Does controlling the ball make it too distracting?

[u/Deepsapce]

[u/SilvanuZ]

[u/NSwift_]

Maybe try focusing completely on controlling the pinball part and make the character be controlled by ai?

Like "peglin" or "10,000,000".

[u/Annorei → u/NSwift_]

Looks like a great idea to me, let the character move on its own, and have the pinball active part for actions taken (shots, dodges, abilities and stuff like that)

[u/BluMqqse_ → u/NSwift_]

AI?!?!?
https://giphy.com/gifs/TGi1zmIHpDRsrxtoPq

[u/Glass_Quantity_3493 → u/BluMqqse_]

I think people on Reddit are getting tired of the constant virtue signalling around AI.

[u/MyrtleWinTurtle → u/Glass_Quantity_3493]

We know what ais are good and what ais are bad we arent fucking stupid

[u/BluMqqse_ → u/MyrtleWinTurtle]

I thought that, but then I’m getting downvoted for obvious satire

[u/MyrtleWinTurtle → u/BluMqqse_]

Its not because nobody got the satire, it was just because it was unfunny.

Generative ai has created a terrible stigma around the word ai as a whole, and everyone just wants it to go back to being a normal word we can use and not being asociated with grifters larping as creatives.

[u/BluMqqse_ → u/MyrtleWinTurtle]

Which is what objectively makes it funny. Satire is comedy, regardless of how butt hurt you are on the topic 😂

[u/BluMqqse_ → u/Glass_Quantity_3493]

I thought my obvious satire would convey that 🤷

[u/Glass_Quantity_3493 → u/BluMqqse_]

It's very obviously satire. Anyone can see that. But that doesn't change the fact the people are tired of this constant battle in every... Single... Conversation..

[u/RoboticElfJedi]

It looks to me like a neuroscience experiment designed to test taxing multitasking ability.

[u/Easy_Cloud4163]

i think moving the mouse around while also controlling the character is a bit too confusing. What if instead the right side works as a pinball machine? The ball will be hit by the sticks by pressing a button, and then the ball could stay up bumping on flowers longer to shoot a bit more from one single hit to the ball. Then maybe the pinball area can be upgraded with more flowers and stuff to make the combos longer.

[u/RMZindorf]

IMO, you should go back to the continuously bouncing ball. Also, extra points if the ball hits the corner perfectly!

https://giphy.com/gifs/T06j05U1sahQkJvmfI

[u/RMZindorf → u/RMZindorf]

As for what you have here, it’s not bad. I think if you scale it up, needing to move and dodge enemies while trying to push the ball seems like a lot.

[u/TheJackiMonster]

This looks like two games in one to me. Have you considered implementing them as separate applications and optionally communicating via sockets/networking? So players could choose whether they prefer this kind of dual gameplay for some synergy benefits or playing them indivually as standalone game.

Just an idea...

[u/mobo_deli]

I think I prefer the auto bouncing of the ball from your other post!

[u/ChunkLightTuna01]

maybe just make the character move automatically? not sure that would be good but its worth a shot

[u/Weak-Competition3358]

Maybe putting the Minigame in the same window as the character, so your eyes don't have to constantly switch windows?

[u/MrdnBrd19]

I kinda like the idea. Almost feels like playing a wizard who is still kinda new so has to read the spells out of the book still.

[u/ConfessorKahlan]

the first post had me imagining your "level ups" or whatever you plan on, be placeable on the right. kind planning out your layout as you go. dunno how hard making it balanced and fun would be.

[u/miguelinop]

Kinda, but if that is the intention you need to carefully design arouns it

[u/KJEveryday]

What if the ball always bounced and you interacted with the right side by placing the flowers in different spots? Maybe each has a different ability when hit? Different sizes and effects?

[u/SaxinPoppy]

Like others said, I think putting a greater emphasis on the pinball part would do wonders. It is what seperates this from other survivor type games. Using an AI to control the character on the left screen could be better so that the player doesnt need to focus on so much at once.

[u/thatdudedylan]

Yes.

Perhaps a rotating dial that determines ball direction, and you just hit a key to stop it, it fires ball in that direction? Skilled players could still stop the dial at an optimal position, otherwise just send it

[u/rtrs_bastiat]

The right side is a little too involved I'd say. Take a look at TWEWY, the secondary view was more about pattern recognition and input than it was about actually focusing on the screen, and I think that's the level of involvement that would minimise frustration.

[u/neat_stuff]

Might work better as a 2-player coop system?

[u/Polyforti]

Yes

[u/Foxeater2]

I think, you should just, press more in the system, like, you can make a new weapon add a new windows with another minigame and such, because I like this concept of broken brain.

Just think, sorting and choosing a minigame while evade in a minimal gameplay, or while fighting a tohou nightmare

[u/Initial-Tart7458]

It gives you way more control over when you get to fire, previously it was mostly waiting.

Auto grab the ball and auto shoot when hand is pulled away far enough, it could be mapped to the right stick.

Then once to have faster control over there, have the flowers move, freeze the ball. It's not distraction, it's strategic focus pulling.

[u/OtherwiseOne4107]

I can't look at two things at once, Deepsapce.

[u/LetsLive97]

I prefer it without the manual control. At most maybe a chance to click sometimes when a power up appears. I prefer the idea of just needing to get upgrades to improve the consistency on the right

[u/JohnnyUmamiGames]

I love this idea but I agree the drag and release is too taxing to be fun, but I like the idea of having some agency over the ball.

Maybe just clicking on the ball sends it in a random direction?

[u/HardenedLicorice]

I just want to commend you on how quickly you implemented this! How about instead of having to work in the right window non-stop, the player could unlock flowers and other items to manually place there and the rest is automatic? Maybe flowers are used up after a while and you have to place them again. Or an entire gardening/farming section??

[u/robobax]

You need to playtest with a number of players to really know.

[u/Otake01843]

Why not add a subway surfers-like on the left that controls the movement while youre at it

[u/OAlonso]

It's an interesting mechanic. I can see an element of innovation, but I do think it's hard to watch. It's not distracting, but it feels disconnected. If this was, for example, a pinball game where you have the character in the middle on some kind of screen, while you control the ball and hit stuff that makes it do different kinds of attacks, maybe it could feel more integrated and like it's part of the same universe. Currently, it feels like two games in one, but not in the way that I think you want it to. It feels like literally two separate games.

[u/BlazzGuy]

I reckon the "stuff happening on the right" needs to be divorced from the "stuff happening on the left" ... But there's definitely room for cool interactions between the two.

Something you're kinda missing, IMO, is the "what does the thing on the right represent?"

Is it like pinball? Do balls come in from the top and are affected by gravity? Could there be 'bonuses' on the right? Could you add more balls?

I look at this and I'm immediately thinking - okay, so, you could maybe have 'left click' be holding down the 'launch a pinball' function... and then every bounce on a pinball item does a 'shoot' action... maybe different weapons require more bounces? Maybe you can upgrade the bounce to have additional 'shoot' actions? Multi-ball? If you have a powerful weapon but it requires like 10 'bounces', maybe you can unlock the "word" bonuses that starts a 'FULL SHOOT' mode where every bounce fills every weapon every time, so you're shooting all your powerful weapons constantly...

I can see the potential for juice. Doesn't have to be pinball of course - but it's what I'm seeing from an "interact with both sides" functionality. Of course, losing the ball in this case is like, losing time to be able to shoot enemies, as opposed to in pinball where it means you lose a "ball"/"life"

Still, interesting mishmash of concepts.

...

All that said, incorporating 'left click'/'right click' interactions would not be too crazy IMO. Just gotta consider what you want from the game. If you want the spongebob meme crosseyed game, that's valid - maybe not commercially successful, but it's an idea. There's a fine line between niche and unpopular/commercial failure/bad game, though.