Chalupa
The Prelude
Lake Xochimilco used to be a quiet refuge for the busy inhabitants of Mexico City. It used to be the place to go for some recreational time with friends and family in the long-awaited weekends. It used to be a lake in peace and serenity...
But then... the tourists came!
When the Mexican fishermen at Lake Xochimilco saw the wealthy tourists' fat wallets the fishermen understood the new profitable opportunities - it was love at first sight. In order to offer an experience for the adventurous tourists, and eventually milking them for money, the fishermen converted their fishing boats into a colorful combination of transportation and entertainment - the Chalupa boats where born.
The small lake quickly turned into a well-known tourist trap. In this tourist mayhem money comes fast to those that know their way around the lake.
Are you greedy and skilled enough to take over the steering wheel of a Chalupa boat and become the most profitable Chalupa captain on Lake Xochimilco?
The Pitch
Chalupa is an action based four player party game. Each player controls a characteristic Mexican Chalupa boat in order to pick up and deliver different passengers around Lake Xochimilco south east of Mexico City.
Upon successful delivery of passengers at the village piers, the players receive points in relation to how well they completed the task. The Chalupa boats have limited passenger space, and different passenger types have unique needs, making every choice a strategic consideration of the opponents' statuses in relation to your own.
By the way, did we mention that you will have to fight with your opponents in order to get the rare Mariachi characters onboard your Chalupa boat, giving your boat a permanent speed boost? And did we mention that you can kill the passengers on your opponents' Chalupa boats if you bump into them at great speeds?
Put all this together... add a vibrant soundtrack and you have a hilarious party game ready to be enjoyed from the couch at get-togethers. Now it's all up to you and your guests to agree on some drinking rules...
Trailer
Meet the Captains
Fabiruchis
Fabiruchis is the only captain with any prior experience as just that - a captain. Captain Fabiruchis used to be a South American sailor searching for rare antiquities in old ship wrecks around Cape Horn.
This business was profitable for decades until Fabiruchis' discoveries got seized by professional American bounty hunters who, with help from their layers, claimed the right to all undiscovered treasures in international waters.
On the long expeditions at sea Fabiruchis was in complete lack of any female contact, which according to the rumors made him walk a different road once he settled in Mexico to become a successful Chalupa boat captain.
Paca
Paca is really one of a kind. Don't be fooled by the fact that she is the only woman in the bunch. Paca's hard knock life in Barcelona taught her how to survive on the streets.
As Paca grew older her opportunities to make money on the streets shrunk, thus she left Barcelona to find a new way of living. She used to fight for customers, now she fights for passengers.
If you hear any profanities around Lake Xochimilco it is probably coming from Paca's mouth. Paca is a tuff butch mama and rumors have it that she even learned her parrot Chica to eat papaya...
Rodolfote
Rodolfote is an experienced trickster. Once gang affiliated, he is now trying to make some quick cash in a new way.
Hustling his way through life, Rodolfote is always lurking for potential passengers and approaching competitors. Using his wits and on-hand experiences, Rodolfote is a strong candidate for lake supremacy and he is not afraid to use dirty tricks and manipulations to accomplish this achievement.
Jaime
Jamie is a true patriot with a tragic story. Decades ago he took up the task to serve his country... by providing means of transportation with his custom made taxi in the jam-packed streets of Mexico City.
In an undisclosed accident Jaime unfortunately lost most of his vision, making him too visually impaired to continue his profitable and honorable business as a taxi driver. It was a tragic event, but strong in spirit Jaime seized the opportunity to live out another dream of his - to become a Chalupa boat captain.
Jaime is the last captain to give up the constant struggles on Lake Xochimilco. He can't be beaten - at least that's what he thinks!
Image Gallery
Screenshots
Graphics
Gameplay
Gameplay Is King Again!
During a game of Chalupa players are suppose to:
- Sail their Chalupa boat around Lake Xochimilco.
- Pick up and deliver passengers at particular locations around the lake.
- Plan passenger trips to get the most points out of the transport service.
- Make strategic decisions about which passengers to pick up based on their own status, and the status of their opponents.
- Make strategic use of the special Mariachi characters.
- Make constant judgments about the most beneficial ratio between passenger load and delivery intervals.
- Interfere with opponent's progress by "stealing" the passengers that are waiting to load the opponents' Chalupa boats.
- Bump opponents' Chalupa boats at tactical moments to kill their passengers.
- Cooperate with the other players to prevent the player in the lead from winning the round.
Game Design Philosophy
The main design philosophy behind Chalupa is that it should be fun. Chalupa is a party game - that is:
- It is easily accessible and implements intuitive controls.
- It focuses intensively on multilateral multiplayer competition.
- It is possible to play it in short confined sittings on a couch with a beer within reach.
- It implements fun gameplay and visuals for both players and bystanders.
- It encourages players to perform in-game player interactions.
- It ranks all player positions and declares a clear winner at the end of each game round.
The Questions
Why create this game?
Games started out as simple entertainment products, created to amuse: if it was fun, it was good. Within recent years game production costs has skyrocketed, resulting in publishers to put their money in "safe" generic game releases, forcing developers to cut down on creativity, and stick to what's working. Chalupa is returning to the roots - created for pure downright entertainment.
What do I control?
All players control their own Chalupa boat. Players are free to sail their boat around the lake as they like, and are even able to bump into the other player's boats.
What is the main focus?
The main focus in Chalupa is a fun multiplayer gameplay.
What is different?
Chalupa is themed in a folkloric Mexican setting, which excels the very typical but not so internationally known Chalupa boats, the Mariachi culture, and some tourist stereotypes. All these elements give the game a very special humoristic mood allowing it to be a good mix of exciting player experience, tactics and humor.
Rules
The rules of Chalupa are fairly simple and can be learned as you play, but if you want a greater understand of the minor details of Chalupa you can download the rules here:
Chalupa - Rules (1.1)
Download
Requirements to Play Chalupa
- 4 x Xbox 360 controllers (and free USB ports on the hosting PC)
- An installation of Unreal Tournament 3
- 300 MB free hard disk space
Recommended Hardware
- Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista
- 2.4+ GHz Dual Core processor
- 2 GB of system RAM
- NVIDIA 7800GTX+ or ATI x1300+ video card
Minimum Hardware
- Windows XP SP2
- 2.0+ GHz Single Core processor
- 1 GB of system RAM
- NVIDIA 7600 series or ATI x1050 video card
Download Chalupa
Chalupa 0.5
Mirror 1 - Chalupa 0.5 - Denmark, IT University of Copenhagen
Chalupa 0.4
Mirror 1 - Chalupa 0.4 - Denmark, IT University of Copenhagen
Mirror 2 - Chalupa 0.4 - USA, FilePlanet.com
Chalupa Soundtrack
Track 1
Track 2
Sound Goodies
Download all voice samples from Chalupa here:
Chalupa - Sounds
Frequently Asked Questions
About The Game
-
What is Chalupa?
Chalupa is a party game. Invite some friends, grab some beers, and play a game of Chalupa before going out. -
What is a Chalupa?
A chalupa is a Mexican boat type used on Lake Xochimilco south east of Mexico City. The Chalupa boats are, to no surprise, the primary inspiration of our game. Still don't get it? Please see this video of a Chalupa boat in action. -
I sail a boat!?
Yes, you do. We know this is kind of odd but remember, you get to bump, yell, scream, pick up skanks, and drink you favorite brew while you cruise around the narrow canals of Lake Xochimilco in order to become the most profitable captain on the lake. -
Why should I play Chalupa with my friends?
First of all, the development of Chalupa is based around one core idea: gameplay is king! This is apparent in the primary focus on multilateral competition, the pleasure of mocking your friends, dealing with annoying customers, and getting drunk at the same time. Second, this is how the game is intended to be enjoyed. -
Is this game really that fun?
Tuff question... According to all of our playtest results Chalupa is an extraordinary fun party game. Adding to this, Chalupa is developed by university students from the IT University of Copenhagen - Media Technology and Games. We are educated to entertain YOU (and ourselves... as we, for some absurd reason, fit into the target audience of Chalupa). -
OK, Chalupa is fun, but I fear that I'll be elected as nerd of the year if I propose to play Chalupa at a party.
To be honest; you might, but if you have the courage to take up the challenge, you have a chance of being the party savior. It's your party after all... If it isn't; remember to bring your Xbox 360 controllers! -
I'm sold. How much is this exiting experience going to cost me?
It's free! ...if you have a valid license and installation of Unreal Tournament 3 already. -
It's free!? What am I waiting for?
You should only be waiting for minimum three friends, 4 x Xbox 360 controllers, a fairly updated computer, and cables to connect your computer with your TV. -
Can I play Chalupa single player?
Well, yes... you can... but playing a party game as a single player is just... sad. In order to encourage lonely souls to play Chalupa with other people we have made sure that all four players will automatically spawn at game start. In theory, a player can loose a single player game. Until now, this has never happened. If you do, please send us a screenshot of your tragic fail. -
What is the age rating for Chalupa?
Chalupa is not rated. In order to play Chalupa you need an installation of Unreal Tournament 3, which has a rating of 18/18+/Mature. It is you own responsibility to make sure that you, and everyone that plays your installation of Chalupa, comply with any local laws and regulations.
During a game of Chalupa you can expect to be exposed to, but not limited to, the following:- Use of profanities (in English and Spanish).
- Hand gestures with a lonely middle finger.
- Indirect deaths of human characters.
- References to sexual orientations (in Spanish).
- Promotion of drinking beverages containing alcohol.
About The Technical Stuff
-
How do I install and play Chalupa?
First of all; you need a valid license and installation of Unreal Tournament 3. Then; please see our download section for further reference and installation guide for Chalupa. -
Do I really need Unreal Tournament 3 in order to play Chalupa?
Yes, you do. Chalupa is developed as part of an exam project for a game development course at the IT University of Copenhagen. As part of this course we where encouraged to develop a game for this specific proprietary engine. As a result of this Chalupa is completely dependant on the Unreal Engine 3 in order to be executed.
Credits
Game Development Team
| Project Manager & 3D Artist | Rik Bos |
| Game Designer & PR | Morten Keblovszki |
| Visual Lead & 3D Artist | Enrique Pérez |
| Level Designer & 2D Artist | Dennis Laursen |
| Programmers | Stefano Carlini |
| Diego Laga Ramón | |
| Audio Technician | Lars Thomsen |
Thanks To
| Voice Actors | |
| - British Businessman | Michael Murphy |
| - Japanese Tourist | Sunantha Kotphon |
| Primary Playtesters | Esben Bønløkke Andersen |
| Sune Astrup Christiansen | |
| Thit Fredens | |
| Mikkel Kristensen |
Contact
If you have any comments, questions, encounter technical difficulties, discover any bugs, or just want to send us some loving words please don't hesitate to contact us.
We, the entire game development team, would love to hear from you!
Contact:
(Morten Keblovszki)
Copyright & Disclaimer
Chalupa is a student project developed as part of a course at the IT University of Copenhagen.
Chalupa is distributed freely on an as-is basis. By downloading and installing Chalupa you agree that the game development team can not be held accountable for any harm or damages, physical and/or psyhical, which this software may cause.
The IT University of Copenhagen did not influence, nor can be held responsible for, the content within Chalupa.
Unreal Tournament 3 and Unreal Engine are registered trademarks belonging to Epic Games.
Xbox 360 is a registered trademark belonging to Microsoft Corporation.
