Andy Noetzel's Portfolio

Game Type: Four-player "slingshot" action game for Ideum Touch Table

Developed Using: Unity

Status: Project completed for 2018 FUSE exhibition

Role in Project: Project Team Lead

Cattlepult was a game designed for the Interactive Media (IM) Department's FUSE exhibition gallery in April of 2018. The development of the game was split into two phases across two semesters, with different team structures participating at each step.

During the first phase (called the "Catapult" phase), teams were randomly assigned from the entire IM Department's student body and charged with the task to design a pitch and design document for a 90 second experience at FUSE. The experience needed to be age appropriate for children 10+, and deliverable by the event date. The initial team consisted of 9 people, with me serving as the team lead.

Our team decided to work with the Ideum Touch Table, to make a 4 player game.

We wanted the game to be combative in nature, without being visually violent

After several discussion on the game concept, it was decided to make a game about catapults - particularly ones that used cows as ammunition (Thank you Monty Python). Eventually it was decided that rather than going with a medieval theme, a modern country theme would work best. The game was dubbed Cow-a-pult, then renamed to Cattlepult.

After creating a paper prototype, the game played as follows:

Players would be on teams

Each player would have access to two catapults

One catapult fired hay into the center of the field, which scored the player more cows. Unused hay would be fed to existing cows (increasing their size and damage)

The other catapult would fire cows at the opposing side's barns. After enough damage was done to a barn, the barn would collapse (reducing the amount of hay available for that side)

Upon destroying the last barn, the game would end.

For the design document, a visual guide was included to help explain the game's action sequence.

One of the more successful elements of this phase was the game's pitch, which was recorded by a student in the audience. It can be viewed here.

I wrote and performed the pitch.

At that point, my job became meeting with each team to discuss their tasks and objectives every week.

Working with the three leads for each team programming, art, and game design) to allocate resources, make purchases, and ensure that the process was moving forward according to our work pipelines. I also tasked myself with creating set dressings for the event.

The game was well received at the FUSE event. All of the elements came together nicely to create a fun 90 second experience. Having the game be 4 player allowed entire families to play at once.

If there were participants who were unsure of the game, we could easily substitute in one of our team members to show them the ropes.

The set dressings, built in my workshop, were popular with kids and adults.