Directions in 2-D games.

Dale · Post by **Dale** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:09 am

I been thinking lately why do basic 2-D side scrollers always go left to right
and all Vertical shmups or veritically moving games always go bottom to top. Does this half to do with human psychology or is this just because it,s the way it was always done and everyone follows. Does anybody know of any games that did,nt follow this pattern(Besides stuff like Defender where you go bolth ways).

No_not_like_Quake · Post by **No_not_like_Quake** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:16 am

IDK I've noticed many hori's and vert's doing the other directions, whether in the same gameplay field or alternating in different stages.

As early as Bosconian the top down vertish dinosaur bitch it is, it had 8 way scrolling. Damn, in retrospect, there are many games that had 8 way scrolling. regradless of asthetic angle.

Zach Keene · Post by **Zach Keene** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:19 am

Section Z (at least the arcade version; never played the NES) scrolls all over the place. Starts out left to right, then bottom to top, then right to left...

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:59 am

How prominent is the English language? It might just be from people naturally reading English from left to right. Same thing on a number line in an English elementary school. You would just naturally see moving left to right as an increase, as progress.

I don't know what's up with you vertical people, I'll stick with R-Type Delta and Salamander.

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:05 am

I'd assume since it was the norm in early games, like Pitfall and Mario, it just became the norm.
Of course you have some deviations from the formula, albeit in individual levels (like in a part of Taito's ThunderFox or in some boss fights in G Darius where you go around the whole thing, for example). I'd say a more prominent example is in Castlevania II for the original Game Boy, where I think it's the first level that actually starts from left to right -- and it works pretty well too.

No_not_like_Quake · Post by **No_not_like_Quake** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:08 am

Weird how the early platformers like Jungle King and Legend of Kage scrolled left. The later had parallax and pretty decent music and was released in 1984. The arcade version I mean. I don't rememmber the NES version much at all.

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:08 am

That and Time Lord, I remember talking to my friends about how "weird" they were for starting out that way.

No_not_like_Quake · Post by **No_not_like_Quake** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:11 am

That old Rare game? I remember that too. Oh the memories.