- ROLE: GAME DESIGNER
- PLATFORM: LOCATION-BASED EXPERIENCE
- DEVELOPMENT TOOL: UNITY
-DEVELOPMENT TIME: 5 MONTHS
- PLATFORM: LOCATION-BASED EXPERIENCE
- DEVELOPMENT TOOL: UNITY
-DEVELOPMENT TIME: 5 MONTHS
Atomic Golf: Augmented Putting is a location-based golf game for the Atomic Golf entertainment venue.
Utilizing projection mapping and a sophisticated ball-tracking system, the experience is comprised of 3 distinct mini-games centered around putting. The 3 mini-games available to guests include:
Bocce Golf
Around the World
Territory
As the Game Designer, I was responsible for designing the core gameplay, helping with determining the rules for each of the games, gameplay balancing, prototyping, and playtesting the games. For prototyping and playtesting, we used a combination of brown box and native playtesting. Using a combination of approaches was necessary throughout much of the development cycle, as game design and technical engineering happened in tandem, so the projection-mapping technology was not always available for prototyping and playtesting. Due to the unique and innovative nature of the experience, gameplay design and balancing was very iterative--I would design concepts on paper, test them in a brown box environment for an initial viability assessment, and then we would test promising concepts with the projection-mapping technology when it was ready. Constraints with the technology, such as human bodies interfering with ball detection and position mapping for augmented elements, required us to reconsider some game mechanics in order to deliver a better and more immersive experience for guests. I really enjoyed working on this project, and in it I have seen the promise of project-mapping technology and its affordances in delivering exciting and immersive guest experiences. Details and pictures for each of the mini-games can be found below.
More Information: https://www.binteractive.com/post/virtual-putting
Bocce Golf
Following the core mechanics of the game of Bocce, players must get their golf ball as close to the target as possible to score points in this head-to-head competition. The closer they are to a target ball, the more points they can get. But watch out – the entire field could change in an instant. Just like the original Bocce, players can hit the target ball with their current golf ball, shifting the target as well as all the points markers.
Around the World
Score points and charge the field by landing on and closing portals that appear on the field. The targets that appear are electric ports, surrounded by searing energy surges growing out of the targets and slowly charging the hex-pattern grid floor on the game’s projected field. Players must land on the targets to close the port and electrify the next.
Territory
Score the most points by gaining control of designated territories across the game space. Players compete in a head-to-head match to capture their opponent's territory while also protecting their own. Players can choose to protect their territory by reclaiming regions within their territory. Players must strategize as to what is most beneficial: claim new territory or protect existing territory?