The Night Balloonists (2010)
The Night Balloonists was originally created for the GAMMA 4 One Button Games competition. Like all games created for GAMMMA 4 it uses only a single button per player. No arrow keys, mouse, joystick or d-pad. GAMMA games are meant to be played in a large social setting with people playing short bursts while others spectate. The Night Balloonists is optimized for these settings and has included a continuous side display that teaches spectators the basic gameplay. However we've found it also plays great if you have a few friends over and want a good quick party game to play together. The one button interface makes it a great game to play with non gamers who are intimidated by complex controls.
We have also tried to optimize the game for 'one-switch' devices used by players with disabilities. If you use such a device and have found our setup doesn't work for you give us a shout. That said, the game inherently requires fast precise button presses and 'double tapping' so it may not be suitable for all players.
Screenshots
“...a deliciously atmospheric competitive game ... There’s a surprising amount of drama and strategy given the simplicity of the one button control scheme.”
Gameplay Video
Custom Controller
While The Night Balloonist's plays great at home with a couple of friends it was always meant to be played with a crowd. Inspired by the Copenhagen Game Collective's custom controller for their game B.U.T.T.O.N we had the 4UP built. The 4UP is a custom 4 button controller with glowing coloured buttons that match the one's on a Xbox 360, created just for playing The Night Balloonists. It was unveiled at Hand Eye Society Social #11 and was built by the talented Jonathan Seguin and Tino Kapetaneas.
Blog Entries Mentioning The Night Balloonists
Credits
Miguel Sternberg - Art, Sound & Game Design
Andrij Pilkiw - Programming
Created using Game Maker 7.0 Pro
In addition the following 3rd party dlls were used:
GMXInput.dll by Yellowsix
supersound.dll by tsg1zzn
Sound effects include audio from freesounds.org and are
used under a Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 License.
These sounds were created by the following users:
AGFX - andriala - Benboncan - delphidebrain
Dynamicell - fabe - junggle - pengo_au - petenice
Pogotron - Rock Savage - sagetyrtlee
All music is from Apple Garage Band’s default loops.