Currently, SPIDER SK8 exists as a polished prototype, demonstrating the core mechanics and our initial take on the aesthetic for this game thru visuals and gameplay. It serves as the principle concept for the idea for this game as we have in mind, although due to time constraints, we were not able to add every feature that we originally set out to put into it. If we continued this game, we would include more level elements, other characters to interact with, sprite animations, skate trick-related things, and scoring methods.

What was most satisfying about the development process of this game is that it became an improvement on our original game idea from our paper prototype.

Since this was just a prototype implementation of our game, we went for depth over breadth. I wouldn’t call this prototype an all-encompassing vertical slice, but it definitely had a lot of polish put into the several elements we decided we could finish in our timeframe. For example, we originally wanted to have two levels playable for this version of the prototype, but we only managed one.

Other than that, we added some things after this paper draft, turning the game into a combination of high score and time challenge (best time) mechanics. I decided that the simplest way to calculate score without implementing distinct skate tricks was to measure the amount of rotation Spooder does while off the ground and apply a curve over that, so that flip tricks earn bonus points. Lauren had the idea of putting little anecdotal sprites on the screen like COOL, SUPER, and AWESOME for these bonuses, as well as NPC concepts and different outfits for Spooder.

Overall I think this was a very successful prototype, both personally and based on the feedback I received. I was able to use my Unity, programming, and physics knowledge to the full degree here. I learned a bit about Unity’s tile map editor and 2D physics system, and I think Lauren learned a lot about making pixel art and loading assets into Unity, and brought good ideas to the table to make the game fun and enjoyable.