Super Tee Off! is a pocket-sized kinesthetic project that emulates the experience of being a golf ball launched off the tee. Using motion, sound, and visual effects, I make this small, short experience a fun, bite-sized game.
We were tasked with coming up with an interactive experience for a
metaphorical game that we could create. The experience was supposed to
simulate different kinematic experiences; motion, sound, visual
effects, et cetera.
Super Tee Off! was a bit of a different approach to this project;
whereas many people created first-person simulation experiences, I
instead wanted to turn my kinematic emulation into a small mini-game.
I chose golf, a game where the kinematics are very
distinctive, and most of the work is done through physics. There are
many very specific, memorable, and iconic elements of the golf swing
experience; the signature sound of a club slicing the air, the grass
that kicks up, the sound of the ball taking off, and the satisfying
arc the ball takes towards its destination.
I wanted to put these elements together in a tiny
experience for the player, so I created a mini game where you, as a
golf ball, are swung at by a golfer taking a random (but fairly
accurate) shot at the hole. You have a bit of control over the ball as
it makes it's way towards the goal, including a small amount of drift
left/right and a bit of control over your gravity/drop rate, all
dynamically influenced by the current velocity of the ball.
These were solo projects, so I had to do everything from the modeling to the programming. Everything was done in Unity and Blender over the course of a week.
Coming up with a kinesthetic experience was a tough job alone; the criteria were pretty strict and I had to come up with an experience that wouldn't be nauseating to the user. My first ideas involved bowling and pinball, as I thought a sports-centric game would be fun "from the perspective of the ball". Unfortunately, many sports involve the ball spinning, whirling, or being tossed to and fro, which would make for an uncomfortable experience for the user. I had to get express permission to use third-person, although Super Tee Off! does have a zoom parameter that can be used to give a first person experience in-game.
The project received a 5/5 in all categories, including game feel, sound and visual design, and interactivity.