Spinny the runner

Boxclip site

Spinny the runner: mechanical menace (temporary tittle, it may change in the future) is a platform game with mechanics of the 16 bits era, modern graphics and many features such as: story mode, multiplayer, touch controls, split screen, 4 selectable characters, game editor, network controls and much more.

The game is built with "Boxclip" engine, a 2D platformer engine using LÖVE and Lua forked from: https://github.com/Jigoku/boxclip

Boxclip is a 2D platformer engine, with an emphasis on interactive map editing. Built using the LÖVE2D framework.

Maps can be created with the custom built-in map editor. Simply drop and place entities into the world to create a level.

This app depends on LÖVE runtime, make sure you install it first: https://openrepos.net/content/sashikknox/love-2d-runtime

The repository of this fork is: boxclip-mobile (Projects had originally two different branches and now desktop and mobile version are unified on the link provided)

Developers interested on discussing and / or contributing to the game development can join the loomio forum here: boxclip-Loomio

I added to this fork:

• Thumbstick support: Control the player with the thumbstick
• Replaced most assets
• Touch controls
• Added credits menu
• Added some extra music tracks

Tweaks (necessary to avoid compatibility issues):

• Shaders disabled (waterfalls are frozen as a result) -> Shaders have been all ported and work now)
• Webp disabled (the game is as a result ⁓ 8Mb bigger)
• Console prints disabled
• Function in charge of hidding sprites "love.graphics.setScissor" disabled due to incompabilities  (Function succesfully ported and now works on mobiles too)
• Function in charge of formating time disabled (world:formattime(n)) due to issues on Sailfish, as a result, gameplay time rendering is an unreadable mess.
• Other minor tweaks

v0.3.4-1 adds: Improved birds animations:

- Birds now spread in different sizes and move and rotate on a z axis (pseudo 3d)

- Improved fusion of the birds with the backgrounds through fragment shaders ( Added ambient occlusion, diffuse lighting based on a light direction and specular highlights to simulate a slight reflection.)

- Added Day-night cycle algorithm to make the overall palette dynamic. The original pallete is now slightly modified to simulate sunrise and sunset and the whole day night cycle.

v0.3.5-1 adds:

- Hints from the sky: birds have now the ability to congregate and draw patterns on the sky. This could be used to provide hints in the future.

- Reynold's algorithm optimized for performance mode, birds now render on performance mode.

- Added night starred background for the day night cycle.

v0.3.5-1-2 adds: zoom can be adjusted at any time with the right axis of a real gamepad.

v0.3.6 adds: normal maps and dynamic lighting to some platforms and walls.

v0.3.7 adds: Forth selectable character (for multiplayer mode)

v0.3.8 adds: New "cloth" entity.

Cloth entities are like "prop" entities: they are merely decorative, but they differ with props in that they are affected by specific shaders to simulate wind movement over light flexible materials.

The goal is to make the world more alive and animated.

One example of cloth can be found on level 1act2 at the top left of the level (a flag waving has been added with cloth properties).

v0.3.9 adds: Added normal maps to most platforms, traps and to some props.

Added movement to some trees leaves

v0.4.1 adds: Enemies spawn liberated animals when they die.

Animation when enemies dies added (they stretch and fade out).

Added liberated animal counter to the hud. Every enemy spawn 3 liberated animals and add them to the counter.

v0.4.2 adds: Story mode and intro dialogues

v0.4.2.2 adds: The Story mode has special task that need to be accomplished in order to progress: 1 / 3 of total animals per level needs to be liberated in order to progress through the story mode (portals will be unlocked only if required animals have been liberated).

Hud renders now required animals to unlock portals-

Added second splash screen.

Game title set to "untitled". Game name is not decided yet, boxclip is the name of the engine (not the game).

v0.4.2.3 adds: Pair of introduced issues corrected:

Music does not start after completing a level in story mode due to mistyping of a variable: solved

Counter of required animals to open portals in story mode resets after every level.

v0.4.3 adds: Game title (temporary tittle, it may change in the future)

New "boxclip" font (used in the title)

New physics (camera rotation affects gravity, this new physics will be used on bonus stage first)

- Bonus stage

- New story mode mechanic: colleting a number of gems unlock a bonus stage.

- New hud information: required liberated animals and gems are rendered below every character points and gems.

- New bonus stage music (Runaround by Yubatake    https://opengameart.org/content/runaround CC-BY 4.0)

 

v0.4.3.2 adds:

Improved title graphics

New portals to bonus stages (activated after collecting a number of gems)

New radial menu to provide quick access to menus with a gamepad (current available options: enable FPG graph, Go to title menu, exit and toggle performance mode.

New HDR mode which extend the RGB values beyond 1 for the day-night cycle algorithm (which affects almost any entities during gameplay). This is an experimental feature and it currently crashes on sailfish (not usable on mobile).

Day night cycle (enabled by default) can now be toggled from graphics options.

Dynamic lights (enabled by default) can now be toggled from graphics options.

New bloom effect (experimental and disabled by default). It can be toggled from graphic options and works on sailfish, however it is not optimized and not production ready: it causes dramatic performance issues (makes the game almost unplayable due to low framerate). It is aimed at developers and betatesters.

v0.4.3.3 adds: 

Music player: The whole soundtrack can now be played from the title menu.

New entities: Bridgesm doors, loops and switches added to the available entities for the engine.

New pick ups: Keys and special powerups (to be used in future mechanics).

New radial menu (only for gamepads which do not work on sailfish): A new radial menu added with which most graphic options can be toggled and compared in real time such as: bloom, day night cycle algorithm, dynamic lights, hdr mode and much more.

The new added features to the engine do not make any difference yet as no level has been designed to use them, but the features are added nevertheless and are here described for future reference.

v0.4.3.4 adds:

Game automatically pauses and turn volume down when not in focus (on call or minimized)

New game mechanichs: Combos. Hit several enemies on a short period of time and become extra points.

New slow motion effects (used when doing combos).

Touch controls can now be hidden from top swipe menu, title menu and radial menu at any time.

Game can be paused from top swipe menu (option says credits instead of pause, that will be corrected on future builds) and gamepad.

New help floating info can be toggled from gamepad (back button).

v0.4.3.5 adds:

Gallery menu to see some of the assets used in the game in high resolution.

v0.4.3.6 adds:

Language menu and menu / dialogs translations to the following languages:

German, spanish, french, italian, finnish, norwegian, danish, japanese, swedish, chinese and greek.

v0.4.4 adds:

Added hundreds of new assets including: platforms, props, pickups, enemies

Corrected input for the level editor (it was not functional before, now it works).

Added all the new assets and entities to the level editor: You can now create levels using all the new content.

Tip: Some of the new entities are still experimental and have not been properly tested which means some may make the game crash when you add them in the editor, please report critical bugs on codeberg so that they can get fixed.

Tip 2: To create levels on the mobile you still need a mouse and a keyboard connected to the phone.

v0.4.4.2 adds:

Added new ambient sounds (rain, autumn forest wind, snow-mountain wind and night animals sounds)

Improved weather particle effects and added new rain effect.

Themes, weather conditions and backgrounds can now be toggled from the level editor.

Added new intro frame for the story mode.

v0.4.4.3 adds:

Added new and improved backgrounds (they can be toggled and seen on the level editor).

Auto performance disabled by default (can now be toggled from the graphic options on the title menu)

v0.4.4.4 adds:

Added 6 new music tracks

Assigned different music tracks to each background based on theme (the music tracks can be hear on the level editor by switching background with the key "b").

v0.4.4.6 adds:

Underwater Stages:

• New props, platforms, backgrounds, and enemies added for an immersive experience.

Physics Tweaks:

• Player mechanics adjusted for underwater realism:
• Jump height, speed, and frame delay changed to account for water resistance.
• World gravity tweaked to reflect reduced buoyancy in water.
•  

Visual Fidelity:
Chromatic aberration effect added (enabled by default)

New Features:
Mine entity introduced, adding explosive fun to the game.

New "Underwater Ruins" levels featuring many of these new features and challenges.

v0.4.4.7 adds:

• Assets reduced and compressed to make distribution easier (If you want the full soundtrack and quality assets please download the game from the repository or builds from other hosts such as archive.org)
• New doors and key mechanics: Doors require keys to be opened
• Doors can now teleport or send you to a new level
• New stages "Underground ruins" and "Sky fortress"

v0.4.5 adds:

- Caustics shaders (can be toggled from the graphics options in the title menu)

- Refactored and reorganized title menu

- Switch entities

- Underwater stage extended

Version 0.4.6 introduces:

• Realtime generated clouds: While real-time animated clouds are available only on desktop due to the computational intensity of this effect, mobile users will still enjoy a stunning and realistic static version of the cloud effect.

Version 0.4.7 introduces the following updates:

• Reflections and Reflective Materials: Certain objects, like gems and pickups, are naturally reflective, while others become reflective under specific conditions, such as rain or wet weather.
• Realtime generated Clouds: On desktop, clouds are generated in real time for a dynamic, immersive experience. On mobile devices, due to the high computational cost, the real-time cloud generation has been replaced with a video loop of animated clouds to optimize performance.

Version 0.4.8:

• First build ever to work on last sailfish os 5.0 (tampella)
• All lua deprecated functions replaced with their newer counterparts to ensure full compatibility
• Started integrating "chathud": a custom chat interface serving three main purposes:

1. Interface to GPT4ALL and ollama for creating AI-powered game assistants and NPCs (GPT4ALL server and models not included; setup required).
2. Interface to Noobhub servers for seamless player communication.
3. Parse specific commands to change game options using natural language.

Started integration with "Noobhub": a multiplayer and network messaging platform and multiplayer server compatible with multiple game engines, including CoronaSDK, Moai, Gideros, and LÖVE. The goal is to allow online multiplayer and chat inside the game.

version 0.4.9-1: 

"This updated version resolves an issue with the background bird animation caused by incorrectly porting the math.atan2 function from Lua's older to newer implementation. As a result, the birds' angles were not accurately reflecting their direction. This has been corrected in this new release."

version 0.5 adds:

Real time cloud generation on Mobile

For the first time on ARM-powered mobile devices, real time cloud generation and animation to the game's cloudy skies.

Version 0.5.2:

For the first time, Performance Mode really delivers high frame rates! By disabling non-essential elements, we've achieved a significant FPS boost (note that image quality will also take a hit, appearing somewhat flat). If you're tired of choppy gameplay in this demanding title, you can now opt for improved performance at the cost of visual fidelity. Simply access the pull menu and select Performance Mode to give it a try.

Version 0.5.3:

Significant improvements for a seamless mobile experience!

• Orientation switching: The transition between portrait and landscape modes is now incredibly smooth, eliminating any gaps or disruptions to your view - no more jarring changes in resolution!
• Pull-down menu: The silica-inspired pull-down menu now works perfectly in both orientations, eliminating the need to physically rotate your device to access options. Enjoy an intuitive interface on any screen configuration!

Version 0.5.4 adds: First implementation of chathud 

Introducing Chathud - an interface to GPT-4ALL and Ollama, allowing for AI-powered NPCs and assistants! To test it:

    Pull Menu > Select Third Option: Open the Chathud interface.
    Test Basic Commands: Type in these specific commands to ensure functionality:
        "enable touch controls"
        "disable touch controls"
        "enable performance mode"
        "disable performance mode"
        "enable day night"
        "disable day night"
        "change language to"
        "change speaker to"
        "quit game"
        "send to channel"
        "send to user"

Key Features:

    Interface to GPT-4ALL for creating AI-powered NPCs and assistants (setup required)
    Seamless player communication with Noobhub servers
    Parse specific commands using natural language
    Autocomplete suggestions by pressing "tab"
    Future updates will enable NPC conversations, assistant interactions, and multiplayer chat. For now only the commands listed above have been tested.

Note: A keyboard is recommended for typing due to touch keyboard issues (the touch keyboard is a work in progress).

v0.5.5 Update

I've focused on enhancing the cloud shader in v0.5.5, resulting in:

1. More defined clouds: The fractal Brownian Motion for cloud-like texture has been upgraded to provide more detailed and animated cloud formations without impacting performance.
2. Improved sky filling: The cloudy sky now fills gaps better, especially in landscape mode, reducing the gaps.
3. Decal shader update: I've switched back to the original decal shader on ARM devices, which provides a more suitable experience for mobile users.

If you're experiencing a lower-than-expected framerate in Normal mode, consider it a performance test that pushes the hardware to its limits! To unlock a smoother gaming experience, try switching to Performance mode, which delivers a high framerate ideal for gaming (pull down and select the second option).

For even more customization control, head to the title menu and explore the Graphic Options settings.

v0.5.6 Release Notes - ChatHud and Ollama Updates

Version 0.5.6 introduces significant updates to the chat HUD and Ollama integration with the following changes:

• Improved Chat HUD Position and Font Size: The chat HUD is now better positioned for both portrait and landscape orientations. Additionally, the font size has been increased, making it easier to read both the user input and responses from Ollama.
• New Command: "Set API URL to": This new command enables you to connect to an Ollama server outside your phone. You can now specify an external Ollama server with ease.
• Default Backend Set to Ollama: As there’s no known method for installing GPT-4All on ARM-based devices, Ollama has been set as the default backend for queries.

By default, all queries will be sent to Ollama, your local server, and the "deepseek-r1:1.5b" model. However, you now have the flexibility to customize these settings using commands. For instance, if you wish to use a different model or an external Ollama server, you can adjust the settings with the following commands:

1. Set an External Ollama Server:

   set api url to http://<your-server-ip>:11434/api/generate

   (Replace <your-server-ip> with the IP address of your desired server.)

2. Choose a Different Model: set model to "model_name"
3. Adjust Temperature and Max Tokens: 

       To set the temperature:

   Temperature set to <value>

4. To set the maximum number of tokens:

       Max tokens set to <value>

5. Switch Between Backends:

       To switch to GPT-4All:

6. To revert back to Ollama:

           switch to ollama

   These new features give you more control over the AI model and server selection for your queries.

   For instructions on how to set up ollama I recommend this thread: https://forum.sailfishos.org/t/runnin-llms-with-ollama-on-sfos/19058

    

    

Version 5.7 Update

Two new graphic options are now available:

1. Fractal Brownian Clouds: Accessible through Options > Graphics > Visual Effects.
   • Enables or disables the fractal brownian motion shader for clouds (highly computational expensive, reduces framerate).
2. Graphic Presets: Accessible through Options > Graphics > Graphic Options or Performance Option in the pull menu.
   • Three presets available: 'Quality', 'Balanced', and 'Performance'.

Note for Mobile Players

On mobile devices, the game now defaults to the Balanced quality preset, which provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. This setting is designed specifically for mobile players.

Graphic Presets Details

• Quality: Enables dynamic lights, real-time fractal brownian clouds, reflections, caustics, and chromatic aberration.
• Balanced: Our recommended default setting on mobile devices, disabling only the fractal brownian clouds while keeping other effects intact. This provides a smooth gaming experience without excessive graphical requirements.
• Performance: Disables all mentioned effects for optimal performance.

Version 5.8 Update

New Cloud Visual Options

Accessible from Settings > Graphics > Visual Effects > Clouds Quality

Two cloud quality presets are now available:

• 'High': Enables high-quality clouds (high resolution)
• 'Low' Optimizes cloud resolution and reduces computational expense for improved performance.

Balance mode now features Fractal Brownian Clouds in Low quality, offering a compromise between visual quality and performance. This setting is still the default on mobile devices. To switch graphic quality presets during gameplay, pull the menu and select the second option "Performance".

v0.5.9: Optimizing Performance on All Devices

I've focused on delivering a smooth experience even on weaker devices, such as mobile phones and ARM-based systems. To achieve this, I've made some strategic adjustments to balance performance and visual quality.

Performance Enhancements

I've optimized resource allocation by:

• Prioritizing main game elements: In balance mode, I've allocated system resources more efficiently by reducing the visual detail of secondary effects such as fractal Brownian clouds, caustics, and waving. This allows us to focus rendering resources on the main game objects and backgrounds, resulting in a faster and higher-quality experience for these essential elements.
• Reducing dynamic lighting detail on Mobile: I've lowered the resolution of dynamic lighting on mobile devices, making it virtually unnoticeable on small screens while preserving system resources.

Version 0.6 introduces significant optimizations to the Fractal Brownian Clouds effect, which enables significant performance boosts, especially when running in balance mode.

v 0.6.2

Performance Boost:

• Simplified graphics presets:
  • Quality: Renders foreground and background at high res (except for Fractal Brownian Clouds, which can be set to high res via options menu).
  • Performance: Renders background elements and parallax in lower resolution.
• Performance improvements:
  • Quality mode: 20 FPS
  • Performance mode: 30-40 FPS

v0.6.3: Performance Mode now hits up to 60 FPS by disabling dynamic lighting and rendering effects and backgrounds at lower res, while Quality Mode provides a stable framerate at a slower pace.

Version 0.6.4 introduces DBU (Dithering Bilinear Upscaling), a performance-friendly upscaling technique that blends bilinear filtering with dithering to minimize visual artifacts and enhance texture smoothness.

This shader effectively reduces pixelation on low-resolution textures by sampling four surrounding pixels for bilinear interpolation, then applies a subtle dithering effect to smooth out banding. The result is a more natural-looking image without heavily taxing your GPU. Ideal for mobile devices and weaker GPUs, DBU helps keep your game looking sharp while maintaining high frame rates.

Note that in Performance Mode, DBU is used on the background parallax layers to upscale them at lower resolution, but it's not needed on higher-resolution parallax of the quality mode.

By default the performance graphic preset does not enable this filter since it has a residual impact on performace (around 3 to 4 fps less). You can enable it from the pull menu (select DBU). 

The pull menu now works properly in portrait mode.

Version 0.6.4.2: Cloud Resolution Optimized. Clouds now move more smoothly across the screen in quality mode, offering a better visual experience

Version 0.6.5 Update: Noobhub Interface

This update focuses on connecting to noobhub and achieving the following milestones:

• Establishing a connection to the noobhub server (local and external)
• Introducing new commands:
  • "set username to" sets your nickname
  • "set server to" specifies the noobhub server IP address
• Automatic user announcements on connect and presence checking, with a list of connected users displayed at the top of Chathud

Getting Started:

To chat with others:

1. Download and start a noobhub server (follow instructions on https://github.com/Overtorment/NoobHub)
2. Open Chathud by pulling the pull menu
3. Set your username with "set username to [desired nick]"
4. Set the noobhub server IP address with "set server to"
5. Use "send to channel" or "send to user" followed by your message

Sailjail Issue:

Due to sailjail blocking internet access, running the game directly from command is required for now. -> Problem is solved.

This update has been successfully tested, allowing multiplayer chat functionality.

Version 0.6.5.2: First Functional Touch Keyboard Layout

This update introduces the first fully functional touch keyboard, supporting both portrait and landscape modes. You no longer need an external keyboard to chat.

The new touch keyboard is integrated with ChatHud, automatically sending everything you type to the main channel of a NoobHub server.

To start chatting, simply enter:
set server to <IP>
— replacing <IP> with the address of your NoobHub server.

You can now chat seamlessly with other players — whether they’re on another phone, a desktop, using the standalone ChatHud app or to another instance of this game.

Version 0.6.5.3: Corrects critical and minor bugs on chathud

A bug triggered when touch the screen outside the touch keyboard and causing the game to crash has been solved.

Connection to ollama works again by typing the command "talk to ollama" or "ollama" followed by the prompt

Restored caustic motion on "underwater ruins act 1"

Version 0.6.5.4: Added new music track and assigned to "sunny hill act2" level.

Version 0.6.5.5: Chathud rendering fixed: you can now chat in the title menu and also during gameplay.

v0.6.5.6 Update Highlights:

Refined Chat HUD Layout
The chat interface has been cleaned up for better readability and spacing.

Touch Keyboard Feedback
Added subtle sound effects when pressing keys on the on-screen keyboard.

User Join Notification Sound
Hear a chime when new users join the server.

Private Messaging Made Easy
You can now send a private message by simply clicking on a user's name in the user list.

v0.6.6 Update Highlights

NoobHub server ported  from Node.js to Lua/love2d, allowing for more efficient and integrated game networking (and there's no need for an external nodejs server).

To complement this change, you still have the option to use the original Node.js-based NoobHub server if desired. However, with the new ported server, you can now enjoy a seamless multiplayer experience within the game itself.

Chat HUD Updates

The pull menu is contextual and provides the following options when chatHud is opened:

• Start the NoobHub server (newly integrated into the game)
• Connect to a running Node.js-based NoobHub server (for those who prefer it)
• Close the Chat HUD
• Set your username
• Talk to Ollama (the game's AI)
• Set the Ollama API URL

When starting the newly integrated NoobHub server, you'll see real-time information on:

• Server port and uptime
• Number of connected clients
• Channels and online users
• Channel activity

The server runs in the background, allowing other players to reach you and send messages. You can close the Chat HUD to keep playing while still being reachable by others.

v0.6.6.2 update highlights:

- Restored pull menu behaviour (which was affected by some refactoring on the last update)

- Added notifications: When users join, leave or change the usernames a notification is received

- Chathud client is now always listening, the server can be started from the pull menu.

v0.6.6.3 update highlights:

Improved notifications: Players now receive notifications when a message is received (for now it only works for the player hosting the server, in the future it should work for everyone)

v0.6.6.4  music track titles and credits will now be displayed at the beginning of each level with Sound Waveform Visualization.

v0.6.6.6 New rain algorithm used on Sunny hill act 3 (swamp level)

Reduced caustics iteration in an attempt to improve performance on underwater area.

v0.6.6.7 Update

New Game Mode: Jigoku-0.2.1a

• A streamlined, high-performance version that stays faithful to the original, with only essential additions:
  • Optimized touch controls
  • Improved mobile screen layouts
  • Enhanced pull menu
• Extremely smooth framerate—thanks to minimal effects and stripped-down features.

Music now slows down during slowdown mode (post-combo).

v0.6.6.8

• Main character redesigned
• Character moves to the rythm of the music

This project is open source, feel free to contribute by forking it from: https://codeberg.org/glitchapp/Spinny-the-runner