Dune Buggy

Controls:

Key	Direction
Spacebar	Jump
Arrow Keys	Left, Right, Up(Forward), Down(Backward)

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    Dune Buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes or beaches. The design is usually a modified vehicle and engine mounted on an open chassis. The modifications usually attempt to increase the power to weight ratio by either lightening the vehicle or increasing engine power or both. Dune buggies designed specifically for operation on open sand are called sandrails.

    A similar, more recent generation of off-road vehicle, often similar in appearance to a sandrail but designed for different use, is the "off-road go kart". The difference may be little more than fitting all-terrain tires instead of sand tires.

Design
    Dune buggies are usually created using one of two to three different methods.
The first involves alteration of an existing vehicle, most notably the original Volkswagen Beetle. The Bug's (or Volkswagen Type 1) automobile platform is preferred for a variety of reasons. Most significant is the position of the rear mounted Volkswagen engine, which with removal of bodywork transfers a high proportion of the weight to the rear driven wheels for extra traction. The engine is air cooled, simplifying engine modification, and the absence of a radiator eliminates a source of failure. The low price; robustness of the front suspension; and the sizable quantity of spare parts from other VW Beetles and Type 2 (Microbus) are a further advantage. Chevrolet Corvair engines are also a popular way to upgrade to 6 cylinders and sometimes vehicles are fitted with turbochargers to provide as much as 180 horsepower (130 kW). For example, one such conversion was a 1970 Manx 2 on a 1961 VW chassis. It was fitted with a 180 hp (130 kW) turbocharged Corvair engine, with reverse rotation, mated to a VW transaxle.

    The second method involves construction of a vehicle frame from formed and welded steel tubing. The advantage of this method is that the fabricator can change fundamental parts of the vehicle (usually the suspension and addition of a built-in roll cage). Buggies of this type are called sandrails because of the rail frame. Sandrails, as with the VW Bug, often have the engine located behind the driver. Sizes can vary from a small-engine one-seat size to four-seat vehicles with eight or more cylinders. Sandrails can have panels or custom-shaped body coverings over frame, though many are left bare.

    Another type represents a mix of the above two design philosophies, typically constructed from a converted vehicle that has sustained damage from age, hard use, or accidents. This type of creation is called The Boston-Murphy style.

 Function
    Initially dune buggies were designed for navigating desert or beaches (hence the word "dune"). However, dune buggies have become more diversified in terms of the terrain they can handle and are being built for more generic off road tasks, such as CORR / SCORE indoor track racing. Some are even built for and used as on-road vehicles. Typically the function is determined before the buggy is created in order to maximize the comfort or abilities of the vehicle.
Although dune buggies can be bought (as a kit), many drivers make their own. This is done by separately buying chassis, engine, tires, steering wheel, and axles. Some builders make their own chassis, which creates a special, customized vehicle.

    A 1961 or later Volkswagen sedan is the preferred donor to create a Dune Buggy. The VW Type 2, Type 3 and Type 4 do not make good donor cars, however the engine, transaxle, wheels, and instruments can be used from these models.

    Other parts that can be salvaged from a donor VW for use in a Dune Buggy include the front axle and suspension, frame, pedal assembly, shock absorbers, seats, battery, fuel tank (1961 or later), steering column, brakes, instruments and switches, windshield wiper, horn and emergency flasher unit.

Tube-framed buggies

    The most common form of non-racing buggy consists of a tube frame, which is sturdy and simple to construct and repair. Steel tubing is preferred to pipe (pipe is rolled and welded, whereas tubing is mandrel drawn, giving it consistent wall thickness and superior strength.

    Engine size varies depending on the suspension, frame strength and performance needs. Engine size has varied from 50 cc for small light buggies to 7-liter engines and up, designed for professional racing. Dune buggies use both automatic and manual transmissions, sometimes based on application and engine power, but often based simply on personal choice.

Fiberglass dune buggies

    Dune buggies with glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass) bodies come in many shapes and sizes. Many companies worldwide have attempted to copy the original fiberglass dune buggy, the "Meyers Manx" built by Bruce Meyers. They can be seen on TV shows such as Wonderbug and Speed Buggy. These types of dune buggies are known as "clones".

    Kit cars are a variant that use the dune buggy philosophy of substituting significant amounts of a car with custom parts to resemble production, modified, or prototype cars. For instance: American Fiberglass Product’s “Humbug” has similar features to a classic Corvette, Berry’s “Mini-T” was a nod to the Ford Model T, or BMB Automotive’s “Surviver” is a scaled down version of the Lamborghini Cheetah.

Related Photos

   

 Source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Super Mario Sunshine

Controls:

Key	Attack
Spacebar	Fly
Arrow Keys	Left, Right, Up(Jump)

 

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    Super Mario Sunshine (スーパーマリオサンシャイン Sūpā Mario Sanshain) is a platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan in July 2002, in North America in August 2002, and in Europe and Australia in October 2002. It is the second 3D Mario platformer since the release of Super Mario 64 in 1996. Super Mario Sunshine's successor is Super Mario Galaxy, which was released for the Wii in 2007.

     The game takes place on the tropical Isle Delfino, where Mario, Toadsworth, Princess Peach and five Toads are taking a vacation. A villain resembling Mario, known as "Shadow Mario", vandalizes the entire island with graffiti, and Mario gets blamed for the mess. Later on, Mario is ordered to clean up Isle Delfino, while saving Princess Peach and Yoshi from Shadow Mario. Mario cleans up the island with a device called FLUDD (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device) invented by Professor E. Gadd.

    Super Mario Sunshine was generally well-received by reviewers. The game has sold over 5.5 million copies, and was the tenth best-selling game of 2002 in the United States. Due to the game's commercial success, it was re-released as a Player's Choice title in 2003.

    Super Mario Sunshine shares many similar gameplay elements with its predecessor, Super Mario 64, but it also introduces new features, like the ability to spin while jumping. FLUDD, a water-squirting accessory, is another new element in Super Mario Sunshine, which Mario uses to complete his mission. When Mario first acquires FLUDD (an acronym for Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device), he can spray and hover in the air using its nozzles. Two other nozzles can be unlocked later in the game to extend FLUDD's functionality: the Rocket Nozzle, which blasts Mario up high into the air;
and the Turbo Nozzle, which lets Mario sprint at high speed on land and water and break down special doors.

    Mario can also ride Yoshi later in the game, who can eat fruit and squirt the juice of that fruit. This juice can be used to dissolve orange generators acting as obstacles, and briefly transform enemies into platforms for Mario to step on. The color of Yoshi and the effect of its juice depends on the type of fruit last eaten. For example, if Yoshi eats a pineapple or papaya, he will turn orange. A coconut or banana will turn Yoshi pink, and he will turn purple if he eats a durian or a pepper. Yoshi will disappear if he touches a body of water deep enough to warrant swimming, or if he goes too long without eating a fruit.

    There are 240 blue coins and 120 "Shine Sprites". The game contains a number of independent levels composed of various locations on Isle Delfino, which can be reached from the hub, Delfino Plaza. Gameplay is based on collecting Shine Sprites by completing various tasks in the levels (called "Episodes" in-game). The player is then returned to Delfino Plaza and a new task is unlocked in that level. Each level consists of eight tasks, which may be played again at will once they are completed. Once the player has collected enough Shine Sprites, a new level is available at Delfino Plaza, either by the acquisition of a new ability or a plot-related event. 24 of the 120 Shine Sprites available are gained by collecting and trading Blue Coins at a rate of 10 Blue Coins per Shine Sprite. Gameplay proceeds in this fashion until all of the Shadow Mario-related missions are completed, which unlocks the level containing the final boss.

    A sequel to Super Mario 64 had been in the works for several years. The cancelled games Super Mario 64 2 and Super Mario 128 were some ideas Nintendo had for a direct sequel to Super Mario 64, and some elements from Super Mario 128 were used in Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Sunshine was first shown at Nintendo Space World 2001. The game was later shown again at E3 2002.

    In an interview about the development of Super Mario Sunshine with producer Takashi Tezuka and directors Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Usui, it was mentioned that the game's development began with the idea of gameplay involving a water pump. However, at first the developers thought that the world was too daringly out of character with Mario. Therefore, they tried using a man-type character, but thought this was too odd and that "if there was a man next to Mario, there is a sense of incongruity." There were ten candidates for possible water nozzles, and FLUDD was chosen because of fitting in the game's setting, despite it not being one of the favorites. Some preliminary gun-like water nozzles were removed due to all the controversy in the United States. They also stated that several Yoshi features were omitted, such as Yoshi vomiting juice fed to him.

    Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka composed the score to Super Mario Sunshine. The soundtrack features various arrangements of classic Mario tunes, including the underground music and the main stage music from the original Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Sunshine featured many of the usual voice actors for the various Nintendo characters. This is the only Mario game which features full English voice acting in cut-scenes. The voice cast consisted of Charles Martinet as Mario and Toadsworth, Jen Taylor as Princess Peach and Toad, Scott Burns as Bowser, and Dolores Rogers as Bowser Jr. Other voice actors included Kit Harris.

Source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Sonic The Hedgehog

Controls:

Key	Attack
Spacebar	Jump
Arrow Keys	Up, Down, Left, Right

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    Sonic The Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu), trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first Sonic game was released on June 23, 1991 by Sega.

The player cSonic is a blue Hedgehog who lives on South Island with his animal friends. In this first chapter of an ongoing saga, Sonic encounters an evil scientist by the name of Dr. Robotnik(known as Eggman in the Japanese version of the Sonic the Hedgehog continuity) for the first time. Dr. Robotnik/Eggman seeks to obtain the powerful Chaos Emeralds for the purpose of creating Robotnik/Eggman Land, and sets about transforming animals into robots to serve his ends. Realizing Dr. Robotnik/Eggman's evil ambitions, Sonic pursues him though several of the world's "Zones" before eventually defeating him in Scrap Brain Zone. Following this victory, Sonic returns home to South Island to rejoin his friends and resume his normal life. If the player was able to collect all the Chaos Emeralds, their power produces new plantlife in the Green Hill Zone, which surprises Sonic.

    In the game, Sonic has to prevent Doctor Robotnik from collecting the six Chaos Emeralds in an attempt to rule South Island. The player controls Sonic as he traverses six zones, each of which is split into three "acts". At the end of the third act of each zone, the player faces Dr. Robotnik in one of his vehicles.
The gameplay centers around Sonic's ability to run, jump, and roll at high speeds. Levels include springs, slopes, high falls and loop-de-loops. Hazards the player experiences include a wide variety of "badniks" — animals trapped inside mechanical bodies, which are released the moment the player hits them with an attack, either by jumping or rolling on the ground. Each badnik takes one hit to destroy, but their movements and methods of attack vary greatly over the course of the game. The player must also avoid rows of sharp spikes, bottomless pits, and elaborate death traps.

    Scattered around each level map are numerous gold rings, which became a signature item of the Sonic series. Collecting 100 rings rewards the player with an extra life. Rings act as a layer of protection against hazards — if Sonic possesses at least one ring, an enemy attack will not kill him instantly but will cause his rings to scatter outwards and bounce away from him. Shields and invincibility can also be collected in order to provide additional layers of protection — however, they do not prevent the player losing a life if Sonic is crushed (by a trap or between a wall and a moving platform), drowned, falls into a pit, or goes over each act's ten-minute time limit.

    Progression through the game is aided by lamp posts that act as checkpoints. When Sonic passes a lamp post, the game will continue from that point when the player loses a life. In the Japanese version, if a checkpoint is activated and a life is lost as a result of running out of time, the time at the checkpoint will reset to 0:00. If the player loses all their lives, the game is over unless they were able to obtain continues from Special Stages, in which case they can start at the beginning of the act with 3 more lives.

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Characters

	Sonic
	Knuckles
	Tails
	Cream
	Eggman

Source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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