Gameplay Elements

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Physics

Basic Physics

Physics play a great part in this game, since they dictate the rules of basic movement for characters, and to some extent, for objects.

In Open Surge, the physics are not entirely realistic, and abide by four elements: speed, gravity, floor angle, and "sticky" factor.

Speed, or velocity, to be precise, is the distance you can move in a period of time. Usually measured in pixels per second. Speed is affected vertically by gravity as you would expect, with the added perk of sticking to solid surfaces, thus countering conventional gravity, and enabling directional gravity, which always pulls you against the surface you are moving along, if your speed is enough to create an acceptable "sticky" factor.

Gravity is pretty much what Newton said, it pulls things down. However, when you ride along smooth slope changes at high enough speeds, your "sticky" factor will increase, and gravity will pull you against that surface, whether it is a wall or a ceiling.

Floor angle is just what the name says. When in contact with solids, its corresponding angle is returned and your movement is based along that angle. Instead of raw speed, the presence of an angle turns speed into velocity. Raw speed is the X and Y values of speed while velocity is a calculated relation of X and Y speeds based on the angle of movement. A velocity of 100 returns different X and Y speeds for all angles. Understanding this difference allows you to understand better why objects seem to walk faster on slopes when compared to the player, because the player has this correction built in.

Sticky factor is calculated based on the three previous factors, and allows the player to stick to the face of a solid brick or object. It was explained until now.

Underwater Physics

Underwater physics are the same but slower on all accelerations.

Required Player Actions

To be able to obey the rules of this universe, the player characters must be able to perform some actions that will be the key to interacting with the game world.

Every character can jump, and while they jump they roll, entering an attack state. While in this state, the player can damage or destroy enemies upon colliding with them.

Rolling is the only attack for any character. There are however different ways of rolling, other than by jumping. Players can use speed, charge a spin, or enter pipes or special gimmicks that require rolling.

Running is the main way of gaining speed, and this action may be forced or changed by gimmicks and special objects.

Collecting mechanics

To survive enemy hits and earn lives, the player must collect rings. Special collectibles and power-ups can also be found, especially in monitors.

RPG Elements

While the game does not attempt to be an RPG in any way, there are some elements that are typical of such genre.

It is being discussed the possibility of gaining permanent powerups by finding them in the game. The details of these elements are also under discussion.

The existence of dialog enabled non-player characters is confirmed, some are hidden and reward the player when found.