I’m ready to start rolling the game out to more public events. This includes entering it in game festivals like GDC alt.ctrl and Indiecade. To do that I need some kickass footage of the game in action for demo videos. I invited some of my past students and their friends over for free food and […]
Party!
The game made it’s semi-public non-playtesting debut at a birthday party. Due to some space limitations, the batters were positioned on a flagstone patio in a garden, and the LED strip was wrapped around a tree. The distance from the batting stands to the tree was about 15′, so there was time to see the […]
Scoreboards
The small displays on the control box are not useful at all when playing the game. I finally focused on building the large four digit seven segment displays. It took two trips to Tap Plastics for the acrylic and three laser cutter sessions at Techshop this week to prep the parts for assembly. I ended […]
Frustration with LED flashlights
The small control box has a light sensor in it to sense when the bat is swung above it. There needs to be a light shining down that is strong and direct enough so that the bat casts a shadow as it goes by. I’ve been using a mic stand with a small Maglight flashlight […]
Reworking the Ball Algorithm
The most common feedback about the software controllable part of the game concerned ball speed. At the high end, in a short rally the ball quickly got up to speeds that were un-hittable. At the low end, a slow ball felt like it took forever to die. The portion of my code that controls […]
To Do List for Next Event
The next time I set up the game for other players will be at a party in mid-May, less than three weeks from now. My wish list for that event includes: Must Haves Software Rework the ball algorithm. Bunts and slow swings absorb energy Slower ramping up to high speeds Cure false serves Finish adding […]
Playtest #3
Playtest #3 was at ETC’s Soft Open on Wednesday night with about 65 guests at Microsoft’s Reactor space in SF. I set up the game at the far end of the room and let it run itself. I wasn’t monitoring the game the whole time, but I would estimate that at least 15 or 20 […]
New Main System Box
Time to upgrade the control box before Playtest #3. The current box is just a floor and face for the controls. The guts hang out – it’s ugly and probably dangerous. I designed a new box to hold the Arduino Mega, it’s power supply, the control knobs and displays, and jacks for everything external to […]
Playtest #2
Time to test the changes from last time. Playtest on Friday 4/14 during the afternoon in a hallway at work. My Goals Try out next rev on setting up and breaking down the system. Compare bat vs. tennis racket. Does one feel better than the other? Does the racket change the way people play? Test […]
Changes for Next Playtest
I’ve been fixing problems, tuning software, and laser cutting as I prep for my next playtest. Software Changes Fixed swing timing. The biggest issue from Playtest #1 was with players swinging late. The game allowed you to swing a bit early, but never late. Fixing a couple lines of code was all it took to […]