tranquility

[Rayne]

http://www.tqworld.com/

The most relaxing game I've ever played.

 

[MC]

For those who don't know what the game is:

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 defies genre classification -- it is an arrhythmic music game in which the player (an abstract viewpoint) floats in a sea of starlit geometric structures (platforms) in order to pass through targets called spinners - it is a bit like 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". 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.

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

Some players feel that the game's design is based on transcendentalism or that it draws heavily from stock new age themes (probably because of its use of ambient music). Other players have reported a drug-like euphoria, vertigo, or disorientation during and after playing the game.

In addition to normal play modes, tranquility includes a simple level editor and a jukebox mode for enjoying the game's generated soundtracks. Fitting with tranquility's non-traditional approach, the cost of the game can very from month to month.

Personally, I don't find this game relaxing at all. I got dizzy playing it, plus it doesn't seem to have any goal or objectives.

I don't recommend playing this game if you get motion sickness easily.

 

[DJ-Ready]

suprisingly its quite entertaining

And yeah its kind of relaxing.

 

[Rayne]

Its simple but it has a goal. Find the spinner. Just some advice: do the tutorials before you try to play.

Very worth 6 bucks imo.

 

[elNarr]

i didn't even do anything and i was really relaxed, very good game

 

[DustMan2704]

you all get a feeling of being relaxed because you "think" you are relaxed,it has less to do with the game.
the game was boring...and it made me kinda dizzy. sometimtes the created music sounded like a pretty sick horror movie. i hope i dont get nightmares from this.... o_o

never want to play it again!!!

 

[Grega]

Nice game

 

[Rayne]

you all get a feeling of being relaxed because you "think" you are relaxed,it has less to do with the game.
the game was boring...and it made me kinda dizzy. sometimtes the created music sounded like a pretty sick horror movie. i hope i dont get nightmares from this.... o_o

never want to play it again!!!

The purpose of the visual and audio patterns is for the player to synchronize with them, feeling a deep spatial dislocation and experiencing a relaxed euphoria. Also the audio is responsive to your movements and how well you are playing. So, if it sounded like a sick horror movie its your own fault.