Tranquility (video game)

Infobox VG| title = tranquility


developer = TQworld, LLC.
publisher = TQworld, LLC.
designer =
engine =
version = 6.0
released = 1992, 2006
genre = Music Video
modes = Single player
ratings =
platforms = Mac OS X, Mac OS, Windows
media = Download
requirements =
input = Keyboard, Mouse

"tranquility" is a computer game available for Macintosh and Windows computers.

The game first appeared in 1991 as a demo included with Silicon Graphics computers. It resurfaced ten years later as a commercial game, again written by its original author, William Romanowski.

"tranquility" is an arrhythmic music video game in which the player (from an abstract viewpoint) floats in a sea of starlit geometric structures called "platforms" in order to pass through targets called "spinners." The challenge to the game derives from the difficulty in locating the variously placed "spinners" and as such the game may be compared to hide-and-seek. Play is self-paced and self-directed; there are several commands to control game speed and difficulty, including an auto-pilot button.

Advancement through the game is done in groups of 3, 7 and 21. There are 7 spinners per level, 3 levels per "rank," and 7 ranks in 21 "realms."Dubious Each rank and realm adds subtle complexity to the game play, making for a very long term experience. Getting all the way through the "tranquility" levels can take upwards of 400 hours.Fact|date=June 2008

The essential elements that define a "tranquility" level are:
* "platforms" (typically hundreds of them) that are synchronized in movement and color
* The "spinner" - a special platform that, when reached, advances the game to the next level
* Lateral movement controlled by the player, typically with the mouse
* Movement downwards caused by the level's gravity
* Movement upwards when the player "bounces" off of a platform
* A distant background star-field
* A floor, usually marked with a grid pattern for spatial reference
* A soundtrack that is influenced by the movement of the player within the game

The game's philisophy has been compared to that of Transcendentalism and the New Age Movement due to its use of ambient music. Some players have reported a drug-like euphoria, vertigo, or disorientation during and after playing the game.Fact|date=June 2008

In addition to normal play modes, "tranquility" includes a simple level editor and a jukebox mode for enjoying the game's generated soundtracks. The cost of the game can vary from month to month.

External links

* [http://tqworld.com/ "tranquility"]