Bump the Pool

Race down the slides, splash into chaos and bump everyone out of the pool in fast, physical VR battles.

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Inspiration

We were working on our VR skateboarding simulator Bomb the Hill and during the hackathon we wanted to try something lighter, more accessible and more social. We decided to use our experience with sliding physics in a new engine and in a much more playful setting. As a game-designer, I also kept imagining a water park for some reason... At some point we realized how far the “what if?” questions pushed us from the original idea and as a joke we started calling the experiment Bump the Pool.

What it does

Players slide down big water-park tubes, fall into one central pool and try to bump each other out to become 'the king of the pool'. Movement is simple: paddling with hands, drifting and turning with head tilts. The game creates fast, chaotic, social fun that works even without instructions.

How we built it

We chose Unity for the prototype since it let us bring multiplayer online fast and spend our time on gameplay experiments. We made many small iterations: changing the setting, the core loop and the movement until everything felt intuitive. We tested constantly with playtesters and kept only what created shared fun.

Challenges we ran into

· At first we tried many “vehicles” for sliding, including very strange ones. None of them gave us the right tempo, fun collisions or controls we could finish in time. We spent too long searching for the right option until only a couple of days before the deadline we finally tried inflatable tubes. This solved everything at once and saved the project.

· Another challenge was comfort. We tried more POV freedom and it was immersive, but some testers felt very dizzy. So we've implemented horizon alignment to make the game accessible for more players.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We built a working multiplayer prototype in a short time with physics that feel simple and fun. Ten adult playtesters who didn’t know each other ended up laughing and playing for more than an hour to the point where their wives and husbands asked them to quiet down.

What we learned

· Simple VR interactions can create stronger social moments than complex mechanics.

· Frequent playtests give better direction than long planning sessions.

· Comfort rules are important, even in light and playful prototypes.

What's next for Bump the Pool

· Integrated voice chat.

· Full hand-tracking support, so the game works without controllers.

· Improved visuals and customization.

· Boosters and debuffs for mass gain/loss, so small players can team up against big ones in the pool.

· X-mas version with icy slides.

· New interaction mechanics (tube handles, forming big tube groups, spinning opponents).

...and to grow the prototype into a polished free-to-play social VR game.

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