
Physics Invader = Space Invader + Physics - ksvs
http://www.nekogames.jp/mt/2008/10/physics_invader.html
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hhm
Why is this so popular? There are more interesting ways to integrate physics
in a classic game, like this one: <http://www.referencegames.com/>

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iamdave
You completely miss the entire point of video games: fun.

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hhm
IMO, a video game that goes to the 1st place on Hacker News' front page has to
be clever, not fun. Having this game make a very simple (and typical) use of
physics doesn't make it terribly clever.

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iamdave
If you want a "clever" (read: interesting; read again: intellectual; read once
more: poignant) game, play Chess, or Stratego, or Risk. If you want a game
that's _not fun_ , well, I'd probably just say "lighten up".

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alex_c
The context isn't what games hhm wants to play, the context is what games (if
any) hhm wants to see at the top of hacker news.

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hhm
Exactly. Also, if you want good games, I used to be a games developer so I
could post cool & fun games, but that's not the point of hacker news.

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benbeltran
The physics don't do much to the gameplay, but they make the game very good-
looking. Physics aren't just useful, they're also sexy.

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hhm
That's right, but the idea isn't new. There are many physics demos that make
even shooting to boxes (or even just seeing them fall) interesting. This game
doesn't add anything else to such old idea, excepting maybe having been done
in Flash.

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charlesju
This game is so cool! What a neat spin on a classic game. They should take
this game social on iminlikewithyou's new platform.

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illume
This is typical innovation... mixing two things together to make a third
thing.

Next physics invaders... + [add your own mix]. I choose +pony.

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jsomers
> _This is typical innovation... mixing two things together to make a third
> thing._

I'd argue that _every_ innovation involves mixing two (or more) things to
produce a third. So calling it "typical" is a gross understatement.

If you don't find the game compelling, it's not because the combinatorial (a +
b = c) _form_ of innovation is somehow uninteresting, but because the elements
are.

I agree that (space invaders) + physics = (moderately more engaging version of
space invaders).

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swdesignguy
I got to level 9.

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Retric
I hit 42, but my "lives" is negative 20. I died and one of the falling balls
finished the level so the game got confused. This seems like a common problem
with flash games I think finishing the level and the death counter must be on
separate threads or the flush the pending event's after you finish a level but
I have seen this before.

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hhm
This is because people just show a "game over" banner and don't set a death
flag or something like that. Then you see that the game is over, but sometimes
you can keep moving the ship (I don't know if this happens in this game) or
events that happen in the game can make a different game over message show.
It's a bug in the game, not in flash, but a very typical bug.

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hhm
It's fun that I was downmodded for explaining exactly why this problem
happens. I used to be a game developer, and believe me, that's the true reason
behind the problem.

