Hyperbolica

[@DelusionalLogic]

I like this better. A single blip means I may actually check out the game in question, while 3 or 4 at a time means I'll only check out one at most. It's just way more engaging to let the games breathe.

[@Rosencreutzzz]

Building off of this with some *cold pragmatism* it might also be good to make the blip sized single game discussions around 10 minutes when possible, just so youtube features them a biiiit more. After all, they're a fantastic way to get people into new and "undiscovered" titles and I think that deserves platforming (provided it doesn't make video content quality suffer).

[@sess2708]

yeah, exactly this; it's one thing to have a list of neat games to check out, it's another to have One Cool Game to look at. This does mean that sometimes whatever game pops up isn't all that interesting to me, and I might even skip the episode, but when it hits I think it hits harder than otherwise.

[@KL-tn1xc]

i agree! although sometimes the longer form videos can be more entertaining as there's often a larger story to it, something something greater than the sum of it's parts.

[@sess2708]

@@KL-tn1xc oh yes, absolutely, though I find that in the context of Blips they often don't need that overarching thing, since it's usually just disparate games, even if there's a common theme among them.

[@CCCM89]

3:07 While all other worlds are hyperbolic, whereas the farm is spherical space, the opposite of hypoerbolic, all hyperbolic worlds have a different curvature. The museum has right angles at 60 degrees, for instance, while the restaurant used 0 degree right angles. While all those worlds feel like they move the same, if you pay attention, you can notice things growing/shrinking away in the distance at different rates and spreading out more or less when compared to each other. But yes, The farm is trippy as hell. Looks and functions like you're in a giant ball when you're actually moving along the outer surface of said ball, not the inside. Because geometry and sight lines yada yada my head hurts now...

[@jasonpetitjean8332]

I like this format. I think having a semi-regular drip feed of videos about lesser known indie games instead of a less-regular video bolus of lesser known indie games would be a nice way to provide regular updates. I like the idea of having a six minute video to watch instead of videos that are at least thirty minutes long (not that I mind those - I love your longer, in-depth looks into various games, but I think smaller videos would keep the channel fresh). I think another thing I like about this format is that I would have an easier time going back through your channel and finding a game by looking at the thumbnail and title instead of having to guess which Blips episode covered the game I'm thinking of.

[@richmcgee434]

Seconded. Nothing wrong with having both short and long format content.

[@vavakxnonexus]

Yeah, the accessibility of finding these games again definitely goes up.

[@blarg2429]

A blip feed, if you will.

[@computersocsci]

I like the shorter form! Blips is fun when the games tie together in some way, and this shorter form seems like a great way to explore more standalone games. I'm excited for whatever you do next!

[@masteroftheart5548]

I like the idea of more works that explore hyperbolic geometry. If I had a nickel for every university course I was in that tried to explain hyperbolic geometry via MC Escher’s work I’d have two nickels which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it’s happened twice. Jokes aside I think more exploration of this incredibly cool maths field is needed so people can understand what Hawking meant about the universe potentially being “saddle shaped.”

[@ZenoRogue]

To be honest, MC Escher's work is probably still the most beautiful thing if you want to show a still image. You could also show hyperbolic crochet (although these are the best not as still images, but when you can play with them with your hands) and projections of hyperbolic honeycombs (although these are very confusing). I have taken a course of hyperbolic geometry in the 90's and they did show some animated computer visualization of 3D hyperbolic space (I think it was the videos by the Geometry Center, but I remember them a bit differently), and I wanted to create a hyperbolic game since then. Not sure how aware teachers are of such visualizations today -- HyperRogue exists for a few years and explores all geometries extensively, but it seems some people still do not know it. The visualizations on Henry Segerman's channel and CodeParade's channel are great too. It is sad when, given access to such visualizations, people say things like "it's funny how Lovecraft did not understand non-Euclidean geometry, it just means a sphere and Earth is a sphere so all our geometry is non-Euclidean".

[@alan2here]

And you can "well approximate" random walks with a straight line, it's so much more than a rendering thing, like I go from A to B in a straight line to take basically any route around a city. Along with many more amazing properties, like if you never feel trapped it's because it's easy to flee and hard to chaise in hyperbolic space, oh and exponentially growing spaces like spaces of designs fit nicely within it, and the saddle is a really bad analogy for it. And like other games based in space with a constant negative curvature, it looks like it could (and actually could) really do with a wider camera angle. In this space everything is maze-like and orientation is not preserved as you move, and regular trees and infini-gons will not just tile, but can be moved away from and lost. There's just sooo much more space than in the euclidian world.

[@MadMorgie6318]

Hyperbolic reminds me of being in a dream, where you look at something and it suddenly expands into much more, like watching a show and suddenly you are in the show.

[@richmcgee434]

5:34 Heh. That old joke. "Do you like Kipling?" "I don't know, I've never kippled."

[@JPLeBreton]

This was great! Neat game and your thoughts covered it well. Watching one of the de rigeur longer video essays folks are making these days is an intimidating time commitment and I appreciated something I could watch while waiting for dinner to finish cooking.

[@TurbopropPuppy]

I've been following Hyperbolica's development for forever and have been greatly enjoying the game since release, and my brain did a loop-de-loop when I got this notification not from the dev but from you. So happy to see people talking about this incredible game!

[@trevorc4413]

A comparison with HyperRogue might be interesting. It's doing a similar thing in a 2D space, while using the concept differently.

[@eryxyre]

HyperRogue has 3D spaces (including Thurston geometries) too. The best gameplay is in 2D though.

[@OneLorel]

Short Blips and longer form essays in tandem are really good ideas to do in tandem. The more short stuff you do the more comfortable you'll get at doing them quick, making the long from stuff easier.

[@NameOfRain]

It looks cool, but if I played in VR I would be instantly sick. Games like Rec Room already make me ill pretty quickly. But I love the concept! I'm a fan of all your stuff, Errant Signal, so I'm happy with short or long stuff. I really like your insights into various games.

[@SECONDQUEST]

Whoa I've been watching the hyperbolica dev for a long time! Wild to see people talk about the game!

[@gaelforcewind2351]

I've does this game in VR for a couple hours on the first 2 days it was released. I haven't been able to go back to it since, in a good way. It's entirely mind-boggling in a way that's difficult to describe. For example, I got lost in a simple open plan café for at least a half hour. Still need to go back to the game, but it's difficult to do the quests when it's so entertaining to just vibe in such an impossible-feeling space.

[@vanderkarl3927]

A short video for a short game. Makes sense! I do wish Hyperbolica had more depth and breadth, though... I guess you can only ask so much when we got to see exactly how hard it was to make the game through the devlogs, though! I just hope that this won't be the last game made with these tools.

[@eryxyre]

Play HyperRogue if you have not played it yet :) it has all this work, as well as depth and breadth, so you *can* ask for more.

[@jameswood9512]

I watch you for 2 main reasons, 1: I'm genuinely interested in your perspective and insights into the topics that you cover, and 2: You make good recommendations of games I'd either never hear of or overlook otherwise. So from my point of view, a quicker/briefer format like this is good interspersed between the larger videos. I started watching your channel 7 years ago when I was deeply moved by Glitchhikers and wanted to just have more of it or anything to contextualize and inform my feelings on it. That video and the few surrounding it fit right into this mold of 5-7 minute short form pieces on a single indie game. So I think it's as good an idea as any to have some more videos in this mold.

[@ude4225]

I would love a video like this every week showcasing hidden gems and interesting concepts!

[@lordcrispen]

I was starting to feel motion sickness exactly at the time he mentioned it in the video. Never had to pause a 6 minute video at the 3 minute mark to come back to watch it later lol. I hope it's just me. Game looks cool and deserves attention for sure.

[@paulfoss5385]

Don't worry about it, it isn't you, its like hearing a new genre of music for the first time, your brain doesn't know what to do with it yet, but if you expose yourself to it a little bit at a time, until your brain unconsciously "gets it", there is as much beauty to be held in alternate geometries as there is in euclidean geometry.

[@SirFaceFone]

First time I've experienced being dizzy from a video. Pretty wild

[@gswcooper7162]

I didn't get motion sick at all while watching videos about Hyperbolica, OR actually playing the game - but I really DO get motion sick a LOT with regular 3D effects. I cannot handle 3D movies at all, they make me violently ill and I spend like 2 days in bed recovering. xDD (Not hyperbole!)

[@doyleharken3477]

in a time where there's dudes who upload 12 hour video essays, your championing of manageable content is laudable

[@xystem4701]

Short episodes are great! Your channel in particular always turns me onto some really cool obscure indie games, and I love finding new amazing experiences I can complete in an afternoon. Hyperbolica I’ve already been following all through development, because I’m a math nerd, but yeah please keep up the short videos and show me all the new interesting games you play that I’ve never heard of!

[@fntthesmth423]

It's wild to hear somebody who's only just started playing hyperbolica since i've been following the entire development process for this game lol

[@misunderstoodmadman6230]

Loved this format! Incredible going back to this channel after a time were I felt the episodes were getting a little bit overwhelming. The mix between shorter and longer analysing is perfect

[@Yin2Falcon]

Awesome. I've seen some of these spaces without characters when the author still wasn't sure what to do with them. When they were actual tech demos. This is gonna be fun to finally play in.

[@ogmmar]

I appreciate your content so much. Getting it on regular intervals is appreciated. I don't mind waiting if I can anticipate the interval, but not knowing if it'll be weeks or months in between videos feels like the most addictive option of the skinners box.

[@Roooobb]

I feel you on videos becoming insanely long on KZbin. I am beginning to get long video fatigue, and a drip of shorter videos with an occasional long video is a much more manageable way to ingest a channel than multiple 30+ minute videos. This feels supplemental to video games as a hobby, where I've been finding a lot of other channels are starting to feel like a full-time job to engage with.

[@sstought]

I love the idea of blips being short one off videos on a single game, or the way they have been if there's a strong theme.

[@aron8999]

Math major here. Firstly, I highly recommend HyperRogue if you want more familiarity with games in hyperbolic space. Most hyperbolic games have a tech-demo feel, because not many games explore this sort of thing. I would put Portal in a different, "weaker" class of non-euclidean games, because none of the space you're working with actually has any curvature to it - all of the non-Euclidean effects are made by cutting and stitching together the space in discrete spots. Hyperrogue is a little better: the playing field appears to have constant negative curvature, for the most part. You still move on a discrete hyperbolic tiling. Hyperbolica manages (by blending away the tiles) to appear as if you are actually moving continuously in a space with constant negative curvature [Except for the farm, which has constant positive curvature]. There are some very strange quirks to movement, as you have clearly seen. One of the more interesting ones is that you can rotate an object by moving it in a circle [beach chest]. This property is called holonomy, and it doesn't exist in flat spaces. For a more tangible analogue, grab a globe and start at the equator, then rotate up to the north pole, right to the equator, and down to where you started, but rotated 90 degrees. The rotation induced by holonomy depends on both the size of the loop and the curvature of the space within: negatively curved spaces rotate the opposite way. While you've got the globe, notice that you've made a triangle with 90 degree corners! In negatively curved spaces, the angles on a triangle will do the opposite, adding always to less than 180 degrees. It's possible to make a pentagon with 90 degree angles in such a space. There are other remarkable properties to get into, and that one can with time intuit. Other hyperbolic games include Warped Mines [phone] and some web games.

[@theobrominator]

Glad that Hyperbolically is getting such good press! I read his devblog last year when reading about 3D projection calculations and it looked really cool.

[@Callaxes]

Been following your channel for 8 years and Codeparade for 2 years. This is the first time when a channel I love covers a game made by another channel I love.

[@Goblincow]

always here whenever a new video comes out, no matter when or what format. I am a fan of your work and I'm here for it whichever way you make it

[@Tsutaru]

I like the bite-size stuff. It's a good format for "hey here's a game that matters and why it matters", or "here's a topic you should be aware of and if you like this brief overview you'd love my in-depth video on my Patreon." As someone who is looking for clever design, games analysis, and notable narratives, bite-size videos have a low barrier to jump into and generally can offer me enough info to know if I want to dive deeper or not.

[@heyitsmort7744]

I love the idea of splitting blips videos up. In addition to making the specific games I want to see more easy to access, it also spreads out your content for greater engagement!

[@morianhawke]

Really big fan of this format! You get some insightful points in, without requiring a whole month of work

[@stevewalker1790]

This is much better! I know the KZbin algorithm thinks longer videos are better, but I honestly find them intimidating. And I prefer to see my favourite creators more regularly.

[@boyblob]

Definitely enjoy this kind of video now and then. Always liked how your channel shows off games that I would otherwise never even hear about.

[@Crispman_777]

I've never seen something look so cool and make me feel so dizzy and sick simultaneously.

[@RazorFringe2]

Long-time subscriber here, I'm sure I don't have to tell the community but I thought you might like to hear something like this said out loud; the video length or subject is never, ever a problem. Have a good one.

[@kilovoltamp]

short coverage of Indies is great! I've been enjoying the little demo videos Itch puts out on KZbin and there's always room for more.

[@gblatt8472]

Heya, Love hearing from you whether it's a long video with "themes" or just a short little "hey this is interesting " video. Being locked into a Mac, this feels like one of the very few weirdo games you recommend that I can actually play. Often I'm a spectator, living these games vicariously through you (and other youtubers), but I really enjoy the framing you provide, even if I can rarely actually join in myself.

[@Thehotdogman]

I like this format just fine! If it's easier for you to produce it opens up the potential for being a more frequent show and it gives us a beat on what you're into these days rather than having months pass between updates.

[@thelegalsystem]

Oh wow, I never expected this to pop up here! I've been following the development on KZbin for quite a while. Love your content!

[@Paperlanty]

What a funky and neat game! I also enjoyed the video and love to see your stuff, so anything that keeps you going is great!

[@unvergebeneid]

Hyperbolica is one of those "only in video games" experiences. Like, you can play around with knitted hyperbolic planes all day long but moving in an actual hyperbolic plane is a completely new experience and one that your brain is not ready for, I promise. I do wonder if it even can be on a physiological level.

[@Woot100]

WOOOOOO NEW UPLOAD and i agree, i think shortform blips are the way to go! plus, having blip episodes focus on a single game at a time will likely make it easier for you to focus on exactly what and how much you wanna say about a specific game, rather than worrying about giving too much or too little to one title or another

[@inthefade]

I've been watching the devlogs for hyperbolica forever. Can't wait to play it.

[@LukeLavablade]

I like this format. I do like regular Blips episodes because it gives me a chance to compare (roughly) contemporary games and think about the influences they've had on each other and the culture of games, over time. Being about one game minimises that a little. But I think that comparison motive is an important part of Blips. It's not just 'Blip' after all. A short form of Blips, I think, should include at least 2 games - that might actually be an elegant solution. Keeps the video short(er, at least), but still prompts consideration of where these games fit into a wider context, too. Whatever you decide to do, I'm always happy to see videos from you no matter how long it is between them, so do what is most creatively fulfilling for you.

[@valacan]

I like the shorter episodes for sure. Sometimes I'm on my lunch break and being able to just disconnect for a bit like this is great.

[@adamsfusion]

This is a game I own and I really want to finish. However, it's the only time I've ever had motion sickness in a game, and I'm sorta psyching myself up to play it again.

[@zgrabgah]

For short form vs long form videos: they both have their advantages, so I would say focus on whichever one makes for a more fun and less stressful creative process.

[@lou-cidmire3065]

I play a TON of VR (probably more than is healthy lol) and I thought I had conquered motion sickness for good after all these years. But OOF... 5-10 minutes inside Hyperbolica VR had me sweating buckets and utterly nauseous. Not a bad game though whatsoever. This concept is beyond fascinating and it gave me a taste of that "first time in VR" feeling I never thought I'd get to feel again. I might wait till winter & drink some peppermint tea to play it in full. 😭

[@omfgacceptmyname]

ive been keeping tabs on hyperbolica's developer youtube channel for a number of years, so it's cool to see the game come to your channel

[@perpetualgrimace]

Love the format. Then again I'll watch pretty much any video you post regardless of length.

[@veknio]

Putting my vote on the small-short videos on a regular basis, just my grain of sand in this community

[@GmodPlusWoW]

Truly a welcome surprise! And a mind-bending game that does spatial distortion a lot better than The Fortress of Dr Radiaki. ('cause Radiaki has a fish-eye lens that makes you feel like you brained your damage) ...uh, ok, I think this footage messed with my perception, because everything FEELS 3D now. Please send help.

[@AmyDentata]

Everybody has checked in at this point, but I like the shorter form, and getting more frequent videos from you. Good stuff

[@kyletowers9662]

longer videos are the opposite of a problem

[@RageTreb]

I am so glad I decided to watch this, this game looks endlessly fascinating

[@mrdrprof8402]

I honestly really like just getting a bit video every now and then, but I'm 6o6ally for this idea if it ends up working better! Regardless that game seems super interesting and I'm sold!

[@MrMeyerMM]

It brightened up my day just to have a new video from you in my feed. Short form is a big yes on my part :)

[@TheCoatlCommando]

Loved the new one off format!! I feel we focus my thoughts more on what makes that game special

[@arthurjeannin3357]

Absolutely up for more of these videos if you like doing them! I'm a big fan of short videos since they take less time to do, you can focus on smaller-scale stuff and it's easier to watch as well.

[@LuxurioMusic]

I got Hyperbolica as soon as it came out, but I was only part way through when my controller died on me and I've not fixed it yet. A lot of times it does feel like a tech demo and I'd love to see CodeParade go into more depth with specific mechanics, but I do love just moving through the world. The first evening I played it for a long time and when I looked away from my screen the world felt too small for a good minute, which was a really trippy experience.

[@SteveAcomb]

I need to: 1. Buy a VR headset 2. Prepare a heroic dose of mushrooms 3. Play hyperbolica

[@Fachewachewa]

I'm glad you posted this on YT :) I don't see anything wrong with the format and I'm definitely up for more, but it's also good for the games' visibility. Having some discussions around a small game is always a positive. Even as a player, it's a shame when you played a great little game and there's no one talking about it. For example, a few months ago I explicitly looked for people talking about Treasures of the Aegean after beating it, and I found a couple of new channels because of that!

[@jarmarmarn4323]

This made my stomach feel like it was inverting, very interesting stuff

[@christina.morris]

Short form works for me, and I think it's kind of neat for Blips in particular, as it can allow more focus on that particular game. Format is ultimately a secondary concern for me, though, since the main things I personally watch for are your thought process and the things you find interesting about all the games you cover.

[@IronicCliche]

Strangely, one of your best episodes.

[@WhiteboardBlack]

i enjoy these short episodes of unique games. blips can be useful for comparing games with similar conceits/games.

[@MacGuges]

I really appreciated this episode, weird games are my jam. This will motivate me to finish setting up my home Linux PC so I can play on my PC again. Anyway, I want to recommend to anyone reading they check out I Was A Teenage Exocolonist. It's a really wholesome lifesim about adolescence, how transitioning from being a child to an adult is equal measures of terrifying and empowering. I was amazed by how effectively the small studio integrated the multiple disciplines of game development... Which I'm realizing parallels how they show the interdisciplinary functioning of a successful community. Really wow

[@adamgryu]

I enjoyed this video format - it's just nice to learn about interesting games even if there isn't a big thematic point to make

[@lr0nY]

Great timing for me to recommend this game in our group for a VR-evening! Though it might be an extreme introduction into vr for the first-timers...

[@saulitix]

Getting dizzy and puking on my desk: the videogame.

[@jewthulhu]

Love this format. Love hour+ videos. This is good stuff and you have a good channel.

[@LoganCrazyBoy]

Oh God it's that game from Twitter. I get motion sickness just from FPS games. I can barely look at this game lol Anyway, great format. These shorties are pretty cool :)

[@BlueLightningSky]

This feels like it could be a blueprint for future FPS games.

[@jay.watching]

Regular short content -> One big compilation Easier to digest and easier to focus your mind (and overall interest) on a specific game, rather than trying to choose one or two from big video. It feels like every game will have more room to breath and show for itself in this format.

[@TwentySeventhLetter]

Eyy been following Hyperbolica for a while, nice to see a review!

[@roncinephile]

Exquisite commentary, I wouldn't know this game without your voice.

[@SamuelElPesado]

oh man! i loved this game! the devlogs for it have been incredible!

[@TheBloodswordsman]

Short forms like this are cool - especially when they fill the gaps between the larger episode. Everything you make is a banger though, so I look forward to whatever you decide.

[@Waltztacular]

If short episodes make it easier, I'm all for it! My only complaint I've ever had is there isn't more of your content ❤️

[@thesii213]

Great video. And yep, I think your style does well in short form too. Whatever you have the time and energy for right now! And as someone that doesn't have the extra cash for Patreon at the moment, a timed exclusive seems the best option to me.

[@zan8152]

Love the short format! Love the long format too, but I can only imagine how difficult it is to put those together - more ES is always great, so shorter & simpler works very well. This game looks fantastic, but is maybe not something I can play, even the footage was kinda hard to watch without feeling a little off.

[@alexmaction8474]

I actually enjoy the bigger blips with multiple games more, even if there isn't a "theme". Its hard to express how, but I enjoy it more when there is more to take it and experience at once.

[@dannywagner6875]

I like tiny videos! It's nice to hear your perspective on something recent and I feel I'm more likely to check something out this way.

[@hawkbirdtree3660]

I've heard this game being described as "The most relaxingly stressful game ever made"

[@JalikMetagram]

I really enjoy this new format ! I think shorter videos about an obscure game that I can spend a few minutes on fits much more the blips series than the other episode. I still love your long videos and I'll always find the time to watch them all, but it's also nice to have shorter videos too :D

[@InternetJulian]

I really like the shorter form! Personally it’s a lot easier for me to digest a short video about something I haven’t heard of than a longer video about maybe several things I haven’t heard of

[@bethanyblueberry]

I love the idea of these shorter videos every so often, as a quick gush about a smaller title. While I love Blips, I think that format works best when there's some kind of thematic connection between the games (like the one covering 'comedic' games a while back). The tiktok video sounds intriguing, good luck with it!

[@Cythil]

Nice you see you cover the game. I like games that play around with our perception of space. So I have followed this game. It is one thing to read about the maths behind a world like this. It is a completely different matter to experience it!

[@marsgreekgod]

I like the short, so you can talk about games while they are new and fresh in your mind

[@NeonxLightsx]

I loved this! Great work as always!!

[@JohnCater]

Great video, please do keep making ones like this.

[@parrellel]

Releasing blips in bits and bobs makes good sense.

[@Warstub]

Even if it's not a demo, it's a perfect demo to show what could be done on a larger scale. The hyperbolic rendering might feel more natural on a much larger scale. Also, the inverted part reminded me immediately of Christopher Priest's 'Inverted World' - one of Science Fiction's great novels. How amazing it would be to see that book turned into a video game, even a short one!

[@wakelyn]

you should really check out hyperrogue, it’s an (IMO) much better use of the hyperbolic plane from back in 2015 with gameplay that goes a lot deeper (despite its simplicity) and is a lot better at teaching the player how the space works

[@zacherychapman8474]

You've had an uncanny knack for reviewing games that are right up my alley ever since I found your channel in 2014, and I hold your opinion as a reviewer and (functionally, for me) curator in the highest regard. I recently bought hyperbolica and really enjoyed it; particularly the spaces with spherical geometry. Quite the fascinating trip! Always looking forward to your next review on an original, thought-provoking game. Keep up the great work!

[@enirya]

i for one really enjoy this new short blips format

[@Saltysailorsea]

I have no negatives for a single blips video. But one thing I really like about a few games in a video is that usually at least one game resonates with me and ends up on my wishlist, let's me get excited, probably idiosyncratic. But I also just want to comment for the algorithm. Keep up the great work! Love childern of doom