Coinciding with the launch of Apple's gadget, and much like with the 3DS right now (January 2011), GameCareerGuide requested ideas for iPad games.
Some time ago I had quite a laugh watching youtube videos of finger skaters in toilets, desks or cardboard parks. Given that my favourite winter sports are curling and figure skating, I decided to adapt that finger experience to the iPad.
I didn't make it into the honorable mentions with Fingur Skating, which really made me wish there was some kind of feedback to the proposals. Is it the name? I knew I should have gone for Fingure Skating! Or the idea could be clearer? I know some of the mechanics are not that fleshed out, but that's not a problem usually. Mmmh.
Fingur Skating
Youtube's major impact in society has been the revelation that supposedly niche hobbies were not at all. People started timidly uploading their videos, just to find they were not the first to [weird things here]. One of the most endearing trends I found were the finger skaters, with their absurd tricks. I don't enjoy skate boarding that much, but I love figure skating and abdsurd games. Fingur Skating is the perfect blend of both.
The idea is simple: move your fingers on the iPad screen simulating the movement, spins and, to a certain point, jumps of a professional figure skater. Thanks to the size of the screen, you have the freedom to move graciously around and even play with a partner, with little scrolling. The ice rink would fit in 4 screens. The action will be followed from a cenital camera, with the player synchronizing the fingers to the skater's limbs, usually the feet, with both fingers while skating and only one when doing spins, following the curves traced by the feet or arms.
In the normal playing mode, the skater will perform a preconfigured series of figures and acrobatics, with the player going along. There will be visual cues signalling future movements, unfolding as subtle lines, in the manner of minimalist vines, and fading behind the skater, leaving small trails on the ice. Failure to properly execute the movements will result in drops and desynchronizations, which would show in the final punctuation.
There will be two play modes:
-Short program: Just as explained above, with the player doing a preset series of movements. There are different programs to play with, each with its tailored musical piece.
-Long program: The player is free to perform any tricks and movements for as long as it wishes, while listening to relaxing music or the player's music library, with the vines following the fingers progression on the touchpad. There will be no punctuation in this mode, but specially difficult tricks will be tagged, with the possibility to save them or the whole run. The session can be turned into a short program with customized music from the iPad's library.
The game can and should be played in pairs, with both program modes available. Of course, the players are free to escape the male and female roles, interchanging skaters as they see fit to perform the most complex combinations. Thus, Fingur Skating becomes a creative rythm game, in which the players create their own way to complete the combinations.
Graphics will be minimalist representations of the skaters, with floating silks and hair. It will also feature some funny performances with eye-catching disguises, as often seen in competitions. To make the details visible, the camera will zoom in when the skater is moving slowly around a point.
The game will also be playable with wireless networking, allowing the use of 2 or 4 iPads to show a bigger area of the rink.
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