Lugaru
Encyclopedia
Lugaru: The Rabbit's Foot (icon) is the first commercial video game created by Wolfire Games
. It is a cross-platform
, 3D
action game
for Microsoft Windows
, Mac OS X
, and GNU/Linux. It features Turner, an anthropomorphic
rabbit
with curiously well-developed combat skills.
Lugaru was made almost solely by David Rosen, including the game engine
, models, animations and story. It was one of the first independently-produced video games to employ ragdoll physics
. It uses a combat system basing attacks and counters on timing and context rather than different key combinations. It was well-reviewed and was fairly well-received among the shareware
community, especially among Mac users. Tim Soret would later improve the games textures, and Wolfire currently sells this version as Lugaru HD.
The name Lugaru is a phonetic spelling of "loup-garou", which is French
for werewolf
. The word "Lugaru" is commonly pronounced as loogaroo.
David Rosen has announced that Overgrowth
will be the sequel to Lugaru.
After learning the terrible truth, Turner confronts the rabbit king and takes power in a bloodless coup
. He then vows to the other rabbits that he will meet with the Alpha
wolf, and if need be, kill him. Using a wide variety of combat techniques, Turner then battles wolves and hostile rabbits across grassland, snow, and desert landscapes. Hickory sets a trap to try and stop Turner before he reaches him, but Turner is able to defeat the three wolf assassins and is then able to kill the rabbit king himself. Bolstered by his recent victories, he finally reaches Ash, the alpha wolf. He warns that if Turner defeats him it would mean ruin for the rabbits as they would overpopulate and starve without the wolves enforcing the natural order. Turner refuses to listen, and manages to successfully overpower Ash and defeat him. After this he returns to the other rabbits, where he is offered the chance to be king. Turner feels he is not up to governing, and decides he will spend the rest of his life wandering and trying to find a purpose again.
, and in many cases incorporates knives, swords, and bo
staves. The player can also perform disarms, reversals, and counter-reversals.
With no HUD
, the player must rely on visual cues to determine Turner's health; most notably the character's posture and the darkness and blurred vision.
The combat control is original as well, since there are only three context-sensitive
action buttons, which puts emphasis on fast-paced action rather than complicated button combos: one attack button, a jump button, and a more general crouch-reverse button.
The game can be played in campaign mode, which includes mission specific objectives and storyline, as
well as a "challenge" mode, which involves the player progressing through a series of fourteen maps with the goal of clearing them of all hostile creatures. There is also an interactive tutorial.
can be thrown and a character can carry two of them, but it is the weakest weapon of the three. The sword
is very powerful and fast, but it is hard to find and incredibly easy to disarm. The staff
is the strongest of the three, and can easily kill an enemy when it is down. However, the staff can break and can easily be reversed.
Advanced modding, namely modifying skeletons to work custom animated characters into the game, 3D Model customization, animation editing and map editing have been made possible by reverse-engineering the file formats and writing Python
plugins for Blender
. An overview of all modification resources, done modifications and how-to documentation can be found in this thread on the Wolfire forums.
After the games success as part of the first Humble Indie Bundle
, Wolfire released the source code of Ryan C. Gordon
's code branch of Lugaru under the GNU General Public License
on May 11, 2010. This source code has allowed the game to be ported to additional platforms such as AmigaOS 4
.
Wolfire Games
Wolfire Games is an independent video game development company founded by David Rosen. Wolfire Games develops video games for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.- History :...
. It is a cross-platform
Cross-platform
In computing, cross-platform, or multi-platform, is an attribute conferred to computer software or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and inter-operate on multiple computer platforms...
, 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, and GNU/Linux. It features Turner, an anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
with curiously well-developed combat skills.
Lugaru was made almost solely by David Rosen, including the game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, models, animations and story. It was one of the first independently-produced video games to employ ragdoll physics
Ragdoll physics
In computer physics engines, ragdoll physics is a type of procedural animation that is often used as a replacement for traditional static death animations.-Introduction:Early video games used manually-created animations for characters' death sequences...
. It uses a combat system basing attacks and counters on timing and context rather than different key combinations. It was well-reviewed and was fairly well-received among the shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
community, especially among Mac users. Tim Soret would later improve the games textures, and Wolfire currently sells this version as Lugaru HD.
The name Lugaru is a phonetic spelling of "loup-garou", which is French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. The word "Lugaru" is commonly pronounced as loogaroo.
David Rosen has announced that Overgrowth
Overgrowth
Overgrowth is an upcoming action video game under development by Wolfire Games. It was announced on September 17, 2008. for all three major computer platforms: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux....
will be the sequel to Lugaru.
Story
After his family and friends are murdered by rabbit raiders, Turner embarks on a quest of revenge, only to uncover a deeper plot that threatens the entire Lugaru island. The wolves from a nearby island killed all of the rabbits who lived there, and have come to Turner's to find more food. Not wanting to make the same mistakes as before, they plan to enslave the rabbit kingdom rather than randomly attacking any that they meet as they usually do. That way they can conserve their food supply. The rabbit king Hickory has agreed to this takeover, providing that the wolves do not harm him. To secure the deal, he sent Jack, one of his loyal servants, to trick Turner into killing the rabbit raiders as they would be the only real resistance that the wolves would have to their control.After learning the terrible truth, Turner confronts the rabbit king and takes power in a bloodless coup
Bloodless Coup
Bloodless Coup is the fifth studio album by Irish band Bell X1. It was released on 1 April 2011 in Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, on 4 April in the United Kingdom, and on 5 April in North America....
. He then vows to the other rabbits that he will meet with the Alpha
Alpha (biology)
In social animals, the alpha is the individual in the community with the highest rank. Where one male and one female fulfill this role, they are referred to as the alpha pair...
wolf, and if need be, kill him. Using a wide variety of combat techniques, Turner then battles wolves and hostile rabbits across grassland, snow, and desert landscapes. Hickory sets a trap to try and stop Turner before he reaches him, but Turner is able to defeat the three wolf assassins and is then able to kill the rabbit king himself. Bolstered by his recent victories, he finally reaches Ash, the alpha wolf. He warns that if Turner defeats him it would mean ruin for the rabbits as they would overpopulate and starve without the wolves enforcing the natural order. Turner refuses to listen, and manages to successfully overpower Ash and defeat him. After this he returns to the other rabbits, where he is offered the chance to be king. Turner feels he is not up to governing, and decides he will spend the rest of his life wandering and trying to find a purpose again.
Gameplay
Hand-to-hand combat comprises most of Lugaru's gameplay, although the game rewards stealthy approaches. The fighting system is based largely around close combatClose combat
*Close combat is a generic term for both Close Quarters Battle and Hand to hand combat.*Mêlée generally refers to disorganized close combat.*CQB is an acronym for Close Quarters Battle, such as that which occurs in urban warfare....
, and in many cases incorporates knives, swords, and bo
Bo (weapon)
A bō or kon , is a long staff weapon used in Okinawa and feudal Japan. Bō are typically around long and are now used in Japanese martial arts, in particular bōjutsu...
staves. The player can also perform disarms, reversals, and counter-reversals.
With no HUD
HUD (computer gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
, the player must rely on visual cues to determine Turner's health; most notably the character's posture and the darkness and blurred vision.
The combat control is original as well, since there are only three context-sensitive
Context sensitive user interface
A context sensitive user interface is one which can automatically choose from a multiplicity of options based on the current or previous state of the program operation.Context sensitivity is almost ubiquitous in current graphical user interfaces, and should, when operating correctly, be practically...
action buttons, which puts emphasis on fast-paced action rather than complicated button combos: one attack button, a jump button, and a more general crouch-reverse button.
The game can be played in campaign mode, which includes mission specific objectives and storyline, as
well as a "challenge" mode, which involves the player progressing through a series of fourteen maps with the goal of clearing them of all hostile creatures. There is also an interactive tutorial.
Weapons
Weapons are essential to fighting in this game and each have particular advantages and disadvantages. The knifeKnife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
can be thrown and a character can carry two of them, but it is the weakest weapon of the three. The sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
is very powerful and fast, but it is hard to find and incredibly easy to disarm. The staff
Bo (weapon)
A bō or kon , is a long staff weapon used in Okinawa and feudal Japan. Bō are typically around long and are now used in Japanese martial arts, in particular bōjutsu...
is the strongest of the three, and can easily kill an enemy when it is down. However, the staff can break and can easily be reversed.
Modifications
Lugaru also has a number of mods made by the many fans of the game. You can choose to download the "Lugaru Downloader" which gives you a list of all the Fan-made mods so far. Lugaru Downloader also extracts and backs up the files and installs the mod automatically, rather than forcing users to back up files themselves and risk errors and glitches. The Wolfire forums for a link and information, and the website with the download link and info.Advanced modding, namely modifying skeletons to work custom animated characters into the game, 3D Model customization, animation editing and map editing have been made possible by reverse-engineering the file formats and writing Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
plugins for Blender
Blender (software)
Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications or video games. The current release version is 2.60, and was released on October 19, 2011...
. An overview of all modification resources, done modifications and how-to documentation can be found in this thread on the Wolfire forums.
After the games success as part of the first Humble Indie Bundle
Humble Indie Bundle
The Humble Indie Bundles or Humble Bundles are a series of game bundles, that are sold and distributed online at a price determined by the purchaser. The games are multi-platform, DRM-free, and independently developed, and buyers can set the revenue split between the developers, charities and...
, Wolfire released the source code of Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon
Ryan C. Gordon is a former Loki Software employee who is now responsible for icculus.org, which hosts many Loki Software projects as well as several new projects created by himself and others...
's code branch of Lugaru under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
on May 11, 2010. This source code has allowed the game to be ported to additional platforms such as AmigaOS 4
AmigaOS 4
AmigaOS 4, , is a line of Amiga operating systems which runs on PowerPC microprocessors. It is mainly based on AmigaOS 3.1 source code, and partially on version 3.9 developed by Haage & Partner...
.