relativisticgame

Week 32 progress update (Patreon)

Published:

2023-07-14 17:15:39

Imported:

2026-06

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Content

This week I did some more preparatory work for “the next thing”, i.e. the first game prototype. I created a minimal template of a game project using my engine. This is a directory that I will copy whenever I want to create a new demo or game level.

I also introduced a manifest file that lists all the assets used by a game project. The engine can check, at runtime, that the used assets match the list in the manifest. It can then suggest corrections to it. The manifest will be used as part of the build process to release the game.

The first releases will be runnable on the browser. I want to periodically post demos and game snippets to allow people to play the game and give feedback. I think feedback will be essential for the final quality of the game. The problem I’ll have, then, is to attract people and have them play my stuff.

Anyway, I will be using emscripten to compile the game to WebAssembly.

I also spent some time this week working on other game engine changes and improvements.

Finally, I reworked the TikTok video Train in a tunnel paradox video for 16:9 aspect ratio and published it on YouTube. It took me a day or so to do the job, as I had to change zooms and other details and redo the work in DaVinci Resolve, etc. Well, the video is up there, but it seems YouTube is showing it to nobody. Thanks YouTube! Maybe I should only focus on TikTok from now on?

Files

Previews only

The train in a tunnel paradox / ladder paradox visualized

Also known as the ladder paradox, the train in a tunnel paradox challenges one's understanding of length contraction in Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. A long futuristic train goes through a shorter tunnel and is seen from the perspective of a trainspotter on the ground and from the perspective of a passenger on the train. The two accounts of what happens are wildly different, but they are consistent. This video was born as an experiment of matching content to a soundtrack. I am also working on a relativistic video game that aims to make Special Relativity more intuitive and less paradoxical. I believe that human intuition can crack relativity if given a chance. Follow me at https://relativisticgame.net #physics #space #time #relativity #paradox === Technical details === The train is simulated as a Born-rigid body. Each vertex in its 3x3 mesh follow a piece-wise hyperbolic trajectory. The video shows the "measured reality" and not the "observed reality". So what you see is what an inertial observer would measure, rather than what an hypothetical camera would record. I think distortions due to the "Terrell effect" would obfuscate the relativistic physics and make it much more difficult to discern and understand. After all, even a classical camera would record image distortions if light was sufficiently slow. === Useful links === - Game blog and formulas, https://relativisticgame.net - Ladder paradox, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder_paradox - Born rigidity, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_rigidity - Hyperbolic motion, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbolic_motion_(relativity) === Soundtrack === World on Fire by Andy Bird