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Balloonatic is a side-scrolling game where the player controls a hot-air balloon passing a series of obstacles.
The roles are roughly split along the following lines:
- Ed Wilson :Art, programming
- Tony Anderson :Art, sound, programming
- Nick Meek :Documentation, programming
- Tin Htoo Aung :Programming, git-stuff.
Balloonatic is a classic side-scrolling flying game where the player must pilot their hot-air balloon as far as possible as they are swept along by the wind while avoiding ever more difficult obstacles.
You have entered the International Balloonatic Challenge (IBC), an annual event where the greatest and most skillful Balloonatics put their skills to the test. The IBC crown is awarded to the balloonatic who travels the most distance over the dynamic and challenging course. You are good, very very good. But are you good enough? Time to ‘Light the Burner’ and take to the sky.
Pilot your balloon as far as possible. It’s all about distance.
In Balloonatic the player attempts to fly a hot-air balloon as far as possible as it is swept along by the wind. Without power-ups, the player has limited control over their balloon, however the wind is continuously blowing the player in the correct direction. The wind is blowing at different rates relative to how high the balloon is so a player can use this to their advantage. To avoid crashing into the ground due to gravity, a player must use the burner to maintain or increase altitude. The player can also vent fuel left or right to speed up and slow down. The player must avoid hitting the ground or being struck by various obstacles such as projectiles, birds, clouds, lightning. The balloons fuel tank is limited so the player must vent fuel wisely. Running out of fuel means you cannot maintain altitude and will inevitably crash. However, along the way the balloonist can pick up more fuel, and also various power-ups and bonuses. These pickups will allow special abilities as shield (which absorbs damage), a temporary speed-up or upgraded instruments / bigger fuel tanks.
- The players balloon will sink if the burner is not fired periodically. The effect of the burner is not immediate, there is a lag between firing the burner and altering vertical speed. Likewise shutting off the burner doesn’t immediately stop your buoyant momentum. The whole balloon mechanic feels fluid with a sense of inertia.
- A key goal of the game is to keep finding enough fuel to keep the burner running. Fuel is placed strategically throughout the game and the player must navigate their balloon to pick-up it up.
- There is a constant wind blowing from the left, this propels the players balloon ever onward. The strength of the wind however is not constant, it varies over time and also by altitude. A player must use the wind skillfully to gather as much fuel and bonuses as possible while still maximising their distance covered.
- The player will sustain damage if they hit the ground.
- The player must avoid various damage causing obstacles, such as birds and projectiles from hostile objects. Taking damage means you have to burn more fuel to stay aloft and the harder it is to reach the next fuel pickup.
- The higher you fly your balloon, the stronger the wind becomes; thus covering more distance. There is no limit to how high you can fly, however the higher you go the more fuel you will burn and the more obstacles you will encounter (such as lightning and hail). Also there are no fuel tanks higher up, so you must eventually come down to refuel.
- Fuel and other pick ups are collected by flying over them (colliding).
Spacebar : Fires the main burner (increase altitude) Left Arrow : Vents fuel to right (slow down) Right Arrow : Vents fuel to left (speed up) P : Pause Game Keys 1-9 : Ability hotkeys
T* he look and feel of the game are key to its success. The bright, clean and simple graphics combined with the smooth flow of the way the wind and balloon interact will give the game a calm atmosphere and feel relaxing to play. The desire to get further and further and get that one next upgrade will appeal to players competitive nature and keep you coming back to play.
- Your skill in the game is recorded in distance you have travelled.
- A key feature of the game is its art. Look concept:
Also see the Background-Concept movie which shows how the non-interactive game background might look.
- The feel is smooth and organic. The balloon feels the effects of inertia; speed and direction changes ease in and out.
- As you play you will pass over the wreckage of your previous crashes. This gives the player the knowledge of how far they had previously travelled, and they will feel a sense of achievement as they fly over themselves.
- The map is endless (game ends when you crash).
- There are a number of scenarios (maps you fly over):
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- Country.
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- Feature smooth hills.
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- City / Mountain.
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- Features canyons and lots of sharp height changes.
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- Tunnel.
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- Hazards above and below.
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- Night.
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- Hard to see, have to use the burner glow to navigate.
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- Water.
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- No static height hazards but leaping dolphins, waterspouts etc.
- The scenarios will differ by the art and obstacles you encounter. The maps within those levels are randomly generated but will be more difficult each time a player visits them. The player visits each scenario in turn. Completing one flyover of one scenario takes practice in learning the differing obstacle mechanics.
- When the burner is lit the balloon glows. Not only is this artistically cool, but on the dark levels the burner glow acts as a light radius and is the only source of illumination.
- Along the way the player can perform particular ‘skill moves’ to gain power-up, abilities, points or upgrades. Players can use these points to buy abilities such as a shield.
- Abilities may be switched on at any time, but power-ups are instantaneously activated as the player flies over them and last for a specified duration. Upgrades such as stronger balloon are immediate and permanent.
Also see the Background-Concept movie which shows how the non-interactive game background might look.The game will use background music and sound effects to enhance the game. We intend to source this from freely available (CC) online material. Tony is our sound and music guy. In addition to looping background music we will need effects for at least the following:
- Balloon burner
- Strong wind
- Weak wind
- Hitting the ground
- Projectiles being fired
- Balloon damage
- Power-up
- Ability
- Fuel low
- Gas venting
When the game first starts the player will see a screen where they can select from the following options:
- New Game
- Enter Code
- Difficulty
- Settings
- How to Play
- Quit
The first scene will start with the player (in their balloon) on the ground at the start line. When the player is ready they can take off and the game begins. The current IBC (International Balloonatics Challenge) High Score is displayed at the start line.
Opens a box where the player can enter a code to skip to a previous checkpoint. When the code is clicked and verified the player will be taken to the game at the appropriate moment / game state with the game in the Paused state.
Opens a menu where the player can choose from “Beginner”, “Pilot”, “Instructor”, “Balloonatic!”. These different options will alter the spawn rate of obstacles and hazards, making the game respectively more difficult.
The player can select different screen sizes/resolution, music/sfx volume etc.
Instructions on how to play the game.
End the game.
Pausing the game is achieved by pushing P, this deploys a grapple. which anchors the balloon to the ground. All game play ceases but the balloon continues to bob and sway in the wind.
There is no tutorial level in the game. There are only three (main) controls and these will be explained on the game start screen. In addition the game will be very easy in the early stages; the wind strength and hills will be low and the hazards infrequent. Short instructions about power-ups and abilities will be provided when they are acquired.