Week nine update:
This week we have been working on our latest prototype to test both at the ETC as well as at GDC. In this build, we have been testing the beginnings of team play – taking feedback from how playtesters wanted to interact with each other in-game, and observing whether or not gameplay was in line with what we desired.
In this build, we can see the two teams competing for the ball (which is the purple particle effect), and dunking it into the opposing team’s hoop. The method to do this, is through launching off of the ramps, and hovering/diving to score or steal possession of the ball.
The biggest positive feedback that we got was that the movement felt good and seemed like a good basis for a game. People enjoyed launching off of the ramps as well as colliding to steal the ball. On the flip side, one of the biggest technical issues we need to address is getting the camera to feel right to the players. In addition to this, now that we’ve added team play functionality, we’ve opened up a whole slew of new design questions with regards to how to best present information to players such as the locations of the ball, teammates/opponents, score, time, position in space, etc.
In the coming week we plan to iterate on the level, as well as place more emphasis on player interactions. After all, how players interact will determine the level of competition they feel in real life with each other.