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Fireball and the Fireball GDD Copyright © 2005 International Hobo Ltd 14
From the Fireball game design document (GDD): “Fireball is a budget game for PS2. The player controls a ball of fire, and traverses a landscape made of blocks of different materials. As the player sets fire to these blocks, they grow hotter, and can set fire to more and more different types of blocks. The fireball the player controls can also rise up in height and the hotter the player gets, the higher they can jump in this fashion.
On each field (level) the player has an ultimate goal of igniting the torch (brazier) and thus clearing the field – but the torch is generally positioned at a high point and out of reach. The player must use a combination of platform skills and dynamic environmental features (for instance, by burning the supports under the torch down to the ground) in order to clear the field.
Simple, clean cut graphics and controls combine to give an easy to learn but engaging play experience”
According the GDD This game will come in two different version aimed at two different markets. The Fireball game will target the casual gamer or impulse buyer, while the Hidama will target the hard core gamer with its unique game play.
Test the subsystems against the GDD stated desired player experience of:
The player will get represented by a glowing ball fire (GDD) and it will have the following abilities:
|Test Suite |Button |Function | |—————|:——–:|——————————————————-| |Basic Controls |X(0) |Jump: The fireball jumps up to its maximum height, then begins to drift slowly down towards the ground.| |Basic Controls |O(1) or |Slam: Crash down to ground rapidly and then explode, igniting nearby blocks. If already on the ground, just explodes. | |Basic Controls | ^(3) |Jump and Top Down View: The fireball jumps, but the camera view tilts to give a top down view. Press again to cancel top down view. (Toggles top down view). | |Basic Controls | > (Pause)| Pause/Map | |Basic Controls | (reset) | Hold for 0.5 seconds to begin the current field again | |Advanced Controls | L1 |Roll Left: Move Sideways to Left i.e. strafe left | |Advanced Controls | R1 |Roll Right: Move Sideways to Right i.e. strafe right | |Advanced Controls | L2 |Turn Left: Turn 90 degrees left | |Advanced Controls | R2 |Turn Right: Turn 90 degrees right |
|Action |Expected result | |————-|———————————————————————————————————————| |Start at any height| The ground (0 height) or on a platform (>0 height). |Press Jump to begin | The fireball goes up in the air by +x units as a function of current temperature. Jump with Triangle, gives a top down view| |Drifting begins| The player descends at the rate of about 1 unit per second. The Triangle to toggle between a top down view and a regular view| |Pick Target |The shadow of the fireball shows the impact point (target). The shadow of the fireball always shows precisely where the player will land if they press Slam | |Slam by pressing the correct control| The fireball descends almost instantly to the shadow-point and explodes – possibly igniting everything at this point. The slam fires have a temperature one higher than the avatar’s current temperature|
Whenever the player slams, they raise every block in a 3 unit spherical radius of the point of impact (or point of explosion if they were on the ground) up to one higher than their current temperature. (The color of the explosion effect should correspond to the higher temperature). If this temperature is high enough to ignite a block, the block begins burning.
Verify the player gains temperature under the following conditions:
Verify the gravity in the game has a value of 10m/sec/sec in a negative y direction.
The game defines chains as multiple blocks burning at the same time. Verify the game displays the chain counter and changes font size as a function of chain size
Verify field correctly resets within .5 seconds.
All game should consist of one or more of the following block types with the following characteristics: Note No block may ever be at a heat level higher than that shown in its Burn column or Melt column (whichever is higher).
| Block Type | Block Color | Melt Burn | Burn Time | Ignition Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Leaf | Green | No | 1: Yellow Hot | 10 seconds | 0.1 seconds |
| 2: Wood | Brown | No | 2: Orange Hot | 15 seconds | 1 second |
| 3: Coal | Black | No | 3: Red Hot | 60 seconds | 1 second |
| 4: Plastic | Pink | 2: Orange Hot | 3: Red Hot | 15 seconds | 1 second |
| 5: Metal | Blue | 4: Blue Hot | 5: White Hot | 90 seconds | 1 second |
| 6: Stone | Grey | 5: White Hot | No | – | – |
| 7: Fire | Red | No | No | – | – |
The following table shows the tints of blocks when they are melted or burning:
|Block Type |Block Colour |Melted Texture |Meted Tint |Burning Texture |Burning Tint | |:——–:|:——–:|:——–:|:——–:|:——–:|:——–:| |Leaf |Green |– |– |Burning Leaves |Yellow | |Wood |Brown |– |– |Burning Wood |Orange | |Coal |Black |– |– |Hot Coals |Red | |Plastic |Orange |Molten Plastic |Orange |Burning Plastic |Red | |Metal |Blue |Molten Metal |Blue |White-hot |Metal |White | |Stone |Grey |Lava |White |– |– |
Verify the player can access each of the three paths: Fun, Puzzle and Challenge using the central hub system. Verify the player earns the correct amount of ash Verify the chain system works and will reward the player according to the following:
|Medal |Combo |Target Percentage? |All Fields Ash Clear?| |:—-:|:—-:|:—————–:|:——————-:| |Silver| 50-99%| No| |Gold |100% No| Verify the Ash earned gets modified by the medals earned according Hyper-objects following:
Verify the game meets the following structure:
The game front end operates using the main game engine. The player moves around between objects (which are kept well-spaced), and when near an object, text appears indicating what will happen if they burn that object. This saves developing a separate front end.
The Hub field consists of a number of blocks, which are regular game objects – but that cause fields or Quests to be run when they are burned by the player. In effect, each block is a menu option that the player selects by moving to it and burning it. The blocks displayed in the Hub will be either Leaf, Wood or Stone.
Any Quest that has been unlocked is displayed as a single Leaf Block. This is exactly as is currently implemented
Any Quest that has been completed is displayed as a single Wood Block. This means:
While on the Hub field, a large, does the game display the players total Ash at the bottom of the screen in a graphically pleasing manor
Can the player access the main game functionality via the hub map, which consists of a set of blocks that fit into three paths:
Consisting of easy and entertaining fields. The Fun path advances from the acquisition of Ash.
Consisting of challenging but cerebral fields, which don’t require fast reactions or arcade control skills to master. The Puzzle path advances from the completion of Quests.
This consists of challenging fields which may require good reactions and arcade control skills to master. The hardest fields exist in this path. This path will advance through Medals.
All three paths are arranged to radiate from a central point. The Options area exists in the fourth position. The player begins facing the first object in the Fun Path.
Verify the player advances according the following conditions
|Stage |Fun Path |Puzzle Path |Challenge Path| |:——–:|:——–:|:——–:|:——–:| |01 |Always Available |Always Available |Always Available| |02 |500 Ash |Clear Puzzle 1 |1 Medal| |03 |1,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 2 |2 Medals| |04 |5,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 3 |4 Medals| |05 |10,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 4 |6 Medals| |06 |15,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 5 |10 Medals| |07 |20,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 6 |16 Medals| |08 |25,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 7 |20 Medals| |09 |50,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 8 |30 Medals| |10 |100,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 9 |40 Medals| |Credits |Clear Fun 1 to 10 |Clear Puzzle 10 |Clear Challenge 1 to 10| |11 |200,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 10 |44 Medals| |12 |500,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 11 |48 Medals| |13 |1,000,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 12 |52 Medals| |14 |2,000,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 13 |56 Medals| |15 |5,000,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 14 |58 Medals| |16 |10,000,000 Ash |Clear Puzzle 15 |60 Medals|
Verify the following options exist on the Options page and work as expected
|Option |Effect |Enable Message |Disable Message| |———-|———-|———-|———-| |SelectReminder |Show Select Reminder in Message Bar |Burn me to Hide Select Reminder |Burn me to Show Select Reminder| |FieldNames |Show Field Names |Burn me to Enable Field Names |Burn me to Disable Field Names| |AlternateControls |Changes to the alternative control scheme |Burn me for Alternate Controls |Burn me for Normal Controls| |Louder |Turns up volume |Burn me for Louder Volume |-| |Softer |Turns down volume |Burn me for Quieter Volume| |