Super Monkey Ball

Audience & Entertainment.

So I promised an article that shakes the neurons.
And when I think about that, of course, I think : Super Monkey Ball – in the register: shake it up – it’s the best.

I swear : this is not a troll post. I promise – Je le jure si vous voulez.

In fact – it’s still a serious idea, even though it might sound a little – just a little bit – goofy.

If you’re a player, you remember this pure Hell: Super Monkey Ball.

The game: you are a monkey – with big ears – stuck in a bubble – and off you go in a limited time to complete the course and catch bananas on the way.

The first level is super easy. That’s what you say when you’ve passed the next 15 levels. The first time, you get thrown off the map like a bad little thing.
But then, the more it goes on – the more you understand the notion of Hell. Here are unbelievable slopes – holes you haven’t seen – turns that make a Formula 3000 driver cry – and it goes in 3D – and here are the psychedelic settings – bananas you can’t figure out how to catch – shifting pedestals – collapsing pedestals – and you in your bubble….

At least one game a year since 2001, and each time you wonder if you wouldn’t be a serious candidate for lunatic asylum, playing this stuff.

I absolutely hate this game – between the time spent crashing and the time spent opening my little wings and trying to fly like a malformed beetle – frankly, it’s the game done to drive me crazy. And in limited time, otherwise it’s less fun.
With that, you vaguely feel like you’re controlling your movements with your ears – ridiculous.

Can you imagine that in Virtual Reality? Even a mind as candid and as perverse as mine says: but no, but you’re nuts, girl.

Too late : I thought about it.

I’m sorry.

I feel that you can see where I’m going with this game.

You have to understand how I find my ideas – I am lost in the imagination of the moments of my splendid (yes) Impossible Mission Festival.

Without visualizing the settings, my head is as empty as that of a seagull.

Now, thanks to the work of the architects of Avoid Obvious Architects, I have a good idea of the different places, I manage to chain actions.

So I was looking for a way to make the action amazing and visual in Altair and Altair Twin (the virtual ship that disappears line by line of code).
And then I remembered that hell of a game: Super Monkey Ball.

I started by taking it back for the virtual part – Altair Twin – because, seriously, when your allies have to make a Super Monkey Ball-like run to help you, I’m telling you, you’re not saved.
And there I was already happy enough – and I’ve got so much to play with so many players: they’re all going to fall – perfect.

But now, I have in the head what the architecture of Altair might be – something like the weird architecture of the e.sport stadium. I see it -inside and outside.
And I know that the stage technicians are pure technical geniuses. They can give me a Super Monkey Ball ride, for real.
No – don’t say no. Please – it’s just great, don’t you think so ? I’m sure you do.

And well, wait : I’m not saying – did I say that? – that I’m going to send my real spectators to play Super Monkey Ball for real in the heights of the theatre – they’re all going to crash, that would be horrible & so bloody. I said – I soon said – that I was going to send real pros to play for real Super Monkey Ball in the heights of the theatre – they won’t crash. The ball, in real life, is too much, and it’s not visually great – on the other hand, a Super Monkey ball aerial course, so that can be so great to see <- I’m saving that for my awesome Festival.
Are you appalled? No, I’m sure you’re not.

What about my spectators? You may remember that I wanted (… my God, forgive me) to create Virtual Reality rooms where the participants would be in harnesses that would allow them to move and perform the “game”. So there you go… : they will be there. From the harness, to pass to the ball, it can’t be that difficult… you know, like in those transparent balls on the ski slopes … They won’t really crash, so we don’t have to stuff the balls too much – it’ll look nicer. In fact, we will have to find a nice way to make their fall – which is inevitable on these races – and their return to the game, physically enjoyable. Something like a hop ! and hop – well, you understand.

So here’s the idea – which may be beyond the scope of my Festival – even if I keep the best – or the worst – it depends on your point of view – for it.

In order to involve our audience, it will be a matter of offering them an ultra-difficult and ultra-fun adventure in virtual reality for the most part – at the joystick for the others, at home.

What could be more dumb, fun and difficult to do than a journey of mental illness like these? Can you imagine this for the e.sport tournament? We say to the spectators: do you want to play with us? Of course yes ? okay, no problem – choose your team among the three in the final, come this way, put yourself in the harness, don’t be afraid, watch out here is the helmet – we’re waiting for you on the battlefield – good luck.

And those – there will be some – who will have succeeded in arriving at the scene of the fight – which will be broadcast live on the stage since everything will be live – will have the right to help their team, of course.

And some of my cheatings would be a little less visible – I could even make it look like it was big bugs, sorry, what do you mean a hole too big to pass through? what do you mean a platform that collapses as soon as you touch it? what do you mean all the platforms collapse? ah it was badly programmed, we’ll get the coder whipped, I promise.

This way, I leave it up to the audience to decide whether or not to play – it’s important not to force anyone to play – and those who will play will have fun.
Especially since with a bit of good will, one could even visualize their journey on the real theatre course… live – with little balls full of frightened and big-eared monkeys falling on the ones below (pictures of course…. ) : it’s entertainment, not a game of massacre.

And for my Festival, then – I’m laughing in advance – it will be absolutely incredible.

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Featured Image : a wonderful & so easy level in Super Monkey Ball – catch the bananas on your left, return to the path – which is almost wide – bananas on your right – what? there’s a pole? just jump properly and don’t forget the bend. – by : Amusement Vision