Pole Riders
November 8, 2011 5:34 PM Subscribe
It took me forever to figure out how to beat QWOP and I still can only just flail helplessly in GIRP. Pole Riders seems way too easy. Foddy is slipping.
posted by phunniemee at 5:39 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 5:39 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
this is distressingly phallic
I don't think anything called Pole Riders can be non-phallic.
posted by kmz at 5:43 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't think anything called Pole Riders can be non-phallic.
posted by kmz at 5:43 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
I offered bonus points to one of my classes if they could beat qwop and damn they figured that out fast.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:43 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by Wolfdog at 5:43 PM on November 8, 2011
QWOP
We know, we know. You just like typing "QWOP". It's ok.
posted by loquacious at 5:47 PM on November 8, 2011
We know, we know. You just like typing "QWOP". It's ok.
posted by loquacious at 5:47 PM on November 8, 2011
how to beat QWOP
Not to play?
Actually, I got ~50 yards once. But not because I figured anything out. He happened to land just right so I could repeated press one key and get like .0001 yards on every press.
posted by DU at 5:49 PM on November 8, 2011
Not to play?
Actually, I got ~50 yards once. But not because I figured anything out. He happened to land just right so I could repeated press one key and get like .0001 yards on every press.
posted by DU at 5:49 PM on November 8, 2011
this is distressingly phallic
Does that mean "too phallic" or "not phallic enough"? ;)
posted by loquacious at 5:49 PM on November 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
Does that mean "too phallic" or "not phallic enough"? ;)
posted by loquacious at 5:49 PM on November 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
Why do you find phalluses distressing? Tell me about your mother. *strokes beard*
Also, am I the only one for whom nothing happens at all? I click on "Train", it shows me some arrows and a background with a timer and...nothing. Nothing I do does anything other than clicking "M" for the menu.
posted by DU at 5:51 PM on November 8, 2011
Also, am I the only one for whom nothing happens at all? I click on "Train", it shows me some arrows and a background with a timer and...nothing. Nothing I do does anything other than clicking "M" for the menu.
posted by DU at 5:51 PM on November 8, 2011
I'm just making the little men smack each other with their poles.
What?
posted by The Whelk at 5:53 PM on November 8, 2011
What?
posted by The Whelk at 5:53 PM on November 8, 2011
I was addicted to the Little Master Cricket once upon a time. Sometimes, entirely by luck, the stumps would get knocked off by the bat, and then you couldn't get out by letting balls go past. I think I made about a 1000 runs one time before getting tired.
posted by vidur at 6:01 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by vidur at 6:01 PM on November 8, 2011
I don't think anything called Pole Riders can be non-phallic.
Whoa there, Wojciechowski!
posted by Sys Rq at 6:26 PM on November 8, 2011
Whoa there, Wojciechowski!
posted by Sys Rq at 6:26 PM on November 8, 2011
This is why we don't allow access to inverse kinematics to just anyone.
posted by ryoshu at 6:31 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by ryoshu at 6:31 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm just making the little men smack each other with their poles. What?
Man, I didn't see that coming.
posted by loquacious at 6:31 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Man, I didn't see that coming.
posted by loquacious at 6:31 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
quote from one of my coworkers earlier today:
"Hey [empath], come over to my cubicle so we can play pole riders together."
I declined.
posted by empath at 6:37 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
"Hey [empath], come over to my cubicle so we can play pole riders together."
I declined.
posted by empath at 6:37 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
This guy is deranged.
And an oxford phd.
posted by empath at 6:41 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
And an oxford phd.
posted by empath at 6:41 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
ARGH.
HOW DO I-- GAH.
NO.
NO. MOVE. THE POLE THAT-- NO. ARGH.
POLE UP DOWN FUCK ARGH.
POLE DOWN NOW ARGH FUCK YOU
I CLICKED DOWN THAT TIME FUCK YOU.
I ALMOST--FUCK YOU TIMER.
GAH. SHIT.
Decent game, I guess. Just can't get into it for some reason.
posted by ardgedee at 6:51 PM on November 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
HOW DO I-- GAH.
NO.
NO. MOVE. THE POLE THAT-- NO. ARGH.
POLE UP DOWN FUCK ARGH.
POLE DOWN NOW ARGH FUCK YOU
I CLICKED DOWN THAT TIME FUCK YOU.
I ALMOST--FUCK YOU TIMER.
GAH. SHIT.
Decent game, I guess. Just can't get into it for some reason.
posted by ardgedee at 6:51 PM on November 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
So, has anyone beat it yet?
I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The entrende, I mean.
posted by loquacious at 7:02 PM on November 8, 2011
I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The entrende, I mean.
posted by loquacious at 7:02 PM on November 8, 2011
I knew a Bennett Foddy from his writings on the ethics of addiction at the same time I knew a Bennett Foddy from QWOP; it took me a long time to realize they were the same Bennett Foddy. I don't expect my video game designers to overlap with my philosophers. The parts of my brain where I store information about those two categories are highly compartmentalized.
posted by painquale at 7:09 PM on November 8, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by painquale at 7:09 PM on November 8, 2011 [5 favorites]
Yeah, I think this game may actually be more annoying than QWOP. Pole Riders actually kind of works at first and is more engaging and entertaining, it draws you in.
And then the more you play the more you discover how fundamentally and scientifically brainfucked the controls really are. It's diabolical and kind of sadistic and carefully planned.
Then there's the timer and level roll-back. That part is seemingly very carefully designed, too. I've only made it once to the fourth star/obstacle, and then it happily rolled me all the way back to no star/first level once again. Basically you can only beat or reliably advance in the game by being able to consistently vault each successive obstacle on the first try every time.
The more that I look at his growing collection of games it's like they're each a thesis about how not to create or design a user interface. Unless your goal is to make it as frustrating and difficult as possible.
On preview: I knew a Bennett Foddy from his writings on the ethics of addiction at the same time I knew a Bennett Foddy from QWOP; it took me a long time to realize they were the same Bennett Foddy.
Well, that suddenly makes these games make a lot more sense.
posted by loquacious at 7:24 PM on November 8, 2011
And then the more you play the more you discover how fundamentally and scientifically brainfucked the controls really are. It's diabolical and kind of sadistic and carefully planned.
Then there's the timer and level roll-back. That part is seemingly very carefully designed, too. I've only made it once to the fourth star/obstacle, and then it happily rolled me all the way back to no star/first level once again. Basically you can only beat or reliably advance in the game by being able to consistently vault each successive obstacle on the first try every time.
The more that I look at his growing collection of games it's like they're each a thesis about how not to create or design a user interface. Unless your goal is to make it as frustrating and difficult as possible.
On preview: I knew a Bennett Foddy from his writings on the ethics of addiction at the same time I knew a Bennett Foddy from QWOP; it took me a long time to realize they were the same Bennett Foddy.
Well, that suddenly makes these games make a lot more sense.
posted by loquacious at 7:24 PM on November 8, 2011
The more that I look at his growing collection of games it's like they're each a thesis about how not to create or design a user interface. Unless your goal is to make it as frustrating and difficult as possible.
The games would be terrible if they had a reasonable UI.
posted by empath at 7:34 PM on November 8, 2011
The games would be terrible if they had a reasonable UI.
posted by empath at 7:34 PM on November 8, 2011
The games would be terrible if they had a reasonable UI.
Right. What I'm saying is he's exploring bad UI. Not just bad UI, but UI that messes with your head in strange ways.
posted by loquacious at 7:40 PM on November 8, 2011
Right. What I'm saying is he's exploring bad UI. Not just bad UI, but UI that messes with your head in strange ways.
posted by loquacious at 7:40 PM on November 8, 2011
Like I said, this guy is sick. I remember he did an AMA on Reddit and the questions were like "why do you hate us so?" and "How deranged are you to torture us this way?"
So, has anyone beat it yet?
I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The entrende, I mean.
Well the other games are single player, so I started playing this, thinking I could play with it by myself. I used both hands and thought the object of the game was to vault into the building.
I fooled around with it for a while, but after I realized you were supposed to be playing with another person, I gave up messing with it.
posted by cashman at 7:46 PM on November 8, 2011
So, has anyone beat it yet?
I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The entrende, I mean.
Well the other games are single player, so I started playing this, thinking I could play with it by myself. I used both hands and thought the object of the game was to vault into the building.
I fooled around with it for a while, but after I realized you were supposed to be playing with another person, I gave up messing with it.
posted by cashman at 7:46 PM on November 8, 2011
I played this at babycastles in brooklyn. Along with mega girp. Which is girp but with ddr pads instead of a keyboard. Maddening while sober, and a mystical ezperience while drunk.
posted by hellojed at 9:27 PM on November 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by hellojed at 9:27 PM on November 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
this guy really does kind of only have the one point/shtick
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:36 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:36 PM on November 8, 2011
also it is kind of disturbing that a game whose only claim to fame is a needlessly inadequate control scheme is getting this kind of praise. considering the effort or lack thereof that went into making this, this guy has got to be pretty pleased with his RoI.
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:51 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:51 PM on November 8, 2011
needlessly inadequate control scheme
It's a hilariously inadequate control scheme.
posted by empath at 10:20 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's a hilariously inadequate control scheme.
posted by empath at 10:20 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
As someone whose research concerns videogames and interfaces, I think this guy is awesome. I still have no idea how to get anywhere in QWOP
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 10:22 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 10:22 PM on November 8, 2011
@empath yeah it's "hilarious" but so are youtube cat videos
i mean i dont have a degree in video games or anything but it kind of feels like a meme more than a game or kind of a zero-effort/zero-investment play for a site-to-iphone-app deal
say what you will about dwarf fortress relying on similar fake interface difficulty but DF wasn't knocked out in one night or anything
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:30 PM on November 8, 2011
i mean i dont have a degree in video games or anything but it kind of feels like a meme more than a game or kind of a zero-effort/zero-investment play for a site-to-iphone-app deal
say what you will about dwarf fortress relying on similar fake interface difficulty but DF wasn't knocked out in one night or anything
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:30 PM on November 8, 2011
So, has anyone beat it yet?
I've only played the single player 'training' game. After much early frustration (I'll refer to argdegee above) I finally sort of got the hang of it.
The key for me was speed. For the taller obstacles, get as long a run as you have room for. Then put the pole down, swing for a bit and let go.
I finished some five-star obstacles but I wasn't awarded anything besides another five-star obstacle so I'm not sure that part of the game can be beat.
Some of those five-stars appear completely impossible though, although not necessarily the ones you might assume at first glance. A double-decker bus stacked on top of a brick wall? You can pass that. But those two stacks of phone booths a pole's length from each other? WTF. Has anyone passed those?
On some obstacles you sort of need to 'climb' by just sticking the pole over the obstacle and pulling yourself up over.
posted by Anything at 11:37 PM on November 8, 2011
I've only played the single player 'training' game. After much early frustration (I'll refer to argdegee above) I finally sort of got the hang of it.
The key for me was speed. For the taller obstacles, get as long a run as you have room for. Then put the pole down, swing for a bit and let go.
I finished some five-star obstacles but I wasn't awarded anything besides another five-star obstacle so I'm not sure that part of the game can be beat.
Some of those five-stars appear completely impossible though, although not necessarily the ones you might assume at first glance. A double-decker bus stacked on top of a brick wall? You can pass that. But those two stacks of phone booths a pole's length from each other? WTF. Has anyone passed those?
On some obstacles you sort of need to 'climb' by just sticking the pole over the obstacle and pulling yourself up over.
posted by Anything at 11:37 PM on November 8, 2011
Hilarious Let's Play with both single- and multiplayer
posted by Anything at 11:43 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by Anything at 11:43 PM on November 8, 2011
^^ Possibly NSFW because it does sort of sound like sex.
posted by Anything at 11:44 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by Anything at 11:44 PM on November 8, 2011
@empath yeah it's "hilarious" but so are youtube cat videos
i mean i dont have a degree in video games or anything but it kind of feels like a meme more than a game or kind of a zero-effort/zero-investment play for a site-to-iphone-app deal
say what you will about dwarf fortress relying on similar fake interface difficulty but DF wasn't knocked out in one night or anything
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:30 PM on November 8 [+] [!]
What's interesting about his games is that they are doing something different in terms of interfaces. Ask yourself what it is about their interfaces that is inadequate or needlessly difficult - they take a completely different approach in terms of how they engage the player's embodied relation to what is going on onscreen. Basically they are the polar opposite to a wii-mote or Kinect game, they work against the player's everyday sense of being embodied, which is what makes them so difficult.
Hadn't come across the cricket one before - H.S. so far is 147
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 11:48 PM on November 8, 2011
i mean i dont have a degree in video games or anything but it kind of feels like a meme more than a game or kind of a zero-effort/zero-investment play for a site-to-iphone-app deal
say what you will about dwarf fortress relying on similar fake interface difficulty but DF wasn't knocked out in one night or anything
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:30 PM on November 8 [+] [!]
What's interesting about his games is that they are doing something different in terms of interfaces. Ask yourself what it is about their interfaces that is inadequate or needlessly difficult - they take a completely different approach in terms of how they engage the player's embodied relation to what is going on onscreen. Basically they are the polar opposite to a wii-mote or Kinect game, they work against the player's everyday sense of being embodied, which is what makes them so difficult.
Hadn't come across the cricket one before - H.S. so far is 147
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 11:48 PM on November 8, 2011
i agree that the idea is clever but i don't know if a clever idea is really enough
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:49 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:49 PM on November 8, 2011
especially when it's reiterated and sliced thin into 4 or 5 games
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:50 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:50 PM on November 8, 2011
Ok. I revise my questions and replace them all with:
Has anyone broken their keyboard, computer or injured themselves due to any one of Foddy's games?
posted by loquacious at 11:55 PM on November 8, 2011
Has anyone broken their keyboard, computer or injured themselves due to any one of Foddy's games?
posted by loquacious at 11:55 PM on November 8, 2011
Damnit, The Whelk, we need you to come back and make more phallus jokes.
posted by loquacious at 11:56 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by loquacious at 11:56 PM on November 8, 2011
I'm really glad he's experimenting with this sort of stuff. And who says someone else can't make good use of his kind of approach in more elaborate games?
posted by Anything at 11:57 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by Anything at 11:57 PM on November 8, 2011
i agree that the idea is clever but i don't know if a clever idea is really enough
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:49 PM on November 8 [+] [!]
I dunno, I find that when I play GIRP it turns into a kind of one person version of Twister on the keyboard, what I find interesting about that is how it moves the locus of 'gameplay' from the screen onto the interface.
Sort of like Sumo a two player fighting game where the 'fighting' takes place outside the game.
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 12:03 AM on November 9, 2011
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:49 PM on November 8 [+] [!]
I dunno, I find that when I play GIRP it turns into a kind of one person version of Twister on the keyboard, what I find interesting about that is how it moves the locus of 'gameplay' from the screen onto the interface.
Sort of like Sumo a two player fighting game where the 'fighting' takes place outside the game.
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 12:03 AM on November 9, 2011
Holy shit I just passed the one with the two stacks of four cars.
posted by Anything at 12:26 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Anything at 12:26 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Any tremors in here?
posted by mannequito at 3:41 AM on November 9, 2011
posted by mannequito at 3:41 AM on November 9, 2011
I dunno, man. You wrote "From the makers of QWOP" but I only see "Annoy yourself and feel utterly useless and frustrated."
posted by Decani at 4:36 AM on November 9, 2011
posted by Decani at 4:36 AM on November 9, 2011
> ...a game whose only claim to fame is a needlessly inadequate control scheme is getting this kind of praise. considering the effort or lack thereof that went into making this...
There are tons of games out there that are too hard to play. They are ignored.
Foddy designs games that are too hard to play. They are played obsessively by thousands of people and have fostered a fanbase that most casual game designers would envy. I'd argue he works pretty hard at crafting his work.
posted by ardgedee at 5:03 AM on November 9, 2011
There are tons of games out there that are too hard to play. They are ignored.
Foddy designs games that are too hard to play. They are played obsessively by thousands of people and have fostered a fanbase that most casual game designers would envy. I'd argue he works pretty hard at crafting his work.
posted by ardgedee at 5:03 AM on November 9, 2011
Sort of like Sumo a two player fighting game where the 'fighting' takes place outside the game.
Funny, I was going to mention Fight of the Sumo Hoppers (video), which has a Foddy-esque "control the body part directly" sort of scheme.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:20 AM on November 9, 2011
Funny, I was going to mention Fight of the Sumo Hoppers (video), which has a Foddy-esque "control the body part directly" sort of scheme.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:20 AM on November 9, 2011
All right I've passed every obstacle I've come across except the two double-deckers stacked on top of another. THE TOP ONE'S ROOF EXTENDS OVER THE TOP OF THE SCREEN. Not very nice, Foddy!
posted by Anything at 5:38 AM on November 9, 2011
posted by Anything at 5:38 AM on November 9, 2011
Damn Seagull
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 6:22 AM on November 9, 2011
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 6:22 AM on November 9, 2011
If anyone can do anything, than Anything can do anyon.. no wait that's not quite right, let me try that again
Anything, Anything, he's our man, if he can't do it no one can!
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 7:14 AM on November 9, 2011
Anything, Anything, he's our man, if he can't do it no one can!
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 7:14 AM on November 9, 2011
I might actually be able to do it now. Figured a way to do ludicrously high vaults but it requires a few extra seconds of preparation and is pretty difficult to pull off.
posted by Anything at 5:14 AM on November 10, 2011
posted by Anything at 5:14 AM on November 10, 2011
Plus the double double decker seems to be very rare so there are few opportunities to try (and mostly fail)
posted by Anything at 5:16 AM on November 10, 2011
posted by Anything at 5:16 AM on November 10, 2011
I love Foddy's games simply because the physics behind them are just so damn FUNNY to me. And I can't figure out why, but I don't really care.
This also needs a review/gameplay video by the same guy that reviewed QWOP and that baseball game with the crazy pitcher gymnastics. Those videos had me in tears.
posted by antifuse at 12:47 PM on November 11, 2011
This also needs a review/gameplay video by the same guy that reviewed QWOP and that baseball game with the crazy pitcher gymnastics. Those videos had me in tears.
posted by antifuse at 12:47 PM on November 11, 2011
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posted by The Whelk at 5:38 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]