Magnetic Billiards square table

Archive entry by Ste Pickford on Wed, 31 Dec 2008
Subject: Magnetic Billiards: Seriously Casual

This is a test render of a square version of the Magnetic Billiards table, for a split screen two player version of the game.

This hasn't made it into the final version of the game.

We did a lot of experimentation with gameplay ideas and different game modes when still in the 2D blueprint stage (see earlier blog entry), and we got a couple of great two player modes working. There was a turn based version, and a real time version, both which had two separate square tables, and balls being fired across from one table to the other. They were really good fun.

This was when the game was being designed with XBLA and the 360 in mind, so the game mode used two Xbox 360 controllers.

When we had to switch to a PC only game, we also switched from 'controller' control, to mouse control. Suddenly simultaneous two player modes on one PC didn't seem so attractive. Nobody has two mice, and one player on mouse, another on controller or keyboard didn't seem like a good compromise either, as one controller method will always have an advantage (faster or more accurate) in a game like this.

I think we might return to this game mode as an additional feature in a later version, or as a bonus extra or something, but it's too much of a distraction to try and squeeze it in the current game before release.

Tags: concept art, render, game design, graveyard

Predecessor post: Blueprint Version

View the softography page for Magnetic Billiards: Seriously Casual »

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