Solo Joe: A Rock Climbing Video Game

Solo Joe 2 is based on an early game, Solo Joe. I started working on Solo Joe when living in Pittsburgh, PA 2003. I had only been climbing for a few years, but was enraptured by the sport. In my down time I began to teach myself to program. The obvious choice for my first project was a climbing video game. The project stalled quickly as my computer died, and my vagabond lifestyle made it unlikely that I would ever get back around to programming a game.

After a trip to Bishop, in the fall of 2005 where I discovered a game called Gunther's Big Day, I was inspired to breathe life into my still embryonic game. Gunther's Big Day was so much less than my vision, and I was sure that I could best Asana's gruff boulder. So, at the end of 2005 I dug up the old design and began to plug away. The process was slow as I still had not solved my computer issue. Still, my efforts began to yield some results.

In early 2006 I finally had something to show for all my efforts. I shared this raw, one-level catastrophe to a few friends. It entertained a few, but it did not represent my vision. One of the issues with my 'learn as you go' style of programming is that I often acquire new and helpful techniques AFTER I needed them, and I found myself rebuilding just as much as creating. And then... I got a real job. Between work and trying to actually climb, Solo Joe was forgotten for a while. Then in the Fall of 2006, my brother, Nate, inspired me to breath new life into the game. So, we planed some modifications. This new vision was different from the original, so I dubbed the project Solo Joe 2.

To date, I've spend countless hours on this game, and I often wonder if it's really worth all the effort. I think it is a fun distraction and I’m hopeful that others will find it entertaining. So, I’ll keep plugging away, and with any luck, I will have finished my 2nd attempt at a climbing game soon.

Note to non-climbers:

You may want to familiarize yourself with some climbing basics before you attempt to play this game. Though probably not necessary, a general understanding of the sport may aide you in your understanding of certain sections of this manual and the game itself.

Note to climbers:

This is a game. It is not rock climbing. Though it is based on the sport, it is still not rock climbing. This game may portray the sport in a way that conflicts with your sense of what is right and true in the world. Get over it! This is not rock climbing. It is a game.