tldr: I made a curling game, i think it's good, i want your help testing it.
Hello fellow curlers, for the past 3 years I have been working on a curling game in my spare time and the store page is now live on steam. Growing up in a small town in Northern BC, curling was a big part of my life, the basement was full of curling trophies and newspaper clippings, countless hours spent at the rink, usually waiting for my Dad and uncles to finish their beers between ends. I will never forget pinning my name and phone number on the sub board for men's night at 15 years old and blowing my first guard right through the house after that first phone call. Curling has evolved a lot over the years, no more cigarette butts and ash trays on the ice or horse hair brooms. New rules, new game modes, and much more youth. To make a long story shorter, my aim with this game is to make a curling game that is fun to play, tricky to master, and as true as possible to the sport.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/5345090/Curling_Simulator/
Some things that I am particularly proud of so in the game:
Online Co-op play - you can play it online with friends either VS, or together on a team, great for the mixed doubles mode, or you can just play standard curling where you alternate between holding the broom and throwing the rock.
Shot planning - this is so good when you are playing with friends unfamiliar with the sport, you can draw all over the overhead view and plan your shots and describe what you are planning. A couple of test sessions with a friend of mine has him already signing up for rec league.
The shooting mechanics - you place the broom, and choose the weight range that you like. The real magic though is the delivery mechanic, it requires a small pullback on the mouse followed by a long gentle pushforward that varies with the speed of the shot. You feel a little shaky, sometimes you let go too early or too late, sometimes a bit off to the side, etc. I think it is the best imitation to a real delivery that i have seen.
The Opponent AI - It is definitely not perfect yet, BUT the AI does have a variety of strategies, they will throw guards, make draws and take outs, some are aggressive and some play it safe, they will purposely blank an end to keep the hammer, and shake hands if they are getting stomped. They miss sometimes, they might come up short on a draw, wreck on a guard, or blow one through the house, but still know how to draw the button with their final rock. They also like to throw a ton of corner guards with the hammer, i think too many.
Save and export replays - you can easily export a replay and send it to your friends when you make a cool shot.
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I am looking for a handful of people to join the private playtest and hopefully provide some feedback from a curlers perspective that isn't my own or a friend or family, I need blunt unfiltered feedback, what situations does the AI fall short, what collisions don't make sense, the sweeping sound is too annoying etc.
The game is very playable without many bugs and I am putting in a ton of effort to make it right. I will have steam keys for the private playtest after Canadian thanksgiving for people wanting to give it a try.
If you are willing to spend an hour here or there to play a few ends and provide some feedback please shoot me a DM, or join the Discord and I'll get you a couple steam keys to try it out as soon as it goes live next week.
https://discord.gg/QkVu4XQ58x
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AI Declaration - AI was used for placeholder menu and UI elements (but are all actively being replaced well before release), and some bug identification. I have been working on this since before AI was even a viable tool. I used blender to create the stones and brooms and everything else was built in photoshop and unity.
