Marble madness was a hit arcade game in the 80’s, using the (not so popular) trackball interface. Now there are two ways to play marble madness; either you can gently spin the trackball to maneuver your marble safely through the course while taking in the beautiful geometric scenery, or you can play it properly, how it was meant to be played, like a damn maniac, spinning the trackball as fast as possible, dashing through the course and destroying anything that gets in your way.
While recently playing the Marble Madness game in a Brooklyn retro arcade bar my friend suggested we entered the two player mode – something that we had not done up to that point. The two player mode quickly induced competitive gameplay as there was no way to work together. If one player got two far ahead, or knocked the other player off, that play would then fall behind. The game just doesnt make sense as a multiplayer experience because the game simply becomes more difficult. But that isn’t to say the multiplayer mode wasn’t fun!
This inspired me to create a three player, highly dynamic, competitive, marble-maneuvering multiplayer trackball game (TPHDCMMMTG). Instead of trying to complete a course, players would be navigating a dangerous playing field in a capture-the-flag-like scenario. Players can bump into each-other to steal flags and gain points. Each players hardware interface will feature one trackball and one potentiometer slider. The slider will be use to adjust the size/speed of your ball and you can ONLY steal flags from another player while you are larger than him.
This is what I have for now…. more updates to come.
Blog Comments!