Jumping is a basic mechanic in Transformice, used in an extremely wide variety of situations, to the point that completing a map without jumping is usually impossible.
A regular jump is performed by pressing the jump key (W or ↑). This causes the player to jump - resetting their vertical momentum, giving them enough of an upwards boost to clear a small box but not a large one, and putting them in a falling state where they cannot jump again until they fall downwards onto an object or ground. These three distinctions - the falling state, upwards boost and reset momentum - seem mundane, but are extremely important because of the ways they interact with the physics that Transformice is based around. They are what give the jump its hidden depth and complexity, and allow mice to race for firsts, perform stunts or even just survive to collect the cheese more consistently.
Jumping can be performed at any time as long as the player has had their fall broken since their previous jump - another very important distinction. A good indicator is that if the mouse is using the walking or standing animation, a jump is available - with the major exception being after picking up the cheese mid-jump. Emotes can also overwrite the falling or walking animation, but this has no effect on whether the player can jump.
The act of jumping itself has no effect on horizontal momentum, but while in mid-air, mice have reduced traction compared to running on wood ground. This allows mice to keep extra momentum they might have earned for longer, but also makes stopping and fine-control more difficult - especially while carrying the cheese. Knowing when to jump and when not to is a large part of improving at the game.
Regaining jump
After jumping, the player cannot jump again until their fall is broken - indicated by the mouse using the walking and standing animations, rather than the falling animation. However, what exactly can break the player's fall is very generously defined by the game.
Specifically, if the player was moving downwards on the previous frame, but their downwards momentum has slowed, stopped or reversed on the current frame, the game returns the player's jump.
Here is a list of situations that will break a player's fall and return their jump, some obvious and some obscure:
- Landing on ground or an object.
- Landing on a falling platform.
- Landing on a trampoline or lava ground.
- Hitting a wall that has friction, while falling downwards.
- Hitting an upside-down slope that has a lot of friction (such as chocolate), while falling downwards.
- Entering water while moving downwards, even from the side.
- Falling onto an explosion, such as a spirit or a bomb.
- An implosion occurring above the player's head as they fall, such as an anti-spirit.
- Touching a spring while falling downwards.
- Falling in a way that tightens the soulmate tether in soulmate maps.
Here are some things that will NOT break the player's fall and return their jump:
- Hitting a wall that has no friction, as it will not slow the player's vertical momentum.
- Hitting an upside-down slope that doesn't have much friction, as the angle pushes the player down more than the friction can slow them.
- Jumping upwards onto an icy slope, as the player is not falling downwards.
- An object rising to meet the player as they rise upwards, as the player is not falling downwards.
- Entering water while rising upwards.
- An explosion occurring under the player's feet as they rise upwards, as the player is not falling downwards.
- Hitting a wall that is falling faster than the player, as the friction speeds the player's fall rather than slowing it..
- Touching a spring while rising upwards (however this is still useful, as the spring's momentum is added to that of the jump).
Air jump
Main article: Air jumpThe air jump (also called the double-jump) is by far the easiest jumping technique, and one that can be learned by new players simply observing their fellow mice.
In its most basic form, it is performed by walking off a platform and then pressing jump in mid-air, but it can be performed at any point when airborne for any reason, as long as a jump hasn't been used since the player last touched the ground.
The air jump functions exactly as a normal jump would - resetting momentum, granting an upwards boost and putting the player in the falling state.
Trivia
- Until 9 October 2013 (V1.112b), jumping could make your mouse faster.