Billiard Bots is my first exercise in designing a multiplayer-exclusive experience in a video game. The goal with this prototype was to create a fun, 4-player couch game that was competitive but accessible and fun.
I got the idea for the gameplay from a Game Boy game, but I have wondered for a long time if it would work well in a 3D space. This project gave me a wonderful opportunity to see that yes, it does.
We made some tweaks to the standard billiard/pinball hybrid setup by adding player controlled paddles that can be flipped at any time. This allows for active gameplay during others' turns.
I consider this game one of my finest works as a designer, as we scoped incredibly well, avoided crunch, and ended up making a very fun experience from that.