Behind Sony's Echochrome is the OLE Coordinate System

by Jared Rea { Jul 16th 2007 at 5:25PM }

Echochrome was one of Sony's E3 surprises, captivating audiences with its simple elegance and twisted, conceptual gameplay. Appearing like an M.C. Escher take on Lemmings, just the sight of this PS3 and PSP title was puzzling in its own right. While it deserves praise for originality, Sony shouldn't get all the credit.

Meet the Object Locative Environment Coordinate System: the heart of Echochrome.

Developed by Japanese designer Jun Fujiki, his OLE Coordinate System is directly inspired by the famous paintings of M.C. Escher, going on to say that his program allows users to "create and experience their own Escher-esque worlds." The concept of eye tricks is the fundamental core of the OLE Coordinate System, making it so objects drawn at one angle have one meaning, while looking at it from another view can give it an entirely different one.

We still have no idea how Echochrome will play out, but now we can at least understand what we saw.

Tags: echochrome, mcescher, psn

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jared @ Jul 16th 2007 5:45PM

Wow. Just wow. Would you people mind settling down today? I'm getting really sick of deleting entire strings of comments because people can't just enjoy their damn video games.

Thanks!

Martin @ Jul 16th 2007 5:48PM

OK ... ?

Christopher Grant @ Jul 16th 2007 5:50PM

Point is: keep the conversation on topic. A post like this shouldn't needlessly devolve into a flamewar. I'll begin:

Wow, Echochrome looks really cool. I can't wait to try it out.

Shagittarius @ Jul 16th 2007 5:50PM

Personally I think this game looks interesting although I'm a little afraid of spending 3 minutes walking through the portions of the maze I know to attempt something new at the point where I fail.

Nate P @ Jul 16th 2007 5:49PM

Apparently Jared is such a rabbid PS3 fanboi that he can't handle Sony being called out for taking credit for other people's work.

Christopher Grant @ Jul 16th 2007 5:50PM

bye bye Nate

Martin @ Jul 16th 2007 5:51PM

Spend more time writing, and less time hitting the delete key.

http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/DSN/DSN009/1776706.jpg

Martin @ Jul 16th 2007 5:52PM

Before you go all bye bye Martin on me, that was supposed to be more constructive than it sounded. As in, don't get all hung up on people that critique you or your passions.

sheppy @ Jul 16th 2007 5:59PM

The game looks great but it has three primary challenges before it.

1. Can the game maintain interest beyond the initial "this is awesome" phase?

2. Can the game offer variety?

3. Can this game avoid the horrid trap of creating puzzles SOOOOO complex, it ultimately drives people away from the product?

I mean, the last board they showed during the presentation, it was interesting to watch the path but I couldn't tell where the ultimate goal was until they walked over it. It looks fun and unique but some clarification is needed.

Psaakyrn @ Jul 16th 2007 6:04PM

Basically, it's a "2.5d" environment simulation, as far as I can tell. Or to be precise, the environment is created in 2d isometric, manipulated in 3d, but the interactions are 2D isometric, with precise object-based rules:
1) When the world is rotated, recaculate isometric positions after rotation.
2) When moving downwards, you'll stop at the next platform.
3) When moving from A to B, as long as there isn't a gap, allow object to continue moving.
4) If there is an obscuring pillar with an path object on the other side assume a normal path in between.
5) If there is an obscuring pillar with nothing on the other side assume dead end/hole in between. (not shown)

Of cause, from what I can tell, it also can't perform certain types of optical illusions (like those seen in Super Mario 64).

For improvement, I would include special blocks which would allow one to walk up walls or walk down dead ends. Then it would get really messy.

In fact, now that I've seen it in action, I think I should be able to backwards-engineer it... BUT given copyright/patent issues, I think it might be a bad idea. :x

Psaakyen @ Jul 16th 2007 8:55PM

And on hindsight: Super Paper Mario should've really used this kind of technology instead of their lower-level illusion thicks. One wonders what Super Paper Mario would be like with this.. ah well. (Or any other actual platformer for that matter)

Truepatriot @ Jul 16th 2007 6:09PM

games looks great!im saddened that this video didn't have the classical music behind it.i didnt know this was coming to psp too o_O.

side note:lol what happend in this thread that it got deleted?i came in late XD

Ihya @ Jul 16th 2007 6:14PM

I'm not into any puzzle games so perhaps my opinion is less that others in the subject but I can see after it's initial brain teasing it'll just bore me and become trial and error.

Still, it's very different and Sony are to be applauded for that.

Triforceowner @ Jul 16th 2007 6:28PM

This will be on retail PSP, right? PSP is looking fun, and it will only be $169.99, it will be Lite, it has these neat, weird games, and it has that "load from memory stick" option.

CHAD WARDEN! @ Jul 16th 2007 6:34PM

I TOLD YALL PS TRIPPLE GOT DEM GAMEZ!

BALLLLIN!

PSN:ummfada @ Jul 16th 2007 7:42PM

This is way better than the X-Box live arcade stuff this year (AKA CELL Phone games) in my PS3 hugging biased opinion.

But i do think x-box has cell phone games

WOOT! Tetris

russ @ Jul 16th 2007 7:47PM

aaaw, the magic has been spoilt slightly.
I feel like i just saw the 'making of' extras about a year before i saw the movie.

Brandon @ Jul 16th 2007 8:31PM

So did sony hire this guy, buy the rights to use this system, or is it a case similar to Fl0w where the game was taken under sonys wing and funded?

Joshua @ Jul 16th 2007 8:40PM

Wow, Echochrome looks really cool. I can't wait to try it out.

ogvor @ Jul 17th 2007 2:46AM

Even as a "Xbox 360 Fanboy" (though I'd be willing to get either system as soon as the have more exclusive games, and the PS3 price went below 400) I really am jealous of the PS3 for this great looking puzzle game. I just don't understand why games like this and flOw go to the supposedly super powerful system, when it should really be a cool web game or something. I guess it's great that some indie developers are getting some pay, but wouldn't they be getting more by realeasing to all the consoles and portables?

Consolcwby @ Jul 17th 2007 3:50AM

='(

Am I the only one who thought the concept was really cool, but had problems with their eyes hurting after seeing this?... =/ Probably so.

Platy @ Jul 17th 2007 5:23AM

i love how this game totaly proves nintendo idea that don't need graphics to be cool (just look at sony fanboys that bashed smash liking this game here or on kotaku...) and offers very interesting controls (would be awesome to be used with the wiimote) and overall gameplay =3

i can only hope that this game be released outside psp/ps3 (no money/don't have friends who will buy any of those 2) so i can play =3

Psaakyrn @ Jul 17th 2007 8:10AM

Except that it also proves that you need processing power to be cool as well. Granted in it's current iteration it doesn't require that much processing power yet... but that's like comparing pPong to RockStar's Table Tennis. When this receives some graphics and gameplay mechanisms other than "Go from A to B", you'll see the processing requirements shoot up.