The bagatelle machine was interesting to design. It was nearly a pinball machine, but had some differences that I had to design around. The biggest one was just not having paddles. This means that one ball will only be on the field for a few seconds, so I had to design around making that time it was on the field a fun experience. In terms of mechanical aspects of the machines that I had difficulties with, one of the challenges was making a seesaw-type mechanic. This was actually one that I was not able to finish, but I know now how to do it in future machines. The problem that came from this is a bit difficult to put into words, but the essence of it, is basically that the see-saw would get stuck if two ball would hit either side. The solution to this is to put the seesaw at an angle so that only one ball will ever be able to be in the see-saw.
Another challenge faces was building the ramp, I knew that if I made it too high, the player would never be able to get the ball onto the ramp, and if it was too low, it wouldn’t feel like a ramp. I think that overall the ramp came out fine, although it could have used a bit more hop to it.
Based on the feedback, I think the pinball machine overall had a decent idea, and used unique mechanics that people enjoyed. The problem lied in the implementation and some placement issues. The way the ramp was layed out, it made it so that if the ball didn’t go off the ramp, it simply went right back into the launcher area. This meant that players were getting a bit frustrated if they did this more than twice. It was also quite difficult to get the ball anywhere other than on the ramp, because you needed to know the physics of the field very well to get it to the right side of the field.
If I were to make a second version of this field, I would remove one of the top-most holes, as well as shifting the ramp to a be further down in the board, and add some pin obstacles on the upper area.
I used Google to find all my assets:
https://imgur.com/fYTYWUB
https://www.canstockphoto.com/cute-circus-elephant-with-a-striped-ball-47105501.html
https://www.123rf.com/photo_110851024_stock-vector-rabbit-in-hat-magic-hat-with-bunny-ears-vector-flat-illustration-on-white-
background-.html
https://kicks105.com/dunking-booth-set-up-at-angelina-college-get-that-frustration-out/