So, I just found out that my game was the chosen winner of the $10,000 grand prize in the gaming category of the
App Innovation contest.
Description and Objective
The mechanics of Ballastic are simplistic yet addictive. Grab onto the handle that the ball is attached to and drag it around the screen using your mouse, or your finger if using a touch-enabled device. The objective is to demolish as many items as possible before the string snaps or your time runs out. A local and online high score system allows you to compete against friends and others from around the world.
As the game progresses the ball becomes increasingly heavier, making it more difficult to keep it under control. To further challenge the user, certain items will spawn additional weighted balls to the string, which multiply future points while making the game even more challenging.
While dragging the handle around the screen, the ball(s) attached to the elastic will react to your every move. If you provide too much momentum, the rope will give way and snap. To earn the greatest number of points you must try to stretch the elastic rope as far as possible without breaking it.
The game's scoring formula relies heavily on the length of the string upon impact; your score will increase greatly as you become more skilled. Rack up killer combos by collecting multiple items quickly and with high elasticity.
System Requirements
The current build of the game requires
Windows 7/8 (64-bit recommended, untested on 32-bit). It includes special enhancements for
Ultrabook⢠users (e.g., two themes depending on ambient light, background effects depending on accelerometer) but is fully playable on desktop PCs and not restricted in any way.
Download
AppUp Store:
http://www.appup.com/app-details/Ballastic (Note: Current version can only be downloaded from an Ultrabook device on Windows 8; the readme also got overwritten by the one from the MSI installer. This will be fixed in the next update).
Portable Download (Extract ZIP):
http://linkedpixel.com/downloads/ballastic.zip (13.4 MB)
Silent Installer (Creates Shortcut):
http://linkedpixel.com/downloads/ballastic.msi (13.1 MB)
Screenshots
Consumer Electronic Show 2013 Booklet Insert (Preview)
Video of Gameplay