Eco Boost

Index | Story | Development | Storyboards

Storyboards

Display Description / Interaction
1. Title Screen
  • A parallax scrolling landscape can be seen. There are various bulldozers, small trees, and tree stumps on the ground representing gameplay.
  • The game title logo momentarily fades into view over the scenery and remains visible.
  • "PRESS ENTER" flashes below the logo, showing how to proceed to the menu screen.
2. Menu
  • The title screen fades and three menu items appear in the foreground.
  • In the background, the scenery continues to scroll.
  • The selected menu item is illustrated by arrows and by smooth size expansion.
  • Use arrow keys to navigate up and down, using the Enter key to proceed forward through the menu system.
  • Choices:
    1. Start New Game: The user begins with a randomly generated terrain and an amount of money dependent on difficulty level.
    2. Continue Game: The user resumes the last game in its last state. This option is unavailable if there is no previous state.
    3. Settings: The user may choose difficulty level and set up player preferences. The left and right arrow keys are used to change the value of a selected setting.
3. In-game Control


  • The user can move the play window all around the world by using the arrow keys.
  • The user controls a crosshair by moving the mouse about the play window.
  • When the user clicks on a spot, the bulldozer begins moving toward that spot.
  • When the bulldozer is not moving, it attempts to improve the land in its current tile. This involves the following improvements in the given order:
    1. Clearing rubble
    2. Smoothing rough terrain
    3. Enriching soil
    4. Planting trees
  • Trees are automatically harvested without user intervention -- a random mature tree is harvested every fifteen minutes (according to the game's accelerated time scale). This leaves behind a stump, which deteriorates within six hours.
  • If the user presses ESC, the system will save its current state (for game continuation later) and show the credits screen. If the user attempts to directly terminate the game, the system will save state and terminate, bypassing the credits screen.
4. Resources


  • Cash: Needed to perform actions. When cash reaches zero, the game is over.

    Cash tends to decrease:

    • When the bulldozer is moving
    • When improving land
    • When planting trees
    • When making purchases (e.g., upgrades)

    Cash tends to increase:

    • At the start of each new day, based on trees harvested during the previous day
    • Through sporadic bonuses (a la Community Chest)

  • Carbon status: Represents ecological health. Ranges from red to green. When carbon status drops to zero (below red), the game is over (defeat). If carbon status stays at maximum for three real-time minutes, the game is over (victory).

    Carbon status is constantly worsening, although the damage rate increases when the bulldozer is moving or when trees are removed. Carbon status improves each time a tree is planted. Upgrading technology increases the carbon benfit of each new tree.
5. Tree cycle
Different tiles represent different states in the life cycle of a tree:
  1. Land is of sufficient quality to plant a tree.
  2. A seed has been planted.
  3. The seed has sprouted.
  4. The tree does not yet have bark but is many feet tall.
  5. The tree is fully mature and can be harvested.
  6. The tree has been harvested. A stump remains.
  7. The stump has deteriorated (within six hours), and the ground is ready for a new seed.
6. Credits screen
  • Intentionally different from the standard game
  • Parallax scrolling stars with a spacelike appearance
  • Asteroids-style gameplay
  • The largest asteroids have writing (credits) on them.
  • The user pilots a ship with momentum and destroys asteroids, which are also under realistic physics.
  • Keys:
    • Left: Rotate ship left
    • Right: Rotate ship right
    • Up: Forward thrust
    • Down: Reverse thrust
    • Spacebar: Fire weapon
  • Blasting a large asteroid yields three smaller asteroids with the momentum of the larger one.
  • Destroyed asteroids continue to respawn forever.
  • When the player dies, the ship is respawned forever as well.
  • Pressing Enter returns the player to the main menu; pressing ESC exits the game.

Andrew Fowler
CP SC 372, Spring 2009
Clemson University