7DRL – The Aurora Wager

41 Replies

The Aurora Wager is a game created for the 7 Day Rogue Like event.

The Aurora Wager

The game is about you (Jebe) and your buddy (Frits), your arch nemesis (Frederik), and your wager to make it to the North Pole first. By hot air balloon, naturally!

We had to cut a boatload of features to get the download up in time, but we think this is the most minimal version of the game that’s fun to play.

We were inspired by lots of things! The biggest and most direct influences are:

– Roguelikes!
– Proteus
– Kerbal Space Program
– Dear Esther
– Last Exile
– Steamboy
– Minecraft
– Music we played (Kettel, Emeralds, Ochre, Biosphere, Deru, more)

Download the Game & Soundtrack

Please consider purchasing and or donating to Volo Airsport (our other game) to support development of both titles. Thanks, and enjoy!

Controls:

Use: Left Mouse Button
Pick up: Right Mouse Button
Jump: Space
Sprint: Left Shift
Cancel: Right Mouse Button

Grappling hook can reel in items (or the ship) by pressing the pickup button once latched.

(We know the controls are a bit confusing at the moment (when to press use or pickup) and are working on it. Also, we’re adding a sprint button.)

Credits:

Robin Vink: Design, 3D Modeling, Texturing
Martijn Zandvliet: Design, Programming, Terrain Creation
Michael Manning: Sound Design, Music

Enjoy! And let us know what you think. 🙂

  • Mihawkler

    These strong winds up high scare the hell out of me! I lost my flag because of it! Anyway, great atmosphere! Lyrically thrilling but also relaxing, makes me forget everything around while playing 🙂

  • I was a little bit confused at first on how the game works and what I’m supposed to do. If I hadn’t watched you creating the game online it would have taken allot longer to figure it all out. Overall I’ve got to say there’s allot of potential here for a great game! I love the wind stream particles (if that’s what they are)! Can’t wait to find & try out the rest of the tools/objects out there 😉

    Here are a couple of suggestions/requests I’d like to see in the next release…

    1. Please up the walking speed (I know this isn’t a walking around game but maybe x 2).
    2. The tools/objects all need labels/icons so we know what they are.
    3. The placement points need labels/icons so we know where to put the objects collected.
    4. A little ‘Looking At’ cursor to make pointing & clicking things faster/easier.
    5. ‘Right Click’ to puck up/drop objects.
    6. Bigger flight Instruments or move to the burner control area (perhaps some GUI text displays?).

    The only problem/bug I saw was when trying to get the balloon off the ground. I ran the burner like crazy and it just moved around a bit. It finally lifted off after I jumped (while in the gondola) and then it shot up like a rocket because I over filled the balloon.

  • @Mihawlker: Hah! Glad to hear those things, exactly the mood we were trying to achieve. 🙂

    @William: Excellent suggestions for shortterm improvement. I’m putting all of those in today or tomorrow. Will implement faster walk as a sprint button, for ground exploration. 🙂

    Oooh, and please note that we already updated to a version with much increased spawn rate for items on islands.

  • lolsofti

    Just stopping by, saying Thank You for an awesome game, very well done! 😀 Fantastic idea and execution. Simple, yet awesome game. On par with Minecraft.

    • Thanks, softi! 🙂

  • Just trying the latest update and I must say it’s a dramatic improvement! ThanX

  • Tyler

    Will there eventually be co-op?

    • Definitely! We had a second character, Frits, in the pipeline during development but we had to cut him in the end. I suspect he’ll be along for the ride in about a week’s time. 🙂

      • Tyler

        Awesome! I can’t wait to play with a friend, especially when you get the dual audio working.

        • I’ll have more time to work on the game this weekend and might get split screen in. 🙂

  • kulik

    Hi everyone, bit of brainstorming here:
    *some sort of navigation would be nice, try to ascertain position based on shapes and positions of islands – item -map;
    *traveling at high altitudes should have a downside like need for O2 canisters due to low oxygen levels new item -O2 canister;
    *item- altitude meter;
    *weather- clouds, storms, gales….
    *item – radio – you would get forecast of weathers and winds prevailing at different altitudes;
    *flying islands …if you go the fantasy way;
    *item- binocular
    *day-night cycle

    …i’m sure you got some of these on your road map.

  • Brother Phoenix

    Hey, this game is pretty cool, though I haven’t made it very far, yet. Great atmosphere.

    I have an issue where I can’t get the small burner going. I’ve never found another burner, so I don’t know if it’s an issue with the other ones as well. I thought maybe it was a “feature, not a bug” because I’d sometimes be able to start it up again when I took out the fuel cannister and put it back in, but then I just barely missed an island and died because I couldn’t restart the burner, even though I took out and put back in the fuel cannister and the burner several times. If it’s not a bug, then it’s a feature of the game I really don’t like!

    Another thing: I’ve read where you said that you increased the spawn rate of items on islands. Maybe I’m just terrible at the game, but it’s really hard for me to actually land on an island, and it’s very frustrating that when I do, the only items I’ve found are empty crates. If there’s a use for those, I haven’t figured it out yet!

    Anyways, I’m really excited to see where you guys go with this game!

    • KILLAKAN10

      you probably ran out of fuel

  • gorillao01

    I cant download this keep getting this
    The requested URL /games/7drl/TheAuroraWager_win_v2.zip was not found on this server.

    Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

  • @gorillao01
    i just had that issue but i went to http://volo-airsport.net/blog/2013/03/7drl-the-aurora-wager/
    and this shows direct links

  • Padsta

    This is so brilliant! im still having trouble with that damn grappling hook (it getting stuck and can’t get it unstuck) but still fantastic.

    it could really use a periscope or binoculars, i find myself in the ballon going down to an island and just finding crates and compasses.
    Another thing that would make this game even better would be a day-night cycle, with only the light of your burner (maybe a torch?) i thknk it would add an interesting feature.
    over all very pleased with this and if i gains a price tag i would buy an play this to no end

    • The grappling hook definitely needs more love! Controlling it is way complicated, and it can be kind of glitchy as well.

      We’ll be adding a bunch of extra things in the coming weeks. Extra gear (like the binoculars), day/night cycle, split screen coop mode, more varied terrains and weather, and so on. Stay tuned!

      If you go to http://volo-airsport.net/blog/purchase-donate/ you can purchase Volo Airsport and support the development of all our titles. Since Volo Airsport and Aurora will probably merge in some way, it would also get you any future updates of Aurora. 🙂

      • Vaan

        these things all sound amazing. With this game being as good as it is already and seeing the quick development and attention given to it i am more than a little excited. The big thing on my list of suggestions is definitely more items, with the amount of slots that you have this could become an amazing item management game. Rare spawns like meters for speed, altitude, and co-ordinates would become valuable assets to the player, but they would have to consider if they would rather have that or maybe an item that helps them control the balloon a bit easier in the slots available.

        I sincerely look forward to all future updates to this game

  • Padsta

    also if you do add in coop maybe have a radio system instead of just chat, i dislike when games have universal chat the immersion just disappears

    • We were thinking radio for short range, and carrier pidgins for long range. 🙂

  • Paul

    Links appear to be down for v2 and v3. Any suggestions?

    • Updated the post with working download links!

      • Paul

        Thank you started downloading the game.

  • Abdullah

    Hey, could you outline the actual controls for the Hook Launcher? Stuff like:
    Button to release the claw
    Button to reel the claw in

    Any extra controls. The game is AWESOME but i’m tethered to a rock 🙁

  • Jack

    I still cant download this thing mediafire is being stupied and of course it wont let me on anyother links it just refuses to load the other sites could you help I really want to download this p.s. will the co-op also have versus you and your friend start out at diffrent islands and race to the north pole? (sorry for grammer i suck in my English class)

  • Jack

    I am using Firefox and I even tried chrome and i tried that one to and i opened it with notepad (dont know why) and it was just random jiberish i will try to open it with something else though

  • Luke

    How do i edit the Options on a mac, they dont appear on startup anymore

  • Tinedsalmon

    Hey Tinus, first off i just want to say that i love this game. Serene spectacle games like this one are never made enough! 😀 I’m sure you know where the immediate future of this game is going, what with a lot of similar suggestions. A lot of people seem to be wanting a wider range of items and for more dynamic navigation, as do I. (sails, being able to put burners on the side slots etc. ) Id like to propose a few thing i haven’t seen suggested yet, just things to do with the islands. Id love to see the islands become more dynamic, perhaps with little fireflies or other wildlife? Something that can perhaps be interacted with to help you find items? (Little fireflies running off towards things when you approach, stuff like that? Maybe pools of water you will need other equipment to explore on the island with fish and other items in them?

  • Dr.Arielpro

    I Have Problem With The Game, Im Moving So Slow Its Taking 30 Secounds To Get Near The Air Ballon,
    Will You Fix It?

    • TMafonoGames

      Change The Screen Resolution down it will fix it

  • TrothJuice

    Amazing game but could you please add in co-op because i really want to play this with my girlfriend

  • TMafonoGames

    I love This Game, i cant wait to see how co op will work, i found a bug if you get too high up your game will crash i still have the crash dump files if needed to be sent, can you do some sort of sneak peak of the upcoming release changes? and wen its gonna be released?

  • ethanjohnson48
    • KILLAKAN10

      this is a site for the comments if you looked you would have found a link to here

  • KILLAKAN10

    hey i found a bug with the grappling hook
    i reeled it in with another hook and and mounted it on my ship and fired it to stabilize the balloon (i was on steep ground id move but the winds were NOT agreeing with me) and after a quick search i found a large gas
    can and when i returned the grappling hook wouldn’t respond…
    also id like to see multiplayer in this game i would expect it to be something like guns of Icarus?
    thankyou for reading

  • Awakenedfear46

    I cannot play this game. Every time I load it up it crashes. I use Windows. I cannot find out why it isn’t working. I would really appreciate the help.

  • Joel Sweeney

    THIS GAME IS AWESOME, could you please add an air ship for a little fun… and a rare item known as the “Helm” which steers the balloon, however is still largely effected by wind… BTW that grapple hook is awesome once i found out how to use it… when i find them, i can zip to any part of an island for quick tranceport…
    BTW the video Nerdcubed did, he had fast walking speeds, the one i downloaded, im dead slow… it takes me like 2-4 seconds to get from one side to the other of a balloon (on land not against the wind, when im up in the sky it takes WAYYYY longer.)

  • rory

    great game. fun to play. unfortunate you cannot save though :(. also, where is v4?

  • Jonathan Hall

    Hi!

    I stumbled upon your game and I think I’m in love. This has lots of potential. I almost made it to the North Pole but got caught in some sort of spiraly glitch storm that fixed my balloon in place. I’m sure that will be fixed later on though 🙂

    I’d love to see where it goes from here. It would be neat to see some sort of chronological element (Day 1, Day 2, etc.) in the game so it can track how quickly you get to the north pole. Is there anything in store planned for the islands and the general gameplay surrounding them? Any ghastly beasts to avoid? 😛

    I really hope this game gets the fame it deserves. I’ll be sure to tell my friends!

    • Thanks for playing, Jonathan!

      We really want to expand The Aurora Wager. We’ve let the concept simmer for a couple of months while tackling other stuff, but have pages and pages of ideas to go with. 🙂