Way back when I first got into creating games— we're talking waaay back—there was something called the "artillery game". Two players would take turns adjusting the angle and power of a cannon and attempt to hit the other player by tweaking the trajectory and power until it was just right. It was one of the simplest games out there - but still gripping. Over time I built a feel for the perfect angle, and the physics of projectiles. In fact, one of the first games I ever developed was an artillery game for my calculator, since that calculator couldn’t handle anything more complex in terms of graphics and gameplay. Some classic games like Scorched Earth eventually took the “artillery game” concept to a whole new level, building on physics and collision effects.
And that's exactly the kind of game the Toss Lab sample for Minecraft Creators – like you! - is built around: a single-player, side-scrolling puzzle experience centered on lobbing objects with wildly different physical properties. It's the perfect playground for the new entity physics components shipping in 1.26.20 and 1.26.30 as part of the Chaos Cubed drop. Toss Lab is already out there for you to open, run, and modify to your heart’s content – you can download it from the Minecraft Samples Repository!
Picture the angle and power concepts of Minecraft as the starting point of a side-scrolling puzzle game. There's a pressure plate on a high ledge. There's a hollow gap which must be filled so a rolling block can cross it. There's a switch tucked at the back of an alcove that nothing can hit in a straight line. You can't reach any of it directly but you do have a satchel of strange objects, each with its own personality, and you can lob them.
Imagine the following objects, with various physical properties, interacting with the environment in unique ways: A rubber sphere bounces three times before it triggers the switch you couldn't see. Or a heavy stone drops straight and nudges a target block off a ledge, onto the plate below. Maybe a cotton puff drifts on a slow arc, floating just far enough to settle on top of a column. Or a frozen disc lands on flat ground and slides halfway across the room... before stopping right where you needed it. Perhaps a sticky glob plants itself in front of a mob and refuses to budge.
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