Would you buy a Pinball Sandbox Construction Kit for $5?

Updated Pinball Sandbox with Simpson's Theme Fan Game:

https://www.scirra.com/arcade/tutorial-games/pinball-sandbox-demo-13984

I also tweaked the flipper and ball for better finite control and added some grit to the ball so you can aim it very accurately. You can really control the ball about as well as in real pinball now with a little practice.

The game scoring and missions are still in development but you can see where I am headed.

I am working on the editor and also a mobile version and flat screen editor version for people that want to design their own games.

I have a website set up now so I can start promoting the game and sandbox editor when it is finished:

http://pinball-sandbox.comli.com/

The plan:

When I get this finished the user will be able to choose between several themes I create which will be different playfield layouts from easy to extreme and several fun sport themes including soccer, baseball, ice hockey (puck instead of a ball), football, golf, and bowling and others I come up with.

The user can also create their own playfields using the components I create and drag and drop them in place and change their colors and sizes. Assets will include everything found in a traditional pinball layout with lots of lights and bumpers and buzzers for affect plus specialty assets like sport players, zombies and chutes and ramps.

I will also include lots of decals so the user can personalize their games and choices of room wall and floor and other ambiance assets.

This is designed so anyone with no design skills can easily create a pinball game layout in minutes so they can play and share their games with their friends or for an advanced user that wants to design their own assets to be uploaded to the game.

I plan to have a free demo version available that will allow only one pinball creation to be saved and limited assets to wet the users appetite.

The full version will include many more assets and 6 save slots and the ability to lock a design so your kid brother can't edit it later and other features.

This will be a stand alone game and also considering HTML5 version for online play and a mobile version and of course make it available on Kongregate and C2 arcade directing people to my website.

After I get both free and full versions complete (about a month from now) I will set up a website where I will have both available and advertise the heck out of them on all the many pinball forums and I will have free online play of the many theme games I create and maybe a forum so people can share their theme designs.

I am not trying to get rich off this game and I think $5 is a fair price for the full version and I will sell it from my website and make it available through other sources like Amazon games and maybe Steam but those sources take more of the money and I have experience and accounts set up for selling and promoting my own stuff already.

I also think I will create videos (I have experience) that demonstrate how to create playfields for best affect and introducing new themes I and users create and new assets as they are designed. Videos are another stream of revenue and I can also sell new asset PAK files I create.

So that is my game design and marketing strategy.

Would you pay $5 for a full blown pinball sandbox editor with those features?

I tried your demo. The gameplay is actually quite good.

But I think you will need to improve the artwork. It is just not good visually..

Also visual effects like flashing lights and stuff.

I tried your demo. The gameplay is actually quite good.

But I think you will need to improve the artwork. It is just not good visually..

Also visual effects like flashing lights and stuff.

Well as I said I am designing the assets now and you are looking at basic assets you will color and modify and move where you want.

The artistic talent is what you will provide and I provide the canvas.

I tried your demo. The gameplay is actually quite good.

But I think you will need to improve the artwork. It is just not good visually..

Also visual effects like flashing lights and stuff.

Here ya go. I added in some dynamic lighting, a ramp and more sounds and special effects. These will be available in the editor later and a whole lot more lighting and special effects coming.

https://www.scirra.com/arcade/tutorial-games/pinball-physics-sandbox-demo-13984?action=updated

The game mechanics part are great for the most part, barring the few bugs which you already know about. The editor part will need some work if you're planning on charging for it. In my opinion it needs a cleaner and more intuitive interface. A drag and drop would be really good. As an example, instead of having all the different buttons, you could do something like have a scrollable area at the bottom (or side) of the screen with all the different parts which can be added in it. If you click on or touch a part it cycles through the possible colors. A styled slidebar just under or beside the part could size it up and down etc. Once the part is ready you just drag it where you want. Even better, make it so that the parts can be edited even after being placed. Make it so you can touch/click directly on the wall, floor, cabinet etc to cycle through those options. Basically just clean up the look of the editor and make it a bit easier to use. I hope that makes sense. Sometimes I have trouble putting what's in my head into words which others can understand well.

The game mechanics part are great for the most part, barring the few bugs which you already know about. The editor part will need some work if you're planning on charging for it.

Thanks- that editor is just a rough draft to get an idea of what I want to do with each component and it will be cleaned up. Some good ideas you gave me. I am trying to make it function easily for people with few computer skills.

I am hoping to figure out how to allow people to create and upload their own assets to the editor but that may be a bridge too far lol!

Yeah, I figured as much, but I wanted to put it out there anyways since you asked for feedback on the editor. I'm sure it's going to turn out amazing. As usual if you need any help just let me know.

Yeah, I figured as much, but I wanted to put it out there anyways since you asked for feedback on the editor. I'm sure it's going to turn out amazing. As usual if you need any help just let me know.

Thanks for the offer Burvey and you have been great help with feedback.

You catch and remember the bugs I keep forgetting to fix lol!

I think I can make the editor seamless with the game but I will have to turn off the mouse unless the editor is running other wise people switch stuff in the middle of a game and throws all the scoring and ball count out of whack.

I am doing this all in one event sheet and one layout believe it or not

UPDATE: Tweaked the flippers a little more and I THINK I have eliminated slip through. You can balance that ball on the tip of a flipper now lol!

I also added a bonus trigger and hit the ramp hole is worth 10K when arrow lit. That is a very tough shot!

https://www.scirra.com/arcade/tutorial-games/pinball-physics-sandbox-demo-13984?action=updated

[quote:2pqhsab2]I am doing this all in one event sheet and one layout believe it or not

Yeah, I did that with my first game as well which is well over 1,000 events lol. It makes it a pain to work on later, which I'm now attempting as I never took the game out of beta. I'm trying to work on it a bit here and there and it really can be a pain sometimes. There's so much that I could fix up now too since I developed the game 4 years ago and there have been so many improvements in C2 and HTML5 since then. Oh well, it is what it is.

How is the pinball sandbox coming along?

gameplay looks nice, neatly done, graphics look like amateur, if u ange it pinball entuthiast may pay a lil. 5 bugs is a lil much i thnk though. I would not pay at all to be honest. but maybe try n do it an app and put ads. I think that could work

[quote:2wodkt2e]I am doing this all in one event sheet and one layout believe it or not

Yeah, I did that with my first game as well which is well over 1,000 events lol. It makes it a pain to work on later, which I'm now attempting as I never took the game out of beta. I'm trying to work on it a bit here and there and it really can be a pain sometimes. There's so much that I could fix up now too since I developed the game 4 years ago and there have been so many improvements in C2 and HTML5 since then. Oh well, it is what it is.

How is the pinball sandbox coming along?

I actually have only 176 events so not bad and most are routines I repeat for themes I am creating and just change the data used.

I have been busy all morning trying to get my vehicles started. We hit minus 20 two nights in a row and neither vehicle would start even with the charger on. Had to flag down a neighbor lady for a jump and finally got the truck to start but car still says no way.

Now my back hurts and I need a nap because I am very cranky and then maybe I will work on the editor some more. I did find some golf assets and started working on that theme and I am stealing playfield design ideas from old pinball games.

I am sure you did not want to hear all that but I needed to gripe to someone and the dog just doesn't care lol!

[quote:2b0vd9s9]We hit minus 20 two nights in a row and neither vehicle would start even with the charger on.

I hear ya man, it was minus 27 this morning when I took my son to school. At least the snow has stopped now. It's up near the top of the 6 foot fence where I shoveled out the driveway.

By the way, I was going to ask if you have plans to make a bowling theme? I think it could work well on a digital pinball machine.

[quote:373dx6gz]We hit minus 20 two nights in a row and neither vehicle would start even with the charger on.

I hear ya man, it was minus 27 this morning when I took my son to school. At least the snow has stopped now. It's up near the top of the 6 foot fence where I shoveled out the driveway.

By the way, I was going to ask if you have plans to make a bowling theme? I think it could work well on a digital pinball machine.

Wow- that is a lot of snow. We just have a few inches but damn cold. Dog had to be forced outside to go the the bathroom lol!

I am working on bowling and I have collected some assets. Lots of ideas but I get sidetracked easily. I need to set up one layout just for my own designs and I am doing that today. Each layout I have to design new components to fit the cabinet and work with the layout so I spend time on Sketchup designing those pieces.

That is why I am studying old pinball games to get ideas for layouts that look more original and that all takes time. I have nothing but time so I should get it done huh?

I spent over two hours yesterday just figuring out where my collision boxes were overlapping and stopping the game from loading. With physics you can't have any overlapping collision boxes. That has been a real learning curve working with physics.

This is an example of a layout I just created:

Cool layout.