Tokens and group editing

With update 1.48, the token item was added to the level editor. Adding tokens to your leve allows players to finish it simply by collecting all the tokens. An indicator in the upper right side of the screen shows how many tokens you've collect out of the total (although when using the moped couple, the power meter overlaps it–whoops).

TIP: When adding tokens, place them about as far off the ground as shown in the picture. Tokens are only collected once the head or chest touches them, so limbs don't count. That said, Irresponsible Dad can eject his so to reach those inconveniently placed coins.

FUN FACT: The coin illustrations appear to be a skull, a slice of pizza, a pentagram, a battle axe, a bowling ball and pins, and a peace sign.

In addition to the new item, you can now edit within groups. This is extremely helpful when making complex levels. Just double-click a group to edit it. The background will become grey. Once you're done editing it, double-click outside of the group to exit it.

It also appears the unfixed triangle bug has been fixed.

Why your character ideas won't make the cut

It seems like everyone is suggesting ideas for characters in the Happy Wheels forums. Some of them are funny and would make sense with the current character lineup and some of them are just silly and illogical. Based on the current set of characters, here are some guidelines you can expect future characters to follow.

First off, the character must follow most of the laws of physics. Happy Wheels uses the physics engine Box2D. It's mentioned in the game's credits. Many other games use this engine. It's efficient, relatively easy to use, and pretty realistic. All of the current characters follow Netwon's first law of physics: shi* don't move unless something makes it move. The wheelchair guy is propelled by a jet engine, the dad pedals his bicycle, the segway has a motor, and so on. So it's pretty safe to say that future vehicles must have something pushing them forward. The upcoming character is on a moped which is powered by an engine.

So, when everyone and his mom suggests the next character be a guy on a skateboard, you have to wonder, "How does this skateboard move?". Sure, it's easy to say, "A skateboarder moves by using his legs", but it's highly difficult to create a walk cycle using a physics engine (have you ever tried crawling in Happy Wheels? It's not exactly easy). It's way more reasonable to expect a jet engine attached to a skateboard (Please, Jim, pleeeeeease). But then you'd have to consider how the character would be standing, since they are forward-facing. It could look really dumb. In short, the vehicle needs to have wheels (or a skid or at least something smooth to slide on) and something needs to make it move.

Second, the character must be fairly generic. It's not going to be Osama Bin Laden riding a missile or the Olsen twins riding a mechanical bull. Sure, it could be a black guy, asian girl, or middle eastern guy. In fact, the game maybe needs a bit more diversity, but it's not going to be a celebrity or public figure. Happy Wheels is a great game and does not rely on making parodies of funny or tragic public figures.

Third, it's probably going to be a human. Not a dog. Not a horse. Maybe a bear (because bears are human-shaped). Jim's a busy guy and if you know anything about programming, you'd understand why he would reuse the current code for humans before creating non-humanoid characters. All that falling apart and intestines spilling out and bursting... that stuff takes time to program. He's going to reuse whatever he can before jumping species.

So, those are my thoughts on character guidelines. I expect some really cool as the game has plenty of room to grow. However, I do secretly wish for a hobo wearing rollerblades propelled by a jetpack.

We all have dreams.

Modus Operandi

Happy Wheels is my favorite game. Nothing puts me more at ease than ejecting from my jet-propelled wheelchair midair and then falling on a landmine which launches half my body across the finish line. It's glorious. The destructible characters, menacing hazards, and thousands of awe-inspiring user-generated levels make it a game worth playing over and over again. If you haven't tried it yet, you should.

This blog will feature tutorial videos for building levels, rumors about upcoming characters, new level items, and any thing else which is relevant and interesting.