In-Class Pinball Exercise

Answer these questions as a blog entry:

1) What is "good gameplay" when it comes to pinball game design?

I feel that good gameplay in pinball design must have good flow throughout the game. You should be actively having to use the flippers as opposed watching the ball do its own thing for the whole game.

2) How do pinball playfield designers create exciting experiences?

The way that designers create new exciting experiences are to introduce new ideas to the game. A few examples are tilting, and flippers.

"Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball" Questions

 

1) What was the big innovation in the 1940s that made all other pinball machines obsolete?
Flippers.

2) In the 1970s, what new technological advance brought pinball up to date and enabled another step forward in the industry?

Solid State - Electronic as opposed to electro-mechanical. 

What types of innovations did it make possible?
Lights, digital scoreboards, sounds.

3) Which company specialized in 1970s pop-culture themed pinball machines?

Bally

4) What technology shook the pinball world in the 70s? Why?

Videogames - smaller size as opposed to pinball

5) By the 1990s, was pinball successful or not?

Yes

6) What was the key innovation behind "Pinball 2000"?

The reflective monitor

7) What was the problem with the license behind the first major rollout of the Pinball 2000 idea with a major 3rd party license?

Star Wars Episode 1

8) Why did Williams decide in the end to shut down its pinball division?

Slotmachines generated more money

9) Do you think this was a good idea?

Yes

10) Does a good idea always guarantee a commercial win?

Not necessarily. 

 

In-Class Google Sketchup

This is my first time using Google Sketchup. The instructions for this lesson were to include:

1) Buildings

2) Vehicles

3) Characters (people, animals)

4) Urban details - e.g. roads/traffic details

Use the large archive of online 3D objects to create a scene suitable for one of the following:

a) 3D Shooter Game

b) Top-down role-playing game

c) 2D Game - e.g. platform game

The first object I found as a building was a baseball stadium. My original intention was to litter the field with houses and bad guys with guns and have a the player shoot the bad guys in an FPS fashion. I decided to have some fun instead. This scene takes place as an "all-star" baseball game. Reminiscent of a Nintendo-esque game such as Super Smash Bros or Mario Tennis. The game has a bunch of well known characters from other video games or movies and has them all playing baseball together in a silly fashion. 

The cast is as follows:

Solid Snake - Umpire

Marcus Fenix - Catcher

Master Chief - Batter

Leonidas - Pitcher

Predator - First Base

Terminator - Second Base

Mario - Short Stop

Link - Third Base

Darth Vader - Right Field

Lich King/Arthas - Center Field

Sauron - Left Field

In order to satisfy the "vehicle" portion of this lesson, I added an Abrams tank in the outfield, with a banner behind it that states, "hit the truck and one lucky fan wins it." Also there is a Deathstar in the background if that is characterized as a vehicle.

As far as vehicle and road details, I chose to use The Two Towers from Lord of the Rings in place of foul posts in order to further the fantasy and quite silly world. The Black Gate is in the back as well in order to make the field more "brutal."

Top down view of the stadium.

Perspective from a potential fan in the seats.

Basic camera view where the player(s) will interface with the game. As either the pitcher or the batter.

Far right side view.

Far left side view.

*Updated* Needed an explosion.