The team had their “Quarters Presentation” during Week 3 and presented their initial game concept to faculty for feedback. In addition, the team had the chance to visit Xpogo headquarters to experience pogo LIVE for the first time.
Quarters Presentation
On Friday, the team had “1/4 walkaround”, which is quick presentation rounds to faculty members early in the semester to get initial feedback on the project.
We gained valuable feedback regarding the initial concept of our project. The team discussed some areas of the project that might need adjustment:
Rethinking control mechanics
- The core of the project: platform or controls
- Platform: Goal is to traverse through space and reach a destination
- Controls: mechanics is the key
- The essence is the jumping
- Timing and rhythm
- Mechanics should be fun
- How to integrate the tricks
- What’s the incentive for player to do tricks
- Built into narrative/game design
Rethinking world building
- Nature doesn’t match the narrative (why would pogo people want to go back to nature?)
- Swap to universe or space
- Just a playground for pogoing should also be fun
- Music is important to set the tone
We also gained positive feedback on our project conceptualization, particularly the cyberpunk/streetstyle environment pitch and the character design. Starting next week, the team will enter project production fully, starting with:
- Character asset: modeling -> UV unwrap -> texture -> rigging
- Level 1 level design block out and initial environment asset.
Visiting Xpogo
On Thursday, the team visited Xpogo headquarter for first-hand pogo experience. Xpogo CEO Will Weiner and one of the first founders of pogo tricking Nick McClintock met with the team. They demonstrated pogo tricks (LIVE!) and talked more about extreme pogo sport. The team also acquired a pogo stick thanks to Xpogo!
Things for next week:
- Refine game controls
- Start character asset production (model, uv, texture)
- Start level 1 level design and environment asset
- Poster and logo update
- Shader update: refine comic shader and integrate neon shader