PartyStation is an academic group project undertaken at Kingston University of London that involves the implementation of features for the PS5 controller (Dualsense) using the official PlayStation development kit and the Unity engine.
The project involves a local multiplayer game comprising six "Mario Party"-style minigames that utilize various features of the Dualsense, including the gyroscope, touchpad, rumble triggers, and speaker, in addition to traditional buttons and joysticks.
Players compete in each minigame round to score points, and at the end of each round, a leaderboard is displayed to show the leading player. The game progresses through all the minigames, with the player with the highest score at the end of all the rounds being crowned the champion.
Showreel
The minigames
Bowling: Players use the gyroscope, touchpad, and triggers to position, guide, and launch the ball. The Dualsense's rumble and speaker features also provide sensory feedback when the ball collides with the pins.
Sliding: Players use the gyroscope to control their character's movement on a platform that is gradually decreasing in size. Rivals can push the player off the platform, and the player who stays on the platform the longest wins.
Balloon Pop: This minigame incorporates DualSense's adaptive triggers, which become more difficult to press each time they are used to inflate a balloon. The winner is the player who manages to inflate the balloon before their rivals.
Painting: This minigame utilizes the touchpad, with players required to paint the entire surface of a canvas displayed on the screen. The player who covers the most pixels with the most colors wins the round.
Hot Potato: Traditional buttons such as the D-pad are utilized in this minigame, where players pass a "hot potato" that gets hotter and changes color. The player holding the potato when it explodes is eliminated, and the last player standing wins.
Archery: Players aim with the gyroscope and shoot with the triggers in this classic minigame. The adaptive triggers provide sensory feedback, making the crosshair smaller and the shot more precise. The player with the highest score after one-minute wins.
Experience
Using an agile approach to development, our team closely collaborated to craft a fun and engaging Partystation experience, highlighting the unique features of the PS5 controller. Working in tandem honed our communication, problem-solving, and project management abilities.
Partystation proved to be a rewarding experience that facilitated growth in game development skills and comprehension of the PS5 controller's capabilities. The finished product is a tribute to the team's devotion and demonstrates the PS5 controller's potential in game development.
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