Through the Computer Science Game Design BS
program at UCSC, students are required to work on a capstone
game in what is called "The 170 Series." Students form teams
and make games that satisfy certain constraints. In the first quarter
of production for BALLISTIC we were assigned the task of making a vertical slice
that had to be accepted to move forward into the following class, Production. The
purpose of a vertical slice is to display a concise representative fraction of the
bigger game in order to convey the main feel and gameplay that would be
present if the game moves forward, answering the most important question of
"Is this game fun?"
The constraints were as follows:
- Accessibility
- Localization
- Game Format
- Vertical Slice
Localization
Our game supports Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. You can see more about how this has been achieved here.
Accessibility
Our game supports one-handed play, grayscale, and can be played without audio. More here.
Vertical Slice
This is only a early part of the game. Just a small piece to display a larger representation of what the game could be. More here.
Game Format
Our game can be played on cellular networks and regular networks. The game is only playable on the computer right now. More here.
