ALT CTRL

This themed game project took place over a period of 2 weeks, in which my main aim was to create an alternative controller, to be used in place of a mouse and keyboard. I wanted to try and create a foosball table-top game, where the player(s) would have to use real poles to move the player characters on-screen.

I took a large cardboard box, as well as some long, cardboard poles; before measuring up where to place the pieces together and cut them down to size.

Once cut, I could then slot the poles into the cardboard box, which would act as the moving mechanics for the game. However, I still had to create a way for the computer to read the cardboard poles movements. Therefore, by placing foil around the poles in two places, and also in the holes of the cardboard box; when the foil pieces from the cardboard poles makes contact with the cardboard boxes foil pieces, a key on the keyboard would be 'pressed', and thus, moving the player characters, via my controller.

Once I had the alternate controller created, I began to work on the game. The game was no way perfect, but was able to work alongside my alternate controller, demonstrating how it would work.

I created several rows of players for both teams, as would be seen on a traditional foosball table; before which, I was able to code the rows of players to move up and down in corrolation to specific keys on the keyboard being pressed. From here I could include a 'ball', which would move in the direction that the player characters collided with the ball.

A simple score system was then made, and 2 goals at either end of the 'pitch', which would reset the ball to the middle and add a point to the correct team when the ball collided with it.