[Game Development] Introducing Hoop Flick, a POC

It’s been a while since my last post. The truth is, I drafted two or three more posts after that but never posted any of them.

The title of my should-have-been second post explains exactly why – “Developing is Addicting.”

I planned on chronicling my journey back to Unity, but the more I learned new techniques, the more I got excited in just applying them.

So far, I have three works in progress. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

As I mentioned before (in my other blog), a friend and I have decided to team up to build and release a series of games for Android and iOS. We go a long way back, and one of the things we had in common was our shared dream of creating games. In fact, it was he who introduced me to programming.

We pitched in several game ideas and eventually decided on one of mine, a game I tentatively called “Project Warzone.” I can’t give too much details about this game right now, except that this game would be multiplayer, and would involve flicking a ball into the air, aiming to hit the opponent.
We’ve decided that the first obstacle we would need to clear before the development can progress was the flicking mechanism and how to implement this in Unity. I already had an idea so I volunteered to create a Proof of Concept (POC).

At first, I designed a mini-app that would show the basic layout of “Project Warzone,” with the players on either side of the battlefield and a “ball” on one of the player. The user would then flick the ball, attempting to hit the other player.

It worked okay during the test run, but when I compiled it and ran it on my phone, the game behaved erratically (I can’t explain how, just that it didn’t act the way it did during the test run, not even close).

Frustrated, I went back to working on my practice game, JT (I’ll post an update on this soon). A couple of weeks later, I decided to take another crack at the POC. This time, though, I decided to instead develop another game that also uses the flick mechanism, but is totally different. I decided to call it Hoop Flick, a working title but one I think will stick.

Hoop Flick is a Basketball-themed game. You flick the ball into the hoop to score in a variety of ways. I set out the following guidelines for myself:

1. The app will be a standalone app that someday I hope to release. It doesn’t need to be profitable, as long as it’s addicting and enjoying.
2. It has to be easy to learn, difficult but rewarding to master.
3. One game session has to be quick enough to play, say while waiting for your order at a restaurant, but longer depending on your skill level. That is, the longer you can stay in the game, the more awesome you are.
4. There must be twists or surprises at higher levels. (see below)
5. This would probably just be a free app, but there has to be room for IAP if the opportunity arises.
6. The game should reward skill (perfect shots) more than luck (money-ball, 3 pointers which are based on percentages).

Earlier today I compiled the first alpha version that I will share with my friend. This version currently does not have any cosmetic elements, with simple sketches used for the ball, defender, and the hoop. There isn’t even a background yet!

I did put in a little bit of sound effects so the game wouldn’t be as boring to play. As mentioned in #4, the game starts with just a ball and a hoop but as you progress, several defenders pop-up to distract or even block you. See the video below to understand what I mean.

Lastly, in this current build, each shot can be 2 or 3 points (30% chance to get the latter). If you hit nothing but the net, you get an additional 8 points. Sometimes, a money ball spawns and if you make this, whatever points you score will be doubled. In other words, the maximum score for one ball is (3+8)*2=22.

When time runs down to the last 10 seconds, you enter clutch shooting mode. 3pt percentage doubles and all balls become money balls. There’s even a countdown beep to add excitement.
Here’s the video:

Hoop Flick Early Alpha

(that navigation bar should not be there)
I plan on asking a few other friends to test this current set-up and ask for their suggestions on what to add with regards to the gameplay, but here are a few I’ve thought of myself:

• Add the ability to improve attributes such as 3pt percentage, clutch shooting (duration and modifier), starting time or time rewarded either through collecting in-game points ala Temple Run (potential for IAP) or through selecting a “class” at the start of the game (no IAP but adds variety and emphasizes skill).
• A level up system?
• Connect to a Global Leaderboard and display your global rank number next to your badge/profile. Your Facebook friends can then see this, and you can also post this to facebook for maximum bragging rights.
• A local multiplayer option where a second player can control a fourth defender.

Ugh, I went from storytelling to brainstorming with myself, so I should stop writing right here.
I hope I can post updates about this game soon, I will be working on this and JT concurrently.

Finally, I know it looks like a joke right now, but I really found this game addicting. Certainly more addicting than the current version of JT, which is ten times more complicated than this game. I hope others would see the game in the same way.