ICS 61 – Game Systems and Design – Game 1-ABrief Description of Arcade Pong Mechanics

Students: Jonathan Nguyen, jonathn6@uci.eduTommy Vu

Discussion session time: 5:00In the following questions, Pong means the traditional arcade game of Pong. If you answer while thinking about Scratch Pong or any other version, make that clear.

How does Pong use space? Answer at least three of the questions in Lens #26.5:00pm

Pong uses space in a discrete manner and is always set on a 2-dimensional plane. There are no other ways to interpret it. The boundaries are a rectangular box and there are no sub-spaces.

What information changes during Pong? Answer the four questions in Lens #28.5:00pm

The information in the game revolves around a single ball that moves at a constant speed and bounces off of two different paddles that move vertically. The paddles contain a “bounce” attribute that propels the ball in an opposite direction upon colliding with the paddle. The states known by the game are exact values of the movement of the ball and the paddles. States known by the player involve general basics such as paddle movement and ball movement.

What are the actions of Pong? Answer the five questions in Lens #31.5:00pm

Players can move their paddles up and down, but that’s all. Actions are directly resultant based off of where the ball is and what object it hits. I’d like to see some more variety from the resultant actions in the Scratch Pong game. I would change the collisions so that a random speed would be generated to create a more chaotic and surprising environment. The team is dissatisfied with the lack of resultant actions from classic Pong, but are content with those in the Scratch Pong game.

Players wish the paddles can move diagonally to produce a more fun environment, but the team thought it would be too difficult. Instead, we created 2 more paddles that move randomly left and right and produce new directions for the ball to bounce in.

What are the foundational rules of Pong? How do these differ from the operational rules? (This is from Lens #33.)5:00pm

The operational rules of the game are to score points on the other player by getting the ball past their paddle; the foundational rules, however, are less obvious and are akin to hitting the ball at the optimal angle to sneak it past the other player.

What skills does Pong require of the player? Answer the first four questions in Lens #34.5:00pm

The game requires the player to take active participation and have a relatively quick reaction response to the ball, which is a reliance on both physical and mental skills. The game is lacking social skills as it is based off of reactions to the ball. Since the ball is its own identity, the player merely needs to “play the ball” instead of the other player. The most important skills are physical and mental, which are ideal in the game we wish to create in Scratch Pong.

What role does chance play in Pong? Answer the first question in Lens #36.5:00pm

In Pong there is no role for chance. It is based off of certainty and reaction the moment the ball bounces off of the wall and paddles.