Comments on: cubs2bears GameFeel P2 – Ricochet Racquetball

By: mjp14

mjp14 — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 20:38:03 +0000

I enjoy racket sports so this demo was especially fun for me. I played using the keyboard controls and I still found the game very enjoyable. I like that the game only keeps track of current hit count and high-score. It gives a very simple objective that makes me want to keep playing an achieve a high score. One improvement that I suggest is working on the physics of the ball. Every time I hit it I feel like I had to move either really far forward or far back just to return my own shot, even if it bounced off a reasonable place on the wall. As far as the polish goes however the game looks and sounds great. I especially liked that the character uses an actual racket in the game. Overall this was a really fun prototype.

By: z-fighter

z-fighter — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 08:53:51 +0000

I really like this idea, as it’s one of the more unique and ambitious ideas from the class. Whether by design or due to time constraints, the game has a simple aesthetic and feels like a proper racquetball court. The character animations (walking, swinging) are excellent as well.
As everyone else seems to have said, without a proper xbox controller it’s hard to get a feel for the more in-depth control scheme of the game. When using just space to hit the ball it is extremely easy to wrack up a high score because the ball bounces off the same trajectory every time. Maybe adding a bit of randomness to the trajectory would force the player to move around more. One other small convenience feature would be to have a button/keypress that returns the ball to the player’s hand after a missed shot so that they don’t have to go running for it. My only other observation is that pressing space rapidly causes the animation to get stuck.

Besides the few minor suggestions, this is a great prototype. Hats off to you.

By: demmina

demmina — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 06:19:44 +0000

Interesting idea and very good execution. The character moves very well and the swings with the raquet feel good. However the way the ball moves is doesn’t feel right. You hit it with all this force and then it never seems to really move much and your constantly have to move forward and backward to get to the ball. I like the sound effects, they really add to the feeling you are trying to portray. The way the character setups when he swings and how he changes sides depending on where the ball is are really nice little details that add a nice touch to the game. Good job.

By: norigantz

norigantz — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 01:35:56 +0000

This is a pretty great prototype in that I definitely get a clear sense of how my controls translate to the game. The game feels really solid and there is a lot of feedback to my actions. I have a few thoughts. I’m a little bit confused as to why there are three different swing controls (A, charge->forward, and just forward). I could sort of feel a difference between them (especially charge), but it seems like it might be clearer and more focused to just have one style of control that is deep enough to carry the game. In other words, I would probably focus on the right stick behavior. Having the A button swing made things way too easy. I was able to get a pattern that was almost impossible to drop (I got up to 94 before getting tired and messing up my timing), and this is compared to my right-stick best of 25. It can be somewhat difficult to tell how far away the ball is from the player. Shadows might help this. Also, the way the ball velocity degrades is a little underwhelming, though I will say it makes returning shots a lot easier. Another thing you might want to fix is the ball getting stuck behind the player’s shot/walking barricade.

This comment might seem critical, but it’s because this prototype is really great! So rather than just go on about how cool it is, I hope this comment gives some things to think about.

By: happypandafrand

happypandafrand — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 18:32:18 +0000

I played this prototype in the play-testing class period and i have to say that its a lot harder to play on the xbox controller, which I think should be the main way to play it because that difficulty level makes you continuously want to play and get better at the game. As soon as I start to play I just keep playing. This prototype is very addictive and the complete game will probably be even more so. The bouncing of the ball felt natural but the depth perception of the ball is a little bit tough. The characters swing when he hits the ball feels powerful and matches the velocity of the ball. I would have liked an option to pick the ball up instead of hitting it from the ground but that can be added in later.

By: verryberry1

verryberry1 — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 18:42:47 +0000

Racquetball was neat and very realistic. I wish there were a way to use all the controls though outside of having an XBOX 360 controller since I don’t own it personally. The mechanics seemed decent, but it was far too easy to just move up closer to the wall and smack the ball over and over again (not much skills for the player to learn to become better at the game?). A bit of random direction change applied to the ball as it ricochets off the wall would make for more of a challenge. I like that the score counter resets after you miss a hit, and it tracks the high score. The sound effect after whacking the ball is perfect. It was odd being able to hit the ball no matter what height it was at, though, as for instance when first starting and the ball is laying on the floor while the racket is in the player’s hand. Overall, good work!

By: nintendo424

nintendo424 — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:29:49 +0000

I really enjoy racketball, and this game captures it. Unfortunately I don’t have an xbox 360 controller right now, so I can try out all of the features, but the keyboard based controls are nice! Being able to run around and hit the ball, keeping the bounciness of the ball and the angles of the hit realistic is important, and you did a great job. I really enjoy it because of how realistic it is. The motions of the character, like running and whacking the ball, fit perfectly, as do the sound effects. Its a very calming game, since there are no time limits. I like it!