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Platform Racing 3 (commonly abbreviated PR3) is a 2010 online multiplayer racing Flash game developed by Jacob Grahn and Sparkworkz.

Due to internal issues at Sparkworkz, it was never completed or published on other websites as planned. Despite its limited release and minimal advertising, the game amassed over 13 million plays by May 2011, slightly over half of what its predecessor had on Kongregate at the time.[1][2]

Initially planned as the final installment in the series, Jiggmin's since said he hopes to make a fourth entry one day.[3][4][5]

History[]

Pre-Release[]

Speculation on a third Platform Racing began shortly after the second's release. Jiggmin confirmed he was working on a sequel in an October 2008 blog about an idea that didn't make it in the final game called "ground brushes".[6]

He soon afterwards began development on Blossom Server, which was released in May 2009 and served as the basis for PR3's server.[7] Around the same time Jiggmin said the game would "be out by the end of [2009]", though he admitted the estimate wasn't realistic.[8] A handful of blogs were posted over the rest of the year mostly related to design aspects, though specific details were avoided.[9][10][11][12][13] Noting its unusually secretive nature, he later said to quell rumors: "I have been working on [PR3] all this time despite my silence. There is a reason I don't talk about it very much or ever divulge any details."[14]

In March 2010 inXile Entertainment announced via a press release that they had partnered with Jiggmin to develop PR3, with the company's CEO, Brian Fargo, saying:

"Jacob definitely did something right with Platform Racing 1 and 2, and we wanted him to see his entire vision through with Platform Racing 3."[3]

Jiggmin also said in the same release:

"Platform Racing 1 and 2 are fun games, they have some neat bits, but they never felt finished. Platform Racing 3 is the completion of what I’ve been trying to make all along."

The partnership came about after Fargo saw his employees playing PR2 one day and asked them to send him Jiggmin's email, similarly to how they acquired Line Rider.[15] The company's webgaming division Sparkworkz was tasked with the graphics and bringing PR3 to mobile platforms, while Grahn programmed the desktop version. Jiggmin confirmed the news a day later in his blog.[16] Several teaser images revealing the game's art style, level editor and new Rocket Launcher item were posted on sparkworkz.com the next day, which were received positively by fans.[17][18]

While a release date wasn't given yet, Jiggmin started announcing heavily requested features around then, including the block editor and text tool.[19][20][21]

Following an impromptu countdown thread on Jiggmin's forum, the game's level editor was released on June 2.[22] Like PR2, a contest began the same day where players could get their level on the campaign, which ended 3 weeks later.[23][24] Meanwhile several fans were invited to test the full game to work out possible server issues before the public release.

Cancellation[]

Following the open beta release, PR3 received regular updates up to mid-2011, but was never finished. inXile experienced massive layoffs over the spring and summer of 2011 that effectively shrunk the company down to a skeleton crew.[25] This included most of the team responsible for Sparkworkz, along with the person who published new builds of PR3 sent by Jiggmin. Further development on the site terminated as a result and it was left with only enough staff to maintain their servers.

Sometime between then and May 2013, Jiggmin and inXile contacted each other to discuss the game and series as a whole's status. The two came to an agreement that the series rights would return to Jiggmin and he could release PR3 elsewhere, but the exact terms are unclear. According to inXile they handed the rights to PR3 over to Jiggmin and gave him free rein to post it elsewhere.[26] Jiggmin on the other hand said he was under the belief releasing it came with the stipulation that all of Sparkworkz's contributions be stripped from it.[27] A project briefly sprung up for this, though it never materialized. In addition, despite inXile's agreement to return the series rights to Jiggmin, documents reveal they held onto the Platform Racing trademark until 2017 when it expired from lack of use.[28]

Jiggmin's largely not talked about PR3 since its cancellation aside from a handful of messages.

Shut Down[]

On February 3, 2015 inXile Entertainment closed their Sparkworkz division and its online games, including Platform Racing 3.[29]

Visiting the site lead to a page explaining their decision and that some games were still available elsewhere.[30] Jiggmin himself never made an official statement on the shut down and hasn't expressed interest in setting up servers of his own.

Revival[]

A fan project emerged a few months later in August 2015 titled Platform Racing 3: Reborn that lead to the game being revived through a private server and receiving many unofficial updates, such as new hats, blocks, game modes and music.[31]

Gameplay[]

Platform Racing 3 is an online racing game where players compete against each other on foot in community-made levels.

Platform Racing 3 Gameplay

Racers in the campaign level "Void Campaign", which prominently uses the new custom block feature.

Various items are available for them to use that can give them an advantage or hinder their opponents. Players earn experience points at the end of matches that eventually let them rank up and gain more stat points to enhance their speed, acceleration and jump height. Prizes (which include body parts and hats) have a chance of popping-up as well and are awarded to the winner.

Users can communicate through chatrooms and private messages much like PR2. New features also allow them to share their levels/custom blocks with each other and race a ghost of someone on their friends list in the campaign.

Platform Racing 3 Lobby

PR3's redesigned lobby with the multiplayer tab selected.

While past entries were limited to racing, 3 other game modes have been added:

  • deathmatches, where players fight until only one's left standing.
  • hat attacks, in which they try to grab every hat on the map.
  • coin fiends, a timed match where they compete to grab the most coins.

Gameplay's slower-paced overall than PR2 to accommodate these modes, though still considerably faster than the first. To compensate players have slightly more control over their character and can pass obstacles requiring more precise movements easier.

Platform Racing 3 Level Editor

The level editor with various placeable blocks visible.

The level editor returns featuring numerous improvements. Several new blocks have been added, and multiple designs are available for all of them to match pre-drawn backgrounds.

Art layers received a complete overhaul, and members are now able to create their own layers with custom depth and transparency amounts. A new text tool also lets them type out words as an alternate to writing them. Other settings allow players to set their map's game mode, gravity, items and chance of certain events triggering, such as Super Flying Cowboy Hat Mode and snow among others. They can also test their level using any stat combination and save it if they have an account. "Publish" must be checked however for other players to find it in the lobby.

Maps are rated through a 1-5 star system. The ones with the highest score by number of ratings are featured on either "Best" or "Best Today" depending on when they were published.

Platform Racing 3 - Block Editor

The new block editor.

Platform Racing 3 introduces a block editor that allows players to create their own custom blocks. It comes equipped with the same drawing tools available in the level editor. Some block types let them set different characteristics for each side. For example: a block giving an item from the left side may also explode from the top.

Deleted custom blocks aren't automatically removed from levels they're used in, instead being replaced by a generic safe block with a red x inside it to minimize issues.

The editor's also home to the exclusive block types "impervious" and "hurt". Impervious blocks are indestructible, while hurt blocks stun players without exploding. Creators have more control over a few existing block types in the editor as well, including the ability to set patterns for change and move blocks as well as which items come out of a specific item block.

Customization[]

See also: Platform Racing 3/Body Parts

See also: Platform Racing 3/Hats

Like the last game, players can style their avatar using a variety of body parts and hats.

While most hats in PR2 at the time return with new appearances, no old parts were brought back, instead featuring new ones for them to collect.

Campaign[]

Main article: Platform Racing 3/Campaign

The game has a single player campaign that new members are intended to play through first. It includes 50 levels, a substantial increase from prior installments. The first roughly dozen maps compose of tutorials, while the rest are races with varying difficulties.

The method prizes are given out has changed to a medal system due to multiplayer being removed. Each level has set times for gold, silver and bronze medals. After players earn a certain amount of gold medals, they'll receive a body part or hat. Later maps are also locked until enough medals are collected.

Blocks[]

Each block has 6 variants to match pre-drawn backgrounds. They're listed below in the following order: Desert, Industrial, Jungle, Underwater, Space and Classic.

Block Name Description
Platform Racing 3 - Start DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Start IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Start JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Start UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Start SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Start Classic Start Marks the point where players begin the level.
Platform Racing 3 - Basic DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Basic IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Basic JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Basic UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Basic SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Basic Classic Basic 1 A simple safe block.
Platform Racing 3 - Brick DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Brick IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Brick JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Brick UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Brick SpacePlatform Racing - Brick Block Brick Breaks if bumped from below.
Platform Racing 3 - Crumble DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Crumble IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Crumble JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Crumble UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Crumble SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Crumble Classic Crumble Shatters if hit too hard.
Platform Racing 3 - Finish DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Finish IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Finish JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Finish UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Finish SpacePlatform Racing - Finish Block Finish Marks the end of the match.
Platform Racing 3 - Ice DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Ice IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Ice JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Ice UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Ice SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Ice Block Ice Slippery.
Platform Racing 3 - Infinite Item DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Infinite Item IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Infinite Item JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Infinite Item UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Infinite Item SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Infinite Item Block Infinite Items Provides an unlimited supply of items.
Platform Racing 3 - Item DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Item IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Item JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Item UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Item SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Item Block Item Gives out 1 random item.
Platform Racing 3 - Mine DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Mine IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Mine JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Mine UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Mine SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Mine Classic Mine Explodes once touched.
Platform Racing 3 - Move DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Move IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Move JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Move UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Move SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Move Block Move Moves about randomly.
Platform Racing 3 - Push DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Push IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Push JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Push UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Push SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Push Classic Push Can be pushed around.
Platform Racing 3 - Rotate 1 DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 1 IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 1 JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 1 UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 1 SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 1 Classic Rotate Left Rotates the level 90° clockwise.
Platform Racing 3 - Rotate 2 DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 2 IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 2 JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 2 UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 2 SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Rotate 2 Classic Rotate Right Turns maps counterclockwise 90°.
Platform Racing 3 - Happy DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Happy IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Happy JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Happy UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Happy SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Happy Classic Happy Boosts stats by 5.
Platform Racing 3 - Sad DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Sad IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Sad JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Sad UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Sad SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Sad Classic Sad Lowers stats by 5.
Platform Racing 3 - Safety Net DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Safety Net IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Safety Net JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Safety Net UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Safety Net SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Safety Net Classic Safety Net Teleports players to their last safe area.
Platform Racing 3 - Vanish DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Vanish IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Vanish JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Vanish UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Vanish SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Vanish Classic Vanish Briefly vanishes when touched.
Platform Racing 3 - Water DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Water IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Water JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Water UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Water SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Water Block Water Swim!
Platform Racing 3 - Red Teleport DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Red Teleport IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Red Teleport JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Red Teleport UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Red Teleport SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Red Teleport Classic Red Teleport Teleports a player to another red teleport block of the same variant.
Platform Racing 3 - Blue Teleport DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Blue Teleport IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Blue Teleport JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Blue Teleport UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Blue Teleport SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Blue Teleport Classic Blue Teleport Teleports people to a blue teleport block of the same variant.
Platform Racing 3 - Yellow Teleport DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Yellow Teleport IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Yellow Teleport JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Yellow Teleport UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Yellow Teleport SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Yellow Teleport Classic Yellow Teleport Teleports someone to a yellow teleport block of the same variant.
Platform Racing 3 - Bounce DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Bounce IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Bounce JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Bounce UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Bounce SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Bounce Classic Bounce Physics-defying trampoline.
Platform Racing 3 - Change DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Change IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Change JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Change UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Change SpacePlatform Racing 3 - Change Classic Change Changes into another block every so often.
Platform Racing 3 - Up Arrow DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Up Arrow IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Up Arrow JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Up Arrow UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Up Arrow SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Up Block Up Pushes upwards on whoever stands on it. Players can also stick to the bottom of it.
Platform Racing 3 - Down Arrow DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Down Arrow IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Down Arrow JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Down Arrow UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Down Arrow SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Down Block Down Makes it difficult to jump. Also pushes people down from the side.
Platform Racing 3 - Left Arrow DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Left Arrow IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Left Arrow JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Left Arrow UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Left Arrow SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Left Block Left Moves those standing on it to the left.
Platform Racing 3 - Right Arrow DesertPlatform Racing 3 - Right Arrow IndustrialPlatform Racing 3 - Right Arrow JunglePlatform Racing 3 - Right Arrow UnderwaterPlatform Racing 3 - Right Arrow SpacePlatform Racing 2 - Right Block Right Pushes whoever stands on it to the right.

Items[]

Most returning items have seen complete design overhauls to match the new art style. In addition, 5 new ones were added.

Item Name Ability
Platform Racing 3 - Angel Wings Angel's Wings Covers both vertical and horizontal distance.
Platform Racing 3 - Black Hole Black Hole Draws nearby opponents into it.
Platform Racing 3 - Jet Pack Jet Pack Allows the user to fly momentarially.
Platform Racing 3 - Laser Gun Laser Gun Fire long-ranged lasers.
Platform Racing 3 - Lightning Lightning Stun every opponent on the course.
Platform Racing 3 - Portable Block Portable Block Placeable block that shatters if hit too hard.
Platform Racing 3 - Portable Mine Portable Mine Explodes when touched.
Platform Racing 3 - Rocket Launcher Rocket Launcher Launches a block-destroying rocket.
Platform Racing 3 - Shield Shield Protects players for several seconds.
Platform Racing 3 - Speed Burst Speed Burst Doubles speed for a short time.
Platform Racing 3 - Super Jump Super Jump Portable super jump.
Platform Racing 3 - Sword Sword Short-range sword that can slash others.
Platform Racing 3 - Teleport Teleport Teleports the player 3 block-spaces ahead.

Music[]

Main article: Songs

PR3's soundtrack is primarily composed of songs by Kevin Greenlee, also known as LoudCore.[32] He cited the game as one of the more important projects of his life since it was why he went into writing music for games as a career.[33]

There are 3 exceptions: Ambrient by ganon95 along with 2 tracks used for holiday-themed menus: Matt McLellan's Holiday for Mr. Anderson and Pawel Blaszczak's Above Mountains.

Notably, the series theme song Noodle Town wasn't remixed due to Jiggmin's music program being broken at the time.[34] Instead a shortened version of Mainframe Domain is used.

Audio Song Length
Ambrient 2:01
Audio Meltdown 1:36
Chrome Tech 4:53
Conquering the Summit 3:41
Corrupt Contagion 2:34
Dark Faction 3:10
Dark Samhain 2:18
Entering the Demon 3:20
Exploration Dive 2:45
Faulty Apparatus 2:24
Flying Underground 2:46
Further Than Distance 2:31
Gothic Empress 3:37
Mainframe Domain 4:35
Mercury Drop 2:35
Overlooked Memories 3:25
Recycled Thoughts 2:45
Red Transparency 3:18
Resistance Faction 2:32
Rough Edges 4:04
Sky Shift 2:23
Stylization 1:56
Tell it how it is 2:17
Turning Base 2:30
Wave of Thoughts 3:02
Welcome to Metropolis 3:24
Holiday for Mr. Anderson 2:40
Above Mountains 2:22

Updates[]

See also: Platform Racing 3/Update History

Mobile App[]

Main article: Platform Racing 3 (App)

Platform Racing 3 - iPhone App Icon

PR3's app icon.

A mobile port for iOS devices was released in May 2011, the only one of Jiggmin's games to receive an app.

It was negatively received for its buggy online however and removed from the app store later that December.[35]

Unused Content[]

Main article: Unused Content#Platform Racing 3

Given its sudden halt in development, PR3 has a large amount of unused content in the final build and iOS app compared to Jiggmin's other games.

Awards[]

Platform Racing 3 was a nominee for "Best Multiplayer Game" at the 2011 Flash Gaming Summit, although it didn't receive enough votes to become a finalist.[36][37]

Trivia[]

  • While commonly believed PR3 was planned to always be exclusive to Sparkworkz, they originally intended to at least release it on Kongregate once it was out of beta.[38]
  • As of 2016 Jiggmin still has access to all accounts, levels and custom blocks from the game.[39]
  • Jiggmin accidentally leaked the block editor in late 2009, though it went unnoticed. He posted a Flash file showing off the game's color picker, leaving some of its code in it by mistake.[12]
  • Not counting the unmade fourth installment, this is the only Platform Racing game to:
    • Be a collaboration.
    • Exclusively be on one website.
    • Have a single player campaign.
    • Use Blambot Custom for the title's font instead of Gwibble.
    • Have the EXP Bonus stat.
    • Use multiple backgrounds for the main menu.
    • Not feature the player's held item in a corner of the screen.
    • Have a block editor.
    • Not include the original PR1 body parts.
    • Have matches be hosted by players.
    • Not have minimum rank requirements to play certain levels.

Links[]

References[]

  1. "Platform Racing 3 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store" (May 28, 2011 archive)
  2. "Kongregate: Most Played Games" (July 6, 2011 archive)
  3. 3.0 3.1 "inXile's Sparkworkz™ announces the next installment in the hit Flash series Platform Racing™!". inXile Entertainment. March 22, 2010.
  4. "Platform Racing 3 - Sparkworkz.com". September 2010 (archive).
  5. "Platform Racing 4 and the Future!". Freegoose. September 9, 2015.
  6. "Oct 27 – pr3
    Platform Racing 3 feature: Ground brushes. You’re not limited to just blocks any more.
    Different types of ground have different effects; you run a bit slower in tall grass, you sink in quicksand, you can’t run up a slope of ice, you hop around on hot rocks, you stick to tar, etc, etc.". Jiggmin. 2008.
  7. "pr2 and pr3". Jiggmin. March 1, 2009.
  8. "An Interview with Jiggmin". Casual Game Informer. April 15, 2009.
  9. "pr3 chat". Jiggmin. August 31, 2009.
  10. "browsing". Jiggmin. October 13, 2009.
  11. "to the moderators and admins". Jiggmin. September 9, 2009.
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Building a better color picker". Jiggmin. November 29, 2009.
  13. "June". Jiggmin. July 1, 2009.
  14. "vBulletin 4". Jiggmin. March 5, 2010.
  15. "The New Sparkworkz is Here!". Sparkworkz. September 11, 2010.
  16. "hmmmm". Jiggmin. March 23, 2010.
  17. "PR3 screenshots". Jiggmin. March 24, 2010.
  18. "Platform Racing 3 is coming soon, REAL soon". Kongregate. March 23, 2010.
  19. "Workin' on a:". Jiggmin. February 6, 2010.
  20. "A much requested feature". Jiggmin. April 14, 2010.
  21. "Typing words with letters". Jiggmin. May 29, 2010.
  22. "The (probably inaccurate) countdown!" Jiggmin's Village. June 2, 2010.
  23. "The PR3 campaign creation beta has begun!". Jiggmin. June 2, 2010.
  24. "One week notice". Jiggmin. June 17, 2010.
  25. "Un*varnished: Episode 3 with Gavin Rich". Cura Studios. July 5, 2018.
  26. "Reply from inXile staff member "Brother None" to "purr cot": Sparkworkz is indeed not being very actively updated. We gave the rights of Platform Racing 3 back to the developer so they could run and update it if they were so inclined. I don't know if he has done so though." inXile Forums. May 27, 2013.
  27. jiggmin.com/threads/102950-Jiggmin-lied-to-us-this-whole-time?p=2601071&viewfull=1#post2601071 (lost post from Jiggmin)
  28. "PLATFORM RACING" - United States Patent and Trademark Office
  29. "Sparkworkz is gone". Jiggmin's Village. February 3, 2015.
  30. "sparkworkz.com" (March 2023 archive)
  31. "Platform Racing 3 Reborn". Acid Forums. August 18, 2015.
  32. "Kevin Greenlee" - Soundlistener.com
  33. "Kevin Greenlee: Various Projects" - kevintg.com
  34. "PR2 Luna Campaign Week 9" (34:23)
  35. "PR3's Not In The Itunes Store...". Jiggmin's Village. December 30, 2011.
  36. "Platform Racing 3" - Sparkworkz (November 25, 2010 archive)
  37. "Mochi Award Finalists:". Flashgamingsummit.com (January 27, 2011 archive).
  38. "Reply from Sparkworkz to Huse's shout: Right now we are definitely keeping the beta for PR3 on sparkworkz. Clearly there is a huge fan base on Kongregate and they definitely deserve to play it :) Until then, any comments and feedback we can get over at sparkworkz to make the game better would be awesome. Why wait until it comes to Kongregate? Voice your opinions now at www.sparkworkz.com! ;)". July 22, 2010.
  39. "Jiggmin's wife on Acid Forums: ^incorrect :). He has both rights and data :)". June 20, 2016.
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