Premise
Bounce! was a two-person final project for the Mobile Games seminar at R.I.T. that was meant to further test our understanding of iOS development. The mechanics for the game itself is pretty simple. Essentially there is a round alien character that continuously bounces up and down to the same height. The user can control this character by tilting their device either left or right. If the user tilts their device left, the block bounces left and vice-versa for tilting the device right. Within the level are numerous platforms that the player can jump to. If the player falls off the screen they will lose/die. “Bounce!” implements levels which contain hazards and special platforms. My role in the project primarily was to work on the gameplay mechanics (accelerometer/player movement, scrolling background, platform functionality, level design, etc.).
Platforms
The platforms are what the player bounces on. All platforms (not counting the super bounce) give the same initial speed in the y direction creating a constant bounce height. Each Platform is differentiated by a color.
- Normal Platforms – static, don’t move change or do anything other than provide an area for the player to bounce on.
- Super Bounce Platforms – Give you a bigger bounce than normal.
- Falling Platforms – Platforms that fall after bouncing on them once.
- Spike Platforms – Spiked platforms which cause instant death on the part of the player.
Scoring and Endgame
The player will have beaten a level when they have reached a specially marked platform. The time it takes for the player to complete the level will correspond to the score for the player on that level which ranges anywhere from 1 to 3 stars. For instance, if the player finishes a specific level in 30 seconds or less, they may earn 3 stars for that level. If the player finishes in 45 seconds then the player may only earn two stars and etc.
Ian Switaj 