Update 11/7/2012

New features have been added to the existing prototype game demo including moving platforms and fiery balls of lava. I will be retooling the current demo and revamping the existing artwork over the next couple of days. In addition, the rough demo is now available for play online and as a stand-alone game for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. Please visit the links below to play The Floor Is Lava!

Links to play "The Floor Is Lava!":

• Play Online
• Windows 32-bit Stand-alone
• Windows 64-bit Stand-alone
• Mac OS Stand-alone
• Linux Stand-alone (32 & 64-bit)

ADDITIONAL: In my haste to try out the latest version of Unity 3D, I neglected to notice that the web player for the latest version isn't yet functional. Sadly, now that the project has been upgraded to the latest version of Unity, there's no going back and the latest online version of The Floor Is Lava! will not function correctly until the new web player is released. In the meantime, please try one of the stand-alone versions of the game listed above. Thanks for your patience!

WE DID IT!!

Thanks to the generous support of the following great people, The Floor Is Lava! has already reached over 100% of it's funding goal!

• Bucky Thomas
• Brad Dancer
• Margo Whitman
• Dan Browne
• Katie Harwood
• Nathan Hurde
• Max Juchheim
• Slavko Crostha
• marcss
• The Bathyscaphist
• Ed Healy

Thank you all so very much!!! I'll be working on some immediate improvements to the game & will have a shinier version up soon :)

The Floor Is Lava!

The Floor is Lava is a classic children's game in which the players imagine that the floor or ground is made of lava and must avoid contact with it by standing on furniture or other elevated objects. Players aren't allowed to remain still for any lengthy period of time and must continually hop from one article of furniture to the next, without touching the floor, until they reach the goal point. According to KnowYourMeme.com, the earliest known variation of the game can be found in the 1948 short story 'The Wish' by Roald Dahl, which features a child who imagines the carpet as red hot coals and dangerous snakes.

This kid's a pro!

"'Oh, the floor's lava!' That's the lava game, when you pretend that the floor is lava and you climb up on all the furniture. I see some of you don't get that. I don't care, that's OK. You might have called it something else, but it meant the same thing; you were poor. I'd tell my mom, 'I want a Nintendo!' and she'd say, 'Oh, the floor is lava!' ...'Oh my God! Whats wrong with our house? Why can't we afford better carpeting?'" - Daniel Tosh

The Video Game:

In my upcoming video game version of "The Floor is Lava!", you'll take on the role of a young boy stuck at home on a rainy day with nothing but his imagination to occupy him. The game begins when you hop up onto the first piece of furniture and yell "the floor is lava", after which an imaginary lavaflow will rise up out of the carpet. To avoid a fiery death, you'll have to jump from one item to another, each of which will begin to sink into the lava when you touch it.

At the moment, the game is a simple prototype and is still very much in it's infancy, though a demo level is currently available for play on the QuixoteSoft website (see the link below). The current artwork and animations are also prototypes and will be evolving further as the game comes together. The current demo level is intentionally simple, short and not particullarly challenging, as it is just meant to show off the general game concept. I will be updating it regularly as new elements are added to the game.

Try the current prototype demo here:
http://quixotesoft.com/games/the-floor-is-lava/

In the near future, the furniture obstacles will "float" on the surface of the lava, swaying as if on waves. Larger objects (couches, tables, etc) will not only sink, but tilt one way or the other depending on where the player is standing. Additional game mechanics will also be included, such as swinging, crouching, and sliding. I will also be adding obstacles that must be avoided (lamps, photos, vases, etc.) lest you break them and incur the "wrath of Mom!"

Future levels of the game, each with it's own unique challenges, are also in the planning stages including The Playground, Grandma's House, The Laundry Room, and several more.

When completed, The Floor Is Lava! will be made freely available for play on both Windows and Mac, as well as online at the QuixoteSoft website. I will also be adding it to other game sites such as IndieDB.com and cNet's Download.com website. I expect to have a full working game ready before Christmas of this year.

These guys are insane... ;)

Funding:

Yes, I'm only asking for $100 in funding for this game. Why so low? Well, not only is this a fairly simple game idea, but it's one of my first (see also, Plan 9 From Outer Space). Sure, I could certainly use more (after all life is expensive), but I figured it would be far better to shoot for a small, realistic goal that I might actually reach than it would be to "shoot for the moon" and fall short (and thus flat on my face, into the lava...). Regardless of how successful this campaign is, I will continue to develop the game. I think it's a fun idea, so why not, right? :)

Rewards:

Oh yes, there's a little something in it for everyone who contributes to this project. Please see the rewards list on the side of your screen for full details. Some of the prizes include copies of my original artwork. To see what's available, please visit my gallery at http://www.etsy.com/shop/artfamilia. Since the game will eventually be released for free, anyone and everyone can get a copy at no charge. I'll be updating the online version as the game comes together and will soon be releasing stand-alone copies for Mac and PC as well. Enjoy!

About Me:

My name is Kenneth Rougeau and I'm an independent artist and aspiring video game developer, among other things. If you can starve to death doing it, I've probably attempted it :) Artist, poet, author, actor, musician, animator, programmer, game developer, DJ, you name it... I'm currently creeping up on 40 years old (I'll be 37 on 11/11 of this year) and I live in Portland, Oregon with my girlfriend, indie clothing designer Charlotte Self (http://resurrectionrags.com).

I've been an avid gamer since the days of the Atari 2600 and have played everything from Asteroids to Dishonored. My earliest programming experiences involved writing text adventures in BASIC on an ancient Tandy for my younger brother to play. I'm particularly fond of story-driven games, especially point-and-click adventures and RPGs. I've wanted to make my own games for quite some time now, and while waiting in-between episodes of TellTale's new Walking Dead series (while others were griping and complaining about it taking so long), I finally decided to do something about it. Over the past several months I have learned quite a lot more about programming, game development, 2d and 3d art & animation, and other related fields. I've been having a wonderful time creating & learning, and I hope that people will enjoy the fruits of my labors.

For further information about me, please visit http://kennethrougeau.com

Did this guy just buy a Toyota?... at IKEA?

More Silly Videos:

Because I found so many fun ones, here's a few more :) Enjoy!

(The above vid is a great reason to turn The Floor Is Lava into a video game... real life can be painful, haha!)

Funny how many of these videos involve pizza, isn't it?! :)