Fly the Copter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fly the 'Copter (aka Copter, Helicopter, The Copter Game, The Helicopter Game, etc.) is a popular two dimensional, side-scrolling, Flash game created by seethru.co.uk Since its debut it has been shamelessly stolen by many websites who continue to host it, the most notable being the popular furry site EBaum's World.
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[edit] Confusion Concerning the Title
The game's original title, according to seethru.co.uk, ", and the game is most commonly referred to as "copter" but it is important to note that this is grammatically incorrect in both cases. The use of "copter" as a slang substitute for "helicopter" requires an apostrophe in place of the missing "heli" (ie: 'copter). The lack of such is most likely due to laziness.
[edit] The Game
The object of fly the copter is to navigate a helicopter from left to right through an obstacle course of green columns inside an ever-narrowing, nondescript, green chasm. This is accomplished by controlling the helicopter via the left mouse button alone; pushing the button gives the helicopter lift, while letting go takes it away completely, letting the helicopter fall at a steady rate. As the game states within its opening screen: \u201cCLICK AND HOLD THE LEFT MOUSE BUTTON TO GO UP, RELEASE TO GO DOWN\u201d. There are no additional controls.
The game records the player\u2019s distance in an undefined unit on the screen\u2019s bottom left, and saves the session\u2019s \u201cbest\u201d score on the screen\u2019s bottom right.
The games ends when the helicopter comes into contact with the course\u2019s ceiling, floor, or any of its numerous, and consistently spaced, green columns. This results in an audible crash, and a short fire erupting in the helicopter\u2019s front, mid, and tail sections. It is unknown whether the game can be \u201cbeaten\u201d as no one has yet provided a screenshot of such a feat.
Many people have said that Copter is more a test of hand-eye coordination than an actual "game" in the truest sense.
[edit] The Copter
The helicopter is the game\u2019s most detailed aspect. It is sleek, bluish gray, with a window that spans from the midsection of the right side of the vehicle\u2019s body to, presumably, the midsection of the left. No pilot is visible.
It has dark blue main and tail rotors, and, judging from the main blade\u2019s direction of rotation (counter-clockwise when viewed from below) it can be concluded that the helicopter is of either French, Russian, or Soviet make. It is also interesting to note that, if true physics concerning weight ratios are considered, the helicopter\u2019s main blade is much too short to support an aircraft of its size.
The helicopter also has landing gear on its undercarriage that, apparently, serves no purpose.
The most interesting aspect of Fly the copter\u2019s helicopter is the trail of smoke constantly emitting from its tail rotor. The release of such smoke is unexplained and is present either to establish circumstantial damage to the aircraft from the game\u2019s opening, or simply as a bit of visual theatrics to liven up an otherwise dull experience.
Since the game\u2019s source code is unavailable, extensive testing has revealed that it climbs half the width of the chasm at its widest point (the game\u2019s beginning) for every 24 units of distance traveled. Conversely, the helicopter falls the same distance for approximately every 18 units of distance traveled. Thus, the helicopter\u2019s rate of climb is three fourths as fast as its rate of fall. It is difficult to determine visually whether the aircraft's rate of fall is exponential or parabolic, but the fact that the copter descends faster than it rises should imply that the best height at which to hover between obstacles is slightly above the median height of the cavern.
[edit] The Obstacle Course
The helicopter flies through a generic green course that, unlike the helicopter, lacks any sort of detail at all. Reminiscent of Atari-era graphics, the only features of the chasm walls are a simple texturing consisting of closely running parallel, horizontal lines and sometimes-gentle, sometimes-jagged, changes in altitude in relation to the game\u2019s full window. In actuality, the texture lines appear to be present across the game\u2019s entire window, as they are visible through the helicopter, but blend with the darkness of the chasm.
The supposed location of the game\u2019s chasm is unknown, however it is accepted that within the space sufficient air is present to provide for the lift of the helicopter. That fact alone eliminates any natural structures on foreign planets, as well as areas deep below the earth.
The main obstacles within the game are the identically shaped, equally spaced pillars that usually float between the ceiling and floor. On rare occasions these pillars form stalagmites, or stalactites on the chasm\u2019s ceiling or floor respectively, making them appear to be of differing size, although it can be assumed that their missing mass is actually buried within. Regardless, these pillars are always spaced at 40 distance unit intervals.
[edit] Strategy
[edit] Flying High
One of the most commonly used strategies is the practice of flying at a height slightly above the game's median. This strategy is based on the fact that falling is strictly faster than climbing, thus if a higher flightpath is maintained the player is always in an advantageous position for avoiding obstacles. In general, the player will fly high, swoop down to avoid a high obstacle by letting go of the mouse button, and then swoop right back up to continue on.
This strategy becomes less and less viable as the game progresses due to the narrowing of the chasm.
[edit] Optimizing Lag
Another strategy is the use of lag as a way to slow the game, giving the player more time to make decisions about where to fly. Used intentionally, lag optimization can be a powerful tool for the copter player. The often-times erratic nature of such lag creates a new dynamic for the game, but is inarguably easier than playing the game without it.
Lag optimization is seen by many to be cheating and is controversial in the copter scene.
[edit] Notable players and top scores
On January 29, 2007, Richard C. Krohn obtained the copter world record with a score of 12,312. Securing the score of 8,479, Andrew Barringer holds the title for second place.
