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Revision as of 01:20, 18 December 2005 by Parasti (talk | contribs) (→Links: Renamed to a common name.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Neverball is a free open-source 3D computer game similar to Super Monkey Ball. It is currently available for Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X, Linux and FreeBSD.
The game
The main gameplay of Neverball is based on moving a ball using gravity by tilting the game world, not directly controlling the ball. The mouse, keyboard, or joystick tilt the level to help guide the ball to a goal, via an obstacle course, with a set time limit. Moving platforms and more crazy objects get in the way, making levels even harder than they were before. To unlock the goal on each level, the player must collect a required amount of coins. Coins come in three different colors: yellow, red and blue. Yellow coins are worth 1 coin, red coins are worth 5 coins, and blue coins are worth 10 coins. Collecting 100 coins gains an extra life.
The current release of Neverball (1.4.0) contains 3 level sets, each level set containing 25 levels. The first level set is Easy and perfect for beginners, and the other two are for more expert players. There are also additional level sets you can download, which are available at the Neverforum.
Neverball also features other challenges such as collecting as many coins as possible within the time limit, or just to see how quickly you can finish a level. Easy, Medium and Hard high scores are available for each and every level.
Three camera modes are available at the press of a button. Pressing F1 switches to the Chase Camera, which follows your ball quickly and closely. Pressing F2 switches to the Lazy Camera, which is the same as the Chase Camera, but slower. Pressing F3 switches to Manual Camera, in which the camera will only rotate when you press the specific buttons for it (default is left/right mouse buttons).
Neverball also features a replay recording system, which records gameplay in any level. Recording begins automatically when the level begins. Replays can be saved when a level is cleared, or when the ball falls of the level. Currently, up to 64 replays can be saved.
Neverball also allows the creation of levels with GtkRadiant, the level creation program for popular games such as Quake. GtkRadiant currently has versions for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
Neverball has relatively high system requirements for smooth play, but it is possible to lower the resolution, the graphics and sound compression to get Neverball running faster on more modest systems. A processor that runs at least 1000 MHz, and a good graphics card (such as GeForce 2) are recommended for fast running gameplay.
Neverputt
Neverball comes with an additional minigolf game using the same physics, called Neverputt, which comes with 3 course packs ranging from Easy to Hard. The current release of Neverball (1.4.0) has removed the ability to play Neverputt levels inside Neverball.
External links
Neverball official website takes you to the official site where you can download Neverball and find more information about it.
Neverforum allows you to chat with other Neverball fans about the game, and more.
Nevertable allows you to post high scores and replays of your gameplays.
NeverWiki Anglophone Wiki on the progress of levels for Neverball and on the progress of Neverball, Neverputt and Nevertable
Interview with Robert Kooima, creator of Neverball
Bibliography
"Neverball." Wikipédia. 1 Nov. 2005 <http://fr.wikipedia.org/Neverball>