Long Project: Cats Cradle

TL;DR

Speed Racers team discovers the beauty in embracing the awkwardness of their physics-based game, leading to the creation of "Cat's Cradle".

Transcript

GUEST SPEAKER 1: My name is My name is Abraham, this is Jason. Jason, Kevin, [INAUDIBLE] And our team was called Speed Racers, and that now it's called the "Cat's Cradle." That's the name of the game. The change of the name was like a learning experience, at least the way I see it. And I'm sure my teammates will expand on this. So last week, when w... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥺 Embracing the awkwardness and limitations of a game design can lead to unique and interesting experiences.
• 💦 Combining separate projects can result in conflicts and complications, making it beneficial to work on them separately.
• 🎮 Technical challenges can arise during development, requiring the removal or modification of certain features to ensure a better gameplay experience.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did the team change the name of their game from "Speed Racers" to "Cat's Cradle"?

The team changed the name because they realized that the more basic two balls moving mechanic was awkward and not as fun as the car mechanic. They wanted to embrace the awkwardness and make it an interesting aspect of their game.

Q: How did the team incorporate the Kinect into their game?

The team created a version of their game that works with the Kinect, allowing players to control the movement of the balls and the cat by moving their arms. This added an extra level of awkwardness and humor to the gameplay.

Q: What challenges did the team face in combining two separate projects into one?

The team experienced conflicts in combining the two projects due to conflicting mechanics and design choices. Ultimately, they decided to work on each project separately to avoid further complications.

Q: How did the team overcome technical issues, such as the cat flying to outer space?

The team had to remove certain features, like the cat tumbling down and flying to outer space, due to technical issues. This shows the importance of iteration and testing to ensure a smoother gameplay experience.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Speed Racers team initially planned to create a racing game using roll ball physics, but faced challenges in implementation.

• Instead of settling for a basic design, they decided to embrace the awkwardness and create a game called "Cat's Cradle" where two balls carry a cat.

• They experimented with different mechanics, including a Kinect version, to create a fun and humorous experience.