Inspiration
Having played tchoukball ourselves, one of the more confusing part about the game is understanding how the shooter's form affects the ball's trajectory. Gaining ball-sense, ability to read and prediction of shots, were all challenges faced. Thus with this game, we hope to let tchoukball players better hone their defense skills and apply their experiences with the game into real life. Alternatively, given that tchoukball is not as common of a sport, we hope to also be able to bring the name of the sport further out by shining a spotlight and garnering interest towards it. As the game has been simplified enough, the barrier to entry in understanding the game and playing would not be hindered.
What it does
A single player first POV game that simulates the first line of defense in a game of tchoukball. Defending against an NPC attacker, by observing their arm reach and angle of how their arm is raised, users would have to predict or recognize patterns on how ball trajectories are affected. The angle at which the ball comes out to the height at which it reaches the player are the variables affected. This game aims to train and build up ball reading and reaction time in players.
How we built it
Using Unity and C#, we created a base scene with placeholders to represent the different equipment and props required for a tchoukball defending simulation. With a rough idea of our simulation written down on a piece of paper, we got to work by experimenting and working on the game mechanics. After successful tries, we then combined our work using GitHub. Slowly, we developed and polish the game as we go.
Challenges we ran into
In the beginning, we had difficulty imagining and adjusting to the player's POV of the net on a 2D platform. This was resolved by implementing a 2.5D feature of 2D assets with a slight 3D perspective. With our limited knowledge and being relatively new to the language and engine, research and experimentations took up a lot of our time. Running into bugs, different editor version conflicts and merge conflicts were some of the challenges that we ran into. Despite these challenges, we managed to pull through and develop our desired product.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We take pride in our perseverance throughout the hackathon, which allowed us to successfully create our envisioned product. Each mechanic implemented and every step of the design process were milestones that brought us joy and satisfaction. We're proud that we were able to successfully bring our ideas to life.
What we learned
We were able to deepen our understanding of coding in C# and the Unity Engine, such as first-person perspective mechanics. Additionally, we learned how to resolve merge conflicts on GitHub and collaborate efficiently as a team. This hackathon also taught us how to quickly adapt to new challenges, manage our time effectively, and think critically to troubleshoot bugs under pressure. Lastly, we developed a greater appreciation for teamwork and the iterative nature of game development.
What's next for Tchoukapalooza
If given the opportunity, simulating a whole tchoukball match and potentially expanding on the game to include point systems or more complex rules to better mimic the actual sport and game would be steps further taken. As our current game consists of 10 attempts, there is no real consequence or prize for accomplishing the game's play. Thus, to evoke a competitive spirit and greater interest for the game, turning it into a multi-player game or including a leaderboard are some of our ideas that could be further expanded on.
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