Welcome to Lab 6! We are almost halfway through the semester and we hope you are enjoying this class!

In this week’s lab, we will be designing levels — in the physical world! Instead of working in a game engine, you will create real-world level designs for Beer Pong Golf. It is a party game that combines Beer Pong and Golf. Players take turns using a golf club, or throwing or rolling by hand, to land a golf ball into a cup setup. This exercise will challenge your creativity in spatial design, difficulty balancing, etc. You will be learning how to balance game progression in this lab.

As usual, you will work in groups of four to design and construct three distinct levels (or “holes”, or whatever goals you like). Each level should progressively increase in difficulty, with specific constraints:

  • Level 1: The player should score in one Try.
  • Level 2: The player should score in two Tries.
  • Level 3: The player should score in three Tries.

To achieve these constraints, you will also define how the player interacts with the ball. A “Try” can be one of these two things:

  1. Single-ball movement – Golf/Mini-golf rules. One ball, but each time the ball stops moving, the player can propel it again, using the rules of the Level.
  2. Multiple attempts – The player gets three separate attempts, using a fresh ball each time from the beginning of the level.

You are free to use any materials to construct your levels. We have provided cups, masking tape, cardstock, cardboard, and scissors, but you are encouraged to use additional materials to enhance your designs. Think about obstacles, ramps, or creative layouts that make your levels engaging and strategic.

Note that as long as the objective (get ball in cup) is the same, you can enforce whatever rules you’d like, including where the player starts from, if they have to use a bounce, etc.

At the end of the class, people will playtest your levels to see how well they align with the challenge constraints. There is no write up for this lab, but we encourage you to take pictures of your design and share it with your friends! Happy designing!