PCP [arcade community]

Murga
Heart and soul of pc.

Zakkiesan
Heart and soul of pc. She gone though, on a honey moon I believe!

Cyruss
Cyrus is to date the slowest biker to achieve snake status, his skill is potent and his patience forged by hell!

jimmy

Triffouillou

bishop

zerling

Celar

Shadow

Cyberdancer


outdated:
Blondslayer
Habacookie
Aces
Dominotheory
Gericho

non applicable:
littlenemo

The map is a square (touching the border makes you lose).
There are no up or down levels.

Your mouse or delete button* will allow you to go left or right and this at different paces/speed *refer to later applicable entry
There are two units: a wall and a ship/bike.
The ship/bike has a boost function. The boost is accessible with left mouse clik once the gauge in center bottom of screen is full. There can be no "second saved boost" ; the gauge (speed/length) is the same all through for all players.
This boost acts for every ship/bike the same.

If two ships collide, the one most in front can survive, the other is vanquished, or both are if the situation is too close to call.

The ship/bike enjoys a constant pace that is the same for all players, no brakes other than "deviation of curling and/or coiling" (read "planning ahead") is accessible. Once a boost is "done" the same "default" speed ensues. This mostly means that most of the losses are done by slamming one's self into a wall, rather than being struck down by another player (read "people mostly panic because they can't see a clear way out of the maze" and end up losing from it).
The ship must be headed somewhere, all the time until the respite of failure or victory.

Once eliminated from a round, your screen view becomes the live game grid itself from "up high", until the next round starts. This showcases what the game is and who plays it and how.

The player lays walls one by one (all players’ walls are the same, so are the gaps created between them)
The ensuing trails created by players have “linear” gaps between them.
“pc” is lag prompt! and as such it helped that the units be “less numerous”.. having gaps while being quite a departure from the game “Tron light cycles (tm) (with full wall off in your trail) allows for a purely e-sports’ like rts setting/game/competition to take place!
The gaps ensuing width (when turning or giggling the bike vary, but the way they vary is again linear and only ever vary the same way.

Meaning if you execute a 179° “u” turn and “rectify” and aim to “go along parallel to your previous wall”, your “double wall” will be “identical”. The variable is how and when you executed “what” to come to this “stable” new wall alongside your first.
three possibilities occur:
1/identical.. identical wall placement the ensuing gaps align to open cruising lanes**, this is the “default setting”, most people will create an “open” wall even if they pile up three four or more layers of walls.
2/almost closed, these gaps imply that the trajectory/heading you have before “cutting” through that gap is fixed/hard to attain. Your “safe passage” is predicated on being aware of that particular aspect to not be hard pressed to align your bike if circulating in a lane that forces constant rectification (going a little more left (or right) progressively (layer after layer of wall, until you are trapped because the length of the bike becomes the fatal issue).
3/identical with the wall closed and impenetrable: enough said.

A trail can be straight (creating segments of a continuous wall) or sinuous or contradicted.

The bike can do anything, if your hand does it right you can for instance pass three times in the same “prepared” gap: one exterior left / one exterior right / one on centre (this is more of a fun exploit).
Most of the time the real question is can you pass a second time, did the previous trail “block” the gap or not for further access?
Most of the time the previous trail will block its access, only weird or intently weird steering will provide for an open gap.

To cut through a gap:
your heading must be as perpendicular as possible at first (to the imaginary line formed by the two surrounding walls) so as to then gradually turn more and more carefully around/through these gaps and then lanes of gaps.
The time required to pass through and therefore not "touch" them is short but precise and constant (since all bikes are on a default constant speed), so to cut as close to one of the edges (one of the walls) either before going through or after passing through allows for harder gaps to navigate (from then on) but mostly allows players to position their bike at the right place to attack (more or less being close enough or well placed further down the line/round, mostly if others are fighting for their survival with you with more accessibility and ease of circulation than them to shut down their potential avenues of survival).

As much as the map starts without walls, a 4 player classic game will soon fill the grid with consequences.
With 8 or more players, the game becomes SurViVoR mode and turttling is not unheard of.

There are only 3 stances: you can attack, run away and apply strategy developed to trap or run through your opponent.
Scouting (like in any game) is essential ; scouting opponents’ whereabouts or impending attacks and memorizing live construction of the maze for future reference is essential.
Like in most games, showmanship and conservative-ness are at odds, avoiding combat or choosing to never take risks earns more points at the scoreboard and less invested followers, whereas extending the limits and showcasing gusto to defeated cyclist waiting make for a larger crowd of fanatic players!
Attack! Take chances and try to close off pathways for opponents to crash into or striking opponents with the two front thirds of one’s cycle in front of the front half of the opponent’s cycle will lead to awesomeness.

The boost and cutting through wall lanes through gaps allow for long term or long distance attacks. Speed turns and close quarter attacks allow for fast paced surgical traps and block offs. 90° and all angles ‘ attack or “turn in time” until you end up in a difficult position in the maze (potentially round ending)
.. attacks are infinite but one’s tactics, strategies, build orders and “coup de grace” are all identifiable or/and recognizable after a round or three hundred (rounds / a dozen games).
Grid location of the cycle’s vector vs other cyclists’ potential vectors of movement will grant you grace.
Scouting by scanning (facing all vectors strategically through rounds and remaining with as little loose ends as possible in the back) will let the "lucky" alone (no one is unlucky, just misinformed)!
Live grid locations in the maze allows for laying groundwork and memorizing which best lane(s) to use or cut off or stand by patiently.. to better strike.
Type and level of cyclist are identifiable after each showcase (live or defeated in each round), identification of the players allows for "real" strategy to take place.
General cyclist strategy stems and steams from every and all decisions taken by all cyclist, live!
Strategy is live, always renewed and surprising!

precious: last 2 opponents collide with no one getting any point at the end of a round

wall in: completing a sealed off wall with the opponent on the other side

headshot: boosting from as close as you can from your opponent with the intent to pass through his cycle (done at the start of the boost)

coiling (to coil): taking as less grid space as possible (quantitatively and/or qualitatively) by gliding alongside one’s recent previous walls, like a snake’s trail

swingers: two opponents tying a series of 180ies turns in a mirror fashion, before one decides (or has to) choose another course of action

banking (to bank): jerking the cycle to align with a desired heading (going a little left to then do a “harder” right) to face the wall at 90°angle, safer width possible

bluff: passing close to an opponent pretending an impeding crash, then leaving by a predestined easy free exit

dead end: leading an opponent in a trap with no escape, closing off the last exit by departing the determined grid closed off area

face off: simultaneous boosting of two opponents disallowing the boost timing advantages for both, placing them temporarily in a draw

parlay (draw): boosting from as close as possible to an opponent with the intent to scare into pursuit

long con: boosting from as far as possible to misdirect, intending to end up in front of an opponent right before the end of the boost period

lo': peacefully crossing walls with no one attacking or deviating their course

Close combat: tying series of attacks relentlessly trying to place a wall right in front of an opponent while having to constantly cut through walls

hi: slowly peacefully going by an opponent from opposed paths with no one attacking

fish hook: letting opponent approach closer while blocking defensively (smallest/shortest) double 180 before attacking by hook or by crook

lovers’ quarrel: simultaneous boosting followed by simultaneous renewed non boost attack vectors, both opponents in pursuit of one another

snake coil: strangling your opponent on a 180 or 90 series where both opponents “finish their course” (with only one alive)

straight through: boosting through opponent with outcome uncertain (without possibility of counter boost)

vector: trajectory that is not finite but indicates general strategy (general heading, , build order maneuvers and end target)

wiggling: cutting through series of unaligned walls (3,5,9..) going slightly left and right in proper sequence (see close combat)

banking (beginners): going one way (a little bit) to easy into going a harder opposite way (semi blocked walls at a difficult angle.. for instance a wall parallel to one’s) through the gaps

flying rodent: lifting the mouse to continue in a long snail like turn (outward or inward) one way (a little bit) to easy into a harder opposite way

You can at any time during the game, turn the camera one way with "delete/insert" button.
You press it down, it makes your ship/bike turn that one way in a regular/constant fashion until it has made you execute a perfect 180.
Then you have to let it go (the button will not do anything more and you don't want to be pressing it for the whole duration of the round , ?) and the camera will go all the way back to its "default" heading.
This said, you can press it and relieve it before and you can then start with a different direction at the beginning of each round. you can also "fight" the return part by turning against it and finally you can increase the turn by turning to the same side.
In practice this gameplay is mostly used:
- at the start to change your default heading
- at the start to do a 180 start (one must be careful not to hit the start of the opposing player's wall)
- at the start to coil around the center earlier than you could without this "going backwards" at the start

- in general gameplay, using it to create the little necessary ripple in your coiling or necessary heading to get to a future place (to no doubt surprise trap and generally attack another player) by just pressing it long enough while applying the wanted/required turn with the mouse (or on its own)

- at the end of one's round, before watching from "up there", when/if your ship/bike is facing the wrong way, you can press it to swiftly witness gameplay otherwise inaccessible (due to your heading at the time of demise) situated anywhere else

To sum up, like for the use of the mouse*, the gameplay/mechanics are simple, the tempo and precision applied to them, potentially allows for all and any movement/action/walling, there only remains to use it. *see relevant further entry
The start use is of vital importance, the overall implications massively important to know!
But overall one can have a satisfactory 100 games without even noticing its absence.

TLDR: First you need to know what you want:

If you want to win:
Understand that this game favors defenders and run…, just remember that all advice is useful and skim through the ones above and below.

If you want to learn:
Attack! run! corner! attack! run as less as possible!!! cut off! attack! trap! , because you will understand all the limits imposed by the game in a few games,
not to mention your own limits will evolve so quickly even you will be surprised at your capacities under pressure.
Less than 50 rounds of testing (a game is 5 to 15 rounds won) should be enough, an hour or so)

If you want to have fun:
Have fun with the other cyclists!
!
!
!
Fun fun fun!

Lobby practices is a whole chapter I am feeling concerned with at the moment.
Foremost I believe the "pass the host" lobby mechanic should be able to survive ; getting myself kicked repeatedly by some players seems like a consensual "fail" to me (or of mine, everyone's fault really).
To be honest, if anyone asks politely, I'll voluntarily leave.. but I would rather be able to sit silently watching a few rounds, to gauge their play (nothing more). I would suicide and not be in the way, wouldn't type..

I built a "legend" I am not.
I am sad that I can't help out more people because they don't ask, but it really boils down to "they can't even be bothered to type"...

They obviously play the game, I play the game.. their goal is to avoid me..?
Yeah, I'm so never going to get their stance.

I humbly admit I am the best on this bricks and boost game.. but can I or even should I accept that being kicked out repeatedly after having given voluntarily / humanely the host is a compliment to my awesomeness?
+ Show Spoiler +

Or should I get myself a pitchfork, a lobby...?

Still not done.