SIP Blog: Putting on the brakes – 6/26/23
Putting on the brakes
By Alex Mintz, WPI ‘25
Coming out of the long Juneteenth weekend, all the SIP23 teams have been working full steam ahead. On Team Caramel Apples, changes are brewing. After various discussions and analysis, we have decided to put our current game concept (real gnomes retaliating against fake garden gnomes by catapulting them through windows, in a mixed style of Dunk Shot and Angry Birds) on hold while we explore a Jetpack Joyride-esque game. In an effort to maximize the efficiency, the main character has turned their leaf blower into a jetpack and will be blowing through suburbs. It is undetermined if this character will be a gnome as well, but it is likely some of the old gnome art will make an appearance if we choose this one at the end of the day.
The decision to put the brakes on the gnome game was not an easy one. We’ve just about finished the first level, which included programming more math and physics than I ever thought I’d be doing this summer. After lots of trips through old physics notes, phoning friends, and dubiously helpful AI suggestions, we were able to play with a realistic catapult – but, the game just didn’t feel “fun.”
Sparked by a discussion with MassDigi’s Monty Sharma, we decided to try a new approach and temporarily split the team in half. One group was tasked with figuring out how to save the current game, while the other was tasked with “pulling the red lever” and coming up with a completely new game. Upon reconvening, we discovered that both teams had independently brought up Jetpack Joyride. So a new idea was pitched: a gnome – or maybe a dad – going on a ride through yards on a leaf blower. Currently, we are working on a quick dirty build of this concept; if we feel it surpasses the old game by the end of its day of production, we’ll pivot. Either way, expect to see some “charming” lawn decor come out of Caramel Apples in the future.
