Thanks for the feedback.
Quote: "better distinguish the modes (and add a couple).
couldn't really tell much of a difference between soccer and pool mode but i like the idea of being able to play foosball in different ways."
Pool mode: Pool balls react to forces based on their own trajectory and acceleration and the angle and force of the striking ball. Realistic Pool ball physics. Balls move around with pool ball physics.
Soccer mode: Ball can be stopped by player by absorbing the shock.
Soccer ball physics.
Quote: "+ add "Shoot" and "Pass" (left and right mouse buttons respectively) where shoot is a powerfull strike and pass is a softer "kick" and meant to pass the ball to a teammate (or just in front of him to set up a shot on goal) based on the angle between passer and the ball. "
I have provided for simple easy to use controllers as compard to some of the other foosball games which use hard if not impossible means of controlling the player ball interaction. If you move the mouse fast you have the "Shoot" . If you move the mouse gently you have the "Pass". LMB and RMB buttons can cause hand fatigue over a period of time and requires the player to remember more complicated controller manipulation.
Quote: "add Penalty Kick element: say the GT attemps a lofty pass and the ball bounces off the table. penalize by allowing opposition a 1-on-1 shot from 2 lines away "
Already implemented. Coming in SOCCERnPOOL2 with many additional gameplay elements.
Quote: "+ remove the ability to "catch" the ball but "weigh" the ball down"
Which would mean that there would be no difference in the physics of the 'pool mode' and the 'soccer mode'
Quote: "+ loosen the physics so the ball rolls a lot further, albeit slower since the ball is now weighed down"
That seems like a contradicion to me. If the ball has to roll a lot further the friction has to be reduced. If you reduce friction there is no way the ball is going to roll slower, it would keep boucing around.
Quote: "add "BUMPER POOL" mode? maybe less players per team and add obstacles?"
Ball and player sizes are both adjustable in the PREFERNCES MENU. This can provide for a higher scoring faster game.
Quote: "but there are plenty of basic foosball games out there. set yours apart. change the texture of the field of play to a more "soccer" feel or "felt" table top for pool mode. plenty of spice can be added, and pretty simply code-wise. otherwise, i can't see paying $10 for something many users here can make in a short period of time. these ideas would also increase the replay value which, as-is, is short-lived. i suggest all of this in the vein of evolving from what is already established in the genre. push the limits some "
More graphics elements implies increased file size. Notice that my game is a 1.8 MB download. Compare it some of the othe DB executables and realise the effort.
I'd like to mention here that I noticed that all the foosball pc games have complicated controls which makes it rather difficult to maintain the free movement of the real game. I chose to eliminate the rods and rotating players for the same reason. Moving the players in a plane is easier than rotating the players and trying to gauge when the foot of a rotating player is about to hit the ball. The pace of the game is free and similar to the real game because of the simplicity and ease of using only the mouse controller.
I've spent a good part of my development time play testing and balancing the game especially the physics engine parameters. If I add too much "mass" the ball movement speeds up excessively and you will feel you've lost control over the ball. Too little friction gives the same effect. I have tried to customise the parameters so that 1) the ball stops fast and doesn't keep bouncing around 2) the ball cannot be hit with excessive force which would also make it bounce around.
Having said that, for players wanting more hitting force there is a
"BALL HIT FORCE" adjustment in the PREFERENCES MENU. There is
adjustment for ball and player size so you can hit the ball head on and eliminate any "twitchiness". Again this makes the ball move around a lot. However, I have left it up to the user to adjust the physics for any sort of gameplay he desires. To that end if you go to the OPTIONS MENU I have provided for sensitivity adjustment for mouse, joystick AND KEYBOARD, to eliminate an "touchiness" in the controls depending on what the user prefers. I think I have given a
LOT MORE gameplay-wise than other foosball games.
I have joystick/mouse/keyboard controllers and fine tuning each one of those is no easy task. In addition each controller has to be balanced against the other so they provide equivalent control. These elements will be visible only when you have used all the options.
And regarding the ease of coding another similar game. I have implemented 2 MOUSE CONTROLLERS on the same pc for real time one-on-one gameplay. I wonder how you can call that a trivial task. Look around and let me know HOW MANY GAMES have implemented 2 mouse controllers! I haven't seen a single foosball game with this facility. There is "Doubles" play where 4 people can play at the same pc.
The game design is controller-centric. You can play with joystick,
mouse or keyboard for a one-on-one real time experience on the same pc.I have only seen keyboard controls being offered by the other foosball games or complicated keyboard + mouse controls.
The Design Goals from the beginning have been the following:
1) Design player movement and controller to get a fast realistic
Foosball experience. Not possible if you have rotating players on a
rod. No PC game controller can mimic a rotating rod and the control it offers in a real game without being "touchy" and difficult.
2) Provide the same hitting precision of a real foosball game. NOT
possible if you have rotating 3D players because its very difficult to gauge depth on the pc. If you can't gauge when the player foot is going to hit the ball you will have lost control. POSSIBLE if you use balls because they provide you with precise hitting ability as in a pool game.
3) Mimic the One-on-one human interaction of a foosball game. Possible if you provide for maximum controller options (mouse v/s mouse, joystick v/s mouse, keyboard v/s keyboard, etc.) and allow for team play upto 4 players at the same pc in real time.
I think the effort I have put into the analysis of existing Foosball pc games, eliminating their shortcomings and designing of the controllers to provide for a realistic foosball experience justifies the $10 price tag, considering they are all $14.99 and above and provide for a poorer playing experience.
And I didn't even mention 1 year in development, beta testing, play testing, game balancing, code optimisation, file size optimization, implementing MULTIPLAYER network play, 2 MOUSE CONTROLLERS (I think its a first in foosball games!), physics parameter adjustment and 18 hour marathon programming sessions.
And as regards the replay value of Table Soccer, you should go and visit some of the links I have provided in the "Game strategy" file.
Germany just hosted the first "World Cup Table Soccer" championships. Considering the game first came into existence quite some eons back, I think it must be having plenty of replay value, or we wouldn't be seeing a worldwide following and a table soccer world cup so many many years later.
