Project Multi-Ball Game Development Blog

04/11/2024

Hello, reader! This page is currently under construction. I'll make sure that this is all up-to-date and including deep patches of information on this project and all that, but for headnotes, I'm currently playing the role of producer and group organiser, which includes aiding the group in creation processes, and managing a Jira board.

Again, I'll be sure to update this soon with further info, so stay tuned!

22/11/2024

The prototype build of Multi-Ball is pretty much done now, we've added a few new obstacles like a rocket (although we've yet to incorporate any sub-boards it could take you to), as well as a comic-style shader, visible point indicators after hitting bumpers and respawning balls! If I'm not wrong, all that's left is to sort out a questionnaire for the playtesters to fill out next Monday.

29/11/2024

Seeing as the first playtest has now concluded, here's a video showcasing the game in its current state.

We've received feedback saying that the score display obscures part of the table, so we're planning on zooming out or shrinking the table to make more space for it in future versions. In addition, we're planning on adding additional colliders around the opening of the rocket so that the ball doesn't fall down or overshoot it, and is able to slide inside as planned.

18/12/2024

After some more work on the table, when the ball reaches the rocket's hatch, the ball respawns in a new location (which is where we will have our sub-board located), giving the impression of it landing and riding in the rocket, the hatch closes, and the rocket takes off, complete with smoke coming out from the exhaust! Seeing as the table is already quite populated with obstacles and whatnot, it's very unlikely we'll add any additional features in the future, which is quite unfortunate when you compare the design to how dense the concept sketch I did was.

11/01/2025

After a lovely Christmas and focusing more on other assignments, Multi-Ball takes another step towards completion! We've added a copy of the main table as a placeholder sub-board, which the camera now cuts to after the main table's rocket takes off, and cuts away from and back to the main table after the player drains a ball. On top of that, we've also added a simple main menu to the game, so that Multi-Ball doesn't just boot straight into the gameplay. How lovely! Despite these additions, we've yet to add any sound effects or background music to our game, so we'll most likely get to adding some in next time we're working on Multi-Ball.

Another thing to note is that the "TEST BUILD" skybox from previous builds is now gone, since some of the playtesters said they found it quite distracting and a bit of an eyesore, a sentiment which we echoed!