Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder - The Balloon Boulders!

posted in ACE Team's Journal

Published November 18, 2016

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The Balloon Boulders![/color]

By now you may know that in Rock of Ages II different boulders have different attributes, and you can choose unique ones to play in your matches.

Today we will talk about the Balloon Boulders...

The main advantage that Balloon Boulders have is pretty clear: They are light which allows them to jump higher. Balloon boulders can jump obstacles that regular boulders would need to go through, losing health & speed.

I know what you're thinking: That's OP! One of the big complaints about Rock of Ages 1 was it was too easy to jump over obstacles! But don't worry, there are three things to consider here:

In general regular boulders jump less high than in the first game. (So jumping has been nerfed a bit).
Many units are taller than in ROA 1 (like the elephant that now has a tower), which makes jumping over stuff even harder.
The Balloon Boulder has very clear weaknesses...

As you can see, the balloon boulder isn't very fast, nor resistant. It's weight class also means it deals less damage to the gate (and all enemies). In a game where speed and strength are incredibly important, having two weak stats is not so good. The balloon boulder is actually a good secondary boulder because:

It can get past super well defended areas and clear the path for your friend.
It can reach shortcuts that can be much harder to achieve for regular boulders.

In our current matches people who are depending too much on the balloon boulders are losing most of the time. They are too weak, which makes them very vulnerable to projectile weapons like the Ballista.

Here are the two Balloon class boulders of the game. What's that on the left? An inflated cow?!?

The Balloon Boulders are definitely a very fun addition to the game. They add an interesting layer of strategy and decision making when preparing for a war match, and are unique and feel different to the other boulders of Rock of Ages II. But the thing I've enjoyed the most about them is seeing them pop in the middle of the air after I get overwhelmed by a nasty projectile defense. Seeing an inflated cow burst like a balloon has made me laugh out loud several times already, and I hope it will also make you laugh as well.

Carlos Bordeu
Game Designer

[rollup="What is Rock of Ages II: Bigger & Boulder?"]Rock of Ages II: Bigger & Boulder is a game that improves on all aspects of the original. Up to 4 players can battle in crazy boulder mayhem. New impressive art periods, more historical characters and the funniest story clips we've ever made. All rendered with highly improved destruction / physics and effects - powered by our first Unreal Engine 4 game.