Poopin' Pigeon Sim
October 2018 - 1 Week - Team of 3
Poopin' Pigeon Sim was created in a one week game jam in a randomly assigned group of 3. The challenge of the game jam was to create a game with an alternative controller.
We decided to create a game that made people look ridiculous so the game was as fun to watch as it is to play.
The game itself is about playing as a pigeon and pooping on things around a city.
Design
Game Loop
My Roles:
-ideation and concept
- core gameplay design and game loop
-pigeon controls and camera controls
- alt control implementation
-UI/UX design and implementation
-AI design and code
-aesthetic and post processing work
-3D asset model, texture, and implementation
As this was an alt.cntrl game we wanted players to have shorter interactions with the game to cycle through as many players as possible.
Which means we needed an end state.
To do this we created a system that mean players needed to manage a few variables.
connected by eating seeds
Poop
Amount
food
Pooping
connected by how much you poop
Energy
Amount
food
constantly
Less food eaten
Pigeon's Speed
Game ends when energy reaches zero
Adding this system meant the game now had an end state, as well players have to manage more, and are now more likely to either have a higher score and lower play time or the opposite, which meant we have a higher turn over rate for players
Wing Alt.Cntrl Design
Shoots of process work during the week
Wing Rig Design
Pigeon Wing for reference
Shoulder support
for stability
Wrist strap for control
Wii Control
The pocket was chosen in favor of less materials required
Concept for making a pocket
for the wii mote to rest in
on the wing
Concept for making the wing
thicker and having the wii mote rest between them
The Wii motes accelerometer will be used for the games controlling. The z axis specifically for steering.
The Z axis is used for steering left and right. Whereas the X axis is used to turning the camera up and down
A Wii mote will be placed in each wing, however only one is needed to play.
This is to create the illusion that both wings are required to play, as well as to create equal weight on both wings.
In order to making flying feel good, and to account for subtle differences in how players hold the wings, a "dead zone" is required where between two readings the pigeon will not turn.
Turn Left
Dead zone
Turn Right
This is the chart used for the steering of the pigeon. The numbers along the line represent the reading from the accelerometer.
Poop Alt.Cntrl Design
The design for the controls for the player pooping was to have the player sit on a whoopee cushion.
However, we needed a way to wire the whoopee cushion to make the input reliable, and the controller durable.
The first pitch was to have shorts with tin foil on the butt, and to have tin foil on the whoopee cushion.
This was quickly scrapped as the shorts were tedious to put on and slowed down players from taking turns, and it proved to tear up the tin foil very quickly.
Then we decided that there would be a platform with tin foil, and then the whoopee cushion suspended by springs also with tin foil on it.
For extra durability this was the final concept design.
This is what the final rig looked like
Early GIF of the poop mechanic
The Z axis is used for steering left and right. Whereas the X axis is used to turning the camera up and down
Camera Control Design
The camera was a very important aspect to the game.
Since players had to navigate a city, as well as aim down on pedestrian having a camera capable of supporting both of these needs was a priority.
The end result was turning the wings around the arm, rather than the shoulder, which then tilts the camera in game. Therefore players have control over what they want to see.
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