Hey Guys.

I already have a basic idea for a game and I already did some code on it, basically phyisics and rendering.
I will explain to you what my game is about and please you to tell me if you have a good idea of a feature i could add in the game.

You all know the Pinball game of Windows right? My game is similar but it isn't just a clone it is far more. The game field is a table just like Pinball but you are playing against other humans on multiplayer with balls which inflict a magnetic force on other balls and certain obstacles. Your objective is to control the balls on the table by enabling the magnetic force of some obstacles and make them hit the opposed base. Of course you have to protect your own base in the meanwhile. Winnes is who manages to destroy the hostile base before the friendly one is destroyed.

The problem i'm facing from the game design point of view (of course i'm fighting with many technical problems too, but no unsolvable ones) is, that if I add friction to the balls' movement it would easily be possible to spam balls and jam a passage of the table. This would freeze the gameflow. I worry that my game would be 'playable'.

Tank you for all suggestions!

mfG
Machtl

You received no answers to this for a reason. What you've brought to use is a complete game theory, and what I assume a start on the actual game, with a question realted to the physics of the game. It's not something we can simply answer for you, or be accurate in that answer. If your creating the game, play around with it, and discover what works and what doesn't during your testing phase. Our advice would be meaningless.

So you're worried the players will be able to spam balls to clog parts of your game, making it unplayable?

I have a couple of suggestions that could help.

-Make the players have a limited number of balls on the table at any one time. I think maybe giving each player only one ball on the table at a time should work well there.
-Work in a "nudge" and "tilt" function. Let players "nudge" the table; ie shaking the field up a little and taking control from all players for a couple seconds. It should loosen up the balls and get things going again. If a player nudges too much, they get a tilt, which takes control away from them for a little longer, leaving them open for attack.

Aside from that, I don't really know what to tell ya' except that I think I(?) agree with ShiftyCake. None of us here can give you really solid advice on your game since we don't know enough about it. It's your project and you know more about it than we could.

Sometimes I know I need fresh eyes to look at my work from time to time to show me something I may have missed, and I guess that's what you're looking for here? If so, I hope my little ideas helped.

Hi,


I was addicted to real pinball as a kid in the 1970s and later Atari pinball in the 1980s.

How about holes, maybe even miniature black holes as a hazard in the field? The better pinball games had a hole or two back in the day to be avoided as well as one or two as a goal. If you can't make a 3D hole, then I recommend a black circle on the field and the ball disappears if crossing it. The harder objectives should reward the most, of course, and the hazards should be the most difficult to avoid.


An alternative is a capture point which sticks the ball and can only be freed if another ball makes a direct hit.


Clinton

Perhaps players could have a way to exert control over/steal any of the balls on the table at any given time? That will enforce a kind of equilibrium during gameplay and it will dilute the advantage of putting too many balls in play at once.