IndieDev Prototype Week 1
Hello! If you are reading this, you have either been coerced into this website or we've managed to circumvent Google's current algorithm strategy. Either way, it is a pleasure to have you here! For those of you who are unaware, we are Space Lion Studios, an award-winning indie development studio based in Ireland, and one of the eight recipients of the 2025 IndieDev Prototype Fund. A massive thank you to Ardán, Imirt, Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen for selecting us and providing us with this opportunity.
Dear Diary...
Over the next 12 weeks, we will be working around the clock on our prototype. As part of this journey, we will use this space to document its development, our findings, pain points, and anything else that could be useful for reflection afterwards.
We will also be posting content across our social media channels, featuring reels and stories of the prototype as development progresses. Feel free to follow us on Instagram or TikTok to stay updated on the prototype's development.
There isn't a specific template or flow we have in mind, and some weeks the post might be longer or shorter depending on what was accomplished over the week.
Balloons of Paradise
The working title for our prototype is 'Balloons of Paradise', a game where you traverse across the environment via a hot air balloon.
The game is inspired by a PS1 Japanese exclusive called Kaze No Notam, and our aim is to take the core experience and mechanics of that game and add a modern twist with quality-of-life features, a low-poly but dreamlike visual design, branching quests, and an engaging narrative. While we can't discuss these elements in detail in this first blog post, you can expect to read more about them over the following 12 weeks.
If you are familiar with our previous title, Axyz, you will be aware of the similar objectives we set out to accomplish.
However, we will be looking to expand greatly on the source material with this game.Pre-Production
While IndieDev started on September 1st, we had a few weeks' notice, which we used to create a Game Design Document, a Project Tracker sheet, and a Monday board (our current project tracking website of choice) to document our tasks over the 12 weeks. While we prefer Notion, the free version has limited credits, so the free version of Monday is suitable for our needs and team size.
The GDD is prototype-specific, as it helps keep the team aligned on the core aspects needed and keeps the scope manageable. This includes the core mechanics, art style, map, a framework of the narrative and tone, and one song. The plan was to keep it to 10 pages, but it currently stands at 15 - although some of this is due to the use of images for reference points.
The Project Tracker is a simple spreadsheet that divides 12 weeks into 5 days, listing all tasks required to complete the prototype. From this, we can create a quick and easy visual reference point for what the priority for each person per week would be, also taking into consideration key milestones, the Nexus Conference Event, and the pitching sessions they have set up. Knowing that we plan to have something playable in four weeks for Nexus means we've planned accordingly to have key components in place first.
Pre-production also included setting up the team. Space Lion Studios is a 2-person team made up of Lead Designer, Mark Robinson and Lead Programmer, Jonathan Aykroyd. Due to the funding provided, we are fortunate enough to bring the incredibly talented Hyphinett onto the team for the 12 weeks. She previously worked with us on Axyz, providing art and environmental design, and her tastes and design philosophies closely align with ours. Hence, we are thrilled to be working with her again.
We also worked on a few assets before the start of official development, including the balloon itself. The balloon mesh was an asset first created for Axyz that we've repurposed for BoP, which involved redesigning the basket and frame to suit ferrying characters.
Emeraldia
For the purpose of the prototype, we're working on one environment, which will help us establish the correct size and scale for both the geometry of the island and the plants, buildings, cars (and hot air balloons) that inhabit it.
Emeraldia is inspired by the west coast of Ireland, and we plan to incorporate various elements of its environmental makeup, historical sites, and architecture as influences for its design. We'll also be examining other towns across Ireland for reference and influence.
There's an excellent blog post by Jessie van Aelst, an environmental artist who worked on Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. This game contributed to the inspiration of the prototype in terms of asset design and optimisation. We'll likely refer back to this blog over the following weeks.
We've rescaled the map once already, as it felt too small. As we finalise the movement of the balloon and wind mechanics, this will allow us to really get a feel for the island and its size.
We want to ensure that the map is large enough to create a genuine sense of adventure in exploring and seeing the entire island, so that you cannot see everything in one journey. Still, we also want to ensure that players can get from Point A to Point B in a reasonable timeframe and not get bored. We will also consider what the player can do besides operating the balloon. We'll discuss the mechanics of movement in more detail next week.
Ahh! Not the trees!
One of the first challenges we faced was getting the right feeling of volume and density from the trees.
Using LODs helped with allowing more assets on the screen for optimisation. We'll continue to work on this, but as a starting point, we're already happy with it.
