Cloud Jumper
Game Development
Role: Game Developer
Client: PBS Kids Sprout (NBC Universal)
Platform: Adobe Flash / ActionScript 3.0
Soar the skies with Bean from The Super Sproutlet Show! See how high you can jump - and collect SportsCandy along the way!
Project Brief
A 12-year old girl with pigtailed blue hair, Bean gave superhero costumes to Super Sproutlets being active or good to the earth on "Super Sproutlet Show." She also helped kids and their parents make "Sports Candy" in their kitchens.
Cloud Jumper was a browser-based available to play on PBS Kids Sprout's web site. In this game, kids would help Bean fly through the air jumping from cloud to cloud. Bonus points were awarded for collecting healthy snacks and activating power-ups.
Challenges
Cloud Jumper featured numerous sprite animations that adapted to the gameplay as it unfolded. I recall Bean having multiple animation variations depending on interactions with power-ups and obstacles. Additionally, timing the various sound effects throughout the game proved to be a challenging aspect of development.
Random number generation was a big friend of mine!
Conclusion
This game was a lot of fun to work on. Once I had the prototype up and running, tweaking the gameplay became a must. I had to take into account how difficult the game was considering the audience (young children). I think it turned out to be a really enjoyable game experience with a high replay value.
