I made a thread over on FreeRiderHD.com

by rabid squirrel Fri Apr 08, 2016 3:40 am

http://community.freeriderhd.com/threads/thoughts-on-free-rider-from-a-longtime-line-rider-guy.5305/

Had some debate with some people over in that community about Line Rider versus Free Rider. Really cool to see other perspectives!

by **Z_N-Freak** Fri Apr 08, 2016 4:50 am

Cool thread! Read all of the comments and it's interesting to read everybody's thoughts.

It's quite interesting how we are actually gamefying Liner Rider by things like IMPASSE and other forms of COTM's, but that the way you "beat" levels is by controlling the rider with the lines drawn rather than with controls. Playing Free Rider puts more "time-pressure" on a person playing and is more about reflexes I think. That is what makes Line Rider different for me. I typically enjoy games more where you can think about your next move, where you can decide your own pace.

The other aspect is of course also the use of LR as an art-medium for choreography synced to music etc. I really enjoy watching LR tracks. And I wouldn't be able to explain to another person that doesn't know Line Rider (or Free Rider) exactly why. It's so abstract if you compare it to watching a movie. Especially when you consider quirk tracks that are typically a display of skill. Somehow I still enjoy watching them though.

by rabid squirrel Sat Apr 09, 2016 2:29 am

Fourth, in regards to Ness's comments about the history of Line Rider, you're right that Line Rider has a rich history. I've been the only real person working to keep tabs on that. We have a list of Line Rider Legends (which is a lifelong rank in the community), which I am in the process of writing bios for, I have that history thread where I answer questions, and I am working on a huge archive of track and video files so we don't lose any more tracks (for many various reasons) than we already have. I also have a sticky thread in the version development section which gives an overview of the different Line Rider versions that have led to our current versions. One day I hope to write a comprehensive dictionary of terms and lingo and the history behind them as well. I strongly encourage you to do the same concerning Free Rider - write things down before they are forgotten, and you may be surprised what newer members didn't know about the history of the game

Fifth, the Line Rider community was in some ways far more fractured than the Free Rider community. We Ride the Lines was originally I Ride the Lines, which was started by TechDawg (probably the most famous Line Rider of all) as a competing site with LineRider.org, the main community hub at the time. I chose to stay on IRTL (and eventually run the site) because I thought the staff on .org had become extremely immature and vulgar and they treated the site more of a place to hang out and chat with friends than a place to create, compete, and collaborate in Line Rider. But then throw in the addition of a poorly-managed poorly-maintained official LineRider.com forum that launched well after that and another site that launched shortly after that, Elite Line Rider (which drew popularity from bots that kept tracks by the founder, FlagCapper, which promoted his site at the top of the LineRider.com top rated lists), and you had no less than four major Line Rider communities in 2009. Today it is just us, and I am very happy that we are still here. I'd like to think that the reason we are now the only community still around is a combination of staying focused on Line Rider, generating discussions, competitions, and collaborations in the community, keeping an active staff team, and a certain amount of just... lasting longer than everyone else, haha. But you might be surprised how much an individual (in this case myself) can make a difference in shaping the community and keeping activity up if you are patient and persistent.