Scaffolding: Concept - Team 18

 Our team is exploring alternative controller designs for Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania and Buckshot Roulette.

Official sites:
• https://smb.sega.com/bananamania/
• https://mikeklubnika.itch.io/buckshot-roulette

 

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a physics-based puzzle platformer where players guide a monkey trapped inside a ball through obstacle-filled stages by tilting the level. The core mechanics revolve around balance, momentum, and precise movement. We chose this game because its central mechanic, tilting surfaces, naturally translates to a physical interface. An alternative controller could involve tilting a platform, rotating a sphere, or shifting one’s weight to simulate the act of balancing the ball through each stage. These physical interactions could make the player feel more directly responsible for the monkey’s movement.

 

Buckshot Roulette is a tense strategy game inspired by Russian roulette, where the player and a dealer take turns firing a shotgun loaded with a mix of live and blank shells. The core mechanics involve risk assessment, item usage, and psychological tension. We chose this game because its turn-based interactions could be expressed through tactile objects such as a rotating chamber dial, physical shell indicators, or lever-based triggers that heighten suspense.

Mechanical inspirations include motion controls, rotating dials, and lever mechanisms.

Questions for peer feedback:

1. Would a tilting platform or balance board give players enough precision for Super Monkey Ball levels?
2. For Buckshot Roulette, would physical props (like shell counters or levers) increase tension or make the gameplay feel slower?

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania

Buckshot Roulette