Icy Tower
Encyclopedia
Icy Tower is a popular freeware
computer game
that is a combination of an action game
and a platform game
. The goal of the game character is to climb a tower by jumping onto steps of a staircase inside it. The goal of the player is to reach a high number of steps (floors) and points (awarded for making special sequences of jumps). The game becomes more difficult as the character climbs the tower. By default, the player controls the character using a keyboard.
Icy Tower players usually try to achieve good results in one of several existing styles of playing, known as categories. Players' achievements in categories may later be published in online communities established for that purpose. One of the methods that allow players to compare their results are online high score lists. Another are online tournaments, in which they can compete directly.
Icy Tower was created in 2001 by a Swedish game developer Free Lunch Design. Since then, new features have been added to the game both by its developers, who regularly release its newer versions, and by players, who make custom skins and characters that refurbish it and custom applications and modifications that change its behaviour. Mobile and online versions of Icy Tower have also been made.
When the character reaches the 5th floor, the scope of game screen begins to gradually move upward, while the character and the floors remain in their place. Since that moment the objective of the game is to prevent the character from falling below the bottom edge of the screen, which ends the game. The rate of the movement increases abruptly every 30 seconds, which are measured by the clock in the upper left corner of the screen. The clock breaks down after its fifth revolution, however, after which the rate of the movement increases no further.
The goal of the player is to reach the highest possible floor and accumulate the highest possible number of points (score). Points are awarded for every reached floor and for making special sequences of jumps. The physics of the game
consist of three main rules:
The tower is of infinite height and it is impossible to reach the top. After the game ends, a recording of the character's progress in the tower can be saved in a file (replay) for later viewing.
the desired floor type beforehand, which is done by reaching a floor that bears that floor type by default. For example, if the player wishes to start the game from the fourth floor type, that by default belongs to the floors 300–399, he must reach at least the 300th floor first.
Every completed combo is awarded a number of extra points, which is equal to the number of floors in the combo squared. A special notice (reward) displays on the screen after a combo is finished, contents of which depend on its length and the version of the game. Regardless of combos, the player is awarded a ten points bonus for every floor he has reached (which is revoked, however, if the player later descends from the given floor).
|+ Evolution of the built-in high score tables in different Icy Tower versions
! style='width: 40%' | Category description
! style='width: 30%' | Describes games?
! style='width: 30%' | Has a table?
|-
| Maker's
nicknameThe nickname may contain an unlimited number of characters if the result has been accomplished in Icy Tower 1.4 or newer (and the player was not using the guest profile), and three characters otherwise.
| yes
| no
|-
| Highest
score
| until 1.4
| yes
|-
| Highest
floor
| until 1.4
| since 1.2
|-
| Longest
combo
| until 1.4
| since 1.2
|-
| Unique category of the tableSince Icy Tower 1.4, games in tables are only described by their results in a single category, which is the very category that governs the given table. Thus, there are fifteen different tables in Icy Tower 1.4 and newer: Score, Floor, Combo, longest unfinished combo, NML, CC 1–5 and JS 1–5.
| colspan='2' | since 1.4
|}>
Icy Tower records players' best results in built-in high score tables. Every table contains data about zero to five Icy Tower games; a single table row represents a single game. Every game contained in a table is being defined by its results in a certain number of Icy Tower categories. Finally, all games in a table are sorted according to their results in a certain category, which is relevant and specific to the given table. Whether a given Icy Tower category partially defines a given game or not, as well as whether a given category has a separate table it is relevant to, depends on the type of the category and the version of the program.
Players may also publish their accomplishments in online high score lists. Entries in such lists can usually be sorted by their results in the three aforementioned main Icy Tower categories – Score, Floor and Combo (the primary categories), as well as in a number of categories that are semiofficial or unofficial (the secondary categories). High score lists usually require players to provide replays from their games as evidence for their results. The official Icy Tower list resides on the web server of Free Lunch Design.
It is also possible to compare performance of two players using the so-called K+ method. The K+ formula is a product of a sum of quotients, where the operands of the divisions represent records of both players in a specific Icy Tower category. For example, the K+ value from Score, Floor and Combo is represented by the expression
where
, 
and 
stand for the highest score, highest floor, and longest combo, respectively (
and 
standing for the players being compared). In the above formula the ratio of Floor high scores has been doubled (to minimise the initial predominance of the Score-related categories over the Floor-related ones in it) and the ratio of Score high scores has been reduced to its square root (to express the fact that the amount of score earned in an Icy Tower game is usually close to its highest Combo value squared). The K+ mechanism is often being implemented in online high score lists so that every participant to the list could compare his results to the best results of the ranking.
Since the version 1.4 Icy Tower also evaluates the ability of a player by assigning him to one of the eleven levels of proficiency in the game, the so-called ranks. The ranks are based on the grade system used in the United States schooling. Therefore the rank equivalent to a beginner's degree of ability is represented by the letter "F", while a somewhat larger amount of it – by the letter "A". The fact of assigning the player to a certain rank depends on his records in four game categories: Floor, Combo, CC 1 and NML.
NML (N00b Masters LeagueThe name of the category refers to the word n00b, a corruption of the word newcomer, alluding to the fact that newcomers to Icy Tower rarely perform combos in their games.) : To reach a high floor completing no combos on the way (it is allowed, though, to begin a combo and finish the game without ending it). This style also has a more limiting variant named UNML (Ultimate N00b Masters League), which requires making 1 floor high jumps only during the entire game.
RRML (Radical Rejump Masters League) : To reach a high floor with a game setting that allows the character to perform uninterrupted series of jumps (the so-called rejump) enabled without ever releasing the keyboard key responsible for jumping – it may be pressed only once during the entire game.
JC 2 (Jump Combo 2) : To complete a high combo making 2 floor high jumps only during the entire combo sequence. Since version 1.4, Icy Tower also stores players' records in a related yet simpler category named JS 2 (Jump Sequence 2), where the goal is to make a high number of consecutive 2 floor high jumps. Styles named JC 3 and JS 3 require making 3 floor high jumps, respectively, etc. As the character can take 5 floors in one jump at most, only four JC and five JS categories exist.
CC 1 (Clock Challenge 1Prior to the release of Icy Tower 1.4 this category was known as Clock Crush Challenge (CCC).) : To reach a high floor during the first revolution of the timing clock. CC 2 represents the highest floor reached before the third revolution of the clock, etc. There also exists a composite style named TF (The Fastest), objective of which is to accumulate the highest possible sum of CC 1, CC 2, CC 3, CC 4 and CC 5.
It is possible to combine styles – for example, there is a category named "RRUNML", which is a combination of RRML and UNML.
The frame rate
of Icy Tower can be mechanically decreased, for example by running the game in the windowed mode instead of the fullscreen mode or by using a separate application
. Players who employ such strategies benefit from a larger amount of time to figure out and perform the most efficient movements and jumps of the character they are controlling, relatively to other players. In January 2006 several known players revealed they were using this tactic, the so-called slowdown, to increase their results. This announcement caused a decline in popularity of the official high score list, which at the time contained results of players who both "slowed down" the game and played it at the default speed. In May 2007, the moment the official Icy Tower website was opened, the high score list has been reset. The new version of the list, however, still lacks a feature that prevents "slowed down" replays from being uploaded to it.
Since version 1.4, Icy Tower measures the difference between the default frame rate of the game, according to which a single rotation of the timing clock should last exactly 30 seconds, and the rate under which the given replay was actually recorded. This data is subsequently stored in replay files. This feature of the game allows managers of high score lists to automatically accept or reject any replay being uploaded to them, according to how much does its speed deviate from the norm.
. The main character named Harold the Homeboy is a young and carefree member of the skate
subculture who communicates with the player using American slang
. The eponymous tower is usually depicted as a mediaeval round tower, sometimes equipped with battlement
s.
Harold the Homeboy is also the protagonist of two other Free Lunch Design games, Harold's Hills and Harold's Tower Blast.
|+ The history of Icy Tower releases
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 1st
! 1.0
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 2nd
! 1.1
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 3rd
! 1.2
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 4th
! 1.2.1
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 5th
! 1.3
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 6th
! 1.3.1
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' |
! 1.3.2
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 7th
! ITM
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 8th
! 1.4
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 9th
! ITFB
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 10th
! ITiP
|
|-
| style='text-align: center' | 11th
! 1.5
|
|}>
Icy Tower was created by a Swedish game developer Free Lunch Design using the C programming language
and the Allegro game library
. Its designers were inspired by Xjump, a game for the Linux operating system
.
The game follows a sequence-based software versioning scheme. Its current version is 1.5. The major number of the program never changes, as its authors do not intend to make Icy Tower 2. Changes in the minor number denote the entire package of the game being changed, together with its sound and graphic resources. Changes in the release number denote a release of a patch
, i.e. a modified executable file
purpose of which is to fix software bug
s present in previous releases of the game. Patches for Icy Tower are being circulated both inside and outside official game packages.
The makers of Icy Tower maintain contact with its players, and their opinions were being taken into consideration in the course of developing new versions of the game. The list of the most significant changes made to it to date includes:
Records file (1.1) : An automatically generated and updated binary file
that contained data about the player's records at a given time. It could be subsequently submitted to the then official online high score list.
Replay files (1.2) : Small binary files that contain the recording of a given Icy Tower game and the nickname of its maker. Replays are less prone to cheating by manually modifying them than were files used to store players' records in Icy Tower 1.1. Replay saving and viewing features were being improved concurrently with the entire program. For example, replays have since been made easier to sign (1.2.1) and rewind (1.3), as well as possible to sort by various criteria (1.3). It has also become possible to view a progress bar
of their duration, their maker's nickname and the arrangement of keys pressed during their making when watching them (1.3) and to save them automatically whenever a player beats his personal record (1.4).
Configurable keyboard settings (1.2) : The possibility to personalise keyboard keys responsible for the character's movements in the tower. Since Icy Tower 1.3 it is also possible to customise the key pausing the game.
Shortened floors (1.3) : This change was introduced in order to make gameplay over the 1000th floor barrier more difficult. In Icy Tower versions prior to 1.3 a sufficiently skilled player was able to casually climb as much as several thousand floors, even at the fastest rate of the downward movement of the screen. This was undesirable, as replays from such games often lasted several minutes or more.
Removal of the immaterial floors bug (1.3) : This bug, known as the "ghost floor" bug, was a collision detection
glitch that occasionally caused random floors in the tower not to stop the character falling onto them, usually ending the game as a result. It had only been occurring at the highest game speed and caused several players to quit playing altogether. It was the primary reason behind the making of Icy Tower 1.3. Its creators originally only intended to fix the bug in question in it, release the new version as Icy Tower 1.2.2 and distribute it as a patch.
Player profiles (1.4) : A concept of user accounts
(profiles) was introduced in order to help several players play a single instance of the game. A profile contains certain publicly accessible data about the achievements of its owner (his average and best scores in the game, for example), as well as his personal game settings and preferences. The default profile is the so-called guest profile.
Support for secondary categories (1.4) : A possibility to manually change default game gravity and speed and default floors length was introduced (this change emulated – to a limited degree – features and options that were previously available for players only by the means of special trainers). Results achieved in the environment modified in such manner do not, however, affect the state of the built-in high score lists, which only register results recorded in default conditions. The categorial scope of the built-in lists was nevertheless expanded; since Icy Tower 1.4 they also register scores in categories formerly considered secondary (such as JS or CC).
Measures against slowdown (1.4) : Icy Tower 1.4 estimates the possibility that the player's computer was artificially slowed down and records results of this estimation in replay files. A standalone program named SDbuster (Slowdown Buster) was also created in 2007 to help detect slowed down replays, which calculates the possibility of a given replay being slowed down based on previously remembered differences between replays recorded in normal and reduced speed.
Lesser changes include an audiovisual overhaul of the game (1.4, 1.5), the possibility to choose the default floor type of the game (1.2) and the possibility to create custom game characters (1.2). Additionally, four new combo rewards were introduced, namely Super!, Fantastic!, Splendid! and No way!, and thresholds of combo length for certain rewards were increased (1.2).
of Icy Tower to the mobile environment
. The ensuant game named Icy Tower Mobile (ITM) has been released on October 6, 2008. Due to limitations of mobile platforms the game lacks several features present in its PC counterpart, such as publishing replays from games outside the mobile phone or changing default game characters.
On September 24, 2009, a Free Lunch Design game named Icy Tower Facebook (ITFB), developed on the Adobe Flash platform within the development framework of the Facebook
social networking website, has been released. Icy Tower Facebook allows players to compare their results with results of their friends within the Facebook system. It is also possible for players to personalise their in-game avatars
and unlock additional game levels
(so-called towers), which correspond to various game styles in the PC version of Icy Tower, by exchanging them for the virtual currency
of the game (so-called coins). ITFB lacks the possibility of recording replays.
On November 12, 2010, an Icy Tower version for the iPhone
has been released, that combines features of Icy Tower and Icy Tower Facebook. There also exist unofficial Icy Tower ports for the Nintendo DS
and PlayStation Portable
video game consoles, made by players.
software directory website; its average monthly number of downloads was "more than 20,000" in 2006, amounting to over five millions . The total number of Icy Tower downloads was estimated at over 11 millions in 2008. In terms of the number of websites devoted to the game, it is most popular in Czech Republic
, Germany
and Poland
. Central European countries are also home to a major portion of top Icy Tower players. According to Johan Peitz, the author of the game, the reason behind the popularity of Icy Tower is that it allows players to compete in several different categories, for example in striving for both high floors and high scores.
Online Icy Tower communities allow their members to exchange high scores, replays and comments about the game and its gameplay. Additionally, players frequently compete against themselves in online competitions, so-called tournaments. Icy Tower tournaments usually consist of a number of rounds, each lasting one or more days. In every round, contestants are required to record one or more replays with a result in a specific category of the game. Players did also organise live meetings, which took place in Cracow
and Warsaw
, Poland and Prague
, Czech Republic.
On May 30, 2007, an official Icy Tower website operated by Free Lunch Design has been launched, available at icytower.freelunchdesign.com.The site has subsequently been relocated to itc.freelunchdesign.com. On June 3, 2009, the day of Icy Tower 1.4 release, an additional, complementary site has been opened at icytower.com.
through downloading and installing repackaged resource files of the game (mods).It is also possible to modify sound resources of the game. Mods serve both aesthetical and practical functions, as they are sometimes used to improve players' performance in the game. The latter effect occurs if the mod conceals those elements of Icy Tower appearance that usually distract a player while he plays (such as the clock, combo rewards or differences between floor types). An example of a mod that simplifies the gameplay is Retro Tower, a recognised mod that reduces the palette of the tower to black and white. Mods were created for all Icy Tower versions, although those made for a given major version of the game are incompatible with the executable files of another.With an exception of Icy Tower 1.0 and 1.1.
Since the version 1.2 Icy Tower allows players to create additional custom characters
which may replace the three default characters provided in the game package. Making a new character only requires the player to create an image file of a certain structure. It is possible, however, to also create more complex ones, using which will cause the game to modify its soundtrack and colour palette.Since Icy Tower 1.4 it is no longer possible to change the game palette using a custom character.
There also exists an array of tools that assist players in training, changing the game physics or analysing their results.
! Website
! style='width: 90px' | Message board
! style='width: 90px' | Resources repository
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower Mobile
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower Facebook
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower iPhone
|-
! Free Lunch Design
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/
| http://itc.freelunchdesign.com/
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/games.php?id=6
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/games.php?id=12
|
|
|-
! Official website
|
|
| http://www.icytower.com/
| http://www.icytowermobile.com/
| http://apps.facebook.com/icytower/
| http://itunes.apple.com/app/icy-tower/id401133187?mt=8
|-
! Official forum
|
|
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=25.0
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=21.0
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=23.0
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=21.0
|}>
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
that is a combination of an action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
and a platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
. The goal of the game character is to climb a tower by jumping onto steps of a staircase inside it. The goal of the player is to reach a high number of steps (floors) and points (awarded for making special sequences of jumps). The game becomes more difficult as the character climbs the tower. By default, the player controls the character using a keyboard.
Icy Tower players usually try to achieve good results in one of several existing styles of playing, known as categories. Players' achievements in categories may later be published in online communities established for that purpose. One of the methods that allow players to compare their results are online high score lists. Another are online tournaments, in which they can compete directly.
Icy Tower was created in 2001 by a Swedish game developer Free Lunch Design. Since then, new features have been added to the game both by its developers, who regularly release its newer versions, and by players, who make custom skins and characters that refurbish it and custom applications and modifications that change its behaviour. Mobile and online versions of Icy Tower have also been made.
Gameplay
The game projector is fully occupied by a vertical cross section of a cylindrical tower, only a fraction of total height of which is visible at a time. The player starts the game on the ground floor of the tower. The character controlled by the player can move within the tower and jump from its floor to its floor, but its movement is limited by the two walls and the semipermeable structure of the floors, which it can only penetrate from below. If the character jumps beyond the upper edge of the screen, the screen will follow its current position, so that it always remains within its scope.When the character reaches the 5th floor, the scope of game screen begins to gradually move upward, while the character and the floors remain in their place. Since that moment the objective of the game is to prevent the character from falling below the bottom edge of the screen, which ends the game. The rate of the movement increases abruptly every 30 seconds, which are measured by the clock in the upper left corner of the screen. The clock breaks down after its fifth revolution, however, after which the rate of the movement increases no further.
The goal of the player is to reach the highest possible floor and accumulate the highest possible number of points (score). Points are awarded for every reached floor and for making special sequences of jumps. The physics of the game
Game physics
Computer animation physics or game physics involves the introduction of the laws of physics into a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer...
consist of three main rules:
- The higher the speed of the character is before it jumps, the higher the jump will be;
- The player can gradually change the speed and direction of the character's movement during the jump;
- The direction of the character's movement can be reversed by hitting a wall of the tower (wall bouncing), which allows the player to keep a constant, high speed of the character throughout the game.
The tower is of infinite height and it is impossible to reach the top. After the game ends, a recording of the character's progress in the tower can be saved in a file (replay) for later viewing.
Floors
The length of the floors depends on their individual number, the version of the game, and a random factor. Their arrangement is entirely random. Their appearance changes visibly every 100 floors.The floor type visible after the character surpasses the entire series (i.e., all known floor types) depends on the version of the game. Prior to the 1.2.1 version, the first type of the series was displayed for the second time; from the 1.2.1 version on, the last one was displayed, which is characteristic of floors above either the 900th (in Icy Tower 1.2.1) or the 1000th (in all subsequent versions) level. Since the version 1.2 Icy Tower allows the player to choose the visual type of the floors on which each of his games. In order to do that, however, he is required to unlockSecret character
A secret character can be a player character or a non-player character in a video game that must be unlocked by completing a goal within the game...
the desired floor type beforehand, which is done by reaching a floor that bears that floor type by default. For example, if the player wishes to start the game from the fourth floor type, that by default belongs to the floors 300–399, he must reach at least the 300th floor first.
Points
It is possible for the player to perform a sequence of jumps in the game, each jump spanning either zero, two or more floors. As long as the player reaches each floor within three seconds since reaching the previous one, such a sequence is called a combination (combo). A combo is the primary method of earning points in Icy Tower. For a combo to be rewarded with points, however, it must span at least four floors in at least two jumps, and subsequently one of the following conditions must be met:- the character makes a jump that is one floor high;
- the character descends onto one of the floors below;
- the character does not reach another floor within the next three seconds (and it has not yet fallen below the bottom edge of the screen).
Every completed combo is awarded a number of extra points, which is equal to the number of floors in the combo squared. A special notice (reward) displays on the screen after a combo is finished, contents of which depend on its length and the version of the game. Regardless of combos, the player is awarded a ten points bonus for every floor he has reached (which is revoked, however, if the player later descends from the given floor).
High scores
! style='width: 40%' | Category description
! style='width: 30%' | Describes games?
! style='width: 30%' | Has a table?
|-
| Maker's
nicknameThe nickname may contain an unlimited number of characters if the result has been accomplished in Icy Tower 1.4 or newer (and the player was not using the guest profile), and three characters otherwise.
| yes
| no
|-
| Highest
score
| until 1.4
| yes
|-
| Highest
floor
| until 1.4
| since 1.2
|-
| Longest
combo
| until 1.4
| since 1.2
|-
| Unique category of the tableSince Icy Tower 1.4, games in tables are only described by their results in a single category, which is the very category that governs the given table. Thus, there are fifteen different tables in Icy Tower 1.4 and newer: Score, Floor, Combo, longest unfinished combo, NML, CC 1–5 and JS 1–5.
| colspan='2' | since 1.4
|}>
Icy Tower records players' best results in built-in high score tables. Every table contains data about zero to five Icy Tower games; a single table row represents a single game. Every game contained in a table is being defined by its results in a certain number of Icy Tower categories. Finally, all games in a table are sorted according to their results in a certain category, which is relevant and specific to the given table. Whether a given Icy Tower category partially defines a given game or not, as well as whether a given category has a separate table it is relevant to, depends on the type of the category and the version of the program.
Players may also publish their accomplishments in online high score lists. Entries in such lists can usually be sorted by their results in the three aforementioned main Icy Tower categories – Score, Floor and Combo (the primary categories), as well as in a number of categories that are semiofficial or unofficial (the secondary categories). High score lists usually require players to provide replays from their games as evidence for their results. The official Icy Tower list resides on the web server of Free Lunch Design.
It is also possible to compare performance of two players using the so-called K+ method. The K+ formula is a product of a sum of quotients, where the operands of the divisions represent records of both players in a specific Icy Tower category. For example, the K+ value from Score, Floor and Combo is represented by the expression
-
,
where
, and stand for the highest score, highest floor, and longest combo, respectively ( and standing for the players being compared). In the above formula the ratio of Floor high scores has been doubled (to minimise the initial predominance of the Score-related categories over the Floor-related ones in it) and the ratio of Score high scores has been reduced to its square root (to express the fact that the amount of score earned in an Icy Tower game is usually close to its highest Combo value squared). The K+ mechanism is often being implemented in online high score lists so that every participant to the list could compare his results to the best results of the ranking.Since the version 1.4 Icy Tower also evaluates the ability of a player by assigning him to one of the eleven levels of proficiency in the game, the so-called ranks. The ranks are based on the grade system used in the United States schooling. Therefore the rank equivalent to a beginner's degree of ability is represented by the letter "F", while a somewhat larger amount of it – by the letter "A". The fact of assigning the player to a certain rank depends on his records in four game categories: Floor, Combo, CC 1 and NML.
Objectives
The following tables enumerate all potential objectives available for the player in Icy Tower. Listed are available floor types, along with Icy Tower versions they were introduced in, combo rewards, along with their respective combo length requirements in all versions of the game, and attainable player ranks (only relevant in Icy Tower 1.4 and newer).Categories
Ever since the possibility of creating replays from games and submitting them to high score lists was introduced players have been inventing various styles of playing that diversify the gameplay of Icy Tower. Among the most popular styles are:NML (N00b Masters LeagueThe name of the category refers to the word n00b, a corruption of the word newcomer, alluding to the fact that newcomers to Icy Tower rarely perform combos in their games.) : To reach a high floor completing no combos on the way (it is allowed, though, to begin a combo and finish the game without ending it). This style also has a more limiting variant named UNML (Ultimate N00b Masters League), which requires making 1 floor high jumps only during the entire game.
RRML (Radical Rejump Masters League) : To reach a high floor with a game setting that allows the character to perform uninterrupted series of jumps (the so-called rejump) enabled without ever releasing the keyboard key responsible for jumping – it may be pressed only once during the entire game.
JC 2 (Jump Combo 2) : To complete a high combo making 2 floor high jumps only during the entire combo sequence. Since version 1.4, Icy Tower also stores players' records in a related yet simpler category named JS 2 (Jump Sequence 2), where the goal is to make a high number of consecutive 2 floor high jumps. Styles named JC 3 and JS 3 require making 3 floor high jumps, respectively, etc. As the character can take 5 floors in one jump at most, only four JC and five JS categories exist.
CC 1 (Clock Challenge 1Prior to the release of Icy Tower 1.4 this category was known as Clock Crush Challenge (CCC).) : To reach a high floor during the first revolution of the timing clock. CC 2 represents the highest floor reached before the third revolution of the clock, etc. There also exists a composite style named TF (The Fastest), objective of which is to accumulate the highest possible sum of CC 1, CC 2, CC 3, CC 4 and CC 5.
It is possible to combine styles – for example, there is a category named "RRUNML", which is a combination of RRML and UNML.
Other features
Most versions of Icy Tower feature special hidden modes of gameplay that allow players to alter the default appearance and behaviour of the game. When a hidden mode is enabled, it is impossible for the player to save replays. Additionally a number of trainers has been made that let players change the nominal number of reached points and floors (such a change is irrelevant to the game, however, as it does not help a player in competing against others).The frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
of Icy Tower can be mechanically decreased, for example by running the game in the windowed mode instead of the fullscreen mode or by using a separate application
Slowdown utility
A slowdown utility is software designed to make a faster computer run slower. Typically this is used to run old games, which will run too fast or not function properly on more modern high speed machines. Mo'Slo is a modern slowdown utility that uses command line switches to select a slowdown factor...
. Players who employ such strategies benefit from a larger amount of time to figure out and perform the most efficient movements and jumps of the character they are controlling, relatively to other players. In January 2006 several known players revealed they were using this tactic, the so-called slowdown, to increase their results. This announcement caused a decline in popularity of the official high score list, which at the time contained results of players who both "slowed down" the game and played it at the default speed. In May 2007, the moment the official Icy Tower website was opened, the high score list has been reset. The new version of the list, however, still lacks a feature that prevents "slowed down" replays from being uploaded to it.
Since version 1.4, Icy Tower measures the difference between the default frame rate of the game, according to which a single rotation of the timing clock should last exactly 30 seconds, and the rate under which the given replay was actually recorded. This data is subsequently stored in replay files. This feature of the game allows managers of high score lists to automatically accept or reject any replay being uploaded to them, according to how much does its speed deviate from the norm.
Plot
The goal of the game character is to "do some mighty cool jumps and moves" in the tower in order to "get ... awe from his friends in the hood". The game is set in a typical modern settlement in the Western worldWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. The main character named Harold the Homeboy is a young and carefree member of the skate
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
subculture who communicates with the player using American slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
. The eponymous tower is usually depicted as a mediaeval round tower, sometimes equipped with battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
s.
Harold the Homeboy is also the protagonist of two other Free Lunch Design games, Harold's Hills and Harold's Tower Blast.
History
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! 1.0
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! 1.1
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! 1.2
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! 1.2.1
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! 1.3
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! 1.3.1
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! 1.3.2
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| style='text-align: center' | 7th
! ITM
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! 1.4
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| style='text-align: center' | 9th
! ITFB
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| style='text-align: center' | 10th
! ITiP
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| style='text-align: center' | 11th
! 1.5
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Icy Tower was created by a Swedish game developer Free Lunch Design using the C programming language
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
and the Allegro game library
Allegro library
Allegro is a free and open source software library for video game development.The functionality of the library includes support for basic 2D graphics, image manipulation, text output, audio output, midi music, input and timers, as well as additional routines for fixed-point and floating-point...
. Its designers were inspired by Xjump, a game for the Linux operating system
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
.
The game follows a sequence-based software versioning scheme. Its current version is 1.5. The major number of the program never changes, as its authors do not intend to make Icy Tower 2. Changes in the minor number denote the entire package of the game being changed, together with its sound and graphic resources. Changes in the release number denote a release of a patch
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
, i.e. a modified executable file
Executable
In computing, an executable file causes a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to encoded instructions," as opposed to a data file that must be parsed by a program to be meaningful. These instructions are traditionally machine code instructions for a physical CPU...
purpose of which is to fix software bug
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
s present in previous releases of the game. Patches for Icy Tower are being circulated both inside and outside official game packages.
The makers of Icy Tower maintain contact with its players, and their opinions were being taken into consideration in the course of developing new versions of the game. The list of the most significant changes made to it to date includes:
Records file (1.1) : An automatically generated and updated binary file
Binary file
A binary file is a computer file which may contain any type of data, encoded in binary form for computer storage and processing purposes; for example, computer document files containing formatted text...
that contained data about the player's records at a given time. It could be subsequently submitted to the then official online high score list.
Replay files (1.2) : Small binary files that contain the recording of a given Icy Tower game and the nickname of its maker. Replays are less prone to cheating by manually modifying them than were files used to store players' records in Icy Tower 1.1. Replay saving and viewing features were being improved concurrently with the entire program. For example, replays have since been made easier to sign (1.2.1) and rewind (1.3), as well as possible to sort by various criteria (1.3). It has also become possible to view a progress bar
Progress bar
A progress bar is a component in a graphical user interface used to convey the progress of a task, such as a download or file transfer. Often, the graphic is accompanied by a textual representation of the progress in a percent format....
of their duration, their maker's nickname and the arrangement of keys pressed during their making when watching them (1.3) and to save them automatically whenever a player beats his personal record (1.4).
Configurable keyboard settings (1.2) : The possibility to personalise keyboard keys responsible for the character's movements in the tower. Since Icy Tower 1.3 it is also possible to customise the key pausing the game.
Shortened floors (1.3) : This change was introduced in order to make gameplay over the 1000th floor barrier more difficult. In Icy Tower versions prior to 1.3 a sufficiently skilled player was able to casually climb as much as several thousand floors, even at the fastest rate of the downward movement of the screen. This was undesirable, as replays from such games often lasted several minutes or more.
Removal of the immaterial floors bug (1.3) : This bug, known as the "ghost floor" bug, was a collision detection
Collision detection
Collision detection typically refers to the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. While the topic is most often associated with its use in video games and other physical simulations, it also has applications in robotics...
glitch that occasionally caused random floors in the tower not to stop the character falling onto them, usually ending the game as a result. It had only been occurring at the highest game speed and caused several players to quit playing altogether. It was the primary reason behind the making of Icy Tower 1.3. Its creators originally only intended to fix the bug in question in it, release the new version as Icy Tower 1.2.2 and distribute it as a patch.
Player profiles (1.4) : A concept of user accounts
User profile
A user profile is a collection of personal data associated to a specific user. A profile refers therefore to the explicit digital representation of a person's identity...
(profiles) was introduced in order to help several players play a single instance of the game. A profile contains certain publicly accessible data about the achievements of its owner (his average and best scores in the game, for example), as well as his personal game settings and preferences. The default profile is the so-called guest profile.
Support for secondary categories (1.4) : A possibility to manually change default game gravity and speed and default floors length was introduced (this change emulated – to a limited degree – features and options that were previously available for players only by the means of special trainers). Results achieved in the environment modified in such manner do not, however, affect the state of the built-in high score lists, which only register results recorded in default conditions. The categorial scope of the built-in lists was nevertheless expanded; since Icy Tower 1.4 they also register scores in categories formerly considered secondary (such as JS or CC).
Measures against slowdown (1.4) : Icy Tower 1.4 estimates the possibility that the player's computer was artificially slowed down and records results of this estimation in replay files. A standalone program named SDbuster (Slowdown Buster) was also created in 2007 to help detect slowed down replays, which calculates the possibility of a given replay being slowed down based on previously remembered differences between replays recorded in normal and reduced speed.
Lesser changes include an audiovisual overhaul of the game (1.4, 1.5), the possibility to choose the default floor type of the game (1.2) and the possibility to create custom game characters (1.2). Additionally, four new combo rewards were introduced, namely Super!, Fantastic!, Splendid! and No way!, and thresholds of combo length for certain rewards were increased (1.2).
Ports
On March 14, 2007, a press release has been published on the Free Lunch Design website announcing the establishment of a partnership between FLD and mobile game developer Xendex Entertainment regarding the portingPorting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
of Icy Tower to the mobile environment
Mobile game
A mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable....
. The ensuant game named Icy Tower Mobile (ITM) has been released on October 6, 2008. Due to limitations of mobile platforms the game lacks several features present in its PC counterpart, such as publishing replays from games outside the mobile phone or changing default game characters.
On September 24, 2009, a Free Lunch Design game named Icy Tower Facebook (ITFB), developed on the Adobe Flash platform within the development framework of the Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
social networking website, has been released. Icy Tower Facebook allows players to compare their results with results of their friends within the Facebook system. It is also possible for players to personalise their in-game avatars
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
and unlock additional game levels
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
(so-called towers), which correspond to various game styles in the PC version of Icy Tower, by exchanging them for the virtual currency
Virtual economy
A virtual economy is an emergent economy existing in a virtual persistent world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an Internet game...
of the game (so-called coins). ITFB lacks the possibility of recording replays.
On November 12, 2010, an Icy Tower version for the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
has been released, that combines features of Icy Tower and Icy Tower Facebook. There also exist unofficial Icy Tower ports for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
video game consoles, made by players.
Reception
Icy Tower ranked high in the "Most Popular" ranking of the "PC games" section in the Download.comDownload.com
Download.com is an Internet download directory website, launched in 1996 as a part of CNET. Originally, the domain was download.com.com. The domain download.com attracted at least 113 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com study....
software directory website; its average monthly number of downloads was "more than 20,000" in 2006, amounting to over five millions . The total number of Icy Tower downloads was estimated at over 11 millions in 2008. In terms of the number of websites devoted to the game, it is most popular in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Central European countries are also home to a major portion of top Icy Tower players. According to Johan Peitz, the author of the game, the reason behind the popularity of Icy Tower is that it allows players to compete in several different categories, for example in striving for both high floors and high scores.
Online Icy Tower communities allow their members to exchange high scores, replays and comments about the game and its gameplay. Additionally, players frequently compete against themselves in online competitions, so-called tournaments. Icy Tower tournaments usually consist of a number of rounds, each lasting one or more days. In every round, contestants are required to record one or more replays with a result in a specific category of the game. Players did also organise live meetings, which took place in Cracow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic.
On May 30, 2007, an official Icy Tower website operated by Free Lunch Design has been launched, available at icytower.freelunchdesign.com.The site has subsequently been relocated to itc.freelunchdesign.com. On June 3, 2009, the day of Icy Tower 1.4 release, an additional, complementary site has been opened at icytower.com.
Add-ons
Internal structure of Icy Tower allows changing its appearanceSkin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
through downloading and installing repackaged resource files of the game (mods).It is also possible to modify sound resources of the game. Mods serve both aesthetical and practical functions, as they are sometimes used to improve players' performance in the game. The latter effect occurs if the mod conceals those elements of Icy Tower appearance that usually distract a player while he plays (such as the clock, combo rewards or differences between floor types). An example of a mod that simplifies the gameplay is Retro Tower, a recognised mod that reduces the palette of the tower to black and white. Mods were created for all Icy Tower versions, although those made for a given major version of the game are incompatible with the executable files of another.With an exception of Icy Tower 1.0 and 1.1.
Since the version 1.2 Icy Tower allows players to create additional custom characters
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
which may replace the three default characters provided in the game package. Making a new character only requires the player to create an image file of a certain structure. It is possible, however, to also create more complex ones, using which will cause the game to modify its soundtrack and colour palette.Since Icy Tower 1.4 it is no longer possible to change the game palette using a custom character.
There also exists an array of tools that assist players in training, changing the game physics or analysing their results.
External links
! style='width: 90px' | Message board
! style='width: 90px' | Resources repository
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower Mobile
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower Facebook
! style='width: 90px' | Icy Tower iPhone
|-
! Free Lunch Design
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/
| http://itc.freelunchdesign.com/
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/games.php?id=6
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/games.php?id=12
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! Official website
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| http://www.icytower.com/
| http://www.icytowermobile.com/
| http://apps.facebook.com/icytower/
| http://itunes.apple.com/app/icy-tower/id401133187?mt=8
|-
! Official forum
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| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=25.0
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=21.0
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=23.0
| http://www.freelunchdesign.com/smf/index.php?board=21.0
|}>