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[In each Games
Demystified column, developer Jeremy Alessi unpacks the technique behind a game's
signature gameplay -- complete with a demo. Previously, he's covered gravity as
applied in Super Mario Galaxy, Einstein-Rosen bridges in Portal, and the
tiny-big world of Rolando. This time he's be covering the light-rail grinding
of Dissidia: Final Fantasy.]
Dissidia: Final Fantasy is a far
cry from typical Final Fantasy games
because it is action-based. Taking the battles into real-time is one thing, but
including an extreme sports-like element such as rail grinding really
distinguished this version of Final
Fantasy from previous efforts -- or any other fighting game for that
matter.
The result is a digitally delicious dessert that blends Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater into one decadent
diversion.
There are so many unique gameplay elements present in this
title that it was actually a bit difficult to decide what gameplay concept to
cover.
In the end the light rails and their physics based mechanics grabbed my
attention and are what separated this title from other RPG/Fighting games.
The concept of grinding over low friction rails is an old
one. In fact, people have used rail transport since the sixth century B.C. The
Diolkos Wagonway transported boats across the Corinth
isthmus in Greece.
This early track system operated for 1300 years, stretched for 3.7 miles, and
allowed slaves to push trucks along grooves of limestone, which formed the
basis of the railway.
The trucks of this particular railway carried boats
across the Corinth isthmus. This
last fact highlights the basic premise of a rail system -- to reduce friction
and allow for either quick or massive transport.
Obviously, the rails in Dissidia
Final Fantasy are used for speed. Whether you need to escape a grueling
attack or you just need to race across the map to collect an EX Core item, the
rails are there to allow fast, accurate transport.
The question, as always, of
course, is how can we simulate this precise method of transport within the
world of a video game?
The answer is something called a spline path. There are
numerous ways to create a spline path. In this edition of Games Demystified we'll
break out of the purely algorithmic nature of the series and look at this
mechanic from both the art and programming perspectives.
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