Bocce Challenge Extreme: The Proposal

A game proposal

byPeter Shafer

Based on the Italian precision sport.

Introduction

Don't let it's appearance fool you. When combined with gamers addled with caffeine digital bocce becomes a competitive and exciting game. Bocce Challenge Extreme will mutate this sport into something addictive and fun to play with your friends.

The premise is simple. On a rectangular court, players take turns trying to roll their balls as close as they can to another smaller target ball. Basically, the player with the ball that is closest to the target ball wins. But this is where it only begins. This is a game that offers many opportunities for expansion; new courses, power ups, obstacles, whatever you can come up with.

Gameplay

When your friends have gathered and are ready to play the first course is loaded and each player takes turns rolling balls at the target ball. Balls are rolled by clicking on the ball in the launch area and dragging the mouse in the direction they want to roll it. By dragging further you will increase the ball's velocity. Players can use various strategies including knocking away other opponents balls, knocking the target ball to more favorable locations, triggering traps and obstacles on the course or blocking paths to the target ball. When all balls have been rolled, the player who owns the ball closest to the target ball will win the round.

The next course will be loaded and the winner will now have the opportunity to roll the target ball where he/she chooses or place it in one of several default locations. The game repeats this process until all rounds have been played. The player with the most rounds won will win the tournament, and in the case of a tie, a sudden death round will be played.

Design Objectives

The primary goal in designing this game is to be flexible enough so that we can have a finished game at many different points in development and to accommodate programmers of various skill levels. We will carry out the project by:

• Keeping it simple at first. • Use 2D graphics, and no AI or network play initially. • We will concentrate first on the bare bones of gameplay. • We will anticipate and leave room in the project for a good deal of

expansion. • A prototype has been created using the "Game Maker system" and will

serve as a reference point and design testing ground.

• Utilize libraries to manage graphics, physics and internal game communication. • OpenGL 2D/3D graphics. • An XML package to standardize communication between program modules.

• Easy to understand and identify bugs in communications. • Easier for programmers to make their code play nice together.

• Break up development into 5 key modules. • Collision Detection and Physics • Player Interface • Game Graphics • Program Module Communications • Level Design

Required Components

• Collision Detection • This game does not work without collision detection, period.

• Basic Physics • Also, this game does not happen without basic physics that control how

balls behave. • People will not want to play if balls do not behave realistically.

• Mouse Support • The third critical component. Absolutely necessary to interface with the

players. • The mouse feels natural to the player and we must anticipate how they will

interface with it.

• Basic Graphics and Audio • We will initially design the game in 2D.

Extended Components

• Computer Player AI• This may be difficult to program as it may involve path finding on a course

and development of tactics to win.

• In-Game Level Designer • The player can create their own levels in either a separate file that could

either be described in XML or through the game's interface. We will probably already have the separate file method by default as we need a way to describe the courts to begin with.

• Avatar Selection • Each player can select an avatar graphic or animated character to

represent them and their balls on the screen.

• Power ups and Hazards • Players can roll their ball, or knock others, into power ups or hazards that

cast an effect on that ball or all balls that can enhance or inhibit the player's ability to win. This may not be difficult to implement but could possibly conflict with basic rules.

• 3D Graphics • It would be cool to see everything in 3D, but this is an entirely new can of

worms to open. Implement the 2d game with the ability to later extend it to 3D.

• Network Play • This would be very cool to have, but also another can of worms to open.

Like 3D, implement the original non-network game with the ability to extend it to network play.

• Scripted Events and Text • This would lend itself well to instructing players how to play and the

display of other info. It would add a lot of value to the game, but is not absolutely critical.

• Randomly generated terrain • If we are able to make it to the point where the game is converted to 3D

then we may want to consider adding 3D physics as well. Daniel Sánchez-Crespo Dalmau includes a section on this topic in "Core Techniques and Algorithms in Game Programming."

• Additional Gameplay Modes • Sudden Death

• The rules are the same as normal, except if you touch the target ball, your ball will be destroyed.

• Poison • Balls that touch the target ball are poisoned. If any ball touches a

poisoned ball, it will be destroyed.

Team Tasks and Requirements

This project is designed to accommodate programmers of varying ability and knowledge.

• Programmer to specialize in openGL. • Programmer to specialize in XML programming. • Overall game engine coordinator. • Interface programmer. • Physics programmer. • Level designer who creates and manages the process of loading and editing

levels. • Artist, or media finder who can help up create or find royalty free graphics and

sound. • Network programmer.

Summary

Bocce Challenge Extreme will will be a fun game to play with your friends. There is, to my knowledge, no other game title available that features the game of bocce. There is a strong possibility that we will have a finished product that we can share with the general public and with our friends. It's straight forward design will make teamwork easier and has a lot of room for individuals to contribute to its gameplay.

Additional Information

I have created a prototype version of this game to demonstrate the gameplay mechanics and interface. If you are interested in trying this out email me at p026278s@edinboro.edu.