How do non-euclidean games work? | Bitwise

Thanks for the shout-out! Here are some comments: * you say that "the shortest line on a sphere is not necessarily a straight line" but what is a straight line? It is a kind of meaningless concept until you define it. In my opinion a straight line is one that is (locally) shortest, making this "axiom" a definition. For a creature actually living in a non-Euclidean world, the shortest lines are indeed straight. If you are a creature living in a (two-dimensional) spherical geometry, the third dimension simply does not exist for you, and the great circles are perfectly straight lines, because they curve neither to the left nor to the right. Also, if you try a computer simulation of a spherical or hyperbolic three-dimensional space, the shortest lines will look straight (this is not the case in non-isotropic geometries though). * I definitely agree that all the games are just tricks. However, it does not matter! It is the effect which is important, not how it was achieved. The problem with games such as Antichamber or Superliminal is that they do not give a feeling of being in a non-Euclidean space at all. You do not see the visual or geometric effects typical for non-Euclidean geometry when playing these games. The effects you see have nothing to do with non-Euclidean geometry. * you sound as if non-Euclidean geometry was something accessible only to geniuses, and game development was easy. Most people are born with great math skills, which then deteriorate because of bad teaching. The math of non-Euclidean geometry is not really much more difficult than the Pythagorean theorem or trigonometry. The bigger problem is conceptual, not mathematical: people have their Euclidean intuitions so deeply ingrained that if you show them that they are wrong, they will not believe you and make the same Euclidean assumption again. * Also it is the best to just play a true non-Euclidean game and see for yourself. That is way better than watching videos or reading books. Everything can be experienced in HyperRogue.

The original non euclidean space is the infinite staircase in Mario 64

Before portal 2, valve experimented with a concept called "f-stop" it basically had the same rules as the game seen near the end. You had a "magic" camera that takes pictures, take a picture of an object and suddenly you can place a much larger or smaller version of that object by just using the portrait. It was an interesting concept that never saw the light of day but at least its idea exists in many games today.

Dude, if my geometry teacher explained it like this, I wouldn't have done summer school

Hyperbolica is an actual true Non-Euclidean game with curved space instead of a locally Euclidean game which occasionally breaks it's own space

Q: How can games be non-Euclidian? A: It’s software. It doesn’t have to model the real world.

I love the way these "impossible" things are happening in a world that has taken decades to tune so that it didn't routinely do these kinds of reality-breaking things.

It's funny how so many people imagine weird, eldritch stuff when hearing "non-euclidean"... Scared of a term they don't know, like with chemicals. Not realising they encounter non-euclidean geometry on a daily basis. Drew a face on a balloon? Had a tattoo? Congratulations, you made non-euclidian geometry. I guess we partly have to blame Lovecraft for that.

He’s back boys! So excited to watch

There's multiple ways of being non-Euclidean. Portal and Antichamber are mostly flat and Euclidean as long as you aren't close to a portal, but globally are not simply connected and so the axioms don't hold. But hyperbolic and spherical spaces are curved, and so the axioms don't hold. I wouldn't say one is more truly non-Euclidean. But the former are not even smooth manifolds, having sharp edges where space breaks down. If you were to stand in a Portal portal and move sideways, would you be sliced in half by the sharp edges of space?

Anti-Chamber was so fun. My favorite mechanic is finding out that you are expected to break the game. Set aside proper notions and see how often you have to do the exact opposite of what you think.

4:34 So my early 3d drawing program wasn't faulty, it was just simulating spherical space

We were discussing the basic Euclidian Geometry in class, and I mentioned how some video games use their platform in creative ways to bend those Euclidian rules. I shared this video with the teacher, and made a 10 point extra credit assignment for the class if we could give a 150 word reaction of this video, discussing the stuff you went over.

TL,DR: Euclidean: "Makes sense to me" Non-Euclidean: "How tf does that work?"

This is one trick where explaining the magic has only made it cooler. Simple, yet extremely effective.

Non-euclidian geometry: hi, whats up! My brain: panic

For a moment I thought CodeParade uploaded when I saw a non-euclidean themed video.

YOOOOOO I suggested this a while back, glad to say it so beautifully explained!

Their teleportation had to be on point, literally. They make sure that you teleport not only to the hallway but to the corresponding position in the destination hallway. I love these games!

Imagine being so legendary that even after 2500 years they use your theories to describe geometry.