New times, new directions
by David Dougher · 04/04/2010 (1:08 pm) · 1 comments
Starting over after such a long absence was a very interesting experience. Tools that had been acquired long ago needed to be updated. Old skills in creating Game Proposals and Game Design Docs, needed to be dusted off and re-used.
We reviewed about 10 different initial proposals before settling on a couple to take to rough prototypes. After reviewing the prototypes, we decided to go small for our first effort (a welcome relief after working on such a large and long term project before).
The game went through a very quick alpha and has now reached beta, and while the last bugs are being crushed, the gameplay is being fine tuned, and the new website is being prepared for the launch, I thought I would pop up a couple of pics, to show off what we did in our first quarter of 2010.
The game is currently PC only and created using TGB. If it sells well, we could easily take it to the Mac and with a bit more time and expense to the iPhone. We decided early on that we are basically a PC company so only those games that do well will move to other platforms.
The game is a reaction game, based on the old whack-a-mole idea and we created it with three levels of difficulty. The easy mode is suitable for small children and old folks like me - who like to win. The medium setting is more challenging and should keep casual gamers happy. The “Sorta Insane” mode is for those with a faster reacting mouse and a desire to see just how fast they can get those twitch reactions going.
The game takes place on a golf course where you are charged with dealing with a pesky groundhog who has begun digging up the fairways. Your score is similar to one you would get in a golf game, that is, lowest score wins.
To make the game a bit more challenging, we introduced a number of things you are NOT supposed to hit with suitable penalities. The rules and examples are in the instructions of course. So, without further ado, here’s our little entry in the fun category… Groundhog Hunt.
Screenshots away!
This first shot is of the new options screen.
Here is a shot of Hannibal our pesky little groundhog.
Here is a rather lethal surprise that Hannibal occasionally pushes up to make your life difficult. Hit The dynamite it's game over - you lose!
A quick shot of the scorecard. It displays points awarded for hitting or not hitting the different items that appear in game. Just like golf lowest score wins. So far I'm off to a good start!
This is a shot of Wiff, Hannibal's friend. Wiff does not appreciate being hit with the shovel...
Oooops, massive point loss in the offing from swinging before you look.
Credits, you must have credits!
Hope you enjoyed the tour.
We reviewed about 10 different initial proposals before settling on a couple to take to rough prototypes. After reviewing the prototypes, we decided to go small for our first effort (a welcome relief after working on such a large and long term project before).
The game went through a very quick alpha and has now reached beta, and while the last bugs are being crushed, the gameplay is being fine tuned, and the new website is being prepared for the launch, I thought I would pop up a couple of pics, to show off what we did in our first quarter of 2010.
The game is currently PC only and created using TGB. If it sells well, we could easily take it to the Mac and with a bit more time and expense to the iPhone. We decided early on that we are basically a PC company so only those games that do well will move to other platforms.
The game is a reaction game, based on the old whack-a-mole idea and we created it with three levels of difficulty. The easy mode is suitable for small children and old folks like me - who like to win. The medium setting is more challenging and should keep casual gamers happy. The “Sorta Insane” mode is for those with a faster reacting mouse and a desire to see just how fast they can get those twitch reactions going.
The game takes place on a golf course where you are charged with dealing with a pesky groundhog who has begun digging up the fairways. Your score is similar to one you would get in a golf game, that is, lowest score wins.
To make the game a bit more challenging, we introduced a number of things you are NOT supposed to hit with suitable penalities. The rules and examples are in the instructions of course. So, without further ado, here’s our little entry in the fun category… Groundhog Hunt.
Screenshots away!
This first shot is of the new options screen.
Here is a shot of Hannibal our pesky little groundhog.
Here is a rather lethal surprise that Hannibal occasionally pushes up to make your life difficult. Hit The dynamite it's game over - you lose!
A quick shot of the scorecard. It displays points awarded for hitting or not hitting the different items that appear in game. Just like golf lowest score wins. So far I'm off to a good start!
This is a shot of Wiff, Hannibal's friend. Wiff does not appreciate being hit with the shovel...
Oooops, massive point loss in the offing from swinging before you look.
Credits, you must have credits!
Hope you enjoyed the tour.
About the author
Owner - Pariah Games, Adjunct Professor - Bristol Community College, Mentor - Game Design - Met School Newport, Mentor - Game Design - Met School Providence
Torque 3D Owner Richard:
GroundHog made it to the Limelight (Whoot)