Track Add-ons - Start/Finish Points

In true Blue Peter style I made use of some toilet rolls to build a prototype chute for the game's finish line. I also quickly cut out a large gold ring so - in keeping with the original Sonic the Hedgehog game - players have to 'jump' up and go through to hoop to finish the level. It's currently still only in a raw state so not very aesthetically pleasing, but at least people can hopefully associate it more easily with the original digital game even this early on.

The other component I have in the game at my disposal is the 'lollipop checkpoint'. I will use something like this to denote where the player can re-start from if the ball ever accidentally flies off the track. For the time being, I will also use this object to mark the lap starting point. It is only attached by cellotape so I can re-position the checkpoint wherever I like.

Feedback Received!

I found a nice surprise waiting for me when I came back into uni after the weekend. Not only had my prototype not been eaten (always a bonus), someone had been kind enough to leave a comment on my makeshift form!

I wasn't honestly expecting anyone to give it a try without being asked so it's nice to know the game is getting some attention. I've now printed out some proper playtest sheets so if people do walk by it again and are willing to spend just a few minutes filling one out, I'll at least have something a bit more comprehensive and detailed to take into account during iteration.

Note that I have also heeded the request to supply a basic set of instructions on how to play. Although I was initially trying to leave the set-up rule-free in an attempt to get players suggesting their own ideas, I can understand that this is too vague and not providing any guidelines at all gives the game no meaning.

Sonic Website Worth Checking Out

Everything a Sonic fan needs or wants to know is available here...

Go to soniczone0.com

And this is certainly something I will be looking into!

Playtesting - Straw or Paddle?

 Paddle Test 

 Straw Test

In Retrospect

When I returned to the games lab later that afternoon (feeling a little out of breath from all the earlier huffing and puffing), I was telling one of my classmates - Dan - how I'd been getting on and mentioned about how tiring and impractical it was to play. I was stating I'd need a square table, allowing players to run around the track more easily (as we'd been using a rectangular one previously). He immediately wanted to see it in action and give it a go himself. So I set the track up again but this time, on a small square table. Just for fun and something new to try, I added a few random bits and pieces I'd previously rummaged out of the interior design classroom bins...

Then an idea came from out of the blue...

Did we need to use straws or could there be another way of moving sonic that did not require bending down so closely to the surface in order to get decent forward momentum and control of the ball?

I immediately grabbed a piece of long card and began to flap it rapidly behind the ball in an up-down motion. It produced the effect I wanted and with much less physical contorting involved. This has opened up many more possibilities using different equipment to 'power' the ball in future iterations.