Toribash

Infobox VG| title = Toribash
developer = [http://www.toribash.com/index.php Hampus Söderström]
released = March 2, 2006
genre = Turn-based fighting
modes = Single Player, Multiplayer (hosted on multiple servers with different settings)
platforms = PC, Mac, Linux

"Toribash" is turn-based fighting game utilizing ragdoll physics, created by Hampus Söderström (a.k.a. "Hampa"), a Swedish software developer. "Toribash" was a "Best Game Idea" finalist at the 2006 Swedish Game Awards.Fact|date=October 2008

The game is freeware, and is still under development with updates. A Wii version was hinted by Hampa after talking about playtesting and comparing the hardware. He has stated about a number of features and may turn into a real-time based game with its motion controls. The Wii version is scheduled for release by the end of 2008. [ [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/358193/1/.html Channelnewsasia.com ] ]

Gameplay

The game is played by relaxing, holding, extending or contracting the various joints on a ragdoll and hitting the spacebar to advance time by a user-specified amount, the default being ten frames. When properly manipulated, one ragdoll will strike the other, and if enough damage is inflicted with a single blow, a limb or body part may be dismembered, or fractured. Through careful manipulation of the ragdoll's joints, arbitrarily complex attacks can be performed.

The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible during a fight by landing blows on the opponent's ragdoll, with points being awarded based on the amount of damage inflicted.

In most modes of play, another means of winning is causing the opponent's disqualification. This occurs when a disallowed body part (normally any part beside the hands and feet) touches the ground, or when any body part touches the ground outside the boundaries of a square or circular dojo.

There are a number of different play modes, based on the amount of frames per turn, lengths of matches, distances between opponents, and ease of dismemberment or fracture. There are also many different mods, both official and user-created. These mods can change the appearance or affect the motion of the ragdolls, and can add objects to the environment.

The game also includes character customization (the appearance of heads, joints, and limbs may be changed), online multiplayer, a ghost showing a preview of what the current joint settings will do to the ragdoll, and the saving and sharing of replays.

History

The first version of Toribash was released in March 2006. By October 2008, the game had reached version 3.5.

In August 2006, Hampa announced a beta of a version with a "Swords Mod", on a multiplayer server, which changed one of the character's hands to a long stick and the other to a square shield. This turned out to be an early version of the weaponry option which was rumoured to be available in version 2.0. Once 1.98 was released, the file named "swords.tbm" was made available in the Toribash installed folder. The file can be edited in various ways to allow for various different effects on the ragdolls, such as full body armour, exaggerated body parts or steel limbs.

With the release of version 2.0, the game was no longer a beta and became shareware. The full game includes online rooms made specifically for the various mods created, prevention of nametag impersonation, and the ability to participate in tournaments. The shareware version has some restrictions placed on the amount of gameplay.

It is possible to render Toribash screenshots and animations in POV-Ray by pressing F8 (screenshots) or CTRL+F7 (animations) during the game, going to the folder named "raytrace", opening the .pov created, and changing the file "glossy.inc" to a filename of the user's choosing. Many .incs are available in the Art section of the Toribash forums.

=References=

=External links=
* [http://www.toribash.com/ "Toribash" home page]
* [http://www.nabistudios.com/ "Nabi Studios"]