Minigolf Game - Devlog


@torpor: Hehe, I'll chat to Peter. We haven't talked about how we're going to release a demo yet (open/closed beta). I (or Peter) will keep you posted...
 
I have both and will happily test on both! :) Also I can test on Pandora too, when you port it .. and if you get the Pandora port done, you may as well port it to Touchbook too ..
 
@torpor: Mmm, as soon as I get my Caanoo, I'll do a build for it that Peter and I can playtest. Once we're happy with the demo, we'll unleash it on you guys :)

Regarding the porting...I don't know if I'll ever get around to porting it to the Pandora...I'd love to, but the machine is a little out of my price range at the moment.
 
gameoncanoe.jpg

I'm cheating :lol: it's just an image.

Yeah, Kurt and I haven't really talked about this yet ... but my thoughts are that, at least with this "concept" level ... the more feedback we can get on it the better! I'd probably be willing to let the world download this first one and try it out.

Also, I can't really imagine this coming out on the Pandora, because I can't ever imagine getting a Pandora anytime soon.
 
Wow .. I somehow always manage to kill my own threads ...

Okay then, back to life! For all 6 of you in the Wiz/Caanoo community :lol:

Did designs for icons!
What the screen might look like when you are turning the camera around and when you are in swing mode.
The icons were made by wrestling Inkscape (on mac) into submission so that it can actually do something productive. It's tiring.

Icons are a funny thing though. What exactly do you want to say?
The icon for swing mode was extra perplexing to me, because it is redundant information that the player already knows. The only thing you can see when in Swing mode, is the club. It's obvious what your purpose is. However, what is not obvious is that you can exit Swing mode and go back into View mode ... thus keeping both icons on screen is important if the player is to know that this is a possibility.

viewMode_concept.png


swingMode_concept.png

*not ingame ... concept images that might represent what it the icons look like ingame

Boring? Well, this is the stuff that a designer must consider! B)

In other news ... I went and played with my Caanoo in front of the nerds in Akihabara ... I also bought this neato DS Lite, fabric case that fits around my Caanoo perfectly. It doesn't have any branding either (and has extra slots inside for carrying SD cards!)

case.jpg


When I start buying ornaments to hang off the Caanoo like it's a cell phone ... take it away from me.
 
PM'ed you for the beta, kurtkz ..

traylorpark -- you're in Tokyo? Cool! I gotta get back there some time, I loved it - lived there for a year in the 90's. Nothing beats those little Akihabra shops for madness, eh?

Anyway, keep rolling with the updates, I'm for sure paying attention ..
 
@torpor: Yup, thanks, got the PM - we haven't decided on a release date yet as my Caanoo is taking forever to arrive (apparently it should be here *sometime* before Friday). As soon as Peter gives the go-ahead, I'll release a demo to the beta testers.

@Peter: Awesome, awesome mockups. I got your icons and have added them to the game. I'll upload some ingame screenshots in the next 30min or so. It just keeps getting better :)
 
Looking really, really good! Just one suggestion: the selected icon is bigger than the others, but still seems a bit obscure .. well I guess this will change once there is some movement, but I wonder if you wouldn't slightly shade the un-selected icons a different color?
 
kurtkz said:
@torpor: Yup, thanks, got the PM - we haven't decided on a release date yet as my Caanoo is taking forever to arrive (apparently it should be here *sometime* before Friday). As soon as Peter gives the go-ahead, I'll release a demo to the beta testers.
Click to expand...

Hahaha ... pretty much as soon as I have chance to play it :lol: No pressure though, I'm sure that a beta could be up by this weekend no problem. Of course, ya'll should expect BETA (perhaps even ALPHA) like software.

I'm mega impressed by the speed in which you got those icons into a workable state! And the arrow is there too!


@torpor
Really, thanks for the critique. Feedback is great, especially design feedback (for me). Your right to call out the awkwardness still of the larger and smaller icons.

First, just a bit of background on why I decided that. I guess color changing could work, but I wanted the player to really get feedback from the game when the changed modes, more than just a camera switch. Sure a camera switch could suffice, but the more feedback you give the player for their input (visual, audio, rumble) the more immersed they will become in the experience.

I ran a few ideas through my head, and decided that the icon of the selected popping out might be effective. This is just a theory, we'll see how it plays in the game.

That said, your thoughts on changing colors ... regardless ... is pretty apt. I did some tests, including some alternate layouts. What do you think?

These are similar to what exists already. Just darkening (50 percent transparent) the not used icon. Works well because of all the info being shown in such a small area. I also payed a lot of attention to spacing and font size.

varB1.png


varB2b.png


Same set, just removing the target and stroke info when in "swing" mode.

varB2.png



Now, here I separated the info to either side of the screen ... the buttons aren't shaded this time ... it might still benefit, but their purpose is much more clear.

wideVar.png



And this version combines the icons and all the stroke and target info into fewer icons. I actually think this is better looking and easier to read.

var1.png


But I don't like what happens when the icons switch sizes.

var2.png


Perhaps, however, if smooth fading transitions could be used for the icons when switching modes, this set would work.
Again, usage is the true test, and things that didn't make sense, might be totally obvious and brilliant ... or the other way around.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ugh, I don't think I'll be able to release a demo this weekend - my order still hasn't arrived :'( Looks like I might only get it on Monday *grumble* In the meantime, I've made the changes to the ingame screen (as suggested by Peter and torpor) and have added simple placeholder menus to make the game more complete.
 
do 'we' (me ;)) also get a Wiz version? or will you release only for caanoo then?
 
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