This week we… hosted a playtest using our simulator, tested the connection between our Hardware and Software, and implemented our two main game systems to our Unity project.

Playtest and our Virtual Simulator

Here you can see some screenshots of the virtual board we built using this simulator program. Although it has a way different feel from traditional pinball we were able to get some good first reactions and feedback from both experienced pinball players and complete novices. Since we aim to make the gameplay less challenging than normal pinball we also we able to see what spots people found more difficult to hit and got a few good suggestions in regards to how to make each ball harder to drop (for example one play tester said to add posts in the side lanes that go down after the first 30 seconds of play).

Unity to Arduino Connection!

Woo! This is so exciting for us! Here you can see we have successfully been able to wire and connect our pinball parts to our digital system! From left to right there is a flipper button (input), an LED (output), and a Kicker (output). With this we have all three types of hardware tested that we plan to include in our build!

System 1: “On Display” Factory Scoreboard

Above you can see a very WIP demo of our assembly line scoreboard. The scoreboard will be displayed on the head of the machine and is meant to help facilitate each round of pinball.

In our design each pinball you play represents a new order that Wren our main character receives on her factory line. By hitting bumpers and other interactable parts of our playfield you increase the quality of each parts (limbs, torso, head) and increase their respective scores. At the end of the day, you receive a performance review from your manager which acts as your total score!

System 2: Nighttime Minigame

Here you can see the test version of our nighttime minigame! This simple and short minigame
functions as a way for players to unlock some steamy memories of the night they had with their BUNNY. Players will drop one ball aiming to hit as many platforms as possible to multiply it. From there the balls funnel into a moving film real at the bottom, where each section of film (representing a memory) will have a number of balls required to unlock.

The game ends either when all of the memories have been unlocked, or when you run out of balls. After the game is over, players will be able to click through the unlocked memories to
see how their night unfolded, then upon waking up Wren heads into a new daytime shift at the factory.