MindRover
CogniToy's first game, MindRover, takes gamers to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, in an intriguing new title designed to bring intellectual challenges back to competitive gaming. This year, we have introduced a game that smashes the traditional genre boundaries; we call it "3D strategy/programming." With an immersive 3D environment, a compelling soundtrack, and its innovative graphical wiring system, MindRover asks the gamer to think more and twitch less.
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MindRover players find themselves in a research station perched on the ice-covered moon Europa, with Jupiter dominating the sky overhead. Their task is to construct small robotic "Rovers" that compete with one another in a variety of challenges.
What's particularly new and unusual is that it's not just a matter of choosing weapons -- the player actually gets to control how the robots react through a visual programming metaphor that CogniToy calls "wiring." In the construction lab, players choose bodies, drivetrains, sensors, weapons, and manipulators for their robots from a large array of possibilities, then visually wire the sensors to the controls to give each Rover a unique set of behaviors. The Rover is then moved to the competitive arena and set free to take on all comers.
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In one arena, the competition may be a race, and players would be likely to choose small, fast vehicles with sensors tuned for staying on the course and avoiding obstacles. But in the very next room, the goal may be simply to be the last robot standing, in which case it might be a good idea to festoon a tank with a whole array of weapons, along with radar units to guide them.
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CogniToy supports four major categories of competition: Race, Sport, Battle, and Puzzle, as well as providing players with a set of tutorials to acquaint them with the game components.
- In Races, competitors vie to be the first to achieve a particular goal. In some cases the goal will be to cross a finish line, but this category also includes such things as being the first to find and collect a set of core samples from around the station.
- Sport games provide head-to-head sport-oriented competitions. One might require using a plow blade to score hockey goals or throw balls into baskets to score. More loosely, games might be an adaptation of Capture the Flag or Tag.
- In Battles, the goal is to be the last one left standing...and the first to get revenge.
- Puzzles require the rover to negotiate obstacles and manipulate various controls in the arena to reach the goal. Mazes, treasure hunts, and other unique problem-solving tasks will encompass this mode.
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CogniToy has been developing this concept for over 2 years. Underlying the game are some very deep and powerful technologies, including an OpenGL-based graphics engine, an accurate physics simulation system, and a complete object-oriented programming language, ICE, which CogniToy developed for this game and forms the foundation of the entire game. ICE is used for everything. The arenas, the goals, and all the intelligence in the game -- even parts of the user interface -- are all coded in ICE. And of course, it supports the visual wiring system. Whether they're highly motivated or just curious, game players can look at and even modify all of the ICE code that controls their Rover.
Features gamers can look forward to include:
- A captivating combination of mental stimulation and action.
- An immersive, 3D user interface.
- Full support for 3D accelerator cards through OpenGL (the game requires a graphics accelerator supporting OpenGL).
- Support for transparent objects and textures, colored lighting, and special effects galore.
- An exciting digital soundtrack on CD.
- An enticing, fully-realized space station to explore with lots of fun details.
- Accurate robotic physics.
- A new and dynamic game experience, with open-ended game play.
- A whole new level of design and customization providing myriad hours of game play.
Our built-in wiring system of visual programming and the underlying ICE programming language makes the game more open-ended than anything gamers have seen before. Anything is possible. We eagerly looking forward to our customers surprising us with tactics and ideas we've never envisioned.
At the MindRover website, gamers will find contests, support, demo downloads, upgrade, and sales. Most importantly, a community of cohorts and competitors will await MindRover enthusiasts. Come chat, compare ideas & strategies or find new people to compete against. MindRover will be available for purchase right here in fall of 1999.
Headquartered in Acton, Massachusetts, CogniToy is a privately funded developer and publisher of computer games that engage the brain as well as the hands. The company motto is "Intelligent Toys for Intelligent Minds." MindRover is CogniToy's first product.