level by not rotating right earns extra bonus points.
The player's spaceship is operated by polar
Polar coordinate system
In mathematics, the polar coordinate system is a two-dimensional coordinate system in which each point on a plane is determined by a distance from a fixed point and an angle from a fixed direction....
control, as in Spacewar!: moving the joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
left or right rotates the ship, and pressing the Fire button makes it thrust in whatever direction it is facing. The game's distinguishing feature is its realistic model of kinetics. Objects colliding with each other change their speed and direction in a realistic way, and the elastic bands affect movement in a realistic way too.
The "E" in the title of E-Motion stands for Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, and he appears in cover art and advertisements. There is a sequel, Vaxine, a more complex 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
shooting game which featured a similar ray traced graphical style to E-Motion.
Screenshots
Image:Game of Harmony screenshot.png | Screenshot of the DOS version
Image:E-Motion title screen.gif | Title screen for the ZX Spectrum version of E-Motion
Image:E-Motion screenshot.gif | Note the use of shapes instead of colours on the ZX Spectrum in order to avoid colour clash
External links
- E-Motion Deluxe a faithful remake for Windows
- E-Motion for Playstation unfinished project, released as freeware