Bladderball: A simple team arena sport

We've seen many proposals for complex adaptation of other computer or board based games to SL, few enacted. What about starting at a more simple level, with team-based arena sports involving simple physics and simple rules.

For example, Bladderball, a fun game like soccer, where two teams compete to push a large (in RL about 8 feet in diameter), inflated ball from center field over a goal line. The ball often squirts up over the players' heads and then comes down on them, or gets away to be chased before it goes OOB or over the friendly goal.

With interesting team names (e.g. the "Giant Ball Busters," the "Push-Ups" or the "Prostrate Bladder Kings", saucy uniforms and cheerleaders , maybe some wagering and a referee to watch for exploits, too many players in game or furries humping on the field. It could be a fun participation sport. As a "pick up" game, it would not require much advance organization, and if a player came late or had to leave, substitutions are simple ("Sure you can play ... here's a jersey for you ... I'll put you in next time out".

It would call for rental/borrow of a private sim so would-be punk griefers could be bounced by Da Kampus Renta-Kops.

If it caught on, teams could be sponsored by clubs or businesses (think logo jerseys) and a small admission charged or a money prize given to winner.

Variations include playing on tricyles, playing on fields with dips and bumps, "shirts v. skins," blindfolded Bladderball (xcite makes a working blindfold) and other creative anachronisms. Besides team-chosen uniforms, only equipment needed is a prim ball with some on-board physics to respond to pushes from multiple avis and an open field with some containment fences, perhaps some stadium seats or a bowl-shaped terraform with fans sitting on the rise surrounding the field.

Is there an existing object that we could test as the ver 1.0 of the Bladderball?

How about an existing group interested in forming a team?

We have a working soccer field in Midnight City that includes automated goals and scoreboard. Seems like all you would have to do is change the soccer ball to something much larger and lighter.

Aimee, thank you for the suggestion of the Midnight City soccer arena. I visited it earlier this evening. Midnight City is a very interesting and evocative build, a reproduction of a major modern metropolis at night, with tall buildings, bridges and a customs tower. The dense build and tall buildings made it a bit slow for me to navigate. The soccer field is visually exciting, as illustrated in Aimee's picture. However, I found that it had so many textures that were slow to load on my marginal machine.

I also visited Pumacity, which is next door to the Ginko group of sims and seems to share their monorail. "Central Park" there may be ideal for Bladderball. It is basically a flat green rectangle surrounded by a curb and simple streets, in turn surrounded by two-story detached rental houses. Other venues on the island are low builds, spread out, making the sim open, light and easy to navigate. It was very fast and responsive.

While there, I met Casey Benton, the administrator at Pumacity. She was *very* helpful, though busy with her emergency center (several police cars, fire trucks and other public safety objects). I quickly described the Bladderball concept. She dropped what she was doing and, wearing her yellow construction site hard hat and tool belt, immediately led me to the Central Park venue and within a matter of minutes rezzed a prim ball about 8 feet in diameter and we pushed it around a bit. She started diddling with a float script to give it some bouancy and offered to put up some bleachers and maybe a scoring element, and forcast it could be ready in about a week.

I told her I envisioned pick-up teams in sponsored jerseys (and maybe little else), scantily clad cheerleaders and beerkegs in the parking lot for the fans. She pointed out that the Pumacity Police force was right next door, and I assured her that there would be a contribution to the Police Benevolent Society to assure that revelers were dealt with discretely.

Overall, Pumacity's Casey Benton was very welcoming and helpful. Pumacity offers their venues free to events that meet their basic criteria. Unless there is an overriding suggestion for a different venue, I like Pumacity to do some initial testing of the concept. It could then "travel" if it catches on.

Now we need some players, some cheerleaders, and a designer to do some jerseys with some kewl team names (see first post and use your imagination). Oh, and a beer keg would add the requisite "pick up ball game" atmosphere I envisioned.

Then we can find a mutually workable day and time to try out our Bladderball.

Volunteers??????

As "Bladders" is George's nickname for Edmund Blackadder, I suppose there's a really humorous team christening coming up, probably something to do with cat's do's.

I thought it meant you played with no breaks until the other side has to give up to go pee.


If I get a free uniform... that looks nice, sure i'll play

oooh! Speedball 2!

Bitmap Brothers, where are you now?! Speedball 3! Speedball SL!!

My God, it could be beautiful.

By the way...

Beautifully realised as it is, the Midnight City FOOTBALL stadium's goals are not on the goal line. This upsets me deeply.

Casey Benton at Puma City was very helpful, and the venue is ideal for BladderBall.

But I've seen relatively few expressions of interest from people about actually playing it. I don't envision complex rules, but just a group of folks getting together to play and have fun, perhaps meet new people. If that might be you, please post with your best availability time.

For me, best times are most weekdays between 11 AM and 3 PM U.S. Eastern time.

Count me in, Frank! 11-3 sounds good...I imagine. like me, you are GMT.

Yeah... Speedball Arena just never happened!
Grrrr!

(Ice Cream.... Ice Cream)

Actually, a game exactly like the description you gave of BLADDERBALL already exists:

AARDVARK PARK.
SE area, 175m up.

CRITTERBALL!

The game of frantic critters and one, huge ball.

It fun.

Wayfarer, I think I've visited Aardvaark Paark. Isn't it just south of ElvenGlen? But last time I was there, the Magic Kingdom sector was under development and the architect scolded me for testing my Grid Golf set on the open, rolling hills. He said it caused lag.

I'll have to drop by again. Have you a stadium, or do you just play in the open ground?

The Elven folks have natural team alliances, with the different races of Orcs, critters and Elves. And cool costumes, too. I assume any Elven magic is banned during the game.